WTA Update: Jankovic vs. Williams in US Open Final

After two weeks of battling it out we are now down to our final two competitors at the US Open. These two will face off against each other on Saturday night. No.-2 ranked Jelena Jankovic will face no.-4 ranked Serena Williams.

Jankovic defeated Elena Dementieva in straight sets to advance to her first ever final at the US Open. Jankovic won the match 6-4 (twice). Jankovic made fewer mistakes in the match and that made the difference. JJ had only one double fault in the match.

Meanwhile, Williams defeated Dinara Safina to reach a US Open final for the fourth time. It's her first US Open final since 2002. Williams won her semifinal match in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-2.

This match will be the seventh encounter for JJ and Williams. The series is currently tied at three. If Williams wins, it's another grand slam title added to her legacy. If Jankovic wins, it's a beginning of a legacy for her.

WNBA Recap: Phoenix defeats Minnesota

Phoenix Mercury 103 - Minnesota Lynx 96- The Mercury snapped a two-game losing streak. Diana Taurasi scored 32 points for the Mercury in their victory. Time is running out for the Mercury.

They have five games left in the season and if they want to get into the playoffs, the Mercury will have to win out. The Lynx meanwhile fall to 2.5 games out of the fourth and final spot in the Western Conference playoffs.

It won't get easier for the Lynx as their next two games are against Seattle and Sacramento. We'll have a look at the playoff scenarios soon enough. Stay tuned!

WTA Update: One Williams sister remains

We're now officially down to the final four at the US Open.

Serena Williams needed two tiebreakers to defeat her older sister, Venus in straight sets. Serena won the first set 7-6, winning the tiebreaker 8-6. Serena would also win the second set 7-6, winning the tiebreaker 9-7. The sisters combined to win almost 200 total points. The difference between the two was that Venus had more unforced errors. Venus had 45 unforced errors in the match, while Serena had 28. The match took almost 2 1/2 hours to complete.

Dinara Safina had an easier match than the Williams sisters had. The no.-6 ranked player won her match in straight sets over Flavia Pennetta. The scores were 6-3 and 6-2.

Safina and Williams will now face each other in the semifinals. Jelena Jankovic and Elena Dementieva face off in the other semifinal.

WTA Update: Jankovic and Dementieva advance

The quarterfinals got underway at the US Open on Tuesday. There was no shocking upsets to worry about on Tuesday.

Jelena Jankovic advanced to the semifinals for the second time ever at the US Open. The no.-2 ranked player in the world defeated Sybille Bammer in straight sets 6-1 and 6-4. Bammer had 40 unforced errors in the match, while JJ had only 14.

Elena Dementieva had an easy quarterfinal match as well. Dementieva defeated Patty Schnyder in straight sets 6-2 and 6-3.

We'll have more quarterfinal action tomorrow.

WTA Update: Down to the final eight at Flushing

We're now down to our final eight in the 2008 edition of the US Open. The quarterfinals get underway later today.

Here's a look at the quarterfinal match-ups:

Jelena Jankovic vs. Sybille Bammer- Jankovic is making her third straight appearance in the quarterfinals here at Flushing Meadows. The No.-2 ranked player in the tournament reached the semifinals just once in 2006. As for Bammer, she's the no.-29 ranked seed and has made it to the quarterfinals for the first time at the US Open. Bammer defeated Marion Bartoli in the fourth round to advance to this point.

Elena Dementieva vs. Patty Schnyder- Dementieva has reached the quarterfinal at the US Open for a fifth time. The 2008 Olympic gold medalist has fared well at the US Open, reaching the finals in 2004. Dementieva has had an easy road on the way to the quarterfinals, she has not dropped a set. As for Schnyder, this is her second trip to the quarterfinals here at Flushing Meadows. This 29-year-old has yet to reach a final at a grand slam. A win today will certainly improve her chances.

Dinara Safina vs. Flavia Pennetta- It's been a fairy good year for Safina. She made the French Open final this year and is now making her second quarterfinals appearance at the US Open. Safina's toughest match came in the third round, when she needed three sets to defeat Timea Bacsinszky. Pennetta is making her first appearance in the quarterfinals. Could she knock off Safina, anything is certainly possible.

Venus Williams vs. Serena Williams- When these two aren't facing each other at Wimbledon, they face each other in the US Open. The last time these two faced each other was in the Wimbledon final this year. Venus won that match. The last time these two faced each other in the US Open, it was in the fourth round in 2005. Venus won that match again. Venus is 2-1 lifetime against her younger sister, Serena.

WNBA Recap: Shock lose close one to Sky

The Olympics are over and done with and the stars of the WNBA are back in action. We're now heading towards the homestretch in the playoff run.

Chicago Sky 82 - Detroit Shock 81- A couple of Candice Dupree free throws late made the difference for the Sky. Dupree led the way for the Sky with 24 points. Jia Perkins added 15 points for the Sky. Katie Smith led Detroit with 23 points.

Connecticut Sun 80 - Seattle Storm 76- The Sun have now won six straight games and now hold a two game lead over Detroit. Asjha Jones led the way for the Sun with 20 points. Sue Bird of the Storm led all scorers with 24 points.

WTA Update: Jankovic moves on to quarterfinals

Jelena Jankovic defeated Carolina Wozniacki in three sets to advance on to the quarterfinals of the US Open. Jankovic struggled early on, losing the first set.

Jankovic would win the next two sets with ease to advance on. Jankovic will now face Sybille Bammer in the quarterfinals. Bammer defeated Marion Bartoli in three sets to advance on.

Elena Dementieva advanced to the quarterfinals as well. She won her match over Na Li in straight sets. Dementieva will now face no.-15 seed Patty Schnyder. Schnyder won her match in three sets over Katarina Srebotnik.

Amalie Mauresmo, the Williams sisters and Dinara Safina are on tap for today's fourth round action.

WTA Update: Davenport, Kuznetsova out of US Open

Day five of the US Open saw another upset occur.

Svetlana Kuznetsova was ousted in three sets to Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia. Kuznetsova won the second set tiebreaker to keep the match alive, but ultimately lost the third round.

Lindsay Davenport was also ousted when she lost to no.-12 seeded Marion Bartoli of France. Bartoli won the match in straight sets 6-1 and 7-6 (7-3).

I'll keep up the updates going on through the weekend, so stay tuned.

WTA Update: Ivanovic out at US Open

The biggest upset of the US Open has officially arrived. Top seed Ana Ivanovic was knocked out in the second round of the US Open. The no.-1 player in the world lost to Julie Coin of France.

Coin struck first in the match when she won the first set, 6-3. Being under pressure of losing, Ivanovic won the second set, 6-4. Coin won the deciding set, 6-3.

The loss was a huge blow, but didn't seem to be a surprise. Ivanovic had zero aces for the match, while Coin had five. Ivanovic had eight double faults and 34 unforced errors.

Ivanovic struggled to win her first round match, needing three sets to defeat Vera Dushevina. Ivanovic was also eliminated early from Wimbledon, thus ending her season in the grand slams.

Who knows what upsets we'll see yet! Anything is possible.

Photo Credit: Charles Krupa/Associated Press

WTA Update: Day three results at US Open

Another day has come and gone at the one and only Flushing Meadows in New York.

No.-2 seed Jelena Jankovic needed three sets to win her second round match on Wednesday. Jankovic defeated Sofia Arviddson by a score of 6-3, 6-7 (7-5) and 7-5. Jankovic had three aces, but nine double faults in the match.

Svetlana Kuznetsova won her second round match on Wednesday, defeating Sorana Cirstea. Kuznetsova won the match 7-6 (7-3) and 6-1.

Elena Dementieva also advanced to the third round after her victory on Wednesday over Pauline Parmentier.

Lindsay Davenport also won her match on Wednesday. Davenport defeated Alisa Kleybanova in straight sets, 7-5 and 6-3, to advance to the third round.

The biggest upset of the day came when no.-8 seeded Vera Zvonareva lost to Tatiana Perebiynis in straight sets. Perebiynis won the match, 6-3 and 6-3.

Keep it tuned for here for a recap of day four, tomorrow!

Photo Credit: USOpen.org

WTA Update: Ivanovic advances

Day two has now left Flushing Meadows and there was a couple of surprises after the second day.

Ana Ivanovic survived a second set scare to win her first round match on Tuesday. The Serbian defeated Vera Dushevina of Russia. Ivanovic is coming off an injury that forced her to miss the Beijing Olympics, a couple of weeks ago.

The biggest upset of the day happened at the Grandstand courts when no.-11 seed Daniela Hantuchova lost to Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany in straight sets. Groenefeld defeated Hantuchova 6-4 and 6-2.

The Williams sisters had much better success on Tuesday. Both Venus and Serena won their matches in straight sets.

Among the winners Tuesday include Dinara Safina, Nadia Petrova, Bethanie Mattek, Agnes Szavay and Agnieszka Radwanska.

Keep it tuned here for more coverage of the US Open.

WTA Update: Day 1 finished at US Open

Day 1 of the US Open has come and gone in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. It's the first time many of these athletes have competed since the Olympics in Beijing.

No.-2 seed Jelena Jankovic won in straight sets last night in her first round match. Jankovic defeated American, Coco Vandeweghe, 6-3 and 6-1.

No.-3 seed Svetslana Kuznetsova won her first round match on Monday afternoon. She defeated Shuai Zhang of China in straight sets, 6-4 and 6-2.

Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva also won her first round match on Monday when she defeated Akgul Amanmuradova in straight sets, 6-4 and 7-5.

Other winners on Monday include Lindsay Davenport, Caroline Wozniacki, Jie Zheng, Marion Bartoli and Patty Schnyder.

No.-10 seed Anna Chakvetadze of Russia was knocked out of the first round on Monday. The 21-year-old lost to Ekaterina Makarova in three sets. The scores were 1-6, 6-2 and 6-3.

Keep it tuned here for more US Open tennis coverage and make sure to enjoy the coverage for day two.

Olympic Update: Don't settle things with tiebreakers, let's go to OT

I've had some rough experiences in my life, but I wouldn't trade places with Nastia Liukin on Monday night for all the X-Box 360's in the world.

The US Gymnast and All-Around gold medalist came up short on Monday night in the finals of the Uneven Parallel bars event. Liukin finished the event with a silver medal, her fourth medal of these Olympics.

Liukin lost to gold medalist He Kexin, who had the same score as Liukin.

With tiebreakers in place, it was He getting the gold and Liukin getting the silver.

I don't know much about gymnastics. I admit ignorance on my part. I'm the first to admit that and I probably always will. Maybe it's my American bias, but even I thought the judging is a little messed up.

I understand that they've modified the scoring, but I'm still confused. I feel as though it lacks clarity. I mean come on, the announcers aren't always the brightest, but even the NBC crew had a tough time and needed the score sheets for both women. I wouldn't try and read it, unless you do understand, then please try to explain it to me, preferably in some sort of a diagram.

If there's a tie, then let's call it a tie. Otherwise, we have some sort of an OT showdown. We can do it kind of like a walk-off, minus David Bowie. Something simple! We have the technology people! Let's make use of it!

Granted, things won't be perfect, but we can at least try to put together a scoring system that even an idiot like myself can understand.

Photo Credit: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images

Olympic Update: US women in soccer gold medal final

The US Women's soccer team find themselves in familiar territory here at the Olympics. The US Team is in the gold medal finals once again after defeating Japan today, 4-2.

Angela Hucles two goals made the difference for the US. Hucles scored her first goal late in the first half to tie up the match at 1-1. Lori Chalupny put the US ahead for good when she scored in the 44th minute. Heather O'Reilly also contributed a goal, but this one came in the 70th minute of the match. Hucles second goal came during the 80th minute, which was more than enough to put away Japan.

The US will be facing Brazil in the finals. Brazil defeated Germany earlier today by a score of 4-1.

The US has a chance to win their third gold medal ever in women's soccer. They've had much success here in the Olympics, only losing one gold medal final. The US has a chance to show their soccer dominance to the rest of the world, once again.

Olympics: It's on!

By the time you have read this, the opening ceremonies will have already been completed. They're 13 hours ahead of us (depending on which time zone you live in). Things will get kicked off right away on Saturday for the women's sports.

The US Women's volleyball team will square off against Japan at 10 am (all times here on in Eastern).

The Women's soccer team will play at 2 am. They will face Japan. Meanwhile, Canada will face China at the same time.

The US Women's basketball team is also playing their first game on Saturday. They face the Czech Republic at 2 am.

There are also several gold medal finals going on for Saturday. In Women's weightlifting, we will see the Flyweight gold medal final. That will be on at 2 am and you can see it on USA or USA HD.

The Air Rifle gold medal final in Women's shooting is also slated for Saturday. Finally, in Women's Fencing, the Individual Sabre gold medal final is also on tap for Saturday.

Enjoy the ceremonies.

LPGA Update: Shin wins Open

Ji-Yai Shin shot a 6-under for the final round on Sunday to win the Ricoh's British Open. Shin, who finished all four rounds with a 18-under, won the Open by three shots. Yani Tseung also shot a 6-under to finish in second. Her four round total was 15-under.

Eun-Hee Ji and Yuri Fudoh finished in third when they finished the tournament at 14-under. Ai Miyazato finished the tournament in fifth place. She shot 13-under for the tournament after shooting 2-under on Sunday.

Defending champion Lorena Ochoa finished in a tie for seventh place. She was 11-under for the tournament..

Paula Creamer and Karrie Webb finished in a tie for ninth.

In her final major, Annika Sorenstam finished in a tie four 24th. She went 6-under for the tournament.

LPGA Update: Inkster leads at Open

Day one of the Ricoh's British Open has come and gone. Today, it was all about Juli Inkster. The seven-time major winner shot a 7-under 65 to lead the Open by one shot. Inkster had five birdies and one eagle for the round.

Seven players are currently tied for second at the Open. Among those who are tied are Laura Diaz, Yuri Fudoh, Ji Young Oh and Johanna Head.

Former Open champion Karen Stupples is tied for ninth after the first round. Stupples shot a 5-under 67. Stupples made seven birdies and two bogeys.

Defending Open champion Lorena Ochoa shot a 3-under 69 to finish her round in a tie for 22nd place. American Natalie Gulbis is also tied for 22nd.

Annika Sorenstam had a quiet first round. The soon-to-be retired golfer shot a par round of 72. Sorenstam is tied in 66th place, along with Paula Creamer, Karrie Webb and Grace Park.

We should have more coverage tomorrow.

Open Championship Preview: Ochoa looks for two straight

Lorena Ochoa has the chance to become the first back-to-back winner at the British Open in more than ten years when she tees it off this weekend at Sunningdale. Ochoa shot a 5-under to win the Open Championship last year when it was held at St. Andrew's. The 26-year-old defeated Jee Young Kim to win her first of two majors. In the three other tournament finishes at the Open, Ochoa has two top five finishes and one cut.

We'll see if the #1 female golfer in the world has what it takes to defeat the rest of the pack on her way to a third straight major.

Annika Sorenstam has a chance to close out the final major of her career with a win. Sorenstam previously won the Open in 2003, her only Open title. Sorenstam also has the opportunity to win her 10th career major.

Se Ri Pak was the last golfer to win the Open when it was in Sunningdale. She won the title in 2001. Pak could win it once more here in Sunningdale.

WNBA Recap: Detroit loses fourth straight entering Olympic break

San Antonio Silver Stars 76 - Detroit Shock 64- The Shock have now lost four straight games and have finished the month of July 4-6. The Shock are now in second place in the Eastern Conference. They're hurting and they don't have an answer to this problem. This break could not have come at a better time for the Shock. Meanwhile, the Silver Stars maintain their lead in the Western Conference.

Connecticut Sun 82 - Washington Mystics 60- The Sun now own full possession of first place in the Eastern Conference. Asjha Jones' 27 points helped give the Sun their third straight win. The Sun now go into this Olympic break with the lead over the Shock.

Seattle Storm 77 - Sacramento Monarchs 71- The Storm remain a half game back in the West with their win last night. Sue Bird's 24 points made the difference for the Storm in the game.

Los Angeles Sparks 92 - Minnesota Lynx 84- The game went to overtime, but it was the Sparks who came out in the end. The Sparks outscored the Lynx 8-0 in OT. Candace Parker and Lisa Leslie combined for 46 points and 22 rebounds in the Sparks' win. Seimone Augustus scored 29 points for the Lynx. Charde Houston added 15 points for the Lynx. The Sparks needed that win and are back in fourth place in the West.

There are no games again until next month. I hope to have a US Basketball preview either this week or next week.

Photo Courtesy: NBA Entertainment/Getty Images

Women Play Sports Exclusive Interview: Paula Creamer

Greetings all! I hope you guys are enjoying your Thursday.

We have a special treat for you folks today. We have an exclusive question and answer session with current LPGA player, Paula Creamer. Born in California and residing in Florida, Creamer has been playing golf since she was 10 years old. Creamer turned pro in 2005 and has nine professional wins.

A couple of weeks ago, Creamer won the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic in Ohio, her third win of the season. Creamer also has 10 top-10 finishes, including two of them coming at the Women's U.S. Open (6th) and McDonald's LPGA Championship (10th).

This week, Creamer will be participating at the Evian Masters in France. The week after is the Women's British Open at the Sunningdale Golf Club in Berkshire, England.

First off, congratulations on the win at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. You shot an 11-under 60 for that first round, just missing out on tying Annika Sorenstam's single round record of 59. What was your initial reaction to shooting a 60, first off? How nice would it have been to at least tie that mark? And how much would you say the 60 in the first round helped you?

Thanks!!! Shooting 60 was a thrill!! Tee to green, I've been hitting the ball very well all year, but it was nice to finally see more of the putts go in. That was really the difference between shooting 4 or 5 under par and shooting a 11-under. My 11 birdies were all one putts. Sure you want to shoot 59, but actually some of my golf balls are marked with '58', since I really want to go one better than the current record.


You have three wins on the tour and you're fourth (as of July 21) in the Women's World Golf Rankings. What do you credit your success to?

Work, hard work and more hard work on my game. Proper nutrition and fitness, too. Being 4th is nice, but getting to # 1 is my ultimate goal. I am constantly learning and getting better in many areas. I know I can do it, which is a great feeling!!!


What are your thoughts on Annika Sorenstam retiring? What do you feel like she's brought to the women's game?

Annika brought so much to women's professional golf, she will be greatly missed on Tour. I have enjoyed competing against her these past 3 1/2 years, since I always like to go up against the best in the game. I understand why Annika is stepping away from the game at this point in her life, as she wants to get married, start a family and concentrate on other golf-related ventures she's involved with. I certainly respect her for that and wish her nothing but the best!!


What are your thoughts on Lorena Ochoa? Could she be the next Annika?

Lorena has certainly proven that she's the legitimate #1 player right now. She's a nice person and I'm glad to call her my friend. I would say that Lorena is going to be the next Lorena!

You like to wear the color pink at all of your tournaments. What's the reasoning behind wearing pink?

Pink has always been my favorite color, even before I got into golf. It's just a great color. It's fashionable, yet it shows a fierce side, too. I don't wear pink every day, but I always have something on that is pink, even if it is a small ankle bracelet.


What does the future hold for you in the LPGA? Do you think you'll be around for a long time?

The LPGA is in a good place right now. Hopefully we can add a significant number of tournaments in the US to go with the international growth. The membership is made up of a diverse group from all over the world. It is great that many have left their home tours to come play in the US. As for my longevity, I hope to be around for a long time to come. I'm not even 22 yet, so I have lots of time yet to decide when to step away!!