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Venus Makes Winning Start To 72nd Major

Venus Makes Winning Start To 72nd Major

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Venus Williams began her record-breaking 72nd Grand Slam campaign with an eventful win over Kateryna Kozlova on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Father time remains undefeated, or so the saying goes. However, a couple of months on from her 36th birthday, Williams continues to defy the aging process, taking the best part of three hours to defeat Kozlova, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

The tennis landscape is much changed since a teenage Williams – accompanied by beads and garish outfit – made her Grand Slam bow against Naoko Sawamatsu at the 1997 French Open. Remarkably, the American, now an iconic figure in the sport, remains a threat at its four flagship events.

Venus Williams

Last year, quarterfinal appearances at both the Australian and US Opens – backed up by no little success elsewhere – propelled Williams back into the Top 10. And this campaign she has maintained the momentum, reaching the semifinals at the site of her greatest triumphs, the All England Club.

At Wimbledon, Williams matched Amy Frazier’s Open Era record of 71 Grand Slam appearances, marking the occasion with rollercoaster victories over several of the game’s brightest young talents. Against Kozlova – who was just three years old when Williams made her US Open debut – she was once against forced to draw on her wealth of experience.

The 2000 and 2001 champion has never lost an opening round match at Flushing Meadows, a statistic that looked in little danger when she pocketed the first set and moved 4-2 ahead in the second.

Kozlova, though, had other ideas, silencing the partisan crowd by rattling off five of the next six games to take the match the distance. A similar story looked to be unfolding in the decider, the Ukrainian falling 5-2 behind only to produce an unerring down-the-line backhand to break back in the ninth game. This time she was unable to complete the comeback, erring on the backhand to succumb the following game.

Despite a messy afternoon the No.6 seed, who finished with 63 unforced errors, was characteristically upbeat afterwards. “The errors told the story today,” Williams said. “Once you’re at this level everyone can play. Today I had to hit a lot of balls and I think that will help me going into the rest of the tournament.”

Venus Williams

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Serena On Using Cupping Therapy

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW YORK, NY, USA – With 186 straight weeks at the top, World No.1 Serena Williams is sure to have a few recovery tricks up her long Nike sleeves. In her post-match press conference after her straight sets win over Ekaterina Makarova, Williams revealed that she’s a believer in cupping therapy.

Cupping, an ancient therapeutic modality used to promote healing and recovery, came into the spotlight recently during the Rio Olympics after American swimmer Michael Phelps was seen winning gold medals with dark red circles across his shoulders and back.

According to WTA Sports Science & Medicine team member Kathy Queen: “In cupping, a cup is placed on the skin and a vacuum is created, using a flame or mechanical device, that lifts the skin and immediate layers underneath, including fascia. This allows for an increased flow of fresh blood and fluid in the area and, if moved along the body’s surface (called “sliding”), helps break up fascial adhesions. The temporary bruising created from the vacuum effect also plays an anti-inflammatory role.

“Athletes often feel immediate relief after treatment and increased range of motion and flexibility.”

But while Phelps used the therapeutic suction as a method for recovery, Williams has been using it for relaxation.

“I’ve always done that. I didn’t know it was something for recovery,” Williams said. “If I go to my lady in Palm Beach, it’s part of acupuncture.

“I love getting it, it makes me relax. I was like, Wow, you can do that for recovery?”

So what exactly does cupping feel like?

“It feels like a suction. It feels like an octopus, although I don’t know what an octopus feels like,” Williams tried to explain to press. “I think I snapped once a while back. It looks weird, the cupping. Yeah, I always do it, but I just did it for fun, so…

“But, yeah, so it just feels like it’s suctioning and it just feels good.”

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Inside The Racquet Bags

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Ever wonder what Agnieszka Radwanska, Caroline Wozniacki and Petra Kvitova carry with them on court inside their racquet bags? Find out right here!

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Halep's Rollercoaster Summer

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW YORK, NY, USA – This season has provided plenty of ups and downs for World No.5 Simona Halep. To coin an overused sports-writing cliché, it could even be described as a roller coaster.

Over the coming fortnight in Flushing Meadows, Halep hopes to scale the highest peak by lifting her maiden Grand Slam title. Her next obstacle comes in the shape of former Roland Garros finalist Lucie Safarova, but before then the Romanian took a break from the tennis talk to discuss a recent trip to Cincinnati’s Kings Island theme park with the US Open press corps…

“[In]Cincinnati. I tried a roller coaster. First time in my life and never again!

“I felt that I’m dying. Darren [Cahill] said he was going on all the machines, and I said I’m not going to do that. But he said it was a white one, and I didn’t see completely. Like I just saw the end, and the end was straight. He said, Come on. It’s pretty easy. It’s the lightest one.

“I said about what is that? He said, just the speed, but straight. I said, Oh, I love speed, so I can go. When I went there and that machine was going down, I felt that I’m dying. I said, Darren, never again. He was laughing when I said. It was tough, but it was nice. Good experience.”

So how did Halep respond to her white-knuckle experience?

“I did nothing. I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t breathe. No, I didn’t scream.”

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Halep Safely Into Third Round

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW YORK, NY, USA – No.5 seed Simona Halep moved safely into the third round of the US Open with a straight set win over Lucie Safarova .

In the first ever women’s match under Arthur Ashe’s new roof, Halep recovered from a break down in the second set to complete a 6-3, 6-4 victory.

“It was not an easy match. It was difficult. At one point I lost the rhythm a little bit because she’s left handed, not easy to play against,” Halep said. “I knew that she’s very tough. She’s fighting till the end.

“I played many times against her, and all the matches were very close. So I expected that. I’m not the happiest with my game today, but I’m really – you know, I have the good mood that I could win the match in two sets and I could finish in the important moments.”

Since the start of the summer, Halep has lost only to Angelique Kerber, winning 19 matches and two titles during this period. Her latest triumph was by no means a formality, however, Safarova’s inability to convert the odd purple patch into scoreboard dominance ultimately proved costly. 

Halep overcame the frustration of surrendering an early lead by reeling off three games on the trot, pocketing a see-saw opening set with a brilliant backhand winner. Her joy did not last long, the Romanian soon finding herself in something of a hole in the second set.

Yet with Safarova looking well placed to force a deciding set her hitherto secure groundstrokes went walkabout, a trio of unforced errors handing back the break in the sixth game. This swung the momentum irretrievably away from the Czech, who erred again when serving to stay in the match, her fifth double fault of the afternoon sending Halep through.

While Halep was unable to replicate her flawless first-round display against Kirsten Flipkens, offsetting her nine winners with 20 unforced errors, she will be pleased to have dodged a potential banana skin on her journey through the Flushing Meadows draw. A semifinalist 12 months ago, Halep will continue her bid for a maiden Grand Slam title against Timea Babos after she saw off Richel Hogenkamp, 6-2, 6-4.

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Kerber Shines Under Friday Night Lights

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW YORK, NY, USA – No.2 seed Angelique Kerber closed out a drama-free Friday night with a 6-1, 6-1 win over American qualifier Catherine Bellis to reach the second week of the US Open in 55 minutes.

“It was a great atmosphere,” she said after the match. “I mean, the fans and the crowd, it’s just amazing. Of course, to playing against an American, it was really special.

“I was enjoying playing tonight out there.”

In pole position to become the first German to become No.1 in the world since Stefanie Graf in 1997, the reigning Australian Open champion put on a masterclass for Bellis, the tournament’s most impressive young talent.

Bellis backed up her breakthrough week in 2014, where she became the youngest woman to win a match at the US Open in 18 years, by making it through qualifying and notching solid wins over Viktorija Golubic and Shelby Rogers to earn her best-ever Grand Slam finish.

“She’s a great young, really talented player. For sure she will have a great future. I’m really sure it will be a good one.”

But Kerber proved a bridge too far for Bellis as the German hit 17 winners to 18 unforced errors, not only dictating play but also playing the cleaner match compared to Bellis, who hit 11 winners and 21 unforced errors.

“I think it’s important to my game, being aggressive, but also being defensive. Your opponent’s playing sometimes really aggressive, so there are different ways to win. You have to play your own game. This is what I’m trying.”

Up next for the World No.2 is a former No.2 in Petra Kvitova, as the No.14 seed survived a second set surge to dispatch No.22 seed Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 6-4, earlier in the day on Louis Armstrong Stadium.

“Petra with a three, it’s not working so far, which is good,” the Czech said after the match, jokingly referring to her P3tra nickname derived from her tendency to play three-setters. “I’m saving some energy.

“The important is the win. But of course, with saving energy it’s always better.”

Kvitova was two games from victory after racing out to a set and 4-0 lead, but Svitolina, a Connecticut Open finalist, won four games of her own to level the set.

“It was a little difficult at the end of the second set. It was a big fight, the last game.”

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Sevastova's Star Rises At The US Open

Sevastova's Star Rises At The US Open

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW YORK, NY, USA – After her colossal win over No.3 seed Garbiñe Muguruza, few appeared less impressed than Anastasija Sevastova herself.

“It feels great, but it’s still not like I won the tournament,” she told press after the match. “It’s only the second round.”

The Latvian had reached a career-high ranking of No.36 back in 2011 before a series of injuries led her into early retirement in 2013.

“Again?” a smirking Sevastova asked when encouraged to retell her inspiring origin story. “I stopped playing in 2013. I had many injuries, and I wasn’t happy with my tennis or where I stood on the tennis court. Something different was hurting all the time: back, arm, and legs. Then I decided to go out and retire.

“I did some studying. I coached some kids, but nothing serious. Just lessons, and lived a normal life. I studied management. It was strange,” she trailed off as a wry grin returned to her face. “I didn’t find it that difficult to study, but maybe it made me go back to tennis.”

For one playing the smallest of ITF Challenger tournaments just under two years ago, the gravity of the moment seems largely lost on Sevastova, at least until the perspective retirement gave her shines through.

“I’ve seen that there’s life after tennis, that if you lose a match, it’s not the end of the world. The world does not collapse.”

And yet it so often does for players who’ve pulled off massive upsets; the pressure to prove their win wasn’t a fluke can leave them frozen in place. From the night match on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Sevastova was sent out to Court 17 in broad daylight to take on Kateryna Bondarenko, a 2009 quarterfinalist who’d won all three of their previous matches in straight sets.

“It was different conditions, and a completely different match – the first match on,” she said in Friday’s post-match press conference, wearing a New York Yankees cap. “In the beginning, I didn’t manage it that well. The court was a bit faster, and it wasn’t night match, so it was different.

“In the warm-up, I felt good, but in the first games, I wasn’t putting anything in. Maybe it was the expectations, but I kept fighting, stayed positive, and made it through the tough games at 4-3 and 5-4. It was important to win the first set, for sure.”

Anastasija Sevastova

Sevastova recovered from an early break to win 12 of the final 14 games to book a spot in the fourth round, her first anywhere since her 2011 breakthrough at the Australian Open, and her first in Flushing Meadows.

“They always say it’s tough after a big win to back it up. But I don’t know what happened in the beginning. I was a little too nervous. But it was strange.”

Strange, but not impossible as she prepares to play No.13 seed Johanna Konta for a spot in the quarterfinals.

“In women’s tennis, it’s possible; anyone can beat anyone on a good day. On a bad day, you can lose to anyone! But I think Jo has had a good year, very stable. She’s one of the best players, Top 15. She serves well and has no weaknesses.

“It’s not an easy match, but then, it’s the round of 16 at the US Open,” she clarified as a smile returned to her face. “It’s not the 10K in Sharm El-Sheikh.”

Far from where she kickstarted her career, Sevastova remains unfazed by fame, even as her star rises here and at home.

“There was one headline, where they posted something like, ‘Look Into Anastasija Sevastova’s Private Life,’ and they posted Instagram pictures. It’s funny. Maybe they don’t have anything else to write about in Latvia, but they need some positive news!

“Sometimes people know me in my hometown, but if I go to Riga, I don’t think they’ll know me. I’m probably D-list,” she deadpanned.

Just shy of matching that initial career-high rank, Sevastova will likely leave New York somewhere in between Kathy Griffin and Nicole Kidman, but with plenty of room to grow with the help of that mature mindset.

“Tomorrow is a new day. There are other matches. Nobody thinks about the previous match. You have to think forward. But tonight, I can enjoy.”

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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By The Numbers: US Open Last 16

By The Numbers: US Open Last 16

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Who is the lowest-ranked player left at the US Open? Which player’s serve has been on song? And how many hours has Madison Keys spent on court?

With the field at Flushing Meadows now whittled down to 16, wtatennis.com and SAP thought it time to go looking for answers…

320 – Keys has spent 320 minutes on court thus far – the most of any remaining player.

307 – Serena Williams’ third-round win over Johanna Larsson was her 307th at a Grand Slam tournament, overtaking Martina Navratilova for sole ownership of the Open Era record.

99 – World No.99 Lesia Tsurenko is the lowest-ranked player left in the draw, closely followed by No.92 Ana Konjuh.

85 – The percentage of first-serve points won by Serena Williams in her opening three matches – the best among the 16 players left in the draw.

50 – In 2016, no WTA player has won more matches than Angelique Kerber, who notched up number 50 by seeing off CiCi Bellis in the previous round.

36 – At 36, Venus Williams is the oldest player to reach the last 16 at a major since Martina Navratilova, then 37, at Wimbledon in 1994.

31 – Serena has unsurprisingly hit more aces, 31, than anyone else en route to the fourth round. Following closely behind is Keys with 25.

18 – Konjuh, 18, is the youngest player left in the draw. It is the third year in succession a teenager has reached the fourth round.

13 – The number of nations represented in the last 16. Countries with multiple players are USA (Keys, Serena and Venus) and the Czech Republic (Petra Kvitova, Karolina Pliskova).

12 – Kvitova has dropped fewer games, 12, than any other player en route to the fourth round.

7 – Seven of the Top 10 on the Road To Singapore leaderboard are still in contention for the US Open title: Serena, Kerber, Agnieszka Radwanska, Carla Suárez Navarro, Keys, Simona Halep and Pliskova. The only absentees are Dominika Cibulkova and Garbiñe Muguruza.

5 – An unseeded player has reached the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows on each of the past three years. Konjuh, Anastasija Sevastova, Yaroslava Shvedova, Tsurenko and Caroline Wozniacki are all bidding to keep this run going.

4 – Madison Keys, Agnieszka Radwanska, Carla Suarez Navarro and Serena Williams have all advanced to the fourth round at all four Slams this year – the only four players to do so.

3 – Three players – Konjuh, Karolina Pliskova and Tsurenko – are through to the last 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time

1 – For the last eight years, at least one Italian has reached the US Open quarterfinals. Roberta Vinci, the 2015 runner-up, looks to make it nine when she takes on Tsurenko. The Americans have been even more dominant: 1993 was the last time a home player failed to make the last eight (Lindsay Davenport and Navratilova fell in the last 16).

0 – The number of times Shvedova has beaten Serena in four career meetings. She did famously come within a couple of games of doing so four years ago at Wimbledon.

SAP Insights

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Battle For No.1: Week 2 Update

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW YORK, NY, USA – As the US Open enters its second week, three runners remain standing in the race for the WTA’s No.1 ranking.

Angelique Kerber is already through to the quarterfinals following her impressive victory over Petra Kvitova. Will Angelique Kerber and reigning No.1 Serena Williams follow her, or will the subplot to the year’s final major take a decisive twist?

Wtatennis.com breaks down the potential scenarios…

Can Kerber Secure No.1 Ranking On Monday?
Angelique Kerber can secure the No.1 ranking on Monday if both Serena Williams and Agnieszka Radwanska lose their fourth-round matches against Yaroslava Shvedova and Ana Konjuh, respectively. If either (or both) advance the race goes on.

Kerber’s next challenge comes in the shape of last year’s finalist, Roberta Vinci, whom she faces in Tuesday’s quarterfinals. If the German clears this hurdle and goes on to reach the final (Caroline Wozniacki and Anastasija Sevastova contest the other bottom half quarterfinal), it would end Radwanska’s hopes of reaching No.1 after the US Open.

Serena Williams has held the No.1 spot for 186 consecutive weeks (since February 13, 2013) but will now need to reach the final in order extend her streak. A potential final with No.2 seed Kerber will not only be for the US Open title, but the No.1 ranking as well. Serena has won all four of her previous encounters with fourth-round opponent Shvedova.

Agnieszka Radwanska still has an outside shot at claiming top spot, but will need to win the title at the US Open to do so. She has a tough path to what would be her first Grand Slam title, facing Konjuh in the last 16, before potential showdowns with first Venus and then Serena Williams to reach the final. As previously mentioned, even if she does successfully run this gauntlet, her chances for becoming No.1 could be dashed if Kerber reaches the final on the other side of the draw.

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Krunic Shines In Dalian Debut

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

DALIAN, China – Aleksandra Krunic suffered a tough first round loss after qualifying for the US Open, but the Serb is back in action at the Dalian Women’s Tennis Open, knocking out local wildcard Lu Jia-Jing, 6-1, 6-2.

Krunic reached the fourth round in Flushing back in 2014, and needed just 61 minutes to dismiss Lu in straight sets, booking a possible second round meeting with No.2 seed Duan Ying-Ying. Duan reached the second round of the US Open before falling to Japan’s Naomi Osaka.

Russia’s Anastasia Pivovarova also advanced on Tuesday with a 7-6(6), 6-2 win over Hiroko Kuwata, and could play No.7 seed Misa Eguchi in the second round. A former World No.93, Pivovarova made her major breakthrough back in 2010 when she reached the third round of the French Open, but has been snakebitten by various injuries throughout her career. Playing her first US Open in six years, Pivovarova lost in qualifying to American Jennifer Brady in a third set tie-break.

China’s Wang Qiang is the top seed in Dalian after upsetting No.23 seed Daria Kasatkina to reach the second round of the US Open, and will open her tournament against Nigina Abduraimova.

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