U.S. barely survives; Anisimova, 17, gains first WTA final

Ryan Harrison, playing in Sacramento in 2014, and Mike Bryan
won a fifth-set tiebreaker today to keep the United States alive
at Croatia in the Davis Cup semifinals. Photo by Paul Bauman

   The United States still has a chance.

   Not much of one, but a chance nonetheless.

   The U.S. barely avoided elimination today as Mike Bryan (Stanford, 1997-98) and Ryan Harrison edged Ivan Dodig and Mate Pavic of host Croatia 7-5, 7-6 (6), 1-6, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5) in 4 hours, 41 minutes in the Davis Cup semifinals. Bryan has won a record 18 Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and the other three players have earned one each. 

   Croatia leads the best-of-five series, on outdoor clay in Zadar on the Adriatic Sea, 2-1. The winner will face defending champion France on Nov. 23-25 at a site to be determined.
   In Sunday's reverse singles matches, No. 6-ranked Marin Cilic of Croatia will face No. 30 Steve Johnson, and No. 18 Borna Coric of Croatia will meet No. 40 Frances Tiafoe.

   The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Cilic, who will turn 30 on Sept. 28, won the 2014 U.S. Open and reached the final of Wimbledon last year and the Australian Open this year. Coric, 21, shocked Roger Federer to win Halle (Germany) on grass in June.
   Johnson, 28, is 1-3 in Davis Cup singles. Tiafoe, who won the 2016 Stockton (Calif.) Challenger, made his Davis Cup debut at age 20 on Friday and lost to Cilic 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (5).
   The United States is missing its top two players, not that they necessarily would make a difference. Six-foot-10 (2.08-meter) John Isner, ranked No. 10, is awaiting the birth of his first child. Jack Sock, ranked No. 17 in singles and No. 2 in doubles, has a hip injury after winning his second consecutive Grand Slam men's doubles title with Bryan in the U.S. Open.
   The United States has failed to reach the Davis Cup final since winning the 2007 championship in Portland, Ore. Croatia, which won its only Davis Cup title in 2005, is trying to advance to the final for the second time in three years. The team lost to Argentina 3-2 in Zagreb, Croatia, in 2016.
   Croatia, slightly smaller than West Virginia with a population (4.2 million) comparable to metropolitan Detroit's, is 4-0 against the United States in the Davis Cup. In the most recent meeting, Croatia stunned the U.S. 3-2 after trailing 2-0 in Portland in the 2016 quarterfinals.
   WTA tour -- Two U.S. qualifiers who excelled in the now-defunct Sacramento Challenger reached their first WTA finals today. Both will play 32-year-olds.
   Amanda Anisimova, who won her first professional title last year in Sacramento at 15 years old, knocked off top-seeded Zhang Shuai of China 7-6 (4), 7-5 in Hiroshima.
   Jessica Pegula, the runner-up to Modesto product Maria Sanchez in the inaugural Sacramento Challenger six years ago, outlasted 19-year-old compatriot Sofia Kenin 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in Quebec City.
   Kenin has won Northern California Challengers in each of the past three years (Sacramento in 2016, Stockton last year and Berkeley in July). The Sacramento tournament lost its primary sponsor and moved to Berkeley this year.
   Anisimova, who turned 17 two weeks ago, became the youngest player to reach a WTA final since Donna Vekic of Croatia lost in Tashkent in 2012 and Birmingham in 2013 as a 16-year-old. Anisimova, ranked No. 134, also will become the first player born in 2001 to crack the top 100 on Monday.
   A potential star, Anisimova improved to 12-3 since returning from a four-month injury layoff in San Jose in July and 24-6 overall this season, including 11-4 in WTA main draws. She broke a foot in Miami in March.
   Anisimova is scheduled to face second-seeded Hsieh Su-Wei of Chinese Taipei on Sunday. The 40th-ranked Hsieh, playing her second match of the day, beat Wang Qiang of China 6-4, 6-4.
   Earlier, Hsieh topped fifth-seeded Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 in a rain-postponed quarterfinal. Tomljanovic, a Croatia native, withdrew from the final of the 2017 Sacramento Challenger with a shoulder injury.
   Hsieh upset top-ranked Simona Halep in the third round at Wimbledon in July before losing to Dominika Cibulkova.
  Pegula, the 24-year-old daughter of Buffalo Bills and Sabres owners Terrence and Kim Pegula, has been plagued by injuries during her career. Ranked No. 227, she will meet eighth-seeded Pauline Parmentier of France. Parmentier, ranked No. 69, nipped Heather Watson of Great Britain 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (5).
   In the Quebec City doubles semifinals, unseeded Asia Muhammad and Sanchez topped third-seeded Desirae Krawczyk and Giuliana Olmos 3-6, 6-3 [10-7] in an all-American encounter.
   Krawczyk and Olmos, who's from Fremont in the San Francisco Bay Area, won last year's Sacramento Challenger.
   Muhammad took the Sacramento crown in 2012 with local product Yasmin Schnack, who retired the following year at 25, and in Berkeley in July with former Stanford star Nicole Gibbs.
   Muhammad and Sanchez, who reached the second round of the 2015 U.S. Open together, will play second-seeded Darija Jurak of Croatia and Xenia Knoll of Switzerland for the title.
   Muhammad seeks her third career WTA doubles title and Sanchez her second.

U.S. trails 2-0; ex-Sacramento stars reach WTA semis

Frances Tiafoe, playing in Newport Beach, Calif., in January,
made his Davis Cup debut today and lost to No. 6-ranked
Marin Cilic of Croatia. Photo courtesy of JFS Communications  

   At least the United States extended two sets to tiebreakers today.
   So much for the Americans' highlights as host Croatia swept all six sets on outdoor clay to take a 2-0 lead in Zadar on the Adriatic Sea in the Davis Cup semifinals.
   Borna Coric defeated Steve Johnson 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-3, and Marin Cilic beat Frances Tiafoe 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (5). Tiafoe, who won the 2016 Stockton (Calif.) Challenger, was making his Davis Cup debut at 20.
   The United States must win Saturday's doubles match to stay alive in the best-of-five competition. Americans Mike Bryan (Stanford, 1997-98) and Ryan Harrison are scheduled to oppose Ivan Dodig and Mate Pavic. Bryan has captured a record 18 Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and the other three players have won one each.
    The United States has not reached the Davis Cup final since winning the 2007 crown in Portland, Ore. Croatia, the 2005 champion, is trying to reach the final for the second time in three years.
   Croatia's commanding lead over the United States is hardly surprising:
   --The nation, slightly smaller than West Virginia with a population (4.2 million) comparable to metropolitan Detroit, is 4-0 against the United States. In the most recent meeting, Croatia stunned the U.S. 3-2 after trailing 2-0 in Portland in the 2016 quarterfinals.
   --As the host, Croatia chose the United States' weakest surface.
   --Croatia has a formidable team. The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion and a two-time Grand Slam runner-up, is ranked No. 6 in singles. Coric, who upset Roger Federer to win the Halle (Germany) title on grass in June, is No. 18. Pavic and Dodig are No. 4 and No. 24, respectively, in doubles.
   --The United States is missing its top two players, not that they necessarily would have made a difference. Six-foot-10 (2.08-meter) John Isner, ranked No. 10, is at home in the United States awaiting the birth of his first child. Jack Sock, ranked No. 17 in singles and No. 2 in doubles, is out with a hip injury. Bryan and Sock have won the last two Grand Slam men's doubles titles.
   WTA tour -- Two ex-champions and one former runner-up in the Sacramento Challenger reached the semifinals in Quebec City or Hiroshima.
   No. 5 seed Sofia Kenin, a 19-year-old American, dismissed No. 3 Monica Puig 6-3, 6-1 in 55 minutes in Quebec City to reach her second WTA semifinal.
   Kenin has won Northern California Challengers in each of the past three years (Sacramento in 2016, Stockton last year and Berkeley in July). The Sacramento tournament lost its sponsor and moved to Berkeley this year.
   Puig claimed Puerto Rico's first Olympic gold medal in any sport in 2016 singles in Rio de Janeiro.
   Kenin, ranked No. 67, will play compatriot Jessica Pegula, a qualifier ranked No. 227 and the runner-up to Modesto product Maria Sanchez six years ago in the inaugural Sacramento Challenger.
   Pegula, the 24-year-old daughter of Buffalo Bills and Sabres owners Terrence and Kim Pegula, surprised No. 2 seed Petra Martic of Croatia 6-3, 7-5. Martic won last week's inaugural Chicago Challenger.
   In the doubles semifinals on Saturday, No. 3 seeds Desirae Krawczyk and Giuliana Olmos will play unseeded Asia Muhammad and Sanchez in an all-American matchup.
   Krawczyk and Olmos, from Fremont in the San Francisco Bay Area, won last year's Sacramento Challenger. Muhammad took the crown in Sacramento in 2012 with local product Yasmin Schnack, who retired the following year at 25, and in Berkeley in July with former Stanford star Nicole Gibbs.
   Amanda Anisimova, a 17-year-old U.S. qualifier, gained her first WTA semifinal with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over No. 2 seed Anna Schmiedlova of Slovakia in Hiroshima.
   The 134th-ranked Anisimova, who won her first professional title in the 2017 Sacramento Challenger, will face China's Zhang Shuai, seeded first and ranked No. 41.

Six Stanford women earn preseason singles rankings

Stanford sophomore Michaela Gordon, playing in the 2017 Sacramento Challenger,
is 10th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division I preseason singles rankings.
The Cardinal returns all of its starting singles and doubles players after winning its
second NCAA title in three years in May. Photo by Rob Vomund

   Barring injuries, the Stanford women won't sneak up on anyone in 2018-19.
   The Cardinal returns all of its starting singles and doubles players after winning its second NCAA championship in three years in May. Stanford, which has played in the last three NCAA finals, matched its 2016 record as the lowest-seeded team (15th) to win the title.
   All six of Stanford's singles players and two of its doubles teams received Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division I preseason rankings on Tuesday. The ITA ranks 125 singles players and 60 doubles teams.
   Rated in singles are No. 10 Michaela Gordon, a sophomore from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area; No. 13 Melissa Lord, a senior from Bloomfield, Conn.; No. 24 Emily Arbuthnott, a junior from England; No. 47 Caroline Lampl, a senior from Leesburg, Va.; No. 56 Janice Shin, a sophomore from Houston; and No. 63 Emma Higuchi, a junior from Los Angeles.
   In doubles, Arbuthnott and Gordon are No. 3, and Lampl and Kimberly Yee, a senior from Las Vegas, are No. 17.
   The Cal women have three singles players, all in the top 34, and one doubles team in the rankings. Listed in singles are No. 28 Julia Rosenqvist, a sophomore from Sweden; No. 29 Anna Bright, a sophomore from Boca Raton, Fla.; and No. 34 Olivia Hauger, a senior from Tulsa, Okla. Hauger and Rosenqvist are No. 33 in doubles.
   Three other women with Bay Area ties are ranked in singles and doubles. Texas Tech's Felicity Maltby, a senior from Sunnyvale in the Bay Area, is No. 37 in singles and No. 53 in doubles; Mariia Kozyreva, a Saint Mary's sophomore from Russia, is No. 85 in singles and No. 23 in doubles (with sophomore Hind Abdelouahid of Manteca); and UCLA's Alaina Miller, a senior from Saratoga, is No. 86 in singles and No. 47 in doubles.
   Santa Clara's Maddie Pothoff, a junior from Tucson, Ariz., is ranked No. 110 in singles, and South Carolina's Paige Cline, a senior from Kentfield in the Bay Area, is No. 39 in doubles.
   Vanderbilt's Cameron Klinger, a senior from San Jose, is rated No. 7 in men's singles and No. 4 in doubles. Columbia's Victor Pham, a senior from Saratoga, is No. 13 in singles and No. 18 in doubles.
   The Stanford and Cal men each have two ranked singles players. The Cardinal's Axel Geller, a sophomore from Argentina who finished 2017 as the No. 1 junior in the world, is No. 48, and Sameer Kumar, a senior from Carmel, Ind., is No. 63. The Bears' Jacob Brumm, a sophomore from Rancho Santa Fe in the San Diego region, is No. 102, and Jack Molloy, a sophomore from England, is No. 113. Also, Cal sophomore Can Kaya and junior Mert Zincirli, both from Turkey, are No. 59 in doubles.
   Florida's Sam Riffice, from Roseville in the Sacramento area, and Cal's Yuta Kikuchi of Japan are rated the No. 1 and No. 8 freshmen/newcomers, respectively. Both are freshmen. Riffice also is No. 38 in doubles.
   The ITA Women's All-American Championships are scheduled for Sept. 29-Oct. 7 at Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif. The ITA Men's All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla., are set to begin the same day and end Oct. 8.
   The first team rankings of the season will be released on Jan. 2.

INTERCOLLEGIATE TENNIS ASSOCIATION

DIVISION I PRESEASON RANKINGS
Top 10
Women's singles

1. Bianca Turati, Texas
2. Makenna Jones, North Carolina
3. Estela Perez-Somarriba, Miami
4. Ashley Lahey, Pepperdine
5. Gabriela Knutson, Syracuse
6. Anastasia Rychagova, Kansas
7. Fernanda Contreras, Vanderbilt
8. Katarina Jokic, Georgia
9. Stacey Fung, Washington
10. Michael Gordon, Stanford

Women's doubles

1. Ellyse Hamlin and Kaitlyn McCarthy, Duke
2. Jessie Aney and Alexa Graham, North Carolina
3. Emily Arbuthnott and Michaela Gordon, Stanford
4. Gabriela Knutson and Miranda Ramirez, Syracuse
5. Chandler Carter and Emma Davis, Wake Forest
6. Elena Christofi and Morgan Coppoc, Georgia
7. Jessica Golovin and Eden Richardson, LSU
8. Lauryn John-Baptiste and Ilze Hattingh, Arizona State
9. Megan Kauffman and Lauren Proctor, Winthrop
10. Sara Daavettila and Alle Sanford, North Carolina

Men's singles

1. Petros Chrysochos, Wake Forest
2. Nuno Borges, Mississippi State
3. Mazen Osama, Alabama
4. Brandon Holt, USC
5. Giovanni Oradini, Mississippi State
6. Timo Stodder, Tennessee
7. Cameron Klinger, Vanderbilt
8. Thomas Laurent, Oregon
9. Carl Soderlund, Virginia
10. Alex Rybakov, TCU

Men's doubles

1. Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic, Mississippi State
2. Brandon Holt and Riley Smith, USC
3. Jack Jaede and Laurens Verboven, USC
4. Carmeron Klinger and Billy Rowe, Vanderbilt
5. Johannes Schretter and Will Little, Baylor
6. Loic Cloes and Clement Marzol, South Alabama
7. Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini, Mississippi State
8. Jack Mingjie Lin and William Matheson, Columbia
9. Mazen Osama and Edson Ortiz, Alabama
10. Guilherme Osorio and Nico Borter, San Diego

Redding pro tournament canceled because of wildfires

Ana Veselinovic of Montenegro ousted
top-seeded Sofya Zhuk of Russia in the
first round of last year's $25,000 tourna-
ment in Redding, Calif. Photo by
Paul Bauman 

   The $25,000 Ascension Project Women's Open, scheduled for this week at Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness in Redding, Calif., was canceled because of wildfires that have ravaged the area.
   The Carr Fire, the sixth-most destructive in California history, began on July 23 and was 100 percent contained on Aug. 30. Caused by a flat tire that ignited sparks, it killed eight people and injured three, burned 229,651 acres, destroyed 1,079 residences and 525 other structures, and cost more than $1.659 billion.
   The Hirz Fire, which has scorched 46,150 acres since it began on Aug. 9, has been 97 percent contained. But the Delta Fire, which began on Wednesday and has burned 49,874 acres, has been only 5 percent contained.
   "We have three kids in our competitive program, as well as countless members, who lost their homes," Ascension Project tournament director Toby Osborn said Monday. "It's just been a tough time for the community, and we felt it was better to fundraise for those people in need rather than to fundraise to host and support a tournament."
   The fires have raged west and north of Redding, which has a population of 90,000 and lies 200 miles (322 kilometers) north of San Francisco. Sun Oaks is east of downtown.
   The tournament was canceled in early August, Osborn said.
   "It's a very good thing we canceled it because we could not have played with the smoke that we're having from some of the other fires regardless," Osborn said.
   The tournament, which had been held in Redding for 15 consecutive years, is scheduled to return to Sun Oaks next September, Osborn added. Alumni include Sloane Stephens and Victoria Azarenka.
   This is the second straight year that wildfires have affected a Northern California professional tournament. During the $100,000 NorthBay Healthcare Men's Pro Championship in Fairfield last October, two players were evacuated from their hosts' homes, and Wednesday afternoon matches were canceled because of smoke.
   This year's Fairfield tournament is scheduled for Oct. 6-14 at Solano Community College.

Djokovic, Osaka head U.S. Open honor roll

NOVAK DJOKOVIC
Photo by Paul Bauman

NAOMI OSAKA
Photo by Paul Bauman

  Results of all U.S. Open finals:

   Men's singles -- Novak Djokovic (6), Serbia, def. Juan Martin del Potro (3), Argentina, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3.

   Women's singles -- Naomi Osaka (20), Japan, def. Serena Williams (17), United States, 6-2, 6-4.

   Men's doubles -- Mike Bryan and Jack Sock (3), United States, def. Lukasz Kubot, Poland, and Marcelo Melo (7), Brazil, 6-3, 6-1.

   Women's doubles -- Ashleigh Barty, Australia, and CoCo Vandeweghe (13), United States, def. Timea Babos, Hungary, and Kristina Mladenovic (2), France, 3-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6).

   Mixed doubles -- Bethanie Mattek-Sands, United States, and Jamie Murray, Great Britain, def. Alicja Rosolska, Poland, and Nikola Mektic, Croatia, 2-6, 6-3 [11-9].

   Boys singles -- Thiago Seyboth Wild (6), Brazil, def. Lorenzo Musetti, Italy, 6-1, 2-6, 6-2.

   Girls singles -- Wang Xiyu (3), China, def. Clara Burel (11), France, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

   Boys doubles -- Adrian Andreev, Bulgaria, and Anton Matusevich, Great Britain, def. Emilio Nava and Axel Nefve, United States, 6-4, 2-6 [10-8].

   Girls doubles -- Cori Gauff and Caty McNally (1), United States, def. Hailey Baptiste and Dalayna Hewitt, United States, 6-3, 6-2.

Djokovic ties Sampras with 14th major singles title

Novak Djokovic, playing at Indian Wells last year, defeated Juan Martin del
Potro in straight sets today for his third U.S. Open title. Photo by Mal Taam

   Note to readers: If you enjoy my coverage of Northern California tennis, please donate on my homepage. Here's why I need your support. Thank you.
   For Juan Martin del Potro, reaching the U.S. Open final was a tremendous victory in itself.
   But for Novak Djokovic, all that matters is Grand Slam titles.
   The sixth-seeded Djokovic beat the third-seeded del Potro 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 today in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., for his second consecutive major crown and 14th overall, tying Pete Sampras for third place all-time. They trail Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (17).
   It was Djokovic's third U.S. Open title in his record-tying eighth final at Flushing Meadows.
   Djokovic, a 31-year-old Serb, improved to 15-4 against del Potro, an Argentine who will turn 30 on Sept. 23. Djokovic has won the last four meetings and seven of the last eight. At 6-foot-2 (1.88 meters), he moves better than the 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) del Potro.
   Del Potro was playing in his second Grand Slam final. He shocked Nadal and Federer in the last two rounds of the 2009 U.S. Open.
   A right-hander with a two-handed backhand, del Potro considered retirement after undergoing four wrist operations (one right and three left) between 2010 and 2015.
   Djokovic has had his own injury issues. The right-hander missed last year's U.S. Open with a right elbow problem that subsequently required surgery.
   Williams fined -- Serena Williams was fined $17,000 for committing three code violations during her loss to Naomi Osaka, 20, in Saturday's women's final.
   Williams -- who has residences in Florida, Southern California and Silicon Valley -- was assessed $10,000 for verbal abuse of chair umpire Carlos Ramos, $4,000 for being coached and $3,000 for smashing her racket in anger.
   Williams won the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford in (2011, 2012 and 2014). The tournament moved to San Jose this year under a new sponsor, Mubadala.
   Women's doubles final -- No. 13 seeds Ashleigh Barty of Australia and CoCo Vandeweghe of Rancho Santa Fe in the San Diego area saved three match points in a 3-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6) victory over No. 2 seeds Timea Babos of Hungary and Kristina Mladenovic of France.
   Vandeweghe reached two Bank of the West singles finals (2012 and 2017) and won the doubles title at Stanford last year with countrywoman Abigail Spears.

Osaka outclasses Serena in tumultuous U.S. Open final

Naomi Osaka recorded her first big win as a 16-year-old
qualifier in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford four
years ago. 2014 photo by Paul Bauman

   Note to readers: If you enjoy my coverage of Northern California tennis, please donate on my homepage. Here's why I need your support. Thank you.
   Today's U.S. Open women's final should be remembered for Naomi Osaka's outstanding performance and first Grand Slam title.
   Instead, it will be recalled for yet another tirade by Serena Williams.
   Osaka, 20, defeated her idol Williams 6-2, 6-4 in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., to become the first Japanese player, male or female, to win a major singles crown.
   The 20th-seeded Osaka beat the 17th-seeded Williams at her own game, out-serving the part-time Silicon Valley resident, outslugging her from the baseline and playing better on the big points.
   Osaka had six aces and one double fault, put in 73 percent of her first serves and converted 4 of 5 break points. Williams finished with three aces and six double faults, put in 55 percent of her first deliveries and capitalized on only 1 of 6 break points.
   Williams was warned for receiving coaching from Patrick Mouratoglou in the second game of the second set, assessed a point penalty for smashing her racket after losing her serve for 3-2 in the second set and docked a game for 3-5 for telling chair umpire Carlos Ramos, "You stole a point from me. You're a thief, too."
   This was Williams' third major clash with an official in the U.S. Open, which she has won six times. She was fined a record $82,500 and placed on two years' probation for threatening a lineswoman ("I swear to God I'll ----ing take the ball and shove it down your ----ing throat.") in the 2009 semifinals and $2,000 for berating a chair umpire ("You're totally out of control. You're a hater and you're just ... unattractive inside.") in the 2011 final. Williams lost both matches.
   As ESPN commentator Tom Rinaldi began today's awards ceremony at 23,770-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium, the pro-Williams crowd booed, causing tears to roll down Osaka's cheeks.
   Williams then told the crowd: "I know you guys were here rooting, and I was rooting, too, but let's make this the best moment we can. ... We're going to get through this, and let's be positive. So congratulations, Naomi. No more booing."
   After receiving her trophy, a subdued Osaka said: "I'm sorry. I know that everyone was cheering for her, and I'm sorry that it had to end like this. I just want to say thank you for watching the match.
   "It was always my dream to play Serena in the U.S. Open final, so I'm really glad that I was able to do that. I'm really grateful that I was about to play with you. Thank you."
   Osaka improved to 2-0 against Williams, having won 6-3, 6-2 in the first round at Miami in March. It was Williams' second tournament after giving birth to her first child and enduring life-threatening complications.
   Williams, who will turn 37 on Sept. 26, has lost meekly in the final of the last two Grand Slam tournaments in an attempt to tie Margaret Court's record of 24 major singles titles. She fell to Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-3 at Wimbledon.
   Osaka was born in Japan, has a Japanese mother and Haitian father, and lives in Boca Raton, Fla. She is coached by Williams' former hitting partner, Sascha Bajin.
   Williams won the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford three times (2011, 2012 and 2014). Osaka's first big win came in the 2014 tournament, which moved to San Jose this year under a new sponsor, Mubadala.
   As a 16-year-old qualifier playing her first main-draw match on the WTA tour, Osaka ousted 2011 U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5 in the opening round at Stanford. Osaka saved a match point in the tiebreaker and overcame a 3-5 deficit in the third set. She then fell to No. 8 seed Andrea Petkovic.
   Men's singles -- No. 3 seed Juan Martin del Potro is scheduled to face No. 6 Novak Djokovic for the title on Sunday at 1 p.m. PDT (ESPN).
   Djokovic, a two-time U.S. Open champion and five-time runner-up, is 14-4 with a three-match winning streak against Del Potro, who has undergone four wrist operations since stunning Roger Federer for the 2009 crown at Flushing Meadows.
  Mixed doubles -- Bethanie Mattek-Sands of Phoenix and Jamie Murray of Great Britain nipped Alicja Rosolska of Poland and Nikola Mektic of Croatia 2-6, 6-3 [11-9] for the title. Both teams were unseeded.
   It was the fourth Grand Slam mixed doubles title for Murray and third for Mattek-Sands but their first together. Mattek-Sands suffered a gruesome knee injury at Wimbledon last year and missed eight months.
  Boys singles -- Lorenzo Musetti, a 16-year-old Italian, beat Jenson Brooksby, 17, of Carmichael in the Sacramento area 6-3, 6-3 in a semifinal matchup of unseeded players.