Nikolay Davydenko can expect to discover within the next two weeks that the worst ordeal of his life is finally over and that no evidence has been found that he wittingly engaged in match-fixing, a curse that has stalked him for 14 months.

The world No5 - it is remarkable that he has managed to keep his body and soul together and remain steady in the rankings - has been informed that the ATP investigation into the match against Martin Vassallo Arguello in Sopot, Poland, that inspired outrageous betting patterns is over and that a statement exonerating him will soon be issued. In reaching the fourth round of the US Open yesterday, with a 6-2, 7-6, 6-3 victory over Dmitry Tursunov, his fellow Russian, Davydenko appeared much more the grinding player of old rather than one who has failed to win back-to-back matches in two months.

In 2007, in a minor tournament, Davydenko won the first set against Vassallo Arguello, yet huge sums were placed on the Argentinian, who took the second. Davydenko retired after three games of the third and such was the furore that Betfair, the gambling exchange with whom the men's governing body liaises closely, voided all bets. Tennis was subsequently convulsed with tales of hush-hush approaches to fix matches, which spurred the formation of an integrity unit that recently announced the appointment of Jeff Rees, a former Scotland Yard detective, as its first director.

Davydenko said recently: “Every time a story is written on corruption, my name was on the front page. I tried not to feel the pressure, but it is there. Usually, it is the first question at every tournament and then the press forgets it. But it is still not right.”

To his credit, he retained a quiet dignity on the subject, although the hurt that someone would have suspected him of wrongdoing ran deep.

It is a pleasure to see him in this form. His performance against Tursunov was one of total security, he was back in his old groove, nailing his shots off the ground, indefatigable in defence. Davydenko's recent slump can be traced back to his first-round defeat at Wimbledon by Benjamin Becker, of Germany, a straight-sets walloping when the Russian felt that, for once, he would play well on the grass. To lose in such circumstances in a grand-slam tournament rocked his confidence, which has hardly been at a decisive place in the past year.

The women's No2 seed, Jelena Jankovic, knows how to add drama to a tennis tournament. The Serbian may or may not know that if she and Serena Williams contest this year's final, the winner will become the No1. If she reaches the final and Williams does not make it past the semi-finals, Jankovic will be the No1 if she wins the final or not. Try making sense of that. At least Jankovic did not stumble - much - against Caroline Wozniacki, of Denmark, winning 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals.