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club president Bob Lenarduzzi said MLS experience w
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sports Network) - Reigning champion Serena Williams and second-seeded Victoria Azarenka were easy second-round winners, while Sara Errani became the highest-seeded loser thus far at the U.S. Open. The world No. 1, four-time U.S. Open titlist Williams blitzed Kazakhstans Galina Voskoboeva 6-3, 6-0 in 69 minutes at Ashe Stadium in a match that was postponed because of rain on Wednesday. Williams has lost only four games through two matches this week. "Ill have to think about it and see what I can do better, but it was OK," she said. The reigning U.S. and French Open champ beat reigning Australian Open queen Azarenka in last years finale in New York. The 16-time Grand Slam champion Williams is also a two-time runner-up in Flushing. Up next for Williams will be another Kazakh, Yaroslava Shvedova. Azarenka advanced to the third round in similar fashion, taking down 2009 U.S. Open runner-up Aleksandra Wozniak 6-3, 6-1. The former world No. 1 and reigning Aussie Open champ offered just 19 unforced errors and was not aced on her way to victory. "It was a good match I think," said Azarenka. "Towards the end I felt like I let her play a little bit and she really went for her shots, so I had to adjust a little bit better." Meanwhile, Flavia Pennetta sent her fourth-seeded fellow Italian Errani packing 6-3, 6-1 Thursday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The 31-year-old Pennetta reached three U.S. Open quarterfinals from 2008-11 before missing last years edition of her best Grand Slam event due to a right wrist injury. "I tried to play aggressive from the very beginning and I was perfect today, I think," Pennetta said. The 26-year-old Errani, who was the French Open runner-up and a U.S. Open semifinalist last year, has now lost four times in six meetings with Pennetta. "I dont want to play. I dont want to stay out there on the court," Errani said following her lopsided setback against Pennetta. In the final match of the evening, veteran Slovak Daniela Hantuchova defeated 17-year old American Victoria Duval, 6-2, 6-3. Duval, who won her first ever match at the Open on Aug. 27 when she shockingly knocked off 2011 Open champ and 11th-seeded Samantha Stosur, had 27 unforced errors compared to just 18 from her counterpart. Sixth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki dropped just three games in taking down Russian Chanelle Scheepers 6-1, 6-2 while seventh-seeded former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova drubbed Serb Bojana Jovanovski 6-2, 6-4, and eighth- seeded German left-hander Angelique Kerber held off promising Canadian Eugenie Bouchard 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. Resurgent Serb Jelena Jankovic, seeded ninth at this fortnight, whipped Russian Alisa Kleybanova 6-3, 6-2, and 10th-seeded Italian Roberta Vinci overcame Czech Lucie Safarova 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. The 24-year-old Kleybanova returned to the WTA earlier this month after battling Hodgkins lymphoma, a form of cancer, over the last two years. The French Open quarterfinalist Jankovic is a former world No. 1 who lost to Williams in the 2008 U.S. Open finale. Former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic blasted Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru 6-2, 6-1, while Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki, seeded 16th in Flushing, drilled Argentine Paula Ormaechea 6-2, 6-3. The Serbian star Ivanovic is a former French Open champ who reached her first-ever U.S. Open quarterfinal last year. Hot 21st-seeded Romanian Simona Halep continued her recent winning ways with a 6-2, 6-1 rout of Croat Donna Vekic. Halep headed to New York having captured titles at four of her previous seven events, including last week in New Haven where she upset the 2011 Wimbledon titlist Kvitova in the final. In some other second-round action involving seeds, No. 14 Russian Maria Kirilenko won 6-3, 6-1 over Portuguese Michelle Larcher De Brito, Japans Kurumi Nara surprised No. 19 Romanian Sorana Cirstea 7-5, 6-1; Italian Karin Knapp upended No. 22 Russian Elena Vesnina 6-1, 6-4; No. 24 Russian Ekaterina Makarova doused American Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4, 6-4; No. 25 Estonian Kaia Kanepi dismissed Slovak Anna Schmiedlova 6-4, 6-1; No. 26 Alize Cornet of France subdued Croat Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2, 6-2; and No. 27 Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova held off Chinese Peng Shuai 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. The former top-five star Kuznetsova captured the U.S. Open title in 2004 and was the runner-up in New York in 2007. American Alison Riske posted an upset by taking out 28th-seeded German Mona Barthel 6-4, 6-2. Riskes third-round opponent will be the formidable left- hander Kvitova. Additionally, American Christina McHale bested Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, Israeli Julia Glushko upended American Sachia Vickery 7-5, 6-3, Italian Camila Giorgi swept Taiwanese Su-Wei Hsieh 6-4, 7-6 (10-8) and the aforementioned Shvedova handled Austrian Patricia Mayr-Achleitner 6-2, 6-3. The 21-year-old New Jersey native McHale will face Ivanovic in the round of 32. VANCOUVER - Carl Robinson is the new head coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps. The 37-year-old Welshman takes over after spending the last two seasons as an assistant with the Major League Soccer club. "Its a very proud moment for me to be here today," Robinson said at his introductory press conference. "Its something that I have always dreamed of doing and its the natural progression for me in my career." Robinson replaces Martin Rennie, who was fired in October after Vancouver failed to make the playoffs. The Whitecaps fourth coach since the club joined MLS in 2011, Robinson will have full autonomy over personnel decisions. "Its a task Im looking forward to. I know Im going to face this challenge head on," said Robinson. "There will be hard work along the way, but Im up for that challenge." The Whitecaps made the playoffs with Rennie at the helm in 2012, but stumbled down the stretch this past season. Vancouver also failed to win the Amway Canadian Championship, which the club has put an emphasis on because it means a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. After Rennie was shown the door, club president Bob Lenarduzzi said MLS experience would be an important trait for his successor. Robinson has that, although not as a head coach. As a player, the bruising midfielder started his career in England before spending three seaasons with Toronto FC and one campaign with the New York Red Bulls.dddddddddddd "When you watched him as a player, he was a leader on the field," said Lenarduzzi. "He was constantly communicating, constantly encouraging his players. To me, what that will do is ideally translate through to his next task of being a head coach." Robinson, who played 52 times for his country, made 86 MLS appearances and was twice named TFCs most valuable player. "His vision aligns with ours as a club. Hes committed to youth development," said Lenarduzzi. "We have a like-minded philosophy in terms of attempting to play entertaining and attacking soccer." Lenarduzzi confirmed that former U.S. and Egyptian national team coach Bob Bradley, who was rumoured to be in the running for the job, spent a weekend in Vancouver during the interview process but decided to pursue other options in Europe. Lenarduzzi said Robinson and all of the other candidates were kept appraised of the situation while the Whitecaps explored the "unique opportunity" to speak with Bradley. "As far as the coach search taking longer than we would have anticipated, if Bob Bradley doesnt come up then more than likely it would have been done sooner," said Lenarduzzi. "But for us not to pursue that I think would have been wrong on our part." ' ' '
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Activity: May 25 '20
