Kuznetsova bounced, Federer labors

By Pritha Sarkar

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A drizzly Flushing Meadows proved an inhospitable place for former champions Svetlana Kuznetsova and Lindsay Davenport on Friday, with both skidding out of the U.S Open in the third round.

Less than 24 hours after world number one Ana Ivanovic's shock exit, third seed and 2004 champion Kuznetsova joined the scrapheap following a 6-3 6-7 6-3 humbling by tenacious Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik.

American Davenport's defeat was less surprising as she came up against French 12th seed Marion Bartoli and went down 6-1 7-6 in a blaze of double faults.

Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick and Jelena Jankovic did not have it all their way either but lived to fight another day, unlike Kuznetsova who cut a sorry figure as she trudged out after suffering her worst showing in New York for three years.

"I had chances, I was fighting, I wanted so much to win that match... (but) she played unbelievable," said 2007 runner-up Kuznetsova, who got a soaking late in the second set following a short shower burst.

After squandering two match points, Srebotnik fired down an unreturnable serve on the third and sank to her knees in her moment of triumph. It was the first time the Slovenian 28th seed reached the fourth round at the Open in 10 attempts.

The number 10 was also significant for Davenport as it has been a decade since she won her first grand slam title at Flushing Meadows.

On Friday, fans may have caught their final glimpse of the 32-year-old on a singles court. Uncharacteristically her latest defeat was peppered with an alarming number of double faults.

While many Americans were eager to get home early on Friday for the start of the long Labor Day weekend, Federer, Djokovic and Jankovic appeared to be in no hurry to join the celebrations and labored to victory.

Federer, still getting used to his place at the bottom of a draw after being deposed as world number one by Rafael Nadal last week, should have strolled into the third round as he was playing a Brazilian qualifier who had not played a tour-level match this season before arriving at Flushing Meadows.

Instead Thiago Alves ignored his status as the 137th best player in the world and gave the four-times champion the run around before Federer eventually prevailed 6-3 7-5 6-4.

"He did well. It was a really difficult match. I'd never heard of him before and that's what sometimes makes it difficult," Federer, aiming to become the first man since Bill Tilden in 1924 to win five in a row here, said courtside.

TROUBLED TIMES

In a sign of his troubled times, Federer racked up 46 unforced errors and converted only four of his 15 break points.

Roddick thrilled his home crowd by coming back from a set down and trailing in the second against young Latvian Ernests Gulbis, who was near perfect in the opening set, booming in his first serves and ripping winners from all angles.