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Karolina Pliskova stuns Serena Williams, will face Angelique Kerber in US Open final

  • Posted: Sep 09, 2016

Czech 10th seed Karolina Pliskova outplayed Serena Williams to reach the US Open final and end the American’s reign as world number one.

Williams, 34, double-faulted on match point to lose 6-2 7-6 (7-5), and Pliskova will face German second seed Angelique Kerber in the final.

The result guarantees that Kerber will overtake Williams at the top of the rankings after the US Open.

Williams had also hoped to win an Open-era record 23rd major singles title.

She remains tied with Steffi Graf for both Grand Slam titles, and the WTA record of 186 successive weeks as world number one.

“Karolina played great today,” said Williams, who revealed she had been hampered by a sore left knee since earlier in the tournament

“I think if she had played any less then maybe I would have had a chance. So I think I wasn’t at 100%, but I also think she played well. She deserved to win today.”

Australian Open champion Kerber beat Denmark’s Carolina Wozniacki 6-4 6-3 to reach her first US Open final.

“It’s just incredible, it’s a great day,” said Kerber. “To be here in the final for the first time means a lot and to be number one in the world – it sounds amazing.”

Pliskova wins battle of big serves

Pliskova went into the match on a 10-match winning streak, and with the most aces on the WTA Tour this year, and it was that shot which carried the Czech to victory.

It took Williams 50 minutes to earn her first break point as the Czech nullified her returns, while attacking the American’s second serve.

That brought Pliskova two breaks as she raced through the first set in just 26 minutes, and the home crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium urged on Williams as the six-time champion fell behind midway through the second set.

Williams sparked into life, finally breaking Pliskova’s serve – to love – but the anticipated comeback was cut short in the tie-break.

There were a few signs of nerves as Pliskova let a 3-0 lead slip but from 5-4 in front, Williams produced a forehand wide, a backhand long and a double fault to end with 31 unforced errors.

“I don’t believe it,” said Pliskova, who had never made it past the third round of a Grand Slam in 17 prior attempts.

“I knew I had the chance to beat anyone if I played my game. I am excited to be in the final and to beat Serena as she is such a great champion.

“Even when she was down a set and break she was still fighting. I had to fight hard to win.”

Pliskova saved a match point against Venus Williams in round four and becomes only the fourth woman to beat both Williams sisters in the same Grand Slam tournament.

Analysis

Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent: “This was a nerveless and brilliant all-round performance by Pliskova, who – despite her success on tour – had not made it past the third round of a Grand Slam before this US Open.

“She has a big serve, and she used it, but also returned superbly throughout.

“The confidence gained from saving a match point to beat Venus Williams on the same court, in front of a similarly partisan crowd, in the fourth round helped Pliskova enormously.

“If she wins the final, there will have been four different Grand Slam champions in the women’s singles in 2016.”

Kerber follows in Graf’s footsteps

Kerber, 28, was asked about her new-found number one status as she headed to court for the second semi-final, but said: “I’m just thinking about this match.”

That appeared the case as she raced into a 4-0 lead after just 16 minutes, her aggression from the baseline too much for Wozniacki, a former world number one now down at 74th in the rankings.

The Dane, 26, grabbed a foothold in the contest and there appeared to be a real edge between the two players, with Kerber complaining at length to the umpire about the noise emanating from Wozniacki’s player box.

Wozniacki saved two set points with backhand winners, but Kerber then served it out and powered into a 5-1 lead in the second that all but secured victory.

There was a final flurry of resistance from Wozniacki, who strung together nine points in a row to cut the deficit, before Kerber closed it out to become the 22nd WTA number one – and Germany’s second following Steffi Graf.

“For me, it’s just amazing to be, after Steffi, the next number one player in Germany,” said Kerber. “Steffi’s a great player and a great person, and I think she’s proud of me, to be the next one after her.”

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Andy Murray has much to play for after US Open defeat by Kei Nishikori

  • Posted: Sep 09, 2016

When Andy Murray fails to make the final of a Grand Slam these days, it takes a lot of people by surprise.

Here in New York, he was attempting to do what no man has ever done by winning Wimbledon, the US Open and Olympic gold in the same year. The three events were crammed into an 11-week period, and in the end the 29-year-old came up just short as he lost his quarter-final to Kei Nishikori in five sets.

Knowing when to play, and when to rest, is a vital skill. Murray opted out of the Davis Cup quarter-final in Serbia the week after Wimbledon (even though he did travel to Belgrade as supporter in chief) and decided not to defend his title at the Toronto Masters.

Perhaps he could also have pulled out of the Cincinnati tournament, where he lost to Marin Cilic in the final, but his exploits over spring and summer may still have caught up with him.

Murray has played 45 matches since he took to the court in Madrid for his opening round on May 4th. He has won 41 of them, and reached the final of each of the seven events which preceded the US Open.

A stretch like that exerts both a physical and a mental toll on a player, and as a phenomenally talented athlete, who – mercifully – is currently free of injury, Nishikori was able to take full advantage.

Murray allowed himself to be too easily distracted during the fourth set of the quarter-final.

The appearance of a butterfly – or was it a moth? – irked him, and he had a long discussion with both umpire Marija Cicak and supervisor Wayne McKewen after the sound system burst into life and a let was called in the middle of an important rally.

Yes, it was a bad break, as Murray led by two sets to one and was in control of the rally as he tried to convert a break point. But as his conversation with the officials dragged on, he lost the set 6-1.

The language directed towards his players’ box was much more negative that it has been in recent months. That is a sign, for me, of the stress Murray was feeling on court – and his own lack of confidence in the outcome.

He says he felt flat in his laboured third round win over Paolo Lorenzi, and perhaps this was a match he suspected he might not be able to bend to his will, however great the desire.

Murray is already back at home for a couple of days of rest before travelling to Glasgow for next week’s Davis Cup semi-final against Argentina. And he will need to be well rested – as his first opponent at the Emirates Arena is likely to be Juan Martin del Potro.

Del Potro’s defeat by Stan Wawrinka in Wednesday night’s quarter-final means he will remain Argentina’s second-ranked player.

Assuming he does not sit out the opening day (either for tactical reasons, or because he does not feel fully recovered from his excellent runs in both Rio and New York), then next Friday he will face the British number one, whose identity has not been in any doubt for many years.

After Glasgow, Murray will have a two-week break from competition. He is currently scheduled to play in Beijing and Shanghai in the first half of October, with the Paris Masters and the ATP World Tour Finals in London to follow in November.

Ranking points gathered there will be crucial to Murray’s chances of overhauling Novak Djokovic as the world number one some time next spring. Djokovic still has a large lead over Murray, but there has been little to separate them over the past six months.

If Djokovic wins this US Open, then the two will have accumulated an almost identical number of points since the European clay season began in April.

The rankings are calculated on an annual basis, so if Murray finishes the season strongly, then he will be in a position to challenge Djokovic’s supremacy at the Australian Open and then on the hard courts of Indian Wells and Miami.

The Serb has dominated those events in recent years, but Murray likes a target, and over half a calendar year at least, he can call himself the equal of the world number one.

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Roddick Named To 2017 Tennis Hall Of Fame Ballot

  • Posted: Sep 09, 2016

Roddick Named To 2017 Tennis Hall Of Fame Ballot

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Inductees to be announced in first quarter of 2017

Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick has been nominated for the highest honor in the sport of tennis: induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The American is on the ballot in the Recent Player Category for induction in the Hall of Fame Class of 2017.

“I’m incredibly honored to be considered for the Hall of Fame,” said Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion. “I put my all into our sport for many years, and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to compete with some of the best athletes tennis has ever known, many of whom were idols I looked up to all my life. It is a huge honor for me to have my name be considered to be alongside theirs in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. I’d like to extend my thanks to the nominating committee for including me on the ballot.”

Roddick, 34, held the World No. 1 ATP Ranking for 13 weeks, and he was year-end No. 1 in 2003. Roddick finished the season in the Top 10 for nine straight years (2002 – 2010), and was inside the world Top 5 for 187 weeks during the course of his career.

In 2003, Roddick defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero to win the US Open title, closing out the match on three straight aces. He returned to the finals in 2006, and he was also a three-time finalist at Wimbledon. Roddick won 32 singles titles, including five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments.

Roddick was a dedicated team member of the United States Davis Cup team for 10 years. In 2007, he was instrumental in leading the U.S. to defeat Russia for their 32nd Davis Cup victory.

Known for his incredibly fast and powerful serve, Roddick set multiple records for fastest serve recorded at specific tournaments over the years. His personal best was a 155 mph ace at the 2004 Davis Cup, which was the fastest serve in tennis history at the time.

Roddick is the founder of the Andy Roddick Foundation, a non-profit that is dedicated to offering enrichment programs for kids outside of the classroom to provide growth opportunities literacy, STEM, art, and sports. Since retiring from the ATP World Tour, Roddick has stayed active in the sport, competing in WorldTeam Tennis and PowerShares Series events. He has also worked in broadcast for Fox Sports and the BBC.

Former WTA No. 1 Kim Clijsters has also been nominated in the Recent Player Category alongside Roddick. Monique Kalkman, a Paralympic gold medalist and notable Dutch wheelchair tennis player of the 1990s has been nominated in the Recent Player Category for Wheelchair Tennis. In recognition of their commitment to the development of the sport, two individuals are nominated in the Contributor Category. Vic Braden, a renowned tennis instructor who was among the first to apply sports science to his instructional tactics, has been nominated posthumously. Steve Flink, a distinguished tennis historian, broadcaster, and journalist has also been nominated.

“Kim Clijsters and Andy Roddick are two incredibly dynamic athletes who certainly left their mark on tennis history. They were both relentlessly committed to the sport, and as a result they reached the top of the game. Monique Kalkman was an inspiration to many and her success in the Paralympics and significant tournaments places her at the pinnacle of wheelchair tennis,” said Stan Smith, International Tennis Hall of Fame President and 1987 Hall of Famer, who also serves as Chairman of the Enshrinee Nominating Committee. “In addition to the athletes who excel at the top levels of the sport, growth and engagement in tennis worldwide also hinges on dedicated industry leaders who are so passionate about the game, such as Vic Braden in his teaching and Steve Flink in his work as a journalist and historian. Congratulations to all the nominees on this great recognition of their careers.”

Located in Newport, Rhode Island, the International Tennis Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization committed to preserving and promoting the history of tennis and celebrating its greatest champions. Induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame recognizes the sum of one’s achievements at the highest possible level.

Voting for the Hall of Fame Class of 2017 will take place this fall, and the inductees will be announced in the first quarter of 2017. 

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Murray & Soares into US Open doubles final

  • Posted: Sep 09, 2016

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares beat defending champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut of France to reach the US Open doubles final.

Britain’s Murray and Brazilian Soares upset the world number one pairing 7-5 4-6 6-3 at Flushing Meadows.

They will play Spain’s unseeded Pablo Carreno Busta and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in Saturday’s final.

Murray and Soares won the Australian Open title in January – their first Grand Slam tournament together.

The Scot, 30, has now reached the final in four of his last six Grand Slam events, and two of four since teaming up with Soares at the start of 2016.

Murray lost to Herbert and Mahut in last year’s US Open final when he was playing with Australian John Peers, and asked what he had learned from that experience, he said: “Don’t lose. It’s not much fun to lose in finals.

“We’ve had a great tournament so far. We’ll give it our very best to try to win – it would be a great end to the week.”

Soares, 34, added: “I’m very proud, they’re a very tough team.

“They’re the best team this year, defending champions, playing an amazing level, but I thought we did extremely well.

“We served well and I think we played really well under pressure, which at this stage of the tournament is important.”

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Janowicz Continues Comeback In Challengers

  • Posted: Sep 08, 2016

Janowicz Continues Comeback In Challengers

Sep082016

Former Wimbledon semifinalist returns after six months out with injury

After dealing with injuries for the majority of 2016, Jerzy Janowicz is finally healthy and ready to start climbing up the Emirates ATP Rankings.

The former Top 15 player was limited to just one match in the first half of the season due to a knee injury. Janowicz had struggled with knee issues in recent years and underwent a procedure last year to treat a patella tendon rupture in his left knee.

After an extensive period of rest and rehab, Janowicz returned to the ATP Challenger Tour in July at the $75,000 event in Segovia, Spain. He’s primarily been playing Challengers since then as he looks to gain match play and rebuild confidence in his game.

“My rehab was long because I got injured during last year’s US Open and then tried to play through it at the end of the season, which was quite stupid on my side,” he said. “The doctors said it wouldn’t be easy to come back and there was a chance I might not be able to, but I was still hoping to get better. Now, I’m just trying to get back in shape again.”

Janowicz is taking positive steps towards that at this week’s $125,000+H Challenger event in Genova, Italy. Showing that his knee can withstand plenty of time on court, he prevailed in a long three-set match over Lorenzo Sonego of Italy and then defeated No. 2 seed Horacio Zeballos of Argentina in a second-round clash on Thursday.

But perhaps his most encouraging result was actually a loss. At this year’s US Open, Janowicz hung tough with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and even took a set off the defending champion before falling in a competitive match in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“It’s never easy to play against Djokovic. It doesn’t matter where or when or what shape I’m in,” said Janowicz. “I was just trying to play my best tennis. I was actually a little bit unlucky because I had quite a few chances to take the first set.”

Janowicz will have another stern challenge ahead of him when he plays second seed Horacio Zeballos of Argentina on Thursday in a second-round clash in Genova. But regardless of how this week turns out for the Polish star, he is confident his game is moving in the right direction.

“Some moments I play good tennis and some moments I’m a little bit down on myself,” admitted Janowicz. “I have to get some matches, [but] this week is actually quite good… I’m getting some confidence out of it.”

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Ruud Eager To Put Tennis On Map In Norway

  • Posted: Sep 08, 2016

Ruud Eager To Put Tennis On Map In Norway

Sep082016

Norwegian junior scores his first Top 100 win

While most of the world’s best juniors are competing this week in the US Open junior championships, 17 year old Casper Ruud of Norway is busy racking up wins at the $50,000 ATP Challenger Tour in Seville, Spain.

Competing in his first Challenger, Ruud came through qualifying and is now in the quarter-finals. On Wednesday, he scored his biggest win to date over No. 5 seed Andrej Martin of Slovakia, 6-3, 6-3.

Ruud, who won four matches in four days this week, joins Canadian phenom Denis Shapovalov as the only 17-year-olds to reach an ATP Challenger Tour quarter-final in 2016. The Norwegian has seen his position in the Emirates ATP Rankings skyrocket this year, from outside the Top 1000 to a projected career-high inside the Top 400 with his run in Seville.

“This is a really good tournament. I didn’t know what to expect because it was my first Challenger, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised,” said Ruud. “There have been people coming out to support us and watch the matches, so it’s been really nice. It’s been a great experience to play some Challengers instead of Futures.”

Ruud has primarily focused on pro events this year. Competing exclusively at the Futures level until his run in Seville, he’s won two singles titles this year and finished runner-up at three other events.

It’s been a natural progression for the rising Norwegian, who started the year ranked No. 1 in the ITF Junior Rankings. He decided to forgo the US Open junior events and instead continue to focus on moving up the Emirates ATP Rankings.

“I wanted to try and win a Grand Slam for the year, but didn’t play too well at Roland Garros or Wimbledon. It was a little bit far to travel for one tournament at the US Open and I’m also heading to China in the fall,” said Ruud. “I wanted to focus more on the men’s circuit, so it made sense to train in Spain and then come here to get some good matches and good experience.”

His training base in Spain is especially fitting because Rafael Nadal is the player that Ruud looks up to most.

“He’s my big idol ever since I was a little kid. He’s very intense and has an extreme style of play,” said Ruud. “I always try to look at good players like Kei Nishikori and Novak Djokovic, players who bring the game to another level. The level of tennis at the Top 10 is pretty unbelievable at the moment, so I’m trying to learn from that.”

At just 17, Ruud is already the top-ranked player in his country. Although Norway isn’t known as a tennis hotbed, his father, Christian, reached the Top 40 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in 1995. Casper is hopeful that he can reach the same heights as his dad and make tennis a prime sport in his country.

“Tennis isn’t that big in Norway, but I hope that it’ll blow up a little bit more there if I do well,” he said. “There are some enthusiastic fans there and they like to follow me around and send me messages, which are nice to receive. Hopefully I can try to do the same as my dad and make tennis a little more popular in Norway.”

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Roger Reflects Part IV: 16 Years Of Change

  • Posted: Sep 08, 2016

Roger Reflects Part IV: 16 Years Of Change

Sep082016

Swiss looks back over his career

In the fourth of a special series of interviews with Roger Federer at home in Switzerland, the 35 year old answers: What has changed more in the past 16 years – Roger Federer or the US Open?

Federer reminisces about his long hair and his tennis journey since first playing at Flushing Meadows in 2000.

You May Also Like: Roger Reflects Part III: Missing US Open Fans

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Fans React To Nishikori Vs Murray US Open 2016 Match

  • Posted: Sep 08, 2016

Fans React To Nishikori Vs Murray US Open 2016 Match

Sep082016

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