TheSportsCampus

Day four of the US Open sees the return of the superstars as 5-time champion Roger Federer, 2-time French Open runner-up Robin Soderling and former Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic all take center stage. Adding some glamour to proceedings will be former champion Maria Sharapova and last year's losing finalist Caroline Wozniacki.

Up first though is Wimbledon runner-up Vera Zvonareva, who opens up against German Sabine Lisicki in Arthur Ashe stadium. The seventh seeded Russian should have her hands full with the young German. Though Lisicki is not in the best of form, she should stretch Zvonareva. Top seed Caroline Wozniacki is next, and she would be expected a much easier outing against Chinese Taipei's Kai-Chen Chang. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Aravane Rezai, Yanina Wickmayer and Maria Kirilenko are also all involved in second round action.

Our pick of the day from the women's draw is the match between Jelena Jankovic and Mirjana Lucic. Lucic, a Grand Slam doubles champion 12 years ago as a 16 year old, has captured the imagination of the fans after resurfacing from virtually nowhere, and is in decent form with three wins in qualifying and a good win over Alicia Molik in the first round. Jankovic had a three set start to the Open against Simona Halep and would want to quickly get over with the match as heat wave conditions continue to rise in the Open. A win for Lucic though could set us up perfectly for another US Open fairytale.

The night session sees Maria Sharapova challenged by Czech star Iveta Benesova, a match the Russian would be expected to win.

The men's half sees Andreas Beck of Germany attempt the impossible as he takes on the immovable object that is Roger Federer . The Swiss, who looks in sublime form should not encounter too many issues against the German and find a place in the third round of the Open. Novak Djokovic, the third seed has a second round encounter with another German Philipp Petzschner. The lovable Serb will need to gear himself for a quick match if he wishes to preserve his legs for the latter rounds after a tough five set opener against compatriot Victor Troicki. Among the Americans Mardy Fish, the nineteenth seed and unseeded James Blake would look to continue their run towards the all elusive American dream,

Sixth seed Nikolay Davyedenko has an exceptionally tough second round encounter against the talented Richard Gasquet of France. Similarly Marin Cillic, the eleventh seed, will also need to find his A-game to beat Japanese wonder-kid Kei Nishikori.

The pick of the day from the men's stable comes in from of Robin Soderling, the fifth seed who meets Taylor Dent in the second round. The match between the power hitting baseliner against the classic serve and volleyer will be a joy for the spectators. On paper Soderling should take it all with a 2-1 advantage over the American in their head to head clashes. He recently trounced him with just a two game loss at the French Open. Yet, tables turn in the sport in an instant and with Soderling enjoying an average summer, the American will certainly look to feed on the energy of the crowd to boost his chances. Expect some sizzling tennis, with the match going the Swede's way.

Arthur Ashe Stadium

Day Session
Sabine Lisicki(GER) vs. Vera Zvonareva(RUS)[7]
Caroline Wozniacki(DEN)[1] vs. Kai-Chen Chang(TPE)
Andreas Beck(GER) vs. Roger Federer(SUI)[2]

Night Session
Iveta Benesova(CZE) vs. Maria Sharapova(RUS)[14]
Philipp Petzschner(GER) vs. Novak Djokovic(SRB)[3]

Louis Armstrong Stadium
Pablo Cuevas(URU) vs. Mardy Fish(USA)[19]
Svetlana Kuznetsova(RUS)[11] vs. Anastasija Sevastova(LAT)
Jelena Jankovic(SRB)[4] vs. Mirjana Lucic(CRO)
Peter Polansky(CAN) vs. James Blake(USA)

Grandstand
Aravane Rezai(FRA)[18] vs. Beatrice Capra(USA)
Nikolay Davydenko(RUS)[6] vs. Richard Gasquet(FRA)
Robin Soderling(SWE)[5] vs. Taylor Dent(USA)
Bethanie Mattek-Sands(USA) vs. Andrea Petkovic(GER)

File Photograph by: Dan Galbraith

This article is the exclusive copyright of TheSportsCampus.com and permission to reproduce the same has not been granted.