Tennis News

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Post hypnotizing three-set quarterfinal combats, second seed Simona Halep confronts seasoned Italian Flavia Pennetta with a place in the final of the 2015 US Open on the line. With Serena Williams in all likelihood to await in the final, Simona Halep takes on Flavia Pennetta in the semifinals of the 2015 US Open. Can Halep subvert her losing record or is the veteran Italian set for a first Grand Slam final?

Despite Flavia Pennetta’s emblematic record at the US Open, reaching the quarterfinals four times and the semifinals once since 2008, nobody would have picked the 26th seed to reach the semifinals in New York. Pennetta had done little in the season so far, with the exception of quarterfinal finishes at Indian Wells (where she was the defending champion), Dubai and Marrakech and reaching the fourth round at the French Open, and went 2-3 through the build-up to the US Open, with her last activity a three-set loss to Magdalena Rybarikova in New Haven (her 15th defeat for an offset of just 17 wins in 2015).

But the Italian has shone once more in New York, beating Jarmila Gajdosova, Monica Niculescu, Caroline Wozniacki’s conqueror Petra Cetkovska, former champion and 22nd seed Samantha Stosur and finally fifth seed Petra Kvitova 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to reach her second semifinal at the US Open. While Pennetta’s win over Kvitova lacked the flawlessness of her performance against Stosur, it was a triumph of determination and defense, dragging the fifth seed – who traditionally struggles in conditions like this and was recently diagnosed with mononucleosis – into a third set and running away with the match as Kvitova rapidly faded physically.

Pennetta could not be facing a more different challenge in the semifinals against Halep. Compact where Kvitova is lanky, consistent off the ground where Kvitova is error-prone and nimble where Kvitova is … not, Halep’s game is actually a lot closer to Pennetta’s own in terms of a skillful blend of counterpunching, defense and pace-absorption with aggression.

The second seed looked like a different player from the one that took on Sabine Lisicki in the fourth round. Cramping in legs and back, limping between points and shedding unforced errors at what was, for Halep, an alarming rate, the Romanian struggled through that match against Lisicki but was sublime against Azarenka.

Pennetta actually leads the head-to-head with Halep 3-1, beating Halep on clay in 2010 and then twice in 2013, the transitional year in which Halep picked up six titles but had yet to really challenge at the biggest events: Via retirement on clay in Bastad, and in the fourth round of the US Open itself, 6-2, 7-6(3). Since Halep became a top-10 player, they have met just once, in Miami this spring when Halep – fresh from capturing the Indian Wells title which Pennetta had won the year before – won 6-3, 7-5.

With both players so good at defending, the match does look likely to become something of a marathon (within points, if not necessarily in terms of duration) and that could disadvantage Halep. The second seed has already played in more Grand Slam semifinals than Pennetta and also has the experience of having won one once, and she also played her best tennis of the tournament in the last round, suggesting she is peaking at the right time. The better aggressive player, Halep needs to do whatever she can to shorten points wherever possible without overpressing. It’s a fine line, but if anyone can walk it, it’s Simona Halep.

It’s been a year of lows for Rafael Nadal, who has been refreshingly open about the confidence issues that have plagued his season. However for all the shock defeats, it’s hard to imagine that any will have left as much of a mental scar as the stunning loss to Italy’s Fabio Fognini.

From a seemingly unassailable 6-3, 6-4, 3-1* position, Nadal slumped to an incredible 5-set defeat (d. 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 4-6) in an epic match lasting just under 4 hours. Spanning his entire professional career, this is the first time Rafa has been defeated after holding a 2 sets to love lead (previously boasting a perfect record of 151-0 across Grand Slam and Davis Cup matches).

Certainly there would have been some trepidation from the Spaniard coming into this match, given the pain Fognini had already dished out to him this season. The Italian achieved the extremely rare feat of back to back clay court victories over Nadal, beating him in Rio and Barcelona (d. 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 & 6-4, 7-6(6)). Since then Nadal achieved some semblance of revenge with a closely fought and somewhat heated win in the final of Hamburg, representing just his third title of the season.

Despite these matches pointing a potential banana skin, the first hour and half’s play on Arthur Ashe suggested otherwise as the 14-time grand slam winner cruised to two sets to love and a break in the third. Admittedly it was consistency over the spectacular, still at times producing some strange and wayward errors particularly off the forehand wing. However, his flamboyant opponent was coughing up more than enough errors to make this look like a comfortable night’s work.

That was until the sixth game of the third set where the match took a huge u-turn. Nadal threw in a nervous, error strewn game as Fognini broke to love. Perhaps sensing some of the much publicised mental frailty of his opponent, the Italian became inspired producing a sustained period of some of the best shot-making you could ever wish to see. Floods of winners came off both sides as Fognini adopted a much more aggressive approach, seemingly dictating every point. An increasing stressed Nadal seemed to have no answers as the Arthur Ashe crowd roared in delight as the underdog took the match into a decider.

The fifth set was an epic in itself with Fognini three times up a break, only to be pegged back by an increasing dogged Nadal who was relying on all his battling qualities to stay alive. Aided by a few trademark fist pumps, the crowd support now shifted inevitably towards the two-time former champion, as for the first time the Italian seemed to become very conscious of the finishing line. To his credit though, he produced a scintillating game at 4-4 with four blazing winners; to give him what proved to be the pivotal break.

He finally held out to 30 in the tenth game to secure what is the biggest win of his career and to become the first Italian man in a decade to reach the 4th round of the U.S Open (Sanguinetti, 2005). As for Rafa, this defeat leaves plenty to contemplate and ensures it will be his first slamless year since 2004, his best result being a quarter final at Roland Garros. Although many will be quick to criticise, the plaudits really should go to Fognini, who is perhaps finally finding the mental fortitude to go with his undoubted talent.

There is no tennis player who doesn’t go through the moment of vulnerability – that make or break phase. That phase of susceptibility which just doesn’t let you get into the groove, but still you need to find a way out.

In this context, there are two facets that clearly define what Serena Williams is all about.

First, the twinge, the grimace is all over her when she is down. We have seen it time and again, during her fabulous journey of 21 Grand Slams victories till date. Second, how she catapults herself and turns around that seemingly uncontrollable situation into a win. Its sheer delight to watch her script this transition. One such act was witnessed today as she got past Kiki Bertens 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 in the second round.

At a time when all eyes are on Williams to win this edition of the US Open and catch up with Steffi Graf for 22 Grand Slam titles, some of the routine stuff is being underestimated. Every single match takes a lot, and by no means a player’s potential can be discounted even as Williams is the hot favourite. The strapping Dutch woman exemplified the same. Though she failed to serve the set out at 5-4, and then let 4-0 lead in the first tie-break drift away, Bertens did trouble the top-ranked player.

As one would expect, Williams exhibited immense grit when it was needed. As much as she breaks the flow with relentless hitting, the fact her body language, her expressions become more evasive probably impacts Williams’ opponents, too. They clearly know Williams is not going to give up. A case in point, after hitting out with precision, Bertens came up with a feeble backhand at 5-5 in the tie-break. And then a fortuitous net-cord paved way for an error from the Dutch player, who eventually threw her racquet in pain.

By no means it’s easy to challenge Williams when she gains lead. Williams did close out with ease. Bertens probably played the match of her life, and would learn a great deal.

As for the champion, the weight of expectations is increasing. She knows the spotlight is on her, more than ever. And she seems to be ready for it, with her poise standing out. Next up its going to be Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the third round.

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On one side of the net: Murray, the World no. 3, who has played some of the best tennis of his career throughout a stunningly consistent season but has failed to win a Grand Slam, facing either his last chance of the season at the US Open or the dreary chance of his earliest exit at a Slam since losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the first round of the Australian Open back in 2008.

On the other: Kyrgios, unseeded, desperate to get the focus back on his tennis after an on-court taunt aimed at Stan Wawrinka in Montreal went viral and left his behavior under a microscope from the media and the sport’s governing bodies, with a one-month suspension hanging over his head if he fails to clean up his act at ATP World Tour-sanctioned events (i.e. not Grand Slams).

Murray has won every match he has played against Kyrgios in straight sets (only 2 sets have been 6-4 or better) including victories on hard courts at last year’s Canada Masters and the Australian Open back in January. But Murray knows that, like the Tsonga he lost to in 2008, Kyrgios has the raw power and touch to blow away any opponent if he gets hot and, having played the Australian twice in Grand Slams (most recently in the third round of the French Open, he knows that Kyrgios relishes the big stage.

It would definitely be a mistake to underestimate Kyrgios, or to expect him to retreat into his shell after what happened in Montreal: The 20-year-old, who has wins over Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on his resume already, may say he’s learned his lesson but also says he’s ‘not embarrassed’ by the incident or the fall-out from it. We probably shouldn’t anticipate a chastened, more low-key Kyrgios to take the court on Tuesday. Indeed, he can be expected to relish the big stage and the chance to pull off a win against a top opponent – and perhaps even the opportunity to play the villain for the Arthur Ashe crowds.

In other words, it’s definitely going to be Kyrgios’s tennis, not his behavior, which concerns Murray on Tuesday. Murray’s impeccable defense and variety of the ground have always frustrated Kyrgios into impatient errors in the past, but there’s always a danger that that balance can slide into too much passivity from Murray. The third seed also has to worry about trying to win as quickly as possible in order to conserve energy, crucial with so many miles on his legs at this point of the season and with his tricky draw. It’s impossible to tell what you are going to get from Kyrgios, but on the big stage, against a top opponent, feeling like he has nothing to lose, it’s a perfect scenario for him to swing freely and push Murray harder than he ever has before. Could we be in for a huge shock on just the second day of the US Open?