U.S. Open Day 13: Nishikori, Cilic score major upsets

    Men's semifinals -- Everyone who predicted a Kei Nishikori-Marin Cilic final at the beginning of the tournament, please stand up.
   For the first time since Marat Safin beat Lleyton Hewitt in the 2005 Australian Open, a major final will be played without Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal.
   Nishikori, only 5-foot-10 (1.78 meters) and 150 pounds (68 kilograms), became the first man from Asia to reach a Grand Slam singles final. Seeded 10th, he shocked the top-ranked Djokovic 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in sweltering heat and humidity.
   Even though Nishikori was coming off two marathons, he seemed fresher than Djokovic, who got married shortly after winning Wimbledon in July and lost early in his two U.S. Open tuneup tournaments.
   Nishikori had a cyst removed from the bottom of his right foot last month and hadn't played in a tournament since Aug. 1. He had his right foot re-wrapped during his fourth-round and quarterfinal battles at Flushing Meadows.
   Cilic, seeded 14th, also advanced to his first major final. The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Croat overpowered the second-seeded Federer 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 for his first victory over the Swiss star in six career matches. 
   Cilic blasted serves at up to 132 mph (213 kph) and finished with 13 aces, including three straight in the final game.
   Notable --  Fourth-seeded Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina of Russia won their second Grand Slam women's doubles title, rallying from a set and a break down to beat unseeded Martina Hingis of Switzerland and Flavia Pennetta of Italy 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
   Hingis, an International Tennis Hall of Famer who will turn 34 on Sept. 30, launched a doubles comeback last year. She was playing in her first major final since winning the 2002 Australian Open women's doubles title with Anna Kournikova.
   Hingis has won 15 Grand Slam titles (five in singles, nine in women's doubles and one in mixed doubles).     
   Women's final matchup (seedings in parentheses) -- Serena Williams (1) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (10), Sunday at 1:30 p.m. PDT on CBS. Williams leads the head-to-head series 8-1 with five straight victories. However, the players' two meetings last month were close. Williams won 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the Montreal quarterfinals and 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the Cincinnati semifinals.
   Wozniacki said she stayed in bed between the quarterfinals and semifinals because of a viral illness, but she seemed fine during her win over Peng Shuai in the semis. Wozniacki led 7-6 (1), 4-3 when Peng retired with heat exhaustion and leg cramps.
   Williams quit her second-round doubles match at Wimbledon on July 1 with what the WTA called a viral illness.
   U.S. report -- All three Americans in the junior singles semifinals lost: sixth-seeded Francis Tiafoe in the boys field, and qualifier Caroline Dolehide and wild card Katerina Stewart on the girls side.
   Tiafoe, perhaps the United States' top male hope, had two match points in his 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (6) loss to fifth-seeded Quentin Halys of France.
   Northern California connection -- Top-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan will play 11th-seeded Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez of Spain in the men's doubles final on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. PDT on ESPN2. The Bryans, who led Stanford to NCAA titles in their two years there (1997-98), seek their fifth U.S. Open title and 100th overall.
   Nishikori played in the now-defunct SAP Open in San Jose three times, losing in the second round in 2008, 2009 and 2011. Brad Gilbert of San Rafael coached Nishikori in 2011.
   Fast facts -- Nishikori lost to qualifier Daniel Evans of Great Britain in straight sets in the first round of last year's U.S. Open. Evans was coming off a runner-up finish in the Aptos Challenger, failing to convert a championship point against former Stanford star Bradley Klahn.
   Cilic missed last year's U.S. Open while serving a four-month doping suspension. He said he ingested a stimulant accidentally in a glucose tablet.
   Quote -- Nishikori, on having the cyst removed: "I didn't even know if I should come to New York, so I wasn't expecting (anything), actually."

U.S. Open Day 12 highlights: Peng succumbs to heat

   Women's semifinals -- Unseeded Peng Shuai of China retired with heat exhaustion and leg cramps while trailing 10th-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6-7 (1), 3-4. Wozniacki, 24, reached her second Grand Slam final; she lost to Kim Clijsters in the 2009 U.S. Open title match.

Serena Williams reached her fourth straight
U.S. Open final. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Top-ranked Serena Williams overwhelmed 17th-seeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 6-1, 6-3 to gain her fourth straight U.S. Open final. She lost to Samantha Stosur in 2011 and beat Victoria Azarenka in 2012 and 2013.
   Men's semifinal matchups -- Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Kei Nishikori (10) today at 9 a.m. PDT on CBS. Djokovic leads the head-to-head series 2-1, including a withdrawal by Nishikori in the Miami semifinals in March because of a groin injury.
   Roger Federer (2) vs. Marin Cilic (14) today, after the first semifinal, on CBS. Federer leads 5-0, but their last meeting was close. Federer prevailed 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-4 early last month in the third round at Toronto.
   U.S. report -- Abigail Spears of San Diego and Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico lost in the mixed doubles final for the second consecutive year. This time, they saved five championship points before falling to top-seeded Sania Mirza of India and Bruno Soares of Brazil 6-1, 2-6 [11-9].
   It was the third career Grand Slam mixed doubles title for Mirza and second for Soares. They played together in a tournament for the first time.
   Three American juniors -- Francis Tiafoe in the boys draw, and Caroline Dolehide and Katerina Stewart on the girls side -- reached the singles semifinals.
   The sixth-seeded Tiafoe, perhaps the United States' greatest male hope, edged top-seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia 6-1, 5-7, 6-4. He will meet fifth-seeded Quentin Halys, a Frenchman who topped fourth-seeded Stefan Kozlov of the United States 3-1, retired.
   Dolehide, a qualifier, surprised fellow American Tornado Alicia Black, seeded fourth, 6-3, 7-5. Stewart, a wild card, demolished unseeded Greet Minnen of Belgium 6-2, 6-0.  
   Northern California connection -- Williams won her third Bank of the West Classic title at Stanford in July.
   Fast fact -- Williams has won her last 20 U.S. Open matches and 38 of her last 40.
   Quote -- Peng, when a doctor checking her on the court suggested quitting: "I said, 'No, no, no. I don't want to give up. I want to try one more time.' "

U.S. Open Day 11: Federer saves match points in win

Roger Federer rallied from two sets down, saving two match
points, to beat Gael Monfils, 2014 photo by Paul Bauman

   Match of the day -- Second-seeded Roger Federer saved two match points and defeated No. 20 Gael Monfils of France 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 to reach the U.S. Open semifinals for the first time since 2011.
   The 33-year-old Federer has won 17 Grand Slam singles titles, including five in the U.S. Open (2004-08). His last major crown came at Wimbledon in 2012.
   Monfils, 28, was trying to advance to his second major semifinal and first since the 2008 French Open. 
   Upset of the day -- No. 14 seed Marin Cilic, a 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Croat, reached his second Grand Slam semifinal with a 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over No. 6 Tomas Berdych, a 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) Czech.

   Notable -- Fourth-seeded Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina of Russia will meet unseeded Martina Hingis of Switzerland and Flavia Pennetta of Italy on Saturday for the women's doubles title.
   Hingis, an International Tennis Hall of Famer, will turn 34 on Sept. 30. Her last Grand Slam title was the Australian Open mixed doubles in 2006.
   Women's semifinal matchups (seedings in parentheses) -- Caroline Wozniacki (10) vs. Peng Shuai today not before 10:45 a.m. PDT (CBS). Wozniacki leads the head-to-head series 5-1 with five straight wins.
   Serena Williams vs. Makarova (17) today not before 12:45 p.m. PDT (CBS). Williams leads 3-1, all on hardcourts. In the players' two Grand Slam meetings, both in 2012, Makarova won 6-2, 6-3 in the fourth round of the Australian Open and lost 6-4, 6-0 in the third round of the U.S. Open.
   Men's semifinal matchups -- Djokovic (1) vs. Nishikori (10) on Saturday. Djokovic leads 2-1, including a withdrawal by Nishikori in the Miami semifinals in March because of a groin injury.
   Federer (2) vs. Cilic (14) on Saturday. Federer leads 5-0, but their last meeting was close. Federer prevailed 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-4 early last month in the third round at Toronto on a hardcourt.
   U.S. report -- Williams pursues her third consecutive U.S. Open title, Bob and Mike Bryan will play for the men's doubles crown, and Abigail Spears will appear in the mixed doubles final.
   Reaching the junior singles quarterfinals were two American boys (No. 4 Stefan Kozlov and No. 6 Francis Tiafoe) and three U.S. girls (No. 4 Tornado Alicia Black, qualifier Caroline Dolehide and wild card Katerina Stewart). No American boys or girls reached the doubles semifinals.
   Northern California connection -- In an all-American men's doubles semifinal, the top-seeded Bryans beat unseeded Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. All except Ram played at Stanford -- the Bryans in 1997 and 1998, and Lipsky from 2000 to 2003.
   The 36-year-old Bryan twins, seeking their fifth U.S. Open title and 100th overall crown, will meet 11th-seeded Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez of Spain. Like Williams, the Bryans seek their first Grand Slam title of 2014 after dominating last year.
   Top-seeded CiCi Bellis of Atherton, near Stanford, and Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic withdrew from their girls doubles quarterfinal against seventh-seeded Viktoria Kuzmova and Kristina Schmiedlova of Slovakia. Bellis has a sore wrist.
   Fast fact -- Cilic missed last year's U.S. Open while serving a four-month doping suspension. He said he ingested a stimulant inadvertently.
   Quote -- Berdych, on his loss to Cilic: "At least the third set was close."

U.S. Open Day 10 highlights: Nishikori survives again

   Match and upset of the day -- No. 10 seed Kei Nishikori became the first Japanese man to reach the semifinals of the U.S. championships since 1918, outlasting No. 3 seed and reigning Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7), 6-7 (5), 6-4 in 4 hours, 15 minutes.
   Nishikori advanced to his first Grand Slam semifinal after his second straight marathon. He topped No. 5 Milos Raonic of Canada 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (8), 7-5, 6-4 in 4 hours, 19 minutes in a match that ended at 2:26 a.m. Tuesday EDT, tying the latest finish in U.S. Open history.

Novak Djokovic reached his eighth consecutive U.S. Open
semifinal. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   Notable -- Top-ranked Novak Djokovic reached his eighth consecutive U.S. Open semifinal, wearing down eighth-seeded Andy Murray 7-6 (1), 6-7 (1), 6-2, 6-4.
   Djokovic also avenged a 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 loss to Murray in last year's Wimbledon final, which ended Great Britain's 77-year men's title drought in the tournament. Murray underwent back surgery last September.
   Top-ranked Serena Williams advanced to the U.S. Open semifinals for the fourth straight year, dismissing 11th-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy 6-3, 6-2. Williams is trying to become the first woman to win three consecutive U.S. Open titles since Chris Evert won four in a row from 1975 through 1978.
   No. 17 seed Ekaterina Makarova of Russia outsteadied No. 16 Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-2 to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal. Makarova, a 26-year-old left-hander, had played in four major quarterfinals. Azarenka, the runner-up to Williams in the past two U.S. Opens, has battled injuries this year.
   Women's semifinal matchups (seedings in parentheses) -- Caroline Wozniacki (10) vs. Peng Shuai on Friday. Wozniacki leads the head-to-head series 5-1 with five straight wins.
   Williams vs. Makarova (17) on Friday. Williams leads the series 3-1, all on hardcourts. In the players' two Grand Slam meetings, both in 2012, Makarova won 6-2, 6-3 in the fourth round of the Australian Open and lost 6-4, 6-0 in the third round of the U.S. Open.
   Men's semifinal matchups -- Djokovic (1) vs. Nishikori (10) on Saturday. Djokovic leads the head-to-head series 2-1, including a withdrawal by Nishikori in the Miami semifinals in March because of a groin injury.
   The other U.S. Open semifinal will be determined on Thursday, when Tomas Berdych (6) faces Marin Cilic (14) not before 10:30 a.m. PDT and Roger Federer (2) plays Monfils (20) not before 5 p.m.
   Both matches will be televised live on ESPN.
   U.S. report -- Abigail Spears of San Diego and Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico reached the mixed doubles final for the second straight year, beating Americans Taylor Townsend and Donald Young 6-3, 6-4.
   Spears and Gonzalez, who lost to Andrea Hlavackova and Max Mirnyi last year, will face top-seeded Sania Mirza of India and Bruno Soares of Brazil.
    Northern California connection -- Top-seeded CiCi Bellis of Atherton in the San Francisco Bay Area and Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic advanced to the girls doubles quarterfinals with a 6-1, 7-6 (3) victory over Hungarians Anna Bondar and Dalma Galfi.
    Bellis and Vondrousova are both 15. They fell just short of winning the French Open girls doubles title in June as the seventh seeds, losing to unseeded Ioana Ducu and Ioana Loredana Rosca of Romania 6-1, 5-7 [11-9].
   Fast fact -- Murray was born seven days before Djokovic. Both are 27.
   Quote -- Murray, on his loss to Djokovic: "He appeared fresher than me. Whether he was or not I don't know. Maybe he does a better job of hiding (fatigue) than me."

U.S. Open Day 9 highlights: Cilic wins marathon

Marin Cilic practices with Novak
Djokovic at Indian Wells in March.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Match of the day -- No. 14 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia topped No. 26 Gilles Simon of France 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in 4 hours, 13 minutes to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals for the third time.
   On the hottest day of the year in New York, 92 degrees (33.3 Celsius) and 44 percent humidity, Cilic and Simon played the second-longest match of the tournament. It was six minutes shorter than No. 10 Kei Nishikori's victory over No. 5 Milos Raonic that ended at 2:26 a.m. today New York time.     
   Upset of the day -- No. 20 seed Gael Monfils of France defeated No. 7 Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 7-5, 7-6 (6), 7-5. Dimitrov, 23, advanced to his first major semifinal last month at Wimbledon.
   Monfils will face No. 2 Roger Federer in an attempt to equal his best Grand Slam result, an appearance in the 2008 French Open semifinals.
   Notable -- No. 10 seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark crushed No. 13 Sara Errani of Italy 6-0, 6-1 to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal since the 2011 U.S. Open.
   Unseeded Peng Shuai, 28, of China advanced to her first major semifinal in her 37th attempt with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Belinda Bencic, 17, of Switzerland. Peng, who uses two hands on both sides, climbed to No. 1 in women's doubles in February. She is now No. 3.
   Women's semifinal matchups (seedings in parentheses) -- Wozniacki (10) vs. Peng. Wozniacki leads the head-to-head series 5-1 with five straight wins. The other pairing will be determined today. Serena Williams (1) will face Flavia Pennetta (11), and Victoria Azarenka (16) will meet Ekaterina Makarova (17).
   Men's quarterfinal matchups -- Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Andy Murray (8), Stan Wawrinka (3) vs. Nishikori (10), Tomas Berdych (6) vs. Cilic (14) and Federer (2) vs. Monfils (20).
   U.S. report -- Unseeded Serena and Venus Williams, two-time U.S. Open champions, lost to fourth-seeded Makarova and Elena Vesnina of Russia 7-6 (5), 6-4. Serena, generally considered to have the best serve in women's history, double-faulted on the last two points.
   Northern California connection -- Two 15-year-olds from the San Francisco Bay Area lost in the second round of girls singles. Top-seeded CiCi Bellis of Atherton fell to Natalia Vikhlyantseva of Russia 7-6 (9), 2-6, 6-1, and Michaela Gordon of Saratoga succumbed to Anna Bondar of Hungary 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
   Bellis stunned 12th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova, the Australian Open runner-up in January, in the second round of women's singles last week.
   In the first round of girls doubles, top-seeded Bellis and Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic won, but Gordon and American Sophia Kenin lost.
   In men's doubles, top-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan will meet unseeded Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram in an all-American semifinal. All except Ram played at Stanford, the Bryans in 1997 and 1998, and Lipsky from 2000 to 2003.
   Fast fact -- Federer owns the career record for most Grand Slam quarterfinals in the Open era (43).
   Quote --An emotional Peng in an on-court interview after her victory: "It's an amazing time for me. I love tennis and love to play, and it's tough sometimes when I'm thinking of giving up and almost stopping playing because I don't know if I can make it or not, but my coach and parents make sure I keep fighting and never give up."

U.S. Open Day 8 highlights: Nishikori win ties record

Kei Nishikori loses to Andy Murray in the 2012
Australian Open quarterfinals. Nishikori reached
the last eight in a Grand Slam tournament for the
first time since then by beating Milos Raonic in
a match that ended at 2:26 a.m. New York time.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Match of the day -- Score one for the little guy. It rarely happens in this era of power.
   No. 10 seed Kei Nishikori, a gutsy 5-foot-10 (1.78-meter) Japan native, outlasted No. 5 Milos Raonic, a 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) Canadian with a pulverizing serve, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-4 in a fourth-round match that ended at 2:26 a.m. New York time.
   That tied the latest finish in U.S. Open history. Also ending at 2:26 a.m. were Philipp Kohlschrieber's third-round victory over John Isner in 2012 and Mats Wilander's second-round win over fellow Swede Mikael Pernfors in 1993.
    Nishikori, 24, reached his second Grand Slam quarterfinal and first at the U.S. Open. He missed most of the tuneup tournaments for Flushing Meadows with a severely infected right big toe and had his foot re-wrapped early in the fourth set of the 4-hour, 19-minute battle.
   Nishikori is coached by Michael Chang, an International Tennis Hall of Famer and the 1996 U.S. Open runner-up.
  Upset of the day -- In the latest women's surprise, No. 17 seed Ekaterina Makarova of Russia ousted No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard of Canada 7-6 (2), 6-4 in the fourth round.
   Bouchard, the runner-up at Wimbledon last month, took a medical timeout in the second set for dizziness in the heat and extreme humidity. She failed to reach a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time this year.
   Among the top nine women's seeds, the only quarterfinalist is No. 1 Serena Williams.
   Notable -- Top-ranked Novak Djokovic, the 2011 U.S. Open champion, advanced to the quarterfinals for the eighth consecutive year at Flushing Meadows and 22nd straight Grand Slam tournament. He outplayed the 22nd-seeded Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-1, 7-5, 6-4.
   Williams, who has won 17 Grand Slam singles titles, reached her first major quarterfinal of the year with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over unseeded Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.
   No. 16 seed Victoria Azarenka, the U.S. Open runner-up to Williams for the past two years, eliminated qualifier Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Krunic had knocked out No. 3 Petra Kvitova, who won her second Wimbledon title last month, in the third round.
   Sixth-seeded Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek, the defending men's doubles champions, lost to 11th-seeded Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 in the third round.
   Eighth-seeded Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock, the reigning Wimbledon champs, fell to unseeded Carlos Berlocq and Leonardo Mayer of Argentina 6-2, 6-2 in the third round.
   Women's quarterfinal matchups (seedings in parentheses) -- Williams (1) vs. Flavia Pennetta (11), Azarenka (16) vs. Makarova (17), Peng Shuai vs. Belinda Bencic, Caroline Wozniacki (10) vs. Sara Errani (13).
   Men's quarterfinal matchups -- Djokovic (1) vs. Andy Murray (8), Stan Wawrinka (3) vs. Nishikori (10). The other encounters will be determined today. If the seedings hold, they will be Tomas Berdych (6) vs. Marin Cilic (14) and Roger Federer (2) vs. Grigor Dimitrov (7).
   Northern California connection -- Top-seeded CiCi Bellis, 15, of Atherton in the San Francisco Bay Area routed Renata Zarazua of Mexico 6-1, 6-3 in the first round of girls singles. Bellis stunned 12th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova, the Australian Open runner-up in January, in the first round of women's doubles before losing to Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan in the second round.
   In an all-American men's doubles match, top-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan beat Bradley Klahn and Tim Smyczek 6-3, 7-6 (5) to reach the quarterfinals. All except Smyczek (pronounced SMEE-check) played at Stanford, but only Klahn graduated. Klahn, 24, is 12 years younger than the Bryan twins.
   Fast fact -- For the first time since 1977, eight different women will have played in a year's Grand Slam finals.
   Quote -- Makarova, on what was going through her mind during Bouchard's medical timeout: "Well, actually, I thought, 'Thanks,' because I also was tired."

Open Day 7 highlights: Wozniacki tops Sharapova



   Match of the day -- In a battle of former No. 1 players, 10th-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark outslugged fifth-seeded Maria Sharapova of Russia 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in high humidity in 2 hours, 37 minutes.

   Wozniacki, 24, advanced to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal since the 2012 Australian Open. Only one of the top six women's seeds, No. 1 Serena Williams, remains alive entering the second week.
   Upset of the day -- The men's draw, unlike the women's, has gone largely according to form. No. 4 David Ferrer of Spain became the first top-10 seed to fall, succumbing to No. 26 Gilles Simon of France 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the third round.
   Notable -- Belinda Bencic, 17, of Switzerland became the youngest U.S. Open quarterfinalist since her mentor, Martina Hingis, in 1997. Bencic ousted ninth-seeded Jelena Jankovic 7-6 (6), 6-3.

Caroline Wozniacki, practicing during the 2012 Austral-
ian Open, beat Maria Sharapova in a battle of former
No. 1 players. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Second-seeded Roger Federer lost the first 10 points in his 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Marcel Granollers of Spain in the third round. Federer, a five-time U.S. Open champon, trailed 2-5 (one service break) in the first set when thunderstorms delayed the match for two hours.
   Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, a 32-year-old qualifier who had shocked second-seeded Simona Halep in the third round, lost to 13th-seeded Sara Errani 6-3, 2-6, 6-0. The 5-foot-4 1/2 (1.64-meter) Errani had four winners and nine errors to the 5-foot-11 (1.80-meter) Lucic-Baroni's 46 and 69, respectively.
   Men's seeded winners -- Federer, No. 6 Tomas Berdych, No. 7 Grigor Dimitrov, No. 14 Marin Cilic, No. 17 Roberto Bautista Agut, No. 20 Gael Monfils and Simon.
   Men's seeded losers -- Ferrer, No. 12 Richard Gasquet, No. 18 Kevin Anderson and No. 19 Feliciano Lopez.
   Women's seeded winners -- Wozniacki and Errani.
   Women's seeded losers -- Sharapova, Jankovic and No. 14 Lucie Safarova.
   Northern California connection -- Unseeded Americans Scott Lipsky, a 33-year-old former Stanford star, and Rajeev Ram surprised third-seeded Daniel Nestor of Canada and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia 6-3, 6-4 to reach the men's doubles quarterfinals. Nestor, who will turn 42 on Thursday, has won eight Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and the 38-year-old Zimonjic six.
   Michaela Gordon, 15, of Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area dominated Miriam Kolodziejova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-2 in the first round of girls singles. 
   Fast fact -- Wozniacki plans to run in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 2.
   Quote -- Wozniacki, on taking a break from marathon training during the U.S. Open: "I have a pretty big tournament here that I kind of want to try and win."