It is the first time in five years, Kim Clijsters, the Australian tennis Open winner is two matches away from returning to the number one ranking. Of the Paris-Coubertin tournament this week, the Belgian needs to make the semi-finals to overtake Denmark’s incumbent Caroline Wozniacki. A tournament she won in her only other attempt in 2004.

In 2003, Clijsters held the top ranking and in 2006, she had it for seven weeks before her retirement and subsequent return to the game two years later. She now has four grand slam titles. She said that if she manages to do it again during her second career, it would be great. She added that if she could not make it, then she would not be disappointed.

Clijsters first became No. 1 in August 2003 and it would always mean more to her. She was 20 years old then. In January 2006, the Belgian last held the top spot. before her premature retirement four years ago, she was at No. 1 for 19 weeks. Out of those 19 weeks, 12 came before her first major victory at the 2005 U.S. Open.

After the world No. 78 beat Iveta Benesova in her opening match, she will be facing Germany’s Kristina Barrois.

Meanwhile, Vera Zvonareva made a winning start to her campaign at the WTA Tour’s Pattaya Open in Thailand. She had lost the No. 2 ranking after her semifinal defeat by Clijsters in Melbourne.

To set up a second-round clash with Thai qualifier Nungnadda Wannasuk, the top-seeded Russian, Wozniacki beat Austria’s Tamira Paszek 6-4 6-2. Former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, in her first match since her early exit at the Australian Open beat Thai wildcard entry Nudnida Luangnam 6-0 6-2 and the second-seeded Serbian will next play veteran American Jill Craybas.

Australian tennis Open · Caroline Wozniacki · Kim Clijsters · U.S. Open

This past week, by defeating his top rival Rafael Nadal at the ATP World Tour Finals in London, Roger Federer finished the tennis season on a high note.

By winning all four between them both players dominated men’s tennis major tournaments this year. With Federer making it 16 major titles by winning the Australian Open title, Nadal won the French Open, U.S. open and Wimbledon. In order to win 21 of the last 23 majors, both competitors have combined together.

Federer who has lost 14 of 22 matches played against Nadal, the victory in the ATP provides some sense of payback for him. Rafael now holds the top position to Federer’s number two spot, as he has also ended Roger’s long time dominance of the number one ranking in men’s tennis.

By Federer winning all three, they have met three times in this season-ending tournament. By only dropping 13 points in the entire match which was won in three sets by a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, he dominated his service points on Sunday. Federer appeared to upset the Spaniard by keeping the points short and staying on the offensive throughout the match as Nadal could only manage one break of server in the second set.

As he appeared to tire late in the match, a three-hour semifinal against Andy Murray the previous day may have contributed to Nadal’s loss. Nadal, to his credit praised Federer for the way he played all week and did not mention this as the reason.

ATP · French Open · Rafael Nadal · Roger Federer · U.S. Open

Hot on the heels of the U.S. Open, the Open de Moselle started this week in Metz, France, and Jarkko Nieminen of Finland and Xavier Malisse of Belgium opened with straight-set wins in the first round Tuesday.

Nieminen beat Benjamin Becker of Germany 6-3, 7-6 (2) and Malisse downed French qualifier Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-6 (3), 6-4. Nieminen next will face Kristof Vliegen of Belgium or Federico Del Bonis, who replaced the injured Michael Llodra in the draw.

Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany, a finalist at the 2009 tournament, was scheduled to play Italian qualifier Thomas Fabbiano late Tuesday,

Tournament Organizers said Llodra withdrew from the tournament after he suffered a leg injury last weekend while playing for France in a 5-0 win over Argentina in the Davis Cup semifinals.

Also Tuesday, Paul-Henri Mathieu beat Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-3 in an all-French match. Mannarino got off to a disastrous start, losing the first five games, and then lost his first serving game in the second set.

Mathieu, who was runner-up two years ago, will face fourth-seeded Richard Gasquet.

Defending champion Gael Monfils will open against German qualifier Mischa Zverev, who defeated Horacio Zeballos of Argentina 6-3, 6-2 in 55 minutes.

France · Jarkko Nieminen · Open de Moselle · Tennis · U.S. Open

When the U.S. Open starts next week, Rafael Nadal will be the top-seeded man, while Roger Federer will come to Flushing Meadows seeded second, seeking to complete the career Grand Slam.

At the U.S. Open, Nadal is seeded first for the second time in three years. This year, he won the French Open and Wimbledon. Never has he made past the semifinals.

In Montreal, because of a rainout of Sunday’s final at the Rogers Cup, the women’s seedings have been delayed one day. On Monday, world No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki defeated Vera Zvonareva, to win that tournament. Because Serena Williams has withdrawn, it appears Wozniacki will get the top seed at the U.S. Open. Serena is recovering from surgery to repair cuts on her right foot. She is the world’s top-ranked player and she was a big threat.

Juan Martin del Potro, defending men’s champion will also miss the U.S. Open. With a lingering wrist injury, he remains sidelined. Del Potro defeated Federer and ended his string of five straight U.S. Open titles, in last year’s final. This year, Federer is seeking his 17th Grand Slam tournament title and he has won the Australian Open.

Novak Djokovic is seeded third for the men in the U.S. Open, followed by Andy Murray at No. 4. Robin Soderling, Nikolay Davydenko, Tomas Berdych and Fernando Verdasco round out the top eight. At No. 9, Andy Roddick is the highest seeded American man.

Flushing Meadows · Rafael Nadal · Roger Federer · U.S. Open

On Aug 30, the entire tennis world prepares for the 2010 U.S. Open, as August comes to an end. Heading into the final grand slam of the year, this summer hard court season is indicators of the type of form some of the top male players.

For the 2010 U.S. Open, when talking about the favorites, main focus is on the top four players Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, and Murray. Andy Roddick was diagnosed with mono and he was dropped out of the top 10, is unfortunately a long shot at this year’s Open. Defending Champion Del Potro, has been struggling with injuries all season long and hasn’t played much, therefore he is also out of the contention.

Of the men’s 2010 U.S. Open Olympus Series, Andy Murray is the current leader, after claiming the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada by defeating Roger Federer. Surprisingly, over the greatest player of all time, Murray earned a straight set victory. At the U.S. Open final, there is a good chance that Federer may get this rematch.

Because Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic arrived at the Rogers Cup without playing any matches since Wimbledon, therefore the Olympus Series standings can be misleading. In the Semifinals, Djokovic lost to Federer, while Nadal lost to Murray in the other semifinal. During the hard court season, starting with the Masters Series, the top four players proved that they are the true candidates for claiming major tournaments.

The masters at Cincinnati and the Pilot Pen Open in New Haven, Connecticut are the only two tournaments remaining for the men. Once again, to get to the late stages of the final masters series of the hard court season, the top four men are the heavy favorites.

Traditionally, the top players arrived early at the U.S. Open grounds to start preparing for the grand slam, rather than have skipped the Pilot Pen Open. Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, and Murray will get plenty of preparation with a week of practice. Nadal is still seeking the only Grand Slam he hasn’t claimed yet and he is currently ranked number 1.

Andy Roddick · Djokovic · Federer · Nadal · Tennis · U.S. Open