TennisReporters.net/Federer has US by the throat; US man falling back

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	Tuesday, August 22, 2007
Federer has US by the throat American men aren't standing up to the Swiss

By Matthew Cronin, TennisReporters.net

Cynthia Lum/WireImage.com U.S. tennis player Donald Young

Ron Cioffi/TR

Atlantans Robby Ginepri and Donald Young are headed in opposite directions.

DON'T BET ON THE AMERCIAN MEN AT THE USO: After pasting James Blake in the Cincy final, Roger Federer improved to 7-0 lifetime against Blake and he has won 35 consecutive matches against Americans since his last loss to Andy Roddick in the semifinals of '03 ATP Masters Series Montreal. If you are looking for a player to stun the Swiss in NY, take Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal. There is a silver lining for Blake though – with his strong play in Cincy outside of the Federer match (where he was awful at net), he moved up to No. 6 and will likely avoid Federer in the USO quarters.

FEDERER WINS 50TH TITLE IN CINCY: With his title in Cincy, Federer nailed his 14th career ATP Masters Series crown and moved to within three of all-time leader Andre Agassi. Half of Federer's 50 career titles have come in Grand Slams (11) and Masters Series (14). As nice as this mark is, Bjorn Borg won his 50th crown two-and-a-half years before Fed did.

GINEPRI HOOKS UP WITH HIGUERAS: Former USO semifinalist Robby Ginepri has a new coach, the legendary Jose Higueras, who coached Todd Martin and Michael Chang, among others. Higueras has also been working with Shahar Peer over the past year. Higueras will have his hands full, as Ginepri's confidence seems to have hit an all-time low.

HENIN RE-STAKES NO. 1 STATUS: With a hard fought and often spectacular performance, Justine Henin edged her Polly Pocket – Jelena Jankovic – 7-6(3), 7-5 in the Toronto final. Henin is now 7-0 against Jankovic, who can't match her from the forehand side and doesn't serve well enough to keep the Belgian off her back. But, on a slightly down day from Henin at the USO, an upset is still possible if the two square off. "Justine is great for me to play and see where my level is at, because she's obviously the better player," Jankovic said. "She motivates me to work harder and keep improving my game. My time will come. I'm young."

YOUNG WINS FIRST ATP MATCH: Donald Young may never crack the Top 5, but at this point, it's safe to say that the US prodigy should bust the Top 100, something that wasn't so sure last year. In New Haven, the now 18-year-old lefty earned his first ATP main-draw win by beating Amer Delic, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. That victory comes on the back of his first pro singles title at the Little Rock Futures in April, and his first Challenger title at Aptos in June.

USO MEN'sS WILDCARDS: Young, John Isner, Alex Kuznetsov, Jesse Levine, Wayne Odesnik, Ryan Sweeting, Michael McClune and Aussie Alun Jones have been awarded men's singles main-draw, wildcard entries into the US Open. Young and the 6-foot-10 Isner should garner the most attention, but Californian McClune, who won the 18s Super Nationals, has made a lot of progress in the past year and is worth noting.

FEDERER AND SHARAPOVA WIN US OPEN SERIES: With Federer's semifinal finish in Montreal and his title run in Cincy, the Swiss won the men's US Open Series. Maria Sharapova, who won San Diego and reached the LA semis, won the women's. The defending US Open singles champions will now compete for the largest payout in tennis history at the US Open - $2.4 million ($1.4 million for winning the US Open and a $1 million bonus for winning the US Open and the US Open Series).

US OPEN WOMEN'S WILDCARDS: Lauren Albanese, Madison Brengle, Audra Cohen, Alexa Glatch, Jamea Jackson, Ahsha Rolle, Ashley Weinhold and Australian Jessica Moore have been awarded women's singles main-draw, wildcard entries into the US Open. Brengle has been the US's most impressive junior of the year and deserves a hard look, as does Glatch, the once promising Southern Californian who is on the way back after busting her wrist and elbow. Weinhold won Super Nationals and is also worth more than a glance.