Champs and challengers highlight Day 9

Two women who have experienced the singular thrill of winning a US Open championship headline Day Nine of the 2010 US Open, as the best in the business continue their pursuit of tennis" toughest title. Defending champion Kim Clijsters and two-time titlist Venus Williams both see action on this day, which also features men"s top seed Rafael Nadal, Sam Querrey, Francesca Schiavone, Samantha Stosur, Mikhail Youzhny, Stanislas Wawrinka and the Spanish contingent of Feliciano Lopez, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and Tommy Robredo. At this point in the tournament, every one of these top talents knows they"ve got to bring their best if they"re going to play another day. As the matches get tougher, so must the competitors.

There are six Spanish men in the round of 16 here, the most-ever for Spain in this round and the largest representation for a single country at this point of the tournament since the U.S. placed eight men in the same round in 1995. The leader of Spain"s invading armada is men"s top seed Nadal, who has sailed into the fourth round without dropping a set. It"s not always been a smooth sail, but each time the going got choppy, the Spaniard has found a way to right the ship. The 24-year-old, who owns eight Grand Slam tournament titles, has long owned one of the game"s greatest ground assaults. But here, he"s also shown an improved serve, which has helped him win 83 percent of his first-serve points through the first three rounds. In those three matches, he"s not been broken once. His countryman Lopez, in the fourth round here for the first time in his career, ended a six-year title drought when he won the hard-court Johannesburg event in February. This summer, the 28-year-old reached the semis of the Olympus US Open Series event in Los Angeles. Nadal leads their career head-to-heads 5-2, but Lopez took their last meeting, beating Nadal in the quarters at Queen"s Club in July. This figures to be a bruising battle between two guys who know how to bash. Nadal will take some broadsides, but in four, he sails on.

Querrey"s fourth-round showing matches his best-ever US Open performance, but the 22-year-old American will hardly be satisfied with that, as he"s had a stellar season in 2010, winning four tournament titles and breaking into the world"s top 20 for the first time in his career. The No. 20 seed is one of only four players on the men"s tour to win two hard-court titles this year, and the only player to win titles on three different surfaces. Always a big server, Querrey"s 48 aces to this point are second-best among those left in the draw. But just as significant, he is more consistent off the ground and is covering more of it--and the ability to run down a lot of balls is critical for success on Flushing"s slick cement. That figures to be a key against Wawrinka, who was able to dictate play in his third-round upset of No. 4 seed Andy Murray. This fourth-round appearance also matches the 25-year-old Swiss" best US Open showing, and equals his best Slam finish of this year--a four-round run at Roland Garros. The two have met just once, with Wawrinka winning a hard-court duel at the 2009 Indian Wells event. But this is a different time, a different place, and a decidedly different Querrey. The American has a very real chance to make a very deep run here, and its not likely Wawrinka will be the guy to stop him. In four, Querrey is in the quarters.

The two oldest women remaining in the draw square off in one of the day"s most intriguing matches, as 30-year-old Williams takes on 30-year-old Schiavone. Williams, the No. 3 seed and the last woman to win back-to-back US Open titles (2000-01), has never lost before the fourth round here. Her 58 match wins are fourth-best in the Open era, and despite missing the entire summer post-Wimbledon, she"s shown few ill effects of the knee injury that sidelined her, playing to this point without dropping a set. Her opponent, No. 6 seed Schiavone, became the first Italian ever to win a Grand Slam singles title when she won Roland Garros in June. She"s competing in her 41st consecutive major--a record among active players that she shares with American Jill Craybas--and this quarterfinal appearance matches her best-ever US Open showing. The Italian also has had an easy time in advancing to this stage, dropping just 13 games in four matches. Williams and Schiavone are ranked first and second respectively through four rounds of the tournament in first serve points won, and Schiavone leads the remaining field with 90 percent of returns put in play. That latter stat may be a difference-maker in this match, because if Schiavone can successfully attack Williams" serve and stretch her out, she"s completely capable of knocking her out. Williams has history on her side, owning a perfect 7-0 record against Schiavone, and will certainly have the crowd on her side today. But against Schiavone"s aggressive attack, those things may not be enough. This goes three--and Schiavone goes on.

(Agencies)