NEW YORK, NY, USA - On Friday the third round was completed in the bottom half of the draw; on Saturday it's the top half's turn to fight for coveted spots in the last 16, with two former champions - both gunning for their 100th Grand Slam match win - still in the fray.
Arthur Ashe
[4] Jelena Jankovic (SRB #5) vs. [31] Kaia Kanepi (EST #32)
H2H: Tied 1-1
Kanepi might be 1-8 against Top 5 opponents, but it must be noted the '1' refers to her defeat last year of then-No.3 Jankovic on the hardcourts of Dubai. In the heat of the moment Jankovic described that result as the worst loss of her career, and while she had a measure of revenge in the second round at Roland Garros this year, she probably won't have forgotten that the match went to 6-4 in the third. Since then former Top 20 player Kanepi, who finished 2009 with 11-straight first round losses but has risen more than 100 ranking places since May 10, has also reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals (holding match points against Petra Kvitova to make the semis) and won her first Tour title at Palermo. It all adds up to a danger match for 2008 US Open finalist Jankovic - a real test of her chances of capturing that elusive Grand Slam title.
[11] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #13) vs. [23] Maria Kirilenko (RUS #25)
H2H: Tied 2-2
Kirilenko, who won the girls' singles title here in 2002, has beaten her more celebrated compatriot twice on clay this year, including at Roland Garros, where they also met in the third round. Both matches went the distance, and it will be interesting to see the psychological ramifications. Though title-less Kirilenko is arguably enjoying her best season to date, reaching her first major quarterfinal at the Australian Open and closing in on a return to the Top 20 after reaching the semis at New Haven last week. But Kuznetsova has prevailed when they have met on hardcourts, and is clearly in a better place than she was before her title run at San Diego. She's also clearly the more powerful and experienced player. Back in her groove, if not her absolute best, this match should be the 2004 champion's to lose.
Louis Armstrong
[25] Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU #27) vs. [7] Vera Zvonareva (RUS #8)
H2H: First meeting
After winning the title as a qualifier in her first Tour event at 2009 Warsaw, Dulgheru won just one of her next 14 matches. But since then the quietly-spoken 21-year-old has consolidated in fine style to arrive in New York on a career-high ranking of No.27. The crowning achievement, arguably, was her successful defense at Premier-level Warsaw in May, more than proving the first triumph was no fluke. Elsewhere, consistency has been the byword: while she is clearly most comfortable on clay - this week marks the first time she has won back-to-back Tour matches on hardcourts - it is also the third major in a row that she has reached the third round. This year she's scored wins over Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva when both were in the Top 10; Zvonareva, flying under the radar but in good form, will need to keep her cool.
More to watch…
Hoping to avoid a repeat of last year's third round loss (to Melanie Oudin), 2006 champion Maria Sharapova plays US wildcard Beatrice Capra on Arthur Ashe, while top seed Caroline Wozniacki plays another surprise packet, Chan Yung-Jan, on Louis Armstrong. No.15 seed Yanina Wickmayer, a semifinalist here last year, plays Swiss veteran Patty Schnyder on Grandstand. On Court 11, Andrea Petkovic plays Peng Shuai - vanquisher of Agnieszka Radwanska - and Dominika Cibulkova faces Spanish qualifier Lourdes Domínguez Lino.
