Sport

NEW YORK (AP):

After grinding out a victory over No. 13 Jurgen Meltzer, the names opposite Roger Federer's in the bracket will start looking more familiar. Maybe uncomfortably so.

The five-time US Open winner beat Melzer, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 on Monday night, for yet another straight-set victory at Flushing Meadows. Next up - a meeting with one of the few players who has enjoyed success against both Federer and Rafael Nadal on the sport's biggest stages.

That would be No. 5 Robin Soderling, who defeated No. 21 Albert Montanes 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 to reach the US Open quarter-finals for the second straight year.

The runs at the US Open are nice, but where Soderling has really made his name is against Nadal and Federer at recent French Opens. He beat Federer at this year's French to end Fed's string of 23 straight Grand Slam semi-final appearances.

"I think it's always a very nice feeling to play against the world's best," Soderling said. "It's matches like that that you train for. It's matches like that I've been dreaming of playing since I started playing tennis. You know, playing at the big courts in the big tournaments. It's very fun."

quarter finals

In the quarter-final opposite Federer-Soderling, No. 3 Novak Djokovic will play No. 17 Gael Monfils. Djokovic dispatched No. 19 Mardy Fish 6-3, 6-4, 6-1.

In the featured women's match Monday, No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki defeated No. 14 Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 in a match that saw Sharapova commit 36 unforced errors to only 10 from Wozniacki.

In other words, Sharapova did what everyone does when they play 'Woz' - the human backboard. Not that there is anything wrong with that, said Wozniacki.

"I think that's great tennis when there are good rallies," she said. "I think it's good for the crowd, as well. It just feels great, when you feel like you're hitting the ball right, it's in the middle of your racket, the ball does whatever you want it to do."

Venus Williams is one victory away from reaching the final for the first time since 2002. The No. 3-seeded Williams overcame nine double faults and beat reigning French Open champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the quarter-finals yesterday.

The 30-year-old Williams owns seven Grand Slam titles, including the 2000 and 2001 US Opens. But she last made the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows in 2007 and has not played in the title match in eight years.

Williams is the only American singles player left in the tournament.

Meanwhile, Stanislas Wawrinka beat Sam Querrey in five sets to put two Swiss men in a Grand Slam quarter-finals for the first time in the Open era - and keep the Americans out of the US Open quarters for the second straight year.

Wawrinka won 7-6 (9), 6-7 (5), 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 yesterday.

Wawrinka will next face Mikhail Youzhny, who briefly slowed Spain's march through the US Open bracket. The 12th-seeded Russian beat Tommy Robredo, the lowest-ranked man left in the draw, 7-5, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.