U.S. Open: Aces & faults

ACE

The difference between a hurricane and the National Tennis Center? There is no hurricane named Billie Jean.

FAULT

The way to tell you are near one of the five mobile TV sets on the tennis center grounds is to see a stagehand holding up a sign with the instructions "Shout Smile Wave" to the crowd.

ACE

The first Open title of the year was won by the mixed doubles team of Liezel Huber and Bob Bryan over Kveta Peschke and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, 6-4, 6-4.

Numbers

2 More aces needed by Roger Federer in his sixth Open match to equal the tournament lead by John Isner in three matches.

12 record for consecutive trips to the U.S. Open men's semifinals by Jimmy Connors (1974-85).

29 Years between Martina Navratilova's first and last U.S. Open titles, a 1977 championship in women's doubles (with Betty Stove) and a 2006 mixed doubles victory (with Bob Bryan).

Furthermore

U.S. Fed Cup coach Mary Joe Fernandez once again is counting on the Williams sisters' announced commitment to join her team against Italy for the 2010 finals in San Diego Nov. 6-7. Neither Serena nor Venus has played in the Fed Cup since 2007 and both pulled out at the last minute in the past year. Fernandez used Melanie Oudin, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Liezel Huber and Christina McHale to win the 2009 title and advance to a second consecutive finals this year. "It's a fact" those lesser players brought the U.S. to this point, Fernandez agreed, "but they want to win and the best chance to do that is to have the best players in the world."