OPEN NOTES
Overlook her all you want, but Justine Henin-Hardenne just may be the player to beat right now.
The world’s No. 2 woman doesn’t get the attention that Jennifer Capriati, Lindsay Davenport and Kim Clijsters get, but she is absolutely sailing here in Flushing. Last night – at the end of a long day filled with rainouts – she moved into the quarterfinals by ripping through Dinara Safina, 6-0, 6-3 in a match that was 6-0, 5-0 to start.
“I’m happy,” Henin-Hardenne said of her first trip to the quarters. “I’m in the quarters – that’s great, but I want more.”
Last night, the 21-year-old “Belgian Backhand” punished Safina (Marat Safin’s talented 17-year-old sister) from everywhere, bludgeoning baseline winners with precision, while also deftly nestling drop shots just over the net.
Up next for Henin-Hardenne? The winner of the Mary Pierce-Anastasia Myskina match. Play was suspended with Pierce trailing, 4-2. No. 15 Ai Sugiyama and No. 29 Francesca Schiavone also had play suspended, tied at 6-6. Other scheduled matches were rained out and will be played today.
* No. 4 Andy Roddick faces his personal tonic today, Xavier Malisse, against whom he is 6-0. . . . Second-seeded Roger Federer has a shot to become the first man since Pete Sampras in 1995 to win the U.S. Open and Wimbledon in the same season. But to do it, he’ll have to clear a huge personal hurdle – 13th-seeded Argentine David Nalbandian. “I’ve had my difficulty with him in the past,” said Federer, who is 0-4 against Nalbandian. “But it’s not like I have no chance: They’ve always been close Matches.”
* Michael Chang will be honored with a special ceremony between the evening session matches tonight at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Chang completed his 16-year career with a first-round loss at the Open a week ago today.
* Fans with unused tickets from yesterday afternoon or evening may exchange them at the box office for tickets to day sessions today, tomorrow or Thursday. Fans not able to do so may mail them in for day-session tickets for next year’s event.
