Eleven Canadians Set For Grand Slam Action At The U.S. Open

No less than 11 Canadians will compete in the U.S. Open, the final Grand Slam event of the 2010 season currently underway in Flushing Meadows, New York.

A total of eight Canadians will try their luck in qualifying which kicked off on Tuesday under threatening skies at the Billie Jean King Tennis Centre. Only Peter Polansky (Thornhill, ON) and Frank Danceivc (Niagara Falls, ON) were able to complete their first round matches on a rainy Tuesday in New York. Polansky took care of Mexico’s Santiago Gonzalez 6-1, 6-3 and will next face Franco Skugor of Croatia. For his part, Dancevic was a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic and awaits Swiss Stephane Bohli, seeded twelfth in qualifying, in his next match. Milos Raonic (Thornhill, ON) will play his opening match on Wednesday, weather permitting, against Mischa Zverev of Germany, seed no. 31 in qualifying.

Five Canadian women will also attempt to earn a main draw spot including two who had their first round matches interrupted by rain on Tuesday. Valérie Tétreault (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC) played three games in her match against Laura Pous Tio of Spain before it was delayed because of inclement. Sharon Fichman (Toronto, ON) found herself in the same situation leading 3-2 in the first set against Colombia’s Mariana Duque Marino. Both will try and finish their matches on Wednesday while three of their compatriots will take to the match courts for the first time. Seeded no. 25 in qualifying. Stéphanie Dubois (Laval, QC) will take on Ling Zhang of Hong Kong while Heidi El Tabakh (Oakville, ON), who qualified for the main draw at the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank in Montreal last week, will face Jin-A Lee of Korea. Rounding out the Canadian contingent is U.S. Open qualifying is Rebecca Marino (Vancouver, BC) who will go up against Romanian Liana Ungur in her first match.

Canada’s doubles specialists, Daniel Nestor (Toronto, ON) and Marie-Ève Pelletier (Repentigny, QC) will also join the party at the final Major of 2010 as they will both compete in doubles.
 
Wozniak confirms she will play in New York 

After battling forearm tendinitis throughout the summer hard court season, Aleksandra Wozniak (Blainville, QC) has received the green light from her doctors to return to competition at the U.S. Open next week. The tendinitis forced her to withdraw from San Diego and Cincinnati earlier this summer and she has not picked up a racquet since her first round loss last Monday in Montreal, focusing instead on strengthening her arm ahead of the final Grand Slam of the year.

“The one week break did a lot of good for my forearm,” Wozniak said. “My phyiso and my doctor recommended I do strengthening exercises over the next few days and will start hitting balls again with my coach Cristian Kordasz once I arrive in New York on Friday. I am aware that my preparation for the U.S. Open has not been ideal, but the important thing for me right now is to play tournamentsand put this injury behind me once and for all.”

Wozniak reached the third round at the U.S. Open last year thanks to a dominant victory over two-time Grand Slam champion and now retired, Amélie Mauresmo.