In the most anticipated third round match on the women’s side at the Australian Open, No.2 seeded Russian Maria Sharapova bested American Venus Williams in straight sets last night, 6-1, 6-3 at Rod Laver Arena.

Apparently, the 25-year old career grand slam winner had too much for Williams, who’s won seven majors in her brilliant career (5 Wimbledons, 2 U.S. Opens). Sharapova outslugged Venus. She won the first four games, jumping out to a double break lead and easily captured the opening set. The fiery blonde Russian got an early break in the second and never relinquished it to serve out the match.

“She played very well. I expect her to play well,” Williams said of a pumped up Sharapova. “Definitely not my best day today. But, you know, there’s always other days to play better.”

“I was a really determined player out there because I knew the tennis that she’s capable of producing and playing,” Sharapova said.

The former Australian champion advanced to the Round Of Sixteen where she’ll meet unseeded Belgian Kirsten Flipkens.

In other action, Ana Ivanovic defeated Jelena Jankovic in straights, 7-5, 6-3 to take the all Serbian battle of former No.1′s. She’ll next face No.4 seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, who made quick work of Heather Watson 6-3, 6-1. Radwanska hasn’t dropped a set this year and is favorite to beat Ivanovic, who preached patience for the upcoming fourth round encounter.

No.5 German Angelique Kerber ended American teenager

2, 7-5 triumph to make the Round Of 16. Nobody’s talking about her but the lefty has the game to give Sharapova a run if they meet in the quarterfinals.

No.6 Li Na also advanced with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Sorana Cirstea. If she makes the quarters, she’ll face the Radwanska/Ivanovic winner. If it’s Radwanska, I’d lean toward the No.4 seed from Poland.

There are more third round matches for the women later today in Melbourne Park with defending champion Victoria Azarenka, Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki all taking the court.

One of the more intriguing match-ups pits American Sloane Stephens against unseeded Brit Laura Robson, who as speculated here took out Petra Kvitova in a long three set battle 2-6, 6-3, 11-9. Stephens is an up and coming player for our country who’s seeded No.29. She is a good ball striker who possesses power that can one day help her reach the top 10. She’ll have to be at her best to beat the feisty Robson, who fights hard. One of them will have a shot at their first slam quarter.

On the men’s side, everything held to form. Novak Djokovic and David Ferrer each prevailed in straight sets with the No.4 Spaniard taking out popular Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. Djokovic defeated Czech veteran Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-3, 7-5.

The Djoker next faces Stanislas Wawrinka who took out No.20 American Sam Querrey 7-6 (6), 7-5, 6-4. The No.15 seed from Switzerland is a solid player who has a great backhand but not enough consistency to upset Nole. Djokovic is a better server, stronger player and better runner. He should prevail in three. If he does, he could see big hitting Czech Tomas Berdych. A player nobody likes to play because he’s got the kind of game that can give anyone fits. With a huge serve and some of the biggest groundstrokers in tennis, he is capable of beating anybody. Just ask Roger Federer.

Berdych next takes on unseeded Kevin Anderson, who upset fading Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in five sets, 4-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2. Verdasco hasn’t been the same player for a couple of years with injuries also dropping him out of the top 20. A shame for a very talented lefty with a strong game. If you don’t have it upstairs, you can’t stick. Look at James Blake, who could be following Andy Roddick out.

No.8 seeded Serbian Janko Tipsarevic rallied from a set down to defeat Frenchman baseliner Julien Benneteau 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 to advance to a Round Of 16 match against No.10 Spaniard Nicolas Almagro. That’s a pick ‘em. Tipsarevic has the better serve. I still like him to prevail and face Ferrer, who should have enough to beat Japanese No.18 Kei Nishikori.

Later tonight, the Federer Express takes on Aussie teen Bernard Tomic. Expect Federer to advance in a unique Davis Cup setting with all of Melbourne behind Tomic. The other match in his quarter should be competitive with Canadian monster server Milos Raonic taking on German Phillip Kohlschreiber. Kohlschreiber will have to serve extremely well to prevail. If he does, he’s capable of prevailing. I’m going to pick him in a slight upset over Raonic in four.

Federer should beat either guy to reach the quarters where Jo-Wilfried Tsonga should be waiting. Another player who’s beaten Roger before. But last time out, Feds was unstoppable. I still believe he’ll make the semis.

It’s uncertain if it’ll be Andy Murray, who has the hardest section with either Juan Martin Del Potro or Marin Cilic a potential quarterfinal opponent. Murray faces unseeded Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis while an all French battle takes place between Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils. The unpredictable Monfils came back from a set back to beat Yen-Tsun Lu 7-6 (5), 4-6, 0-6, 6-1, 8-6 in sweltering conditions that saw him call for the trainer due to severe cramping. He overcame 23 double faults to prevail, later telling the French media that he was so tired that he tried to keep points short.

Monfils is way too inconsistent to beat the steady Simon, who should be fresher following a four set triumph over Jesse Levine. Simon is like a backboard, similar to Djokovic without the ridiculous shot making ability. He’s not the right opponent for the streaky Monfils. Simon is always a tough out at slams. Figure that to be the case again.

We’ll have more Australian Open coverage over the weekend, including Federer’s showdown against Tomic.

Caroline Wozniacki (seen here emulating Serena Williams) advanced to the third round.
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The heat is on in Melbourne. On Day Four of the Australian Open, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka each advanced in straight sets. The two big favorites on the women’s side seem on a collision course for a semifinal. Azarenka has never defeated Williams, who’s looking to overtake the world No.1 with a win down under. If she can win slam No.16, Williams will become the oldest woman to ever be ranked No.1. Don’t bet against it.

The defending women’s champ Azarenka dropped only one game in her early second round match over Greece’s Eleni Daniilidou. She next faces American Jamie Hampton. The recently turned 23-year old defeated Thailand’s Luksika Kumkhum 6-1, 6-2. Now, she’ll step up in competition against one of the best. Between Azarenka’s screeching and power game, she’ll need plenty of luck.

Azarenka looks to have an easy road to her semi showdown with Serena, who may not even have to face eighth seeded Petra Kvitova. The gifted Czech who surprised her by winning ’11 Wimbledon is still inconsistent and has to face young Brit Laura Robson in the night session. She’s a spunky player who plays every point hard. Don’t be shocked if Robson pulls the upset. Much will depend on if Kvitova is on. When she is, she’s deadly. The lanky lefty is very streaky. She has all the weapons to beat anyone including Williams. American Sloane Stephens could be waiting in the third round.

Former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki is in Azarenka’s section. She is a potential quarterfinal opponent if the pretty Dane continues to regain confidence. She entered the tournament seeded No.10. After pulling out a three set victory over disappointing German Sabine Lisicki, Wozniacki won in straight sets over 16-year old Croat Donna Vekic, 6-1, 6-4. The win wasn’t easy with the 22-year old nearly blowing a double break lead in the second set before closing Vekic out. It’s a step in the right direction following first round ousters at the last two grand slams in 2012. Her year didn’t start badly making the quarterfinals in Melbourne Park. But it was all downhill afterwards, losing in the third round at Roland Garros and then being upset at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. She lost her confidence. Even a change in coaches didn’t work. Maybe a new year is a chance for her to start over.

Wozniacki next takes on unseeded Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko, who made the third round with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Russian Daria Gavrilova. If she can Wozniacki can make the Round Of 16, she could see a familiar face. Former grand slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova is making a comeback. Well, not literally. The Russian is trying to get back in the top 20. At 27, she’s slipped to No.70. However, she is in better shape and next meets Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro. Navarro needed three sets in the heat to advance. She’s three years younger but is mostly a doubles player with a tricky game. Kuznetsova should prevail to set up a potential fourth round against Wozniacki. One other note from Caroline’s match. Vekic looked like her doppelganger, wearing a similar outfit with white and yellow while sporting blond locks. I don’t know if her plan was to fool Wozniacki but it didn’t work.

On the men’s side, there haven’t been many surprises. As expected, top seeded Serb Novak Djokovic rolled past American Ryan Harrison in straights late last night. The Djoker is going to be hard to beat on his best surface. He’s already won three Australians including the last two with two epic five set wins over Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal still fresh in our minds. His biggest threat is Murray, who finally got over the heap after beating Roger Federer for Olympic gold in London. Murray was able to follow it up with his first grand slam title, defeating hitting partner Djokovic to capture the U.S. Open. He became the first British male to win a major since Fred Perry in 1936. Murray doesn’t have an easy draw with dangerous Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro a potential blockbuster quarter.

Murray defeated Joao Sousa 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 to set up a third round match against unseeded Lithuanian Ricardis Berankis. Berankis ousted No.25 Florian Mayer 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. Assuming he wins, the Round Of 16 could be either Gilles Simon or Gael Monfils. A pair of Frenchmen with very different styles. Simon the more grinding baseliner who can go five. Monfils the exciting player who uses a lot of energy between points and can make impossible shots. He’s playing right now and just took the first set from Taipei’s Yen-Hsun Lu in a tiebreaker. He already gestured after taking it. I love watching him. But he should be so much better. Injuries and inconsistencies have been the story for one of tennis’ most electrifying showmen.

The biggest story was Aussie Bernard Tomic coming back to defeat German Daniel Brands over four close sets, 6-7 (4), 7-5, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (8). Tomic is a different kind of player who can’t overpower opponents. He’s a grinder like Lleyton Hewitt, who got the most of his talent winning two majors. Whether Tomic can do the same depends on how much he develops. It won’t be an easy road with grand slam record holder Roger Federer probably staring at him from the opposite end of the net. Federer faces Russian vet Nikolai Davydenko in the late match at Rod Laver Arena. Davydenko used to give Roger some good matches. He’s making his own attempt at getting back into the top 20. He’s currently ranked No.40. He’ll have to do a lot of running to upset the Maestro.

As for Tomic’s gritty win over Brands, he earned it. He needed seven match points to finally come out victorious with plenty of support from wild Aussies who were chanting, “Ber-nie, Ber-nie” throughout. There wasn’t much separating the two with both possessing strong serves. Each fired over 20 aces with Tomic edging Brands 26-23. Ironically, Brands won one more total point (154-153). Unfortunately, it was a bad omen. Brands also held the edge in winners with 73 to Tomic’s 59. Tomic produced the only break of serve in the second set, which allowed him to square the match. The last breaker could’ve gone either way with Brands continuing to save match points, even earning a set point. But a determined Tomic was able to avoid a five set marathon. During a post match interview with Jim Courier, he openly admitted he’d prefer to play Davydenko to laughter. Then drew even more chuckles referencing how Federer kicked his ass the last two times.

Tomic is currently ranked No.43. He doesn’t turn 21 until after the final slam of the season. He’ll be fun to follow and should approach the top 20.

Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams renew their rivalry tomorrow in a huge third round match down under.
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Venus/Sharapova square off tomorrow: In easily the most anticipated early match during the first week, Venus Williams takes on Maria Sharapova for a chance at the Round Of 16. Williams continues to play the game she loves while battling Sjogren’s syndrome. An illness which affects the immune system, causing weakness, fatigue and muscle pain. She went public following a second round withdrawal at the ’11 U.S. Open and then took seven months off before returning. She has altered her diet becoming a vegetarian even though she admitted to being a “cheagan” in a recent AP story entering the ’13 Australian Open.

At 32, the seven-time grand slam champion who’s won five Wimbledons and two U.S. Opens remains a classy player who’s handled even disease with elegance. She’s very different from sister Serena, who prefers to show her emotions. Venus and Sharapova are two of the biggest servers on the WTA Tour. Both extremely streaky. They both can boom the ball during rallies but Sharapova possesses more power, which is why Williams would be wise to come to the net. She is quicker able to run down more shots. If this match was on grass, it’d be a potential final. But with Venus currently seeded No.26 and the fiery Russian career grand slam winner ranked No.2, it’s a third round clash.

It should be great. Might want to go to sleep early and set your alarm clock for 3:30 on the East coast.

Ana Ivanovic is a looker on and off the tennis court.

The Australian Open is still in the early stages during Week One. Second round matches were completed on Day Three. Not surprisingly, Maria Sharapova coasted past overmatched  foe Masaki Foi, posting her second consecutive double bagel to set up a potential third round clash against Venus Williams. The 32-year old seven-time grand slam champion is leading Frenchwoman Alice Cornet 3-2 in the first set at Rod Laver Arena. Hopefully, she’ll advance.

Agnieszka Radwanska continued her torrid start to the season with a straight sets 6-3 6-3 victory over Irina-Camelia Begu. The talented fourth seed from Poland won her two tune ups entering tennis’ first slam. She remains under the radar due to heavy hitters Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Sharapova. Most expect the winner to come from that top heavy trio. But the smaller in stature Radwanska is a pesky player who uses her legs and smarts to stay in points. She should be a tough out.

There were a couple of notable upsets with No.15 Dominika Cibulkova falling in straights to unseeded Russian Valeria Savinykh 7-6 (6), 6-4. Cibulkova is a nice player who is capable of beating anyone. But she disappoints in Round Two. The biggest head scratcher was No.9 Aussie Samantha Stosur losing a heart breaker to Chinese veteran Jie Zheng 6-4, 1-6. 7-5. The former ’11 U.S. Open champ blew a double break 5-2 lead in the final set, dropping five straight games to stun her home supporters. Stosur is hot and cold. She is very streaky, relying on a big serve and forehand. When on, she’s deadly. For a set and a half, it looked like she would overcome a Zheng, who had trouble holding serve in the third set. Instead, Stosur let down allowing Zheng to get a break back and squeak out a hold for 4-5. The errors just kept coming off Stosur’s racket. Zheng hung in rallies, waiting for her opponent to self destruct. Stosur has never fared well at her home event. The pressure was too much. She double faulted on match point, handing Zheng the victory. Stosur is now 3-14 in her career at Melbourne Park. A bitter defeat that hopefully won’t linger.

One of the most popular players is Ana Ivanovic, who advanced to a third round match up against Jelena Jankovic. The No.13 Serb earned a three set win over Yung-Jan Chan, prevailing 7-5, 1-6, 6-4. The beautiful 25-year old who once was No.1 in the world following her only grand slam win at Roland Garros (’08) is still a quality player who features a big hitting forehand. When she’s on, so too is her serve which has gotten better despite a wild ball toss. Ivanovic had enough game to get through Chan. Her power, persistence and experience helped her advance to a showdown of former No.1 Serbians.

Ivanovic had an interesting stat line, finishing with the same amount of aces (8) and double faults (8) while having identical winners (49) and unforced errors (49). In many ways, that is the epitome of who she is. It’s a constant mental battle for her. She has gone through ups and downs but finally is playing the kind of tennis we’ve grown accustomed to. She’s coming off her first appearance in a slam quarterfinal since winning that French Open five years ago. Of course, she went down to the more powerful Serena, who won her 15th grand slam in NYC. If she can outthink the fading Jankovic, it could set up an intriguing Round Of 16 match against Radwanska.

It would be better for tennis if Ivanovic prevails over Jankovic. Not just cause of her looks but because she’s fun to watch. All the fist pumps between points and stutter step are part of her rituals which include a different kind of grunt than Sharapova or Azarenka. Somewhat astonishingly, she lost a point during the second round match for her awkward grunt which the chair umpire felt affected Chan’s next swing. This is kind of ironic considering that Sharapova and Azarenka are much louder but never are penalized. I guess they’re cracking down. What happens if Ana upsets Radwanska and Li Na to reach a quarter against Sharapova? Just saying.

On the men’s side, equally popular Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis came back to beat Tatsuma Ito 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. The former ’06 runner up is still seeded No.28 and next takes on always tough No.4 Spaniard David Ferrer, who battled past American Tim Smyczek (who???) in four sets, 6-0, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. Ferrer is the antithesis of Baghdatis who gets by on talent. If he had the same work ethic of Ferrer, there’s no telling how much more successful he’d be. Instead, we’re left wondering with one slam final and a Wimbledon semi the same year. It’s hard to pick against Ferrer, who wears down his opponents. He should prove too fit for Baghdatis. But we know who the crowd will be pulling for.

UPDATE: Venus leads Cornet 6-3, 4-3. So far, so good. It would be nice to see her make one last run but the best bet is still her favorite surface on grass where she’s won five of seven majors at Wimbledon. … Also waiting to take the court is two-time defending champ Novak Djokovic. He takes on American Ryan Harrison. The kid from Austin, Texas is only 20 but possesses a big serve and solid ground strokes. He’s in his fourth year and has never advanced past the second round in any grand slam event. As a matter of fact, this is his first appearance in Round Two down under. Now, he’ll be under the spotlight against the Serbian world No.1 who is a human backboard. Nole runs every ball down and invents impossible angles for winners. He is a pleasure to watch and always part of the discussion with Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal. Right now, there’s no better player than Nole, who’s aiming for a fourth title at Laver.

It will be extremely difficult for Harrison to prevail. He will have to hold serve and hope to get into tiebreakers. Against the best returner on the planet, it should be too much to overcome.

The game’s best player is back on top. It took a while for Serena Williams to overtake Dinara Safina. But the 28 year-old American who won two grand slams (Australian, Wimbledon) this year finally is No.1 on the WTA Tour again after a straight sets second round win over Ekaterina Makarova, 6-3, 6-2 at the China Open Tuesday.

“I won two grand slams, and I should have got more. But you know what, I’m just excited to have those two, which is great,” a pleased Williams said of becoming the No.1 ranked player for the fourth time in her career.

“I just played consistent for all the year. I felt like especially the beginning of the year I did well. I was bothered a little bit by injury but I kept fighting.

“I kept showing up and doing the best I could do. Sometimes there were unfortunate losses, but I really tried. And I think at end of the day that’s what matters.”

That effort has been rewarded with her replacing the struggling Safina who suffered two more excruciating early defeats in Tokyo and China following a disappointing third round exit at the U.S. Open last month. While the 23 year-old Russian had a good season making her first two slam finals that included a rout in which she got only three games against Williams down under, it ended bad enough that her inconsistent play cost her the top spot.

As for Serena, perhaps getting away from home was for the best following a controversial Open semifinal exit to Kim Clijsters in which she lost it completely, cursing out a lineswoman who called a footfault. The outrage from the incident portrayed the 11-time slam champ in a negative light with questions still being asked after her and big sis Venus took the doubles crown at Flushing.

Many experts including CBS/ESPN analyst Mary Carillo felt she should’nt even have been allowed to play and deserved a suspension. Our only beef with Serena is that she didn’t say sorry, instead issuing a statement of apology. That’s not the same as saying the two words, “I’m sorry,” which would’ve been better received.

At least she’s gotten away from the heated topic by getting back to tennis. Something she does quite well as her 45-11 record says after two wins in China with a better third round test coming versus Russian Nadia Petrova. She’ll still be favored to advance and come out of a bracket that lost resurgent Maria Sharapova, who won at Pan Pacific last week over Jelena Jankovic when the Serb was forced to quit. If she comes through, Serena might see Svetlana Kuznetsova, who qualified for the season ending championship. The 2009 French Open winner will play the hot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who ousted Serena’s older sis a second straight week.

As for Williams being back on top, the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida resident seems more at ease.

“I definitely feel better,” she expressed. “I’d be lying if I sat here and said I didn’t.

“But I just feel like I would say the ranking will come, you know, I’m not focus on being number one. And I would rather have won the titles that I have won this year, as opposed to have the ranking.

“But fortunately now, for next week at least, I have it.”

It didn’t matter to host Italy that Roger Federer was out for doubles. With Switzerland opting to rest the men’s grand slam record holder, the Italian team of Simone Bolelli and Potito Storace took advantage posting a straight sets 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (3) win over sub Marco Chiudinelli and Stanislas Wawrinka Saturday.

“We all know he’s had a very heavy schedule over the last days and weeks, so we preferred that he rest today and be ready for tomorrow,” explained Swiss captain Severin Luthi of keeping Federer out so he wouldn’t be forced to play three consecutive days following a busy Open that saw him fall just short of matching Bill Tilden.

Instead, the Federer Express will look to clinch his country’s 20th straight place in the World Group when he takes on Andreas Seppi in reverse singles later today. Wawrinka, who beat Seppi in straights will face Bolelli in the other match concluding the best-of-five series in Genoa, Italy.

“The Italians just played better today,” Luthi added. “[Federer] has no problem. You can expect him to play for sure tomorrow.”

For Italy who’s trying to make it 4-1 in five head-to-head Davis Cup ties versus their gifted opponents, they are aware that it will take an awful lot to pull off the upset.

“It will definitely not be easy to beat Federer, he is the best player of all time and these are not words but fact. But we are still alive and will try our best, also with the support of our homecrowd,” Starace quickly noted. “We will try to give him as much trouble as possible,” added Bolelli.

They can take solace knowing the crowd will be with them giving overwhelming support.

“Yesterday, the fans were here but sort of weren’t,” pointed out Starace. “Today, they really were a factor for us and we saw that they can make a difference.”

They’ll need all the help they can get along with inspired tennis to give the fans what they want to see.

The Swiss Maestro was sharp. In his first Davis Cup singles match against Italy Friday, Roger Federer made quick work of Simone Bolelli, taking it in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-1.

“We knew these were key matches, and that we were able to get both gives us a great opportunity on the weekend,” a pleased Federer said after improving to 36-11 career in Davis Cup.

Along with Swiss teammate Stanislas Wawrinka- who prevailed in straights over a stomach-ridden Andreas Seppi 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 in the first match on the red clay at the Valletta Cambiaso club in Italy- Federer helped give Switzerland a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five competition with the winner remaining in the World Group for next year. If they can finish off their Italian hosts this weekend, it will be the 20th straight appearance.

Following No.22 Wawrinka’s early win, the grand slam record holder fought off a pair of break points before getting it going against Bolelli. He broke him six different times during the hour and 40-minute match.

“With the jet lag and surfaces change and playing here in Italy away, I knew it was always going to be a tough match,” the 28 year-old world No.1 pointed out after serving 10 aces and finishing with 35 winners.

Italy is hoping to improve on a strong 3-1 head-to-head record. But if they’re going to now pull the upset, they’ll have to be perfect this weekend starting with doubles against the 2008 Olympic gold duo of Federer and Wawrinka, who’ll attempt to close it out tomorrow versus Fabio Fognini and Potito Starace.

If the Italian tandem can string the upset, the reverse singles on Sunday would have extra meaning. It should be quite a challenge tomorrow for the hosts who are wearing black armbands in dedication to the loss of six Italian soldiers killed when a bomb exploded in Afghanistan.

Both Seppi and Bolelli paid tribute during their matches to true heroes no longer with us.

All is not lost for Roger Federer. Sure. The grand slam record holder probably would like a do over of the epic five-set U.S. Open he lost to Juan Martin Del Potro that ended his five-year reign in New York.

However, the 28 year-old world No.1 has moved on preparing to help his country Switzerland when they battle host Italy in Davis Cup later today.

“I never had any doubt about coming,” Federer said while wearing the red team jacket with a chance to lead his country to a big win that would keep them in the World Group a 20th consecutive year. “The doubts were created by others. It certainly wasn’t me.”

Perhaps the reason for those doubts had to do with Federer missing a first round loss to the United States back in March when he was suffering from a back injury.

The Swiss Maestro has plenty on his impressive resume but has never won Davis Cup or Olympic gold in singles. Though teaming with current No.22 Stanislas Wawrinka to take gold in doubles last summer in Beijing was something he’ll never forget. It probably helped him get over the gut wrenching five-set Wimbledon loss to Rafael Nadal, spring boarding forward to five-peat at the Open in straight sets over Andy Murray.

“Obviously Switzerland is the favorite, but Italy is a good team and you never know,” pointed out Federer who carefully chose his words against the underdog led by Andreas Seppi, who is a solid enough player that upset American James Blake in the first round of Wimbledon, advancing to the third round this past summer.

Seppi will try to lead a group consisting of Simone Boldelli, Fabio Fognini and Potito Storace whose idols include Andre Agassi and former World Cup great Roberto Baggio- past a strong Swiss team featuring Federer, Wawrinka along with Stephane Bohli and Marco Chiudinelli.

“It’s a tough tie,” Italy captain Corrado Barazzutti noted as his team prepared for their fifth ever meeting against the Swiss looking to improve on a 3-1 record in the head-to-head series.

“But this is a unique competition compared to a regular tournament, and you can really get motivated for it. That’s why you often see strange results in Davis Cup. … We’re not going to go out on the court already beaten. We’re going to play and give our best.”

So, will the Federer Express be ready?

“I obviously have to get over my jet lag, considering the fact that I’m coming from New York, but everything else is fine,” he added.

While Del Potro celebrates his big win, it’s back to work for Federer.

Is there anything Roger Federer can’t do with a racket? They don’t call the men’s grand slam record holder The Maestro for nothing.

In advancing to another U.S. Open final where he’ll meet sixth seeded Juan Martin Del Potro for a chance to match Bill Tilden’s six consecutive titles, the world’s top player pulled out all the stops in an ultra competitive straight sets 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-5 win over a game fourth seeded Serb Novak Djokovic at Ashe this evening.

Sure. Djokovic pushed him by playing a very good match. Unfortunately, his best wasn’t enough to even get a set as Federer eliminated him a third consecutive year.

If all the talk centered around Serena Williams’ meltdown last night, at least it should be much more positive following Federer’s latest bag of tricks helping him get through in three against the former 2007 runner-up who he defeated.

Not much separated the two but Federer was just better on the bigger points coming back from a break to take a first set tiebreaker, clinching it with an easy putaway at the net.

In the opening set, the two players exchanged breaks in the sixth and seventh games with Djokovic unable to cement it playing a poor game in which his forehand let down frustrating the 22 year-old Serbian. He also would miss a routine backhand to go minibreak down at 2-4 which allowed a shaky Federer off the hook.

The second set was better with each combatant going stroke for stroke as they protected their serves. Djokovic did well from the baseline drawing some errors. But Federer hung in there with his serve finally up to speed. At the outset, the 28 year-old from Switzerland couldn’t make a first serve but that changes as the match went on with him near 60 percent while winning 78 percent (49 of 63). Djokovic also did well serving and winning at 68 percent on firsts.

Serving first, Federer kept the pressure on Nole by holding turning it into a similar match as his quarter win over Robin Soderling. The five-time reigning champ fared well at net winning 17 of 20 points in the middle frame. For the match, he converted 81 percent (29 of 36) to Djokovic’s 45 (9 of 20).

When there was any slight opening, each stepped up to hold with Federer holding for 6-5. Facing the prospect of another breaker, the opportunistic champion finally applied enough pressure on Djokovic’s serve to break for the second set. After he valiantly saved two break points, Nole couldn’t avoid the third thanks to some clutch shots from Federer.

First, a forehand winner got it back to Deuce. Then, with Djokovic looking to have the key point won at net, somehow he ran down a volley stabbing a low slice backhand which a stunned Djokovic netted. With the crowd urging on the underdog, there was little they could do when during a rally, Federer found the angle cracking his signature forehand down the line for a two set lead letting out an emphatic scream.

In grand slam history, Federer had never blown a two set lead. To his credit, Djokovic didn’t give up fighting hard in an entertaining third set that saw some splendid rallies including a 23 stroke one that the taller Serb ended with a forehand smack on the line which he successfully won on a challenge. If he didn’t win on the scoreboard, he certainly had much better success going six for seven on challenges with the end result of that rally resulting in grins on both players.

There also was an amazing point where Djokovic played great defense at the net continuing to get back half a dozen volleys before Federer closed with a forehand pass which the charasmatic Serb bowed in the opposite direction to get out of the way.

Indeed, a player who lost the fans last year following mistimed remarks after a quarter win over Andy Roddick won them back with how he conducted himself. Though he probably wished ‘tennis partner’ John McEnroe was back out on the court instead of Federer.

Each player fought hard in another tight set with both saving break points including a pair Djokovic saved that would’ve given Federer 5-3 and a chance to serve for it.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t push it to a tiebreak with the Sampras-like Federer finally getting him again in the 12th game breaking him at love.

It was how he got to match point that was most impressive. Already up Love-30, Federer hustled down a Djokovic lob volley and pulled off the shot of the tournament going to a between the legs winner which sailed by a shocked Djokovic who could only smile for triple match point to a thunderous ovation.

The shot even amazed the winner who when asked about it by CBS’ Mary Joe Fernandez, referred to it as “the greatest shot I’ve ever hit,” to chuckles.

Fittingly, he won with another nice shot punctuating it with a return forehand winner and a raise of the arms before Djokovic congratulated him as they shared a laugh about what had occurred.

There will be no Federer-Nadal final. Thanks to a virtuoso performance by Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro, that will have to wait at least another year at the U.S. Open.

“I’m sorry,” del Potro told a chuckling crowd which he earlier thanked for their support at his favorite event while speaking with ESPN’s Darren Cahill. “But tomorrow, I’ll fight until the final point for you, for everyone, to show good tennis.”

“It’s part of my dream, you know. I’m very close to do it, but this moment is so nice, and I always dreamed of this moment.

I’m very happy to beat Rafa in straight sets, play unbelievable match. Of course it’s great for me and for my future being in finals.”

The 20 year-old Del Potro had other ideas playing remarkable tennis to dominate one of the game’s best, crushing Rafael Nadal in the first men’s semifinal 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 before a stunned Ashe Stadium in Flushing this afternoon.

Maybe the wear and tear finally caught up to the six-time grand slam winner who was playing a day after dismantling Fernando Gonzalez with a heavily wrapped stomach due to an abdominal strain he’d nursed throughout the final slam of the season. Even if the gutsy 23 year-old Spaniard wasn’t at his peak, a lot of that had to do with his opponent who played a perfect match to make his first ever slam final where he’ll await the winner between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic taking place later.

“I think this is the best moment of my life,” the excited del Potro said after becoming the first Argentine to reach the men’s final since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 to a nice reception.

“Just have to congratulate him,” said Nadal who had nothing to be ashamed of.

In his first Open semi, a locked in Del Potro just had too much in his arsenal turning the match into a rout. The six games he permitted was the worst beating Nadal had ever taken in a slam match with only Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga faring worse when he dropped seven games in a 2008 Australian Open semifinal.

Unlike his come from behind four set quarter win over Marin Cilic, Del Potro came out sharp firing on all cylinders. Early on, both players had some scintillating rallies making the first few games very long. That included a fun point that had Nadal scrambling even pulling a crowd pleasing tweener which Del Potro volleyed back that a stumbling Rafa couldn’t finish off.

Nadal had his chances including an early opportunity to break but with his bread and butter forehand setup, he missed just wide blowing it which allowed Del Potro to crawl out of the third game. That would be a common theme with the younger Argentinian serving out of trouble by fighting off all five break chances while he remained aggressive, converting six of 16 on Nadal’s serve.

The first break came in the next game. After Nadal couldn’t put it away, a hustling Del Potro forced a backhand volley long that gave him an early 3-1 lead. A frustrated Rafa tapped his leg perhaps realizing how crucial that moment was.

Nadal tried to come back but Del Potro served well all day with the sun peering out following the dreary weather that caused so many scheduling gliches. When he needed a big serve, the lanky 6-6 fifth year pro took advantage of his big frame to find the angles forcing errant replies. He only had six aces but it felt like more due to the velocity and placement which gave Nadal trouble. For the match, Del Potro won 79 percent on his first serve (44 of 56) compared to 57 percent (40 of 70) for his more accomplished foe.

“I played a great match. I was so focused with my serve, with every breakpoints, playing serve, you know, trying to put the ball into the court and trying to be aggressive,” explained del Potro of why it went so well.

Still down a break at 2-5, Nadal tried to hold serve and stay in the set but ultimately, he was outhit by Del Potro who mixed in a lethal backhand which drew miscues off the normally solid Rafa forehand. The firepower he came with was too much closing the set with a forehand winner.

Undeterred, Nadal continued to throw everything at Del Potro and had a slight opening in the first game of the second set. But once again, the sixth seed used his serve to get out of trouble with a couple of service winners flustering Nadal. The combination of his bigger serve along with penetrating groundstrokes gave him a decided edge finishing with 14 more winners (33-19).

If not for Rafa’s speed and competitiveness, it could’ve been a lot more. Instead, Del Potro who stepped inside the baseline to control rallies earned more unforced errors off Nadal’s racket. A rarity. He committed 27 to Del Potro’s 28. Not bad but given how big the player who beat him in Montreal last month was hitting, it was easy to see why the French Open semifinalist had entered winning 16 of his last 17 since Wimbledon.

It didn’t take long for Del Potro to break earning another on a double fault for a 3-1 lead. With the crowd trying to rally the struggling Nadal, Rafa continued to put in a maximum effort running down every ball. However, Del Potro just wouldn’t miss.

Even when there was a slight opening, it was closed quickly. Up 5-2, Del Potro didn’t slow down breaking Nadal a fourth time to go up two sets. Despite only dropping four games at that point, he still needed an average of 50.5 minutes to win the sets giving an indication of how hard Rafa tried even when it wasn’t his day.

“The first two sets was 6 2, but I have a lot of chances, I think. A lot of chance to keep the score more tight. If it’s like this, you never know what happened. But nothing to do today,” Nadal pointed out.

By the third set, the outcome looked certain. Nadal continued to compete but a streaking Del Potro didn’t take his foot off the gas pedal accelerating with more tremendous hitting that featured some wicked winners including an inside out forehand and a backhand cross that was Agassi-like.

So dominant was he from the ground that he pinned Nadal behind the baseline even finishing off points at the net where he did well converting 71 percent (17 of 24).

“I saw Rafa in the baseline, but too far away on the baseline. That’s important for me to come to the net and to do a short point.”

Del Potro also punished Rafa’s second serve taking 14 of 20 points. While he struggled himself in that department dropping 17 of 29, they weren’t frequent enough and never came at critical moments.

Already leading by a break 5-2, he went for the kill easily breaking Nadal a sixth time when the 2009 Australian Open champion sent a forehand way long for the biggest win of his career.

An overjoyed Del Potro pumped his fists in almost disbelief before receiving congrats from a wounded Nadal, who made no excuses in a brief postmatch interview with ESPN’s Pam Shriver.

“Here, it was disappointing, I had a little bit of a (bad) break,” Nadal said while giving Del Potro his due. “The right abdominal. To compete with these players was difficult.”

“I did a good result, very positive result for me after coming back. Semifinals. Today he played better than me. He beat me, and right now I just try to recover. Is not very important injury, so that’s really important for me, too.”

Most players after such a defeat would’ve dodged the questions and walked off the court. But not Nadal who even was nice enough to sign autographs for fans winning even more.

A night before, we saw the worst in a player who lost her mind handling a tough situation very poorly typifying what’s wrong with today’s athletes. Today, even in defeat, we saw what’s very right and why Rafa Nadal is so easy to respect and root for.

It just wasn’t his day. Today was about a rising star who should move up to No.5 in the world no matter what happens in tomorrow’s Monday final to be seen on CBS at 1 PM.

“I think so,” del Potro assessed on if it was his best win. “It was so focused every moment because Rafa’s a great player. He can run for 5, 6 hours. I’m not very strong but I do my best, and I’m in the final.”

“I don’t remember, but I think was I saw the stadium too big, and I say, This will be my favorite tournament.”

Now he’s one match away from winning it.

“I hope to be quiet for tomorrow to enjoy the moment, but could be difficult for me, because I never play a Grand Slam final.

But I have the game to win tomorrow. I just want to be focused with my tennis and try to beat Roger or Novak.”

Caroline Wozniacki cameback to defeat former U.S. Open champ Svetlana Kuznetsova ensuring her first slam quarterfinal versus American sensation Melanie Oudin.

It’s not often a player gets more of a challenge from the broadcast booth. But that was precisely the case for Novak Djokovic, who had an easy go of it in a straight sets 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 Round of 16 triumph over No.15 veteran Radek Stepanek.

The same pair met a couple of years ago giving the crowd a lot more drama with Djokovic overcoming cramps to pull out a final set tiebreak en route to the final. But tonight was nothing like that match with the overlooked No.4 Serb having too much for an unsteady Stepanek.

In the lone competitive set, a perfect forehand topspin lob gave Nole a break of serve for 4-3. He managed to save one break point in the next game. Following a Stepanek hold that featured some nifty volleying skills, Djokovic crawled out of Love-30 taking the next four points to advance to a quarterfinal versus 10th seeded Fernando Verdasco, who bounced back from a set down to oust American John Isner in four 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Isner’s departure was historic because it marked the first time in U.S. Open history that no American male had made the quarterfinals. Pretty sad considering it’s been around since 1881.

At the conclusion of Djokovic’s win, he entertained the same audience he irked last year in a quarter win over Andy Roddick. This time, the chatty Serb while talking to ESPN’s Darren Cahill challenged John McEnroe to come down and hit with him. The hilarious confrontation which included Djokovic impersonating Johnny Mac’s serve and his infamous “You cannot be serious” quote at umpires will surely go down as one of the most classic things to happen at the Open.

Eventually, McEnroe who took off the tie made it down to courtside and did a funny imitation of his own pretending to serve like Djokovic bouncing the ball which got plenty of chuckles. They played three points with the popular four-time winner earning two points with what else but his crafty net skills which still looked pretty good.

“If the moment is right, it comes spontaneously,” Djokovic later said after shaking hands with the idol. “I thought the moment was right. The crowd loved it, and that was the most important thing.“

As for the real stuff, at least the Ashe Stadium capacity crowd got to see one superb match with No.9 Caroline Wozniacki coming back to edge former 2004 champ Svetlana Kuznetsova (6) 2-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3). Playing against the two-time slam winner including this year’s French, the 19 year-old from Denmark showed tremendous poise after getting outplayed in the first set.

Kuznetsova worked her from side to side slugging plenty of winners from all angles. The 24 year-old Russian was the aggressor throughout which might better explain how she wound up with over triple the winners (Kuznetsova-59, Wozniacki-16). But as often is the case when you go for more, the unforced errors can pile up and that’s exactly what happened in the second and third sets where she committed a large part of a match high 63 to her younger opponent’s 25.

Wozniacki’s consistency helped her stay in the match. When asked what turned it around by ESPN’s Brad Gilbert, the Dane indicated that she was more aggressive which didn’t allow Kuznetsova to dictate as much.

After taking the second breaker to level the match, she dropped serve falling behind 0-2 in the final set. But Kuznetsova’s level dropped allowing Wozniacki to claim the next three games. She was firmly in control after breaking for 5-3 but as often happens with an inexperienced player in such a big spot, the lanky teenager couldn’t close out Kuznetsova allowing her to get back on serve.

With the veteran serving to stay in the match, a running winner that finished off a scintillating point gave her match point. However, Kuznetsova showed why she’s won coming up with a deadly backhand winner down the line to erase it before holding. The former hitting pair in Eastbourne this past summer exchanged holds with Kuznetsova saving another match point with an ace to force a deciding breaker.

In it, a Kuznetsova double along with an unforced error handed Wozniacki a 3-0 double mini-break lead. But before you could blink, it was three all thanks to some great points by the Russian who found the angles.

Just when momentum seemed back on her side, she dropped the next point to go down 3-4. This time, Wozniacki won her two service points by playing steady while Kuznetsova misfired setting up three more match points.

With her first quarter berth on the line, she cashed in thanks to some great hustle running down a backhand in the corner to draw a Kuznetsova miss at the net. Pumped up, a smiling Wozniacki threw her hands in the air and tossed the racket before running up to get congrats.

“She’s [Melanie Oudin] had an amazing run. Hopefully someone from the crowd will cheer for me,” cracked Wozniacki of her next opponent to cheers and laughter from Ashe spectators.

Whoever wins their quarter will be favored to make their first ever final with Kateryna Bondarenko and Yanina Wickmayer vying for the other spot in a top half that’s seen higher seeds go by the wayside with Oudin responsible for three Russians (No.4 Elena Dementieva, No.29 Maria Sharapova & No.13 Nadia Petrova).

With her win tonight, Wozniacki eliminated the last remaining Russian in either men’s or women’s draws meaning that for the first time in quite a while, not one player from Russia made the quarters. In fact, every single win by the 17 year-old from Atlanta, Georgia has come at the expense of Russia with her posting her first Open win back in Round One over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

“She’s on a roll. And she has nothing to lose,” pointed out Petrova after letting it slip away. “She goes, enjoys it, crowd is behind her. She’s just having a blast out there.”

“This,” Oudin said, “is what I’ve wanted forever.”