Serena sides with Safina

NEW YORK, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Champion Serena Williams felt Dinara Safina had every right to feel annoyed after U.S. Open organisers bumped the Russian off Arthur Ashe Stadium for her third-round match against Petra Kvitova. World number one Safina and Czech Kvitova had been scheduled to kick off Saturday night’s programme on the main arena but after the daytime schedule overran by almost three hours, the duo were moved to the smaller Louis Armstrong Court.

By switching the match, American James Blake and Spanish 14th seed Tommy Robredo, who had been expected to follow the Safina-Kvitova clash, could start their clash simultaneously on the Ashe arena. “Why didn’t they move the men’s match again? They were second on,” asked Serena on Sunday. “I have to take her side on this. She was first on. They should have moved the men’s match. Simple as that, that’s how it should be done. “If you’re supposed to play a match, you’re supposed to play it, and then you move the next match.”

Safina, who was beaten by Kvitova, slammed the organisers for favouring the men’s match and said: “I’m number one player in the world, why did they move me? I don’t think it’s a fair decision they made.”