Friday, September 06, 2002
U.S. Open notebook
USTA plans Court of Champions
By HAL BOCK
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK — The United States Tennis Association announced plans Thursday for creation of the U.S. Open Court of Champions, a year-round attraction at the National Tennis Center that will honor singles champions in the 122-year history of the U.S. Open and the U.S. Nationals.
The 9,000-square-foot outdoor pavilion will feature a complete listing of all champions, updated annually, and will chronicle the achievements of the tournament's greatest champions.
The first inductees to the court will be announced at the 2003 U.S. Open.
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INCREASING CHANCES: Amelie Mauresmo's chance for a first Grand Slam title would be greatly increased if she is able to defeat two-time defending champion Venus Williams in Friday's U.S. Open semifinal.
In the 17 times that a reigning champion returned to defend her crown, the player who eliminated her went on to win the title on nine occasions. The last time it happened was 1999, when Serena Williams defeated Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals and won the championship.
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RANKINGS: If Serena and Venus Williams meet in Saturday night's final of the U.S. Open, the winner will be No. 1 in the WTA rankings next week.
The sisters came into the final Grand Slam of the season ranked 1-2. No. 1 Serena plays Lindsay Davenport and No. 2 Venus, the two-time defending champion, faces Amelie Mauresmo in Friday's semifinals.
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TENNIS FESTIVAL SUNDAY: No seat? No problem.
The USTA is throwing open the National Tennis Center on Sunday, charging fans $5 admission to walk the grounds and watch the men's singles final and women's doubles final on two large video screens.
Also available that day will be the junior finals, men's 45 doubles final and women's doubles masters championships on the outside courts, as well as live music and entertainment in the food village.
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DOUBLES DOINGS: It was a busy Thursday at the U.S. Open for the team of Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi, who opened the program with a 7-6 (4), 5-7, 7-6 (4) victory over Wayne Black and Kevin Ulyett in the men's doubles quarterfinals and then came back later in the day to play the Bryan twins, Bob and Mike, in the semifinals.
The double duty did not disturb the partners, who completed a sweep, eliminating the Bryans 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
Next for Bhupathi and Mirnyi are fourth-seeded Jonas Bjorkman and Todd Woodbridge, who advanced to the finals by defeating No. 11 Jiri Novak and Radek Stepanek 6-2, 7-6 (4).
In women's doubles quarterfinals, sixth-seeded Elena Dementieva and Janette Husarova defeated No. 15 Kim Clijsters and Meghann Shaughnessy 6-4, 6-3. In a semifinal match, second-seeded Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez beat Nadia Petrova and Nicole Pratt 6-1, 6-3.
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