Henin's U.S. Open women's title is up for grabs

By Larry Fine

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Serbians Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic are jousting for number one, the Russians are basking in Olympic success and the Williams sisters are thirsting for home victory.

The shock retirement in May of Justine Henin, who won last year's U.S. Open, has left the women's championship without a defender and set up a scramble for supremacy.

Wimbledon champion Venus Williams and younger sister Serena, who combined to win four successive U.S. Opens from 1999 to 2002 but none since, will not mourn the absence of Henin.

The battling Belgian ushered Serena out in last year's quarter-finals, and showed Venus the door in the semi-finals.

French Open champion Ivanovic, 20, is top-seeded at Flushing Meadows next week yet has not starred on the New York stage. Her fourth-round showing last year was her best in three visits to the National Tennis Center.

Ivanovic is also dealing with a nagging right thumb injury that forced her to withdraw from the Olympic tournament.

Jankovic, 23, has thrived in the rankings, if not in the grand-slam spotlight.

She leapfrogged her compatriot for one turn at the top spot earlier this month despite never having reached a grand slam final. She slipped back to number two after losing to Russian Dinara Safina in the Olympic quarter-finals.

PROUD RUSSIANS

The Russians monopolized the Beijing hardware with fifth-ranked Elena Dementieva claiming gold, number seven

Safina silver and ninth-ranked Vera Zvonareva the bronze.

Despite an injured right shoulder that has sidelined Russia's Maria Sharapova, the 2006 champion, the Russians have been flying high with five players in the top 10 including third-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova, the winner in 2004.

"All the Russians were playing so well," Zvonareva told reporters at the Olympics. "It's just amazing that we all were able to do it so good here.

"The Russian tennis is just at a great level. It's at the highest level. I think we're all very proud about it."

Safina, younger sister of 2000 men's winner Marat Safin, has been one of the hottest players on the WTA circuit with tournament titles in Los Angeles and Montreal before her charge to the singles final in Beijing.