U.s. Open | featured news

Maria Sharapova's stomach ache turned out to be nothing more than that. That lopsided loss she suffered at the Olympics — well, that may have only been a false alarm, as well. Playing her first match since a blowout loss to Serena Williams in London and a stomach virus that forced her out of two tuneup tournaments, Sharapova returned to tennis in fine fashion Monday at the U.S. Open.

Roger Federer dismantled Donald Young in the first round of the U.S. Open. Victoria Duval of the United States had the crowd on her side, but the veteran Kim Clijsters advanced.

Andy Murray is determined to carry the momentum from his Olympic triumph into the US Open, which starts on Monday.

As the playoffs for the FedEx Cup get under way Thursday at The Barclays, the buzz is bigger than usual. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy playing in the same group for starters, and at Bethpage Black, a notoriously tough track on Long Island made even more famous by the two U.S. Opens it has hosted in the last decade.

Rafael Nadal withdrew from the United States Open on Wednesday, less than a month after pulling out of the Olympics because of a knee injury.

Webb Simpson won the United States Open for his first major title by holding off Graeme McDowell and Michael Thompson in a foggy final round at The Olympic Club.

The first swing of Thursday for Phil Mickelson sent marshals’ arms pointing waywardly, swallows fleeing from tree limbs and Mickelson to the back of the tee box looking forlorn. It wasn’t even 7:35 a.m. Before Tiger Woods, his playing partner, even struck a shot in the 112th U.S. Open, Mickelson began pantomiming his own swing, trying to find something on the course that might better be discovered on the range.

Andy Zhang - the 14-year-old poised to become the youngest golfer to play the US Open since World War II - will be one of the big talking points at the tournament which begins on Thursday. The Chinese-born Florida-based player may be half the age of many of his rivals on the professional circuit - but he is already 6ft tall, with a swing speed of 115mph and is used to playing and winning mini-tour events.

At an age when most kids are primarily concerned with their paper route or baseball card collection, 14-year-old Andy Zhang will make history this week as the youngest U.S. Open competitor ever.

Former world number one Kim Clijsters says she will retire after attempting to win a fourth US Open title in September.