The U.S. Open entry list shows that Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tommy Haas have withdrawn from the tournament, reports FueBuena.

Tsonga has been sidelined with a knee injury since Wimbledon, while Haas appears to have shelved his plan to return at the U.S. Open after a hip surgery in March. It would have been his first event as a U.S. citizen.

Theirs join the earlier pullouts of Ivo Karlovic and Mario Ancic. Juan Martin del Potro is still entered.

NEW YORK (AP)—Serena Williams pulled out of the U.S. Open on Friday, saying she still is recovering from surgery to repair cuts on her right foot.

The top-ranked Williams has won three titles at Flushing Meadows, part of her 13 Grand Slam singles championships. Last year, she lost in the semifinals after a tirade at a line judge over a foot-fault call.

“It is with much frustration and deep sadness that I am having to pull out of the U.S. Open,” Williams said in a statement released by her publicist.

Williams went to add: “My doctors have advised against my playing so that my foot can heal.”

She called missing the tournament “one of the most devastating moments of my career.”

The 28-year-old American was hurt while she was in Munich last month— shortly after winning her fourth Wimbledon singles title on July 3, and before playing in an exhibition match against Kim Clijsters that drew a tennis-record crowd of 35,681 in Brussels on July 8.

Williams had surgery in Los Angeles on July 15. She already had pulled out of three hard-court tournaments she was scheduled to enter in preparation for the U.S. Open.

Williams has participated in the last 16 majors; the last one she missed was Wimbledon in 2006.

She won her first Grand Slam singles championship at the 1999 U.S. Open, and also took home the trophy from New York in 2002 and 2008.

“We regret that Serena Williams is unable to play the U.S. Open and wish her a speedy recovery,” tournament director Jim Curley said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press. “She will be missed, but the tournament is about the competition and the players on the court.”

MONTREAL (AP)—Kim Clijsters breezed into the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Kaia Kanepi on Thursday.

Clijsters, who won at Cincinnati last week in three sets over Maria Sharapova, had to outlast American Bethanie Mattek-Sands the night before.

“I was playing an opponent who could not miss a shot, while today Kanepi was missing a lot, especially since her strengths are usually her serve and her backhand,” Clijsters said. “I really felt that I had opportunities once I was in a rally with her, and she was either going to make a mistake or I could really try to make her move.

“It’s always nice to win a tournament and gradually feel your level improve and also to have a matches like (Mattek-Sands) and in Cincinnati – to be behind and fight back and win.”

Clijsters will face Vera Zvonareva, the eighth seed from Russia who downed Agnes Szavay of Hungary 6-3, 6-3.

Svetlana Kuznetsova rallied for 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 victory that put her into the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup at Uniprix Stadium, turning around the match after getting thrashed in the second set.

So what did she do during the break?

“I take a vodka shot, no?” Kuznetsova said with a laugh. “No, nothing like that. … I just go to the locker-room, change all my clothes, eat a banana and I go back. It’s very simple. It was 6-1, but almost every game was deuce, so it was pretty hard. I took a break and it worked.”

The win put 11th-seeded Kuznetsova into a quarterfinal Friday against Zheng Jie of China, who upset fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva 7-6 (3), 6-4.

The weather turned cool for the evening session after a brief rain delay, but it didn’t stop second-seeded Carolina Wozniacki from defeating 15th-seeded Flavia Pennetta 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 for her fourth win in as many meetings with the Italian.

Wozniacki next plays the winner of a late Thursday match between French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, seeded sixth, and 2008 Rogers Cup champ Dinara Safina.

In other matches, 10th-seeded Victoria Azarenka downed ninth-seeded Li Na of China 6-3, 6-3, and 17th-seeded Marion Bartoli of France ousted Czech qualifier Iveta Benesova 6-0, 6-1, who was coming off an upset win over top-seeded Jelena Jankovic.

Azarenka and Bartoli will face off in the quarterfinals.

It has been a difficult year for Kuznetsova, who was the first Russian woman to win the U.S. Open in 2004 and added a French Open title last year.

Back at Roland Garros as defending champion in May, Kuznetsova was beaten in the third round and the massive loss of points dropped her to 19th in the world ranking. Then she went down in the second round at Wimbledon, among other dubious results in 2010.

When she crossed to North America for the hardcourt season, things seemed to turn around. It was capped by a tournament win in San Diego two weeks ago, when she beat Radwanska in the final.

“I’m not used to having (played) so few matches,” Kuznetsova said. “It’s hard because the other players had so many matches from the start of the season.”

Her promising form may also bode well for the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 31 in New York. As well as her victory, she also was reached the final in 2007, losing to Justine Henin, who isn’t at the Rogers Cup. In her career, Kuznetsova is 2-16 against Henin.

“I love to play in the U.S. Open,” she said. “It’s good when you get there and you know that at least you have a game and you know what you’re doing on the court.”

Clijsters was glad to have played well in an afternoon match after having to stay up late to win a difficult second-round match over American Bethanie Mattek-Sands on Wednesday night.

However, the Belgian former world No. 1’s only loss to Zvonareva was the last time they played – in the Wimbledon quarterfinals this year.

“I think we always had tough matches, a lot of three-setters or very tough ones,” Zvonareva said. “I never managed to beat her and finally, at Wimbledon, I was able to play consistently.

“I always believe I could beat anyone on the other side of the net. You have to come out there and not only know the game plan, but be able to execute it. It is very important to play your best to beat someone in the quarter-finals in such a big event.”

Justine Henin says the elbow injury she suffered at Wimbledon will keep her out for the rest of the season. “I have done several medical examinations in past days,” she wrote on her official website. “It is going in the right direction …[but] it is still a slow recovery so I need to be patient against until the end of 2010.

BRUSSELS (AP)—Justine Henin will miss the rest of the 2010 season as she recovers from an elbow injury.

The 28-year-old former No. 1 sustained the injury at Wimbledon in July and said on her website she would not be able to practice again until October.

“I took several medical examinations and it is going in the right direction,” she said. “But it is still a slow recovery, so I need to be patient again until the end of 2010.”

Henin, a seven-time Grand Slam winner, returned to tennis at the beginning of this season after 18 months in retirement.

She reached the final in her first two tournaments, including the Australian Open, and won titles in Stuttgart and Den Bosch.

However, facing Belgian rival Kim Clijsters in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, Henin fell heavily during the first set. Although she completed the match, losing in three sets, she was subsequently diagnosed with damaged elbow ligaments.

Henin’s first scheduled tournament of 2011 is the Hopman Cup mixed team event, starting Jan. 1.

Game Point is Busted Racquet’s roundup of facts, figures and links from around the web.

Because Anna Wintour can only publish so many Roger Federer spreads, Vogue occasionally features other male tennis players on its hallowed pages. This month, Andy Murray gets the treatment, because if it’s one thing you think of when you think of Andy Murray, it’s fashion. In today’s Game Point, we take a look at some of the highlights from the piece, which you should definitely read in full.

Love — The writer, Vicki Woods, said she had to prod Murray to talk about clothes because he probably doesn’t "think about new trends in menswear all that much." Though it’s only August, I think we have our winner of understatement of the year.

15 — The Scot doesn’t have a tennis court at his new home in Surrey because it’s only 20 minutes from Wimbledon’s practice courts.

30 — David Beckham texts Andy Murray’s publicist to get updates on his Wimbledon matches. Guess he didn’t know about the Wimbledon iPhone app.

40 — Murray missed watching election-night coverage in Britain because he got a random drug test. He says he gets tested a lot because he lives in London and Miami, two places which have a lot of testers. Hmmm, can’t think of why there’d be a lot of drug testers in Miami. 

Game — This excerpt: "He must have black-tie gear in his wardrobe, though? ‘I don’t, no.’ But doesn’t he go to black-tie dinners and stuff after the Wimbledon tournament finishes? He says, ‘You do if you win.’ Right."

[[Pete is on vacation from Sunday, the 15th, through today. He'll be back with a post tomorrow.]]
 
By Jackie Roe, TW Contributing Writer

Good morning, TWibe. Another day in Cincinnati at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters has come and gone, and I have plenty of stories to report, as usual.

Just as I did on Monday, I tried my best to catch as many matches and practice sessions as my aching feet would allow, but I’ll give you a rundown of those in the Deuce Club this week or next. What I thought I’d focus on in today’s update are my press conference impressions; the big four held their pre-tournament pressers on Tuesday and we heard from some of the Americans, as well. Sure, you could just look up the transcripts, but where’s the fun in that?

Blake’s post-match presser was up first, following his loss to Istomin. I wasn’t present for either the match or the presser, but as he revealed quite a bit about his state of mind and his upcoming plans, I thought it was worth sharing with y’all.

- Throughout the presser, he noted that he was still feeling the effects of a number of injuries. He didn’t attribute the day’s loss to illness or injury, though – he just wasn’t at his best.

- He plans to take a break for a little while after the Open.

- The last question asked was about Pam Shriver, and he let us know that he received a nice e-mail from her. So they’ve quashed their beef, I assume.

Federer’s pre-tournament presser took place a few hours later. He arrived dressed in his training gear, as he was scheduled to practice for the first time in Cincinnati later that day.

- There was something slightly off about his demeanor during the presser; former TWiber CNote and I described him as “testy,” as he demonstrated too much of the reflexive defensiveness that makes even the most ardent of Federer fans wince. Still, he was talkative and self-assured and responded to each question with that singular Federer openness.

- Generally, the presser was far more serious than the ones in Toronto, but there was one light-hearted interaction with a reporter:

Reporter: The perception is that your level has decreased … I don’t necessarily think that’s the case … what’s the-”

Federer: Thank you.

- When asked if he preferred the men’s and women’s tournaments being separate or combined, he decisively chose the former, saying it’s much more quiet and “everything is a bit simpler.”

- Another reporter brought up his inconsistent results at the tournament – he either wins the championship or he’s knocked out early – and Federer responded with, “Well, I prefer it that way than playing quarters every time.” I wonder if other players feel the same way …

Murray’s presser was up next. (No transcript for this one. That makes me feel more useful.)

- I was happy to see his eye contact improve as the presser progressed; the public speaking instructor in me always emerges when I watch him speak because his discomfort is so palpable.

- He was asked about the role his mother plays, and he revealed that he doesn’t actually speak to her before his matches, though she does try to scout his opponents. She’s not fulfilling the role of a coach, really – he said it was just nice having someone in his family around.

- He fielded several questions about his coaching situation, and he stated that he wouldn’t replace Maclagan anytime before the Open “for sure,” and that in some ways it’s nice to be on your own. More responsibility in figuring things out, more freedom.

- As for this tournament, he said he’d still feel confident going into the Open even if he doesn’t have a great result here.

After a never-ending wait, Nadal arrived for his pre-tournament presser. (You’d think that pricey watch would help him manage his time a little bit better!)

- In contrast to the Federer and Murray pressers, the vibe in this one was much more light. Nadal was his usual good-natured self and smiled/laughed often. Instead of describing his responses to questions, I’ll let him speak for himself. Notable quotes include:

I am not superstitious.

If you play well, you win, if you play bad, you lose.

I don’t think if I am number one or number five. I am Rafa.

(after a reporter asked a drawn-out question) I do not understand nothing.

Physically I’m perfect. Remain two weeks to broke everything. (Even more hilarious in person.)

- Another insightful part of the presser was when he discussed his previous performances at the Open and how his disappointing (for him) results had less to do with his physical state than his mental one, contrary to what most observers argue. Particularly interesting was his comment about the ’08 Open, when he said he was actually fine physically but “destroyed” mentally, following his dream summer. We see, then, that while winning is nice, it takes its toll, too.

- I had to mention that my understanding of Nadal’s English has vastly improved from the first time I heard him speak in person. Have I just gotten used to it or is he getting better?

I missed Djokovic’s presser, unfortunately, but ended my day at Isner’s.

- This was a fun one, more like a conversation than any of the others. Isner in person surprised me a tad; he’s quite serious and a thoughtful, polished speaker.

- He spoke at length about the after-effects of the Wimbledon marathon match, expressing that his win over Kubot was the best he’s felt on court in a long time. He’s been gassed for a while, and the fatigue hit him especially in DC, which prompted him to skip Toronto. He went home, didn’t think about tennis, just hung out with his family (and his dog, a cocker spaniel!). He even turned off his cell phone.

- Regarding the renovations, he said that the locker room is the best part, that it has more space that any other he’s been in.

- We all had a good laugh when he said the following, of his doubles success with Querrey: “We really don’t know to play doubles. We have big serves.”

After the presser officially ended, I mustered up the courage to ask Isner a couple of questions about wrestling. He was gracious enough to humor me and chat briefly about the WWE pay-per-view event on Sunday and as his affinity for WWE Raw (“I never miss it!”) as he was on his way out of the interview room. And here I thought I was the only one who appreciated both tennis and wrestling. That was a fun cap to a whirlwind day.

That’s all for now – time to head out to the courts. This is my last day here, so I have to make it count! I’ll be back with some final words about my experience in Friday’s DC, and you can also track my movements via Twitter (@JackieRoe).

As always, use this space to call today’s matches.

It’s an order of play fit for the Queen (city). 

The top six men in the world will all be in action Wednesday in Cincinnati, as well as No. 8 (Fernando Verdasco), No. 11 (David Ferrer) and the top four Americans (Andy Roddick, Sam Querrey, John Isner and Mardy Fish) in the final 1000 event before the U.S. Open. The Tennis Channel begins live coverage at 1 p.m. ET, but our guide covers the entire day of tennis action at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters:

11 a.m. – A all-Serbian battle between Novak Djokovic and Viktor Troicki is the showcase on Stadium Court, while one of the more intriguing battles of the day pits David Ferrer and Sam Querrey on Grandstand. We’ll give the slight edge to the unseeded Querrey, who plays better on hard court than the clay courter Ferrer.

1 p.m. (appx.) – Another Spanish-American match gets second-billing, this time with Fernando Verdasco facing off against Mardy Fish on Grandstand. Intriguing matches between French Open semifinalist Jurgen Melzer and Ernests Gulbis plus an Alejandro Falls-Philipp Kohlschreiber tilt sneak their way onto Courts 3 and 4, respectively, but it’s the Rafael Nadal-Taylor Dent match on Stadium that is the main attraction of the afternoon session. Nadal has never won the title in Cincinnati.

3 p.m. (appx.) — Wimbledon marathon man John Isner plays one of the hottest players on tour in David Nalbandian, while Andy Murray looks to continue his run of hard court success on Stadium Court against Frenchman Jeremy Chadry.

5 p.m. (appx.) — Andy Roddick, who has dropped all the way to No. 13 in the ATP rankings, tries to fight through his mild case of mono against Theimo de Bakker. And Nikolay Davydenko (remember him?) gets Robby Ginepri on Granstand. Davydenko, by the way, has made just one quarterfinal since Valentine’s Day.

7 p.m. (appx.) – William Tell Roger Federer gets main-billing on Stadium Court against the Uzbeki Denis Istomin, while Robin Soderling faces off against Lleyton Hewitt on Grandstand. And if the singles matches are unexciting, Americans Querrey and Isner are playing doubles out on Court 3.

Dinara Safina, who has fallen to her lowest ranking in more than seven years, has overcome Andrea Petkovic 6-3, 6-3 in Montreal. It was only the former No. 1’s fourth victory since she returned from back problems in late April.

Another former top 10 player, the 31-year-old Patty Schnyder, beat Virginie Razzano 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-3 - only her fourth victory on hardcourts this year.

Wimbledon semifinalist Petra Kvitova’s woes continued when she fell to Aravane Rezai 6-7(1), 7-5, 6-3. The Czech is on a four-match losing streak since Wimbledon.—Matthew Cronin

Andy Murray played spectacular tennis in winning the Rogers Cup title in Toronto. The Scotsman looked supremely confidence on the hard courts and in dispatching the world’s two best players, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, en route to the title. But if one call early in a semifinl match had gone a different way, Murray’s weekend might have gone much differently.

On Saturday against Rafa, the Sctosman faced a break point at 3-3 in the first set. His first serve at 30-40 went wide. His second serve looked long, but since there was no call from a linesperson, Rafa hit his return and played the point, which he eventually lost by sailing a forehand long.

Rafa seemed to know the ball was long, but he chose to play the point anyway. His other option — challenging before hitting his return — was a risky proposition since if the ball was called in upon review, Rafa would have immediately lost the point (and the break opportunity). Playing it out, at least, gave Rafa some chance of winning the point. He made the wrong choice, as it turns out.

After the point, ESPN2 cameras showed what the review would have looked like:

The white line is the service line and the tennis ball is clearly beyond it, meaning Murray’s second serve was long and Rafa should have won the game. It would have put him up a break at 4-3 in the first set and, most likely, given him the first set. Instead, Murray went on to win the game and immediately broke Rafa on his next serve. What could have been a 5-3 Nadal lead to turned into a 3-5 deficit. Murray won his service game at 5-3 to take the set and cruised in the second, 6-4, to advance to the finals.

Murray didn’t win the match because of the serve and Rafa didn’t lose because he didn’t challenge; there were dozens of little moments in this match that swung it Murray’s way. (It was like the pair’s Wimbledon semifinal, which was a straight sets win for Rafa that was much closer than it appeared.) But it’s one of those moments on which a match hinges and, in this case, it went the way of Andy Murray, by about three millimeters.