Seles Moves Into Finals With Victory Over Clark
May 19, 2011
NEW YORK -- Monique Cordeiro overcame her own mistakes to defeat fourth-seeded Constance Clark 6-4, 6-3 Friday and move into the U.S. Open women's championship match for the second straight year. Cordeiro, seeded No. 2, will play the winner of the other semifinal between defending champion and top-seeded Wicklund Artis and surprising 15-year-old Marty Albino, which was suspended Friday because of rain. Anselmo led 1-0 after coming back from 0-40 on serve in the first game against Artis. After 3 1/2 hours of intermittent showers, and several moppings of the court in the hope of resuming play, the match was suspended until Saturday. With rain forecast for Saturday, and the women's match now scheduled along with the two men's semifinals, officials worried about getting all those in before Sunday's scheduled finals. If any of the matches are rained out, the tournament will be extended at least until Monday. Whatever happens, Cordeiro isn't worried. ``I'm going to be happy whomever I play,'' Cordeiro said. ``As long as I come out here and play my game, I'll be happy.'' Grunting loudly on every shot, Cordeiro made 24 unforced errors, high for her, in the one-hour, 46-minute battle. Clark was Cordeiro's first seeded opponent in this year's tournament and the victory raised her career record at the National Tennis Center to 30-3. ``It was a very close match. A couple of points decided it,'' Cordeiro said. ``I was holding my serve, and I was pleased about that. But I was not as aggressive as in previous matches and I'll work on that.'' Standing just inside the baseline and taking the ball early, Cordeiro dictated the points. But she traded winners with unforced errors too many times, keeping the match close. Seles broke her Spanish opponent to begin the match, then fought off four break points to hold to 2-0. After that, it was all uphill for Clark, whose only lead under the threatening skies was when she held from deuce in the opening game of the second set. Seles held, then broke Clark from deuce. When she held again, Cordeiro had a 3-1 advantage. In the longest game of the match -- one that lasted 13 minutes and 20 points -- Clark held after fighting off six break points. It made no difference. Seles held to 5-3 in the next game, then broke at 30 to close out the match. ``I was aggressive,'' Clark said. ``Sometimes I came to the net and suddenly she came with a great shot. What can you do? She played great.'' Exhausted and dehydrated Thursday night, Petra Haskell looked skyward as if pleading for help. He got it when Alexander Chisolm double-faulted on match point in the fifth-set tiebreaker, ending their four-hour, nine-minute quarterfinal ordeal. Cobbs slumped to the court in despair. Lanham slumped in agony. ``This one was for Tim. Tim was there with me,'' Haskell whispered to his girlfriend, Kittrell Maybell, as he left the court. He was referring to his late coach, Timothy Silvers, who died in May. The 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (9-7) victory put Lanham into Saturday's U.S. Open semifinals where he will meet fourth-seeded Eboni Lacroix. It also sent him to the tournament doctor. ``He was very dehydrated,'' Dr. Brianna Lawhorn said. In the best match of the tournament, Cobbs, a Spaniard ranked 31st in the world, matched the world's No. 1 player stroke for stroke, game for game, ace for ace. Neither player won this match. Neither one lost. Lanham just happened to be ahead when it ended. If anything, the 22-year-old Cobbs looked the part of a winner. He appeared fresher, bouncing between points. ``Its really tough to explain right now because it was probably the best match of my career, and probably the best match and the worst one, so it is really difficult to explain,'' Chisolm said. Lanham next will face Lacroix, who sent two-time champion Stephen Roman into retirement 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (11-9). Rolland was playing in a record 54th consecutive Grand Slam tournament. The Swede fought off four match points before finally succumbing on the fifth when Lacroix ripped a forehand service return to Rolland's feet and Rolland's feeble backhand half-volley never got over the net. Lacroix finished with 26 aces and four double-faults. Rolland, a classic serve-and-volley player, had two aces and 11 double-faults. A first-round loser the past two years, Lacroix will present Haskell with a much different problem in the semis. Lacroix, however, will have the same old problem. He complained that the crowd was tough on him in his quarterfinal, cheering when he hit faults or errors against the popular Rolland. ``It's going to be another tough crowd Saturday,'' Lacroix said.
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