Stanislas Wawrinka

Bagel served. In tennis, a bagel is defined as any set won by the score of six games to zip. It ain't easy, winning a set that way, 6-0, not in high school JV, not at your local park against the retiree with the arthritic knees. Imagine how tough it is at the professional level, where every other game you're staring down 130-mph serves aimed at your gut with more silky spin than a Brooks Brothers cashmere cardigan. But Stanislas Wawrinka, the hottest thing going in tennis after his recent Australian Open welcome-to-the-party title, got a first-set bagel in his match with Andreas Seppi at the BNP Paribas Open on Monday.

Bagel served. In tennis, a bagel is defined as any set won by the score of six games to zip. It ain't easy, winning a set that way, 6-0, not in high school JV, not at your local park against the retiree with the arthritic knees. Imagine how tough it is at the professional level, where every other game you're staring down 130-mph serves aimed at your gut with more silky spin than a Brooks Brothers cashmere cardigan. But Stanislas Wawrinka, the hottest thing going in tennis after his recent Australian Open welcome-to-the-party title, got a first-set bagel in his match with Andreas Seppi at the BNP Paribas Open on Monday.

NEW YORK -- Top-seeded Novak Djokovic, who had beaten ninth-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka all but two times in 14 matches, seemed on the way to a massive upset in the U.S. Open semifinals Saturday on Arthur Ashe Stadium before coming back from two sets down to beat his 28-year-old Swiss opponent, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Wawrinka had never beaten a No. 1-ranked player in his career. The 26-year-old Serb is aiming for his seventh Grand Slam title and second of the year after winning the Australian Open.

The Swiss are represented in men's tennis at this year's BNP Paribas Open by Stanislas Wawrinka and that other guy. Wawrinka won the recent Australian Open and is now No. 3 in the world rankings. The other guy becomes Mr. Avis in Switzerland now, and as he tries harder, he holds on to No. 8 in the world. We jest, of course. Even Wawrinka knows it will take more than one Grand Slam title to displace Roger Federer as the king of Swiss celebrity. Maybe even as the king of tennis, period.

NEW YORK - Andy Murray found out. Defending a Grand Slam championship is not easy. From the start of the U.S. Open, Murray never seemed at his best. He needed four sets to eliminate undistinguished Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in the fourth round, and afterward a soft-spoken Murray had little to say about his win. Thursday, ninth-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka reached his first major semifinal with a thorough beating of the third-seeded and defending champion Murray, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, on Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

Serena Williams kept the No. 1, and added No. 50. Williams beat Maria Sharapova , 6-1, 6-4 in the final of the Madrid Open Sunday to retain her No. 1 ranking and collect her 50th career title. And Rafael Nadal eased by Stanislas Wawrinka , 6-2, 6-4, for his fifth title since returning from a knee injury. The second-ranked Sharapova would have overtaken the top ranking with a win, but Williams stormed out to an early lead as Sharapova struggled with her serve. Despite Sharapova briefly recovering her poise in the second set, Williams' form never dipped as she eased to the title.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic set up an enticing final against Rafael Nadal with a 6-3, 6-3 victory Sunday over Stanislas Wawrinka at the ATP World Tour Finals in London. Nadal ended Roger Federer's hopes of finishing a disappointing season on a high note, defeating the six-time champion, 7-5, 6-3, in the other semifinal. Unbeaten in his round-robin matches this week, the second-seeded Djokovic extended his winning streak to 21 matches since losing in the U.S. Open final to Nadal.

Rafael Nadal kept his Spanish compatriot, David Ferrer , out of the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals on Friday by holding off Tomas Berdych , 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, to finish the round-robin portion of the competition at London undefeated and top Group A. Nadal won despite having clinched his own place in the semifinals Thursday. Stanislas Wawrinka beat Ferrer, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-1, but needed Nadal to win to advance. Defending champion Novak Djokovic , who topped Group B, is already in the semifinals.

The Swiss are represented in men's tennis at this year's BNP Paribas Open by Stanislas Wawrinka and that other guy. Wawrinka won the recent Australian Open and is now No. 3 in the world rankings. The other guy becomes Mr. Avis in Switzerland now, and as he tries harder, he holds on to No. 8 in the world. We jest, of course. Even Wawrinka knows it will take more than one Grand Slam title to displace Roger Federer as the king of Swiss celebrity. Maybe even as the king of tennis, period.

The road to the Final Four will have a new look next season. On Thursday, the NCAA's board of directors approved expansion from 65 to 68 teams and endorsed a proposal to add three more opening-round games to the schedule. It's only the second time in a quarter-century that the NCAA has increased the number of teams competing for the men's national championship. Now it's time to start mapping out the details, which could include putting at-large teams in the early games. "The [men's basketball]

Defending champion Novak Djokovic set up an enticing final against Rafael Nadal with a 6-3, 6-3 victory Sunday over Stanislas Wawrinka at the ATP World Tour Finals in London. Nadal ended Roger Federer's hopes of finishing a disappointing season on a high note, defeating the six-time champion, 7-5, 6-3, in the other semifinal. Unbeaten in his round-robin matches this week, the second-seeded Djokovic extended his winning streak to 21 matches since losing in the U.S. Open final to Nadal.

Rafael Nadal kept his Spanish compatriot, David Ferrer , out of the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals on Friday by holding off Tomas Berdych , 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, to finish the round-robin portion of the competition at London undefeated and top Group A. Nadal won despite having clinched his own place in the semifinals Thursday. Stanislas Wawrinka beat Ferrer, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-1, but needed Nadal to win to advance. Defending champion Novak Djokovic , who topped Group B, is already in the semifinals.

NEW YORK -- Top-seeded Novak Djokovic, who had beaten ninth-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka all but two times in 14 matches, seemed on the way to a massive upset in the U.S. Open semifinals Saturday on Arthur Ashe Stadium before coming back from two sets down to beat his 28-year-old Swiss opponent, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Wawrinka had never beaten a No. 1-ranked player in his career. The 26-year-old Serb is aiming for his seventh Grand Slam title and second of the year after winning the Australian Open.

NEW YORK - Andy Murray found out. Defending a Grand Slam championship is not easy. From the start of the U.S. Open, Murray never seemed at his best. He needed four sets to eliminate undistinguished Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in the fourth round, and afterward a soft-spoken Murray had little to say about his win. Thursday, ninth-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka reached his first major semifinal with a thorough beating of the third-seeded and defending champion Murray, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, on Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

NEW YORK - It took Serena Williams 19 minutes to win the first set of her U.S. Open quarterfinal match against 18th-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro on the Spaniard's 25th birthday. The second set wasn't much better for Suarez Navarro, who received an occasional gifted point but not too many as Williams moved into the semifinals with a 6-0, 6-0 win in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday night. The match lasted 52 minutes. In a semifinal scheduled for Friday, Williams will face fifth-seeded Li Na, who became the first Chinese player to make the Open semifinals.

Serena Williams kept the No. 1, and added No. 50. Williams beat Maria Sharapova , 6-1, 6-4 in the final of the Madrid Open Sunday to retain her No. 1 ranking and collect her 50th career title. And Rafael Nadal eased by Stanislas Wawrinka , 6-2, 6-4, for his fifth title since returning from a knee injury. The second-ranked Sharapova would have overtaken the top ranking with a win, but Williams stormed out to an early lead as Sharapova struggled with her serve. Despite Sharapova briefly recovering her poise in the second set, Williams' form never dipped as she eased to the title.

NEW YORK - It took Serena Williams 19 minutes to win the first set of her U.S. Open quarterfinal match against 18th-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro on the Spaniard's 25th birthday. The second set wasn't much better for Suarez Navarro, who received an occasional gifted point but not too many as Williams moved into the semifinals with a 6-0, 6-0 win in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday night. The match lasted 52 minutes. In a semifinal scheduled for Friday, Williams will face fifth-seeded Li Na, who became the first Chinese player to make the Open semifinals.

This could have been a defining moment for 22-year-old Sam Querrey, a chance for him to advance to his first Grand Slam tournament quarterfinal with a real opportunity to move to the semifinals of the U.S. Open. But as quickly as Stanislas Wawrinka chipped a service return and snapped off a sneaky volley, a weary Querrey ended up the dejected loser, 7-6 (9), 6-7 (5), 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, in a men's fourth-round match. The exit of the 20th-seeded Querrey means there are no American men left in the draw.

There was a rare sighting in the Southern California desert Friday night. An official report confirmed that there was a huge stadium nearly filled with people in tennis-watching clothes. It said that they were cheering loudly every 30 seconds or so, that there was lots of smiling, fist-bumping and oohs and aahs. The report said a fun time was had by all. But the last sentence of the report destroyed the credibility. It said the people were there watching DOUBLES. It figured.

There will be a rematch. Kim Clijsters and Venus Williams will play again at the U.S. Open, on Friday, in the semifinals. There will be left-handed Spaniards. Fernando Verdasco and Rafael Nadal, both lefties, will hook up in a men's quarterfinal. There won't be any American men in the singles. Sam Querrey's bid to make the final eight was scuttled by a quirky wind, cramping legs and a sturdy man from Switzerland who wasn't named Roger Federer but who was quite happy to make it Switzerland 2, USA 0 in the quarterfinals.