Looming Bad Weather Doesn’t Dampen Day Five of U.S. Open

Hurricane Earl stayed away for the most part, with only a short rain delay in the early afternoon, and the full card of matches was completed on Friday, Sept. 3, Day Five of the 2010 U.S. Open. Three American men, John Isner, Sam Querrey and Ryan Harrison, took to the court on Day Five of singles action, looking for a trip to the third round. In the end, two advanced, and the other fell just short of moving on.

John Isner, striving to be known for more than winning the longest tennis match in history, reached the third round by beating Marco Chiudinelli of Switzerland, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4. He will now face Mikhail Youhzny where he will look to match his best Grand Slam showing by attempting to advance to the fourth round.

Eighteen-year-old Ryan Harrison, playing in front of a raucous crowd on the Grandstand, wasted three match points in the fifth set tie-breaker and fell to Sergiy Stakhovsky of the Ukraine, 6-3, 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6), thus ending his Cinderella run at the 2010 Open. This was the second Grand Slam tournament of Harrison’s young career, and the first at which he won a match. With a win over Croatian Ivan Ljubicic and an extremely close second round defeat, Harrison impressed the American fans and has definitely imprinted his name on the tennis map.

Sam Querrey, the 20th seed, moved on to the third round with a straight set win against Marcel Granollers of Spain, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. Of the 15 U.S. men originally in the draw, only four remain: Isner, Querrey, the number 19th-seeded Mardy Fish and wild card entrant James Blake. Fish and Blake play third-round matches Saturday.

In other men’s action on Friday, Andy Murray beat Jamaica’s Dustin "Dreds" Brown, 7-5, 6-3, 6-0, and Rafael Nadal also won in straight sets against Denis Istomin. The only seeded men’s singles player to lose was 29th-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber, who lost 4-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 to Gilles Simon.

On the women’s side, American Venus Williams easily got past 185th-ranked qualifier Mandy Minella of Luxembourg 6-2, 6-1. Venus will now face the 16 seed, Shahar Peer, who defeated Flavia Pennetta, 6-4, 6-4 in Friday’s action.

Kim Clijsters won in straight sets against the number 27 seed Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-0. Also winning in straight sets were Francesca Schiavone, Sam Stosur, Elena Dementieva and Ana Ivanovic.

In other Friday action, Merrick, N.Y. native Scott Lipsky, teaming with fellow American Abigail Spears upset the fifth-ranked doubles team of Rennae Stubbs & Dick Norman, 7-6, 7-6 in their first round mixed-doubles match.

And in the U.S. Open Junior Qualifiers, Long Islander Julia Elbaba upset the number two-seeded player from China, Lin Zhu in three sets, 6-1, 1-6, 6-1.

All photos credited to Kenneth B. Goldberg

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia defeated Virginie Razzano of France in Friday action at the 2010 U.S. Open, 7-5 6-0

Andy Murray of Great Britain, the number four seed, defeated Dustin Brown of Jamaica, 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 at Arhtur Ashe Stadium

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark in doubles action on Friday at the 2010 U.S. Open

Dustin Brown of Jamaica, the man who affectionately became known to 2010 U.S. Open fans as "Dreds," in his Friday afternoon loss to Andy Murray

The mixed-doubles team of Scott Lipsky & Abigail Spears upset the fifth seeded mixed-doubles team of Rennae Stubbs of Austria & Dick Norman of Belgium

Top-seeded Rafael Nadal in action under the lights against Denis Istomin en route to a 6-2, 7-6(5), 7-5 victory

American hopeful Ryan Harrison was ousted in Friday action at the 2010 U.S Open, falling to  Sergiy Stakhovsky of the Ukraine, 6-3, 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6)

American Sam Querrey advanced on to the next round of the 2010 U.S. Open with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 over Marcel Granollers of Spain

Australian Samantha Stosur en route to a 6-2. 6-3 defeat of Italian Sara Errani

Under the Friday night lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium, American Venus Williams defeated Mandy Minella, 6-2, 6-1