Kerber Dodges Lucic-Baroni Upset
No.2 Angelique Kerber tamped down a late challenge from the tricky Mirjana Lucic-Baroni to continue her US Open campaign, 6-2, 7-6(6).
No.2 Angelique Kerber tamped down a late challenge from the tricky Mirjana Lucic-Baroni to continue her US Open campaign, 6-2, 7-6(6).
NEW YORK, NY, USA – No.8 Madison Keys and No.14 seed Petra Kvitova notched straight set wins today on their way to the third round at the US Open.
After her record-setting 2 a.m. finish in the first round, Keys is certainly pleased that her straight sets victory over fellow American Kayla Day went much quicker. Keys needed just 49 minutes to complete the 6-1, 6-1 victory.
“It’s funny because this is still technically a late finish, but I’ll take this one over the 2:00 a.m. any day,” Keys joked in her post-match press conference. “I was really happy that I got on the court, kind of went out there and did what I wanted to do from the start, and was able to get off the court as a semi-decent hour.”
At 16 years old, Day was the youngest woman in the second round after she advanced past an ailing Madison Brengle. She was thoroughly outgunned and outplayed by Keys, who hit 25 winners to 14 unforced errors against Day’s six and 15. Keys was dominant on serve – winning 96 percent of points behind her first serve – as well as at the net, winning 92 percent of points at the net.
Earlier in the day, Kvitova faced a stern challenge from Turkish trailblazer Cagla Buyukakcay, 7-6(2), 6-3.
Buyukakcay continued her historic 2016 season at Flushing Meadows, where last round she became the first player from Turkey to feature in the US Open main draw. She entered the tournament at a career-high rank of No.66, but her meteoric rise was halted by two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova.
The No.16-ranked Czech weathered a slow start against Buyukakcay, who broke her serve to start the match. Kvitova grabbed the break back, but neither player could hang on to a lead for very long, sending the opening set into a tiebreak.
The Czech rattled off seven points in a row to shut Buyukakcay out of the first set, then a pair of late breaks in the second secured her spot in the third round.
“I’m happy how I handled the first set, especially when I was up and I couldn’t really make it in on the first set,” Kvitova explained.
“And the second set I know that she can still play, and she did at the end of the first set. I was trying still to be focused.
“I think the serve was a little bit better in the second set, but still I think my forehand helped me a lot today. I was just waiting for the chance to break her then.”
Kvitova will face the No.22 seed Elina Svitolina for a spot in the fourth round.
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.”
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Anastasija Sevastova held her nerve to pull off the win of her life at the US Open, dispatching No.3 seed and reigning French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza, 7-5, 6-4.
“It still hasn’t settled in,” she said in her post-match press conference. “I mean, I’m tired mentally and it’s late. Normally I go to sleep at this time.
“It feels great, but it’s still not like I won the tournament. It’s only second round.”
Sevastova was a rising star back in 2011, reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open at 20 years old. But injuries soon sapped the desire away from the young Latvian, who hung up her racquets two years later, and was off the tour for two years more.
“I was playing a little bit. I was doing some sparring. It was better, physically. I was still playing okay. That’s why I think I decided to try again to come back.
“But you never know. A lot of people are trying to come back, and sometimes it doesn’t work out. That’s why I wanted to start from the beginning, from the lowest level.”
Playing on the game’s biggest stage, Sevastova thrilled the Arthur Ashe crowd as she took the first set and raced out to a 5-1 lead in the second, holding two match points in the next game.
“I stopped thinking. I was thinking too much at 5-2, 5-3. Then I said, ‘Okay, I have one more chance at 5-4. She’s serving. I broke her before enough times, so I will try this one more time.’
“And still, even then it’s only 5-5. It’s still an open match like the first set.”
In 2015, she came out of retirement. Tonight, she beats a GS champ. #Sevastova d. #Muguruza 7-5, 6-4. @MBUSA #usopen https://t.co/a5xfmjm8XC
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2016
That positivity took the Latvian over the finish line, breaking serve to love to clinch the biggest upset thus far.
“I think it was a very tough match,” Muguruza said after the match. “I think I didn’t play well today. I think she also played well. Everything she was doing was working. Maybe at the last part of the match I could feel like I could have a chance to come back, but, in fact, it was like 50/50.
“So at the end she played well, and that’s it.”
Still, the Spaniard seemed to take the defeat in stride, joking about her less-than-stellar record at the US Open.
“I try to give my all. I try to fight on court. She was just better. I don’t know if it’s bad luck.
“But, well, I did my best result again! I’m just saying that.”
Up next for Sevastova is Kateryna Bondarenko, who won a dramatic 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-5 match over China’s Zheng Saisai earlier in the evening.
#Sevastova with the UPSET ? tonight. Hear the call ? as she defeats No. 3 #Muguruza. https://t.co/TUa8gGkyTL
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2016
The 2016 US Open draw features seven former finalists, including Svetlana Kuznetsova, the first Russian to take home the trophy in Flushing. Kuznetsova’s countrywoman and fellow former World No.2 Vera Zvonareva reached the final back in 2010; absent from the Open since 2012, Zvonareva will be part of the action for the first time in four years, if only from a distance.
“I’ll be commentating for Eurosport Russia for a few matches,” she told WTA Insider by phone on Wednesday. “It’ll be a huge opportunity for me. I like to watch tennis and different matches, so it will be exciting.
“I don’t know if I’ll be good at it or not, but it’ll be something good to try. I’ve only ever been in the radio booth, but not on TV. It’ll be a new experience for me, but I’m ready for the challenge.”
The gig comes as just the latest in a series of fun and exciting challenges for the Beijing Bronze medalist, who announced her marriage and newborn daughter Evelyn (Evelina in Russian) in a lengthy post on Instagram.
“I’ve had so many injuries over the last few years. I tried to come back a couple of times, first after my shoulder surgery, and then I had an Achilles injury. I needed to take a break and my physio told me I’d need six months to get back on court again.
“During that period of time, I thought maybe it’d be great to have a family, because I couldn’t do what I love to do; I couldn’t do any sports. It happened really fast, and then I became a mom this summer.
“It’s all different, being away from tennis and being a mom, but it’s great as well.”
Zvonareva’s injury struggles began not long after she and Kuznetsova won the women’s doubles title at the 2012 Australian Open. Two truncated comeback attempts – the most recent ending last spring – sent her back towards more pursuable passions like academics and athletics, the latter of which she shares with husband Alexander.
“I met my husband about four or five years ago; we met during a run. I love running, and I had been taking part in different competitions in Moscow, but for fun, not professionally, just different five or 10K runs. I was doing those and he loves running as well, so that’s how we met.
“He came with me to a couple of tournaments, but then I couldn’t continue. He would love to see me play more because he loves tennis and to watch me play, but I got injured.”
She discovered she was expecting while studying for her Master’s degree in Political Science, applying her typically studious approach to the news as her due date drew nearer.
“During the pregnancy, I tried to juggle studying and being pregnant. I took birthing courses for four months, because I’d never had sisters or brothers; my family was quite small. For me, it’s something new, so my husband and I took the courses together.
“My close friends knew, of course, but I never made it public because I prefer to keep my personal life to myself.”
Following fellow WTA stars Ana Ivanovic, Dominika Cibulkova, and Tsvetana Pironkova down the aisle, Zvonareva is able to rely on a network of compatriots who’ve began families before her.
“I heard Victoria’s news, and of course it’s great to hear she’s expecting. I’ve been in touch with some friends from the tour, especially the Russian girls and former players like Elena Dementieva, Alina Jidkova, Tatiana Panova. They all have babies by now and it’s great. We have a big community of tennis moms!”
Whether she can emulate rival and former No.1 Kim Clijsters, who won three major titles after starting a family of her own, depends on how her body responds to its return to the gym.
“I’m going to start trying to get back into shape because sport is part of my life and I want to get back in shape. I don’t know if I’ll be back on the tour or not; it’s tough to say at the moment, but for myself, I want to back into the shape I was in before and play tennis again – even if it’s just for fun.
“I want to start going to the gym three times a week, and I’ll probably start in about a week. Hopefully by October, I can start running a little bit. My first goal will be to participate in some of those five or 10K runs, because I like those a lot. From there, we’ll see, but definitely being an athlete for all of my life, I want to get back in athletic shape. I don’t know if I’ll ever come back to tennis, but I want to be in a good shape, no matter what!”
No matter what, Zvonareva has already had a career to remember, reaching a pair of Grand Slam singles finals in 2010 and winning four majors in women’s and mixed doubles. But her greatest memory remains rounding out an all-Russian podium at the 2008 Summer Games.
“For all the girls in Russia, the Olympics gives a lot of motivation. When I was younger, I watched Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Elena Dementieva when they were playing in Sydney. Yevgeny got the gold medal and Elena got the silver; it inspired all of us to continue doing what we like and to continue dreaming. It was an exciting moment for Russian tennis.
“We saw how many Russians came on tour afterwards; there was a time when we had five players inside the Top 10. It was great.”
Watching a new wave of Russians rise in her absence, she has high hopes for another strong showing at the Summer Games, especially after 2016’s gold medal in women’s doubles, won by Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.
“I think Russian tennis has a great future. We have names like Daria Kasatkina and Margarita Gasparyan; they’re already inside the Top 100, and Daria’s been doing really well this year. I never played against her – because she was still a junior when I was playing! – but I’ve seen a couple of matches on TV, and I think she’s been doing great.
“There are also junior girls winning Wimbledon like Anastasia Potapova, so maybe we’ll yet have another Golden Era of Russian tennis.
“I’ll be happy to see a new generation of Russian players on tour, and I’ll be happy to see if they can produce the same results and maybe win gold, silver, or bronze medals in tennis as well.”
She’ll continue to enjoy the game from afar for now, and though Zvonareva admitted that little could compare with the emotions of being on court herself, the memories will always remain close to her heart – however this next chapter ends.
“I got the chance to travel around the world, and meet different people and athletes the world over. It’s not easy being a professional athlete, but tennis taught me a lot and gave me a lot. It taught me discipline, how to fight, and all different things that help me in life.
“I miss the feeling of being on the Centre Courts and the big crowds. That’s something that’s very difficult to get in life, those feelings of when you walk onto a big court at a Grand Slam to play a big match, get through tough challenges to win in the end. That’s a feeling I miss a lot, but they will always be inside me. I can always remember them, and they make me smile, and proud of my career.”
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
Serena Williams caught up with two of Team USA’s brightest stars, Olympic medalists Ibtihaj Muhammad and Simone Manuel, at the US Open.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Main draw action begins for the US Open women’s doubles event on Wednesday; in the first major not to feature Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza playing as a pair since last year’s Australian Open, which teams are ones to watch in the final Grand Slam of the season?
French Connection In Sync After Santina Split: French Open winners Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic are top seeds in the doubles event, opening against alternates Kurumi Nara and Naomi Osaka.
“It feels great; it’s not every day that you get to see your name as the top seed,” Mladenovic said after her win over Nao Hibino. “For Caroline and I, it’s a bonus to play doubles and compete at such a great level.”
Ranked No.3 and No.4, respectively (and No.2 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard), Garcia and Mladenovic lead the field following the surprising split of Hingis and Mirza, who announced their plans to play apart after a quarterfinal loss at the Rogers Cup.
“I think everyone was surprised,” Garcia said after her first round singles win over Pauline Parmentier. “But of course everyone wants results, and when you don’t have any more results, you want to change. But still, now there’s two big teams.”
Indeed, doubles teams don’t merely divide; they multiply. Hingis and Mirza were in the final of their very next WTA event, though the Western & Southern Open served as the stage for their newest permutations. Hingis is seeded No.6 with CoCo Vandeweghe and opens against Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Kveta Peschke, and Mirza at No.7 with Barbora Strycova, opening against American wildcards Jada Hart and Ena Shibahara. Mirza comes into the US Open as the sole No.1 in doubles with back-to-back titles in Cincinnati and New Haven, the latter with Monica Niculescu.
Speaking in press on Tuesday, Mladenovic mused on whether her and Garcia’s back-to-back wins over Santina in Stuttgart and Madrid marked the beginning of the end for a team that road a 41-match winning streak into the start of the season.
“I know both of them, and they’re both great champions and perfectionists. Maybe it started against us when they didn’t keep on winning, and maybe they were expecting way too much from themselves. I’m not sure about their reasons, but maybe they just wanted to split for some time and maybe come back together.
“It was probably the right decision for both of them. I think they made great moves with partners that they chose because they complement each others’ game.”
Garcia and Mladenovic were the Queens of Clay in 2016, winning 15 matches of their own and four titles in Charleston, Stuttgart, Madrid, and Paris for their home Grand Slam. Even with singles as the main priority, early losses at Wimbledon and the Olympic tennis event will likely leave the French pair eager for redemption in New York.
“It’s a long way until the end, but the first match will be very important to get confidence,” Garcia said. “We know we can do it, but we have to play our best every single match.”
Fire & Ice: No.2 seed Chan Yung-Jan and Chan Hao-Ching anchor the bottom half of the draw; set to begin their US Open campaign against Hsieh Su-Wei and Christina McHale, the Chans could face No.3 seeds Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova in the semifinal. Babos and Shvedova were a late addition to the doubles landscape, starting at the BNP Paribas Open after successful seasons with Mladenovic and Casey Dellacqua in 2015. But the pair nonetheless had some history, playing just once in 2013 to win a title in Tashkent.
“We didn’t know each other that well there,” Shvedova said after her win over Lara Arruabarrena. “I knew she was a great, aggressive, and strong player. She knew I had some good success. But it was just kind of an accident; we won that week and weren’t even thinking of continuing together.”
Babos remembered the week just as well, and relished the opportunity to reunite after discussing the possibility of pairing up in Australia.
“It all worked out that she asked me while I was debating what I should do,” Babos said after beating Barbara Haas. The Hungarian began the year trading partners with Garcia’s 2015 partner Katarina Srebotnik, but the two split after the Australian Open.
“We decided to try in Indian Wells, and we made the semifinals already, then the finals of Miami and Wimbledon. We’ve had many, many good results, and so we’re definitely in the race, and I’m really hoping to be in Singapore again.”
Shvedova and Dellacqua were the third team to qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global a year ago, but Dellacqua’s concussion in Beijing left the Kazah without a partner and out of the race.
“I went to Singapore, and as soon as I landed she decided she couldn’t come,” Shvedova said. “So I was there for a day and half. I know we qualified and deserved to be there; we proved that we’re a very good team, and a successful team. From my side, it was more important how she was feeling. Tennis goes to the side when health is involved.”
The most memorable doubles teams have blended a contrast in styles, but Babos and Shvedova play such similar games that they both stood on the backhand side with previous partners. But Babos sees a clear contrast.
“She brings experience and calm. I’m more the energy and emotion. Sometimes, it happens where I have a match and I can’t put one ball in the court; she’s there for me then. Other times the roles reverse and I’m there for her. We complement each other emotionally.
Babos and Shvedova play American wildcards Catherine Bellis and Julia Boserup in their first round.
Better Together: No.5 seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina take a nine-match winning streak into the US Open, having won the Rogers Cup and the gold medal at the Olympic tennis event. Though the pair of four years only reunited at the Mutua Madrid Open, Makarova and Vesnina are already No.3 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard, and a spot in the WTA Finals is high on their mind in Flushing.
“We’re really aiming to qualify for Singapore, especially after last year, and the year before we went with my shoulder injury,” she told WTA Insider on Tuesday. “We’ve never been healthy together at the WTA Finals, so I was laughing with Katya before saying, ‘We have to be healthy together at Singapore,’ because we really love it there. It’s an amazing tournament, amazing city, the hotel, and everything around; it’s such a nice place to be at the end of the year.”
The 2014 US Open champions are already into the second round when Germans Laura Siegemund and Mona Barthel were forced to retire in the second set, and Vesnina credits doubles with helping sharpen her competitive instincts on a weekly basis.
“I played singles and doubles in Montréal, for example. I was ranked No.24, and I played Madison Keys, who is Top 10, in the first round. I lost easily – she just killed me the whole match – and she went on to make the final. But I won the doubles with Katya; it’s a big tournament. So it’s great because even when you lose, you’re still ‘in.’
“You can practice your singles game in between, and you have some time for that. But at the same time, you’re still in the tournament, and you’re competing. It’s challenging, and you’re fighting for a title, and it’s always great to have one in your hands at the end of the week.”
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
WTA Insider | The second round gets underway at the US Open, with Garbiñe Muguruza and Angelique Kerber in action; stay tuned in the latest WTA Insider Live Blog!
Angelique Kerber continues her quest for No.1 as the bottom half of the draw contests its second-round matches in New York on Wednesday. We preview a busy slate at wtatennis.com.
Wednesday
First Round
[2] Angelique Kerber (GER #2) vs. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO #57)
Head-to-head: Kerber leads, 3-0
Key Stat: Kerber will ascend to the No.1 ranking if Serena Williams does not reach the semifinals in New York.
Playing the No.2 seed in the first week of the US Open may seem like a daunting task, but Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic-Baroni has history on her side when it comes to this. She famously defeated Simona Halep in the third round here in 2014 and went on to reach the second week at a major for the first time in over fifteen years. It was an emotional high point of that year’s US Open and the Croatian hopes to create more magic when she meets Angelique Kerber on Day 3. But the German has been rock-solid all season, and it is hard to imagine anybody knocking her off at this stage of a draw. Kerber leads the WTA in wins, Top 10 wins and hardcourt wins this season and she was highly effective in her first-round encounter with Polona Hercog, winning all seven games before the Slovenian retired due to injury. “I played the first set really good, so this is what I will take from this match, that I’m playing my tennis,” Kerber said on Monday. “For me, it’s always tricky the first few rounds. So it’s always good to have the first round done. Just now focusing on the next rounds.” Will that focus enable her to roll past an upset-minded Lucic-Baroni, or does the Croatian have another stunner in her?
Pick: Kerber in two
[24] Belinda Bencic (SUI #26) vs. Andrea Petkovic (GER #43)
Head-to-head: Bencic leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Petkovic has failed to reach the second week at a major in her last nine appearances.
Germany’s Andrea Petkovic has not won back-to-back matches since the grass-court season and she hasn’t reached the quarterfinals in a main draw since February. But the 28-year-old can put those old worries behind her by knocking off Belinda Bencic on Wednesday. Bencic, who survived a three-setter with American Samantha Crawford on Day 1 in New York, is still in search of her game after missing a big chunk of the season due to injuries to her back and wrist. Bencic struggled to find her form against Crawford, and let her frustration show, before coming back to win in three. The former world No.7 says that in the end playing three sets was probably good for her in terms of getting match tough. “I think it’s normal after the injury to have [struggles],” she said. “I mean, in the moment I was very frustrated, but I had nothing left, just to fight and win the next two sets. That’s what I did.” She’ll have to fight much harder to eliminate the steely Petkovic. Though she has struggled to go deep at the Slams of late, Petkovic showed good form in defeating Kristina Kucova in straight sets on Day 1.
Pick: Petkovic in three
[9] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #10) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #74)
Head-to-head: Tied, 6-6
Key Stat: Both players have earned 30 or more wins at the US Open and reached the final twice here.
The throwback tour for Svetlana Kuznetsova continues at the US Open. In the first round she swept by fellow veteran Francesca Schiavone in their fourth meeting at a major. On Wednesday the 31-year-old Russian will look to continue her fine form when she faces Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki for the fifth time at a major. The pair have split their four major meetings but Wozniacki holds the edge on the big stage in New York. Wozniacki defeated Kuznetsova in round of 16 tilts in 2009 and 2011 at the US Open and in general the Dane has played her best tennis in New York. She reached the final in 2009 and 2014 and owns a 30-9 lifetime record in Queens. But 2004 US Open champion Kuznetsova snapped a three-match losing streak in New York on Monday and has been in much better form than Wozniacki all season. Is it the Russian’s time to make more waves in the Big Apple?
Pick: Kuznetsova in two
[3] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #3) vs. Anastasija Sevastova (LAT #48)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Muguruza is bidding to reach the US Open’s third round for the first time.
Garbiñe Muguruza stormed the tennis world when she rolled to the Roland Garros title this spring, defeating Serena Williams in the final. Now she’s trying to take baby steps in New York. Well-suited for the fast courts here at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the Spaniard has needed time to get accustomed to the hustle and bustle that characterizes the year’s final major. Muguruza says it is different to play in New York, but that she likes it. “I felt there’s more movement, more noise, more stuff,” she told reporters on Monday after her first-round win over Elise Mertens of Belgium. “But it’s well known also because of the environment and the crowd and the vibes, I don’t know, that feeling that brings New York. I think it’s also special to feel… There’s a lot of people. They’re watching you. Maybe it’s not as silent as Wimbledon, that everybody is like this, but I enjoy a lot also.” Can Muguruza silence the noise in her head so that she can stir up noise at this year’s Open? She’ll bid for her first trip to the third round on Day 3 when she faces tricky Latvian Anastasija Sevastova. The 26-year-old has been on a good ride in 2016. She has climbed from outside of the Top 100 to her current rankings perch of 48 on the strength of 17 wins and two final appearances.
Pick: Muguruza in two
Around the Grounds:
No.8 seed Madison Keys will take on the youngest player in the draw, 16-year-old American Kayla Day. In her Grand Slam debut, Day reached the second round with a win over Madison Brengle. British No.1 Johanna Konta will look to reach the third round for the second consecutive year at New York when she faces the tricky Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova. Last year’s runner-up, No.7-seeded Roberta Vinci of Italy, will square off with New Jersey Native Christina McHale.
By the Numbers:
13-4 – Keys improved her record to 13-4 in three-setters this season (career three-set record: 32-29) with her win over Alison Riske on Monday.
30-8 – Angelique Kerber’s hardcourt record this year.
2012 – The last time a player won Wimbledon and the US Open back-to-back. It has only happened four times since 1998, with Venus Williams achieving the feat twice (2000, 2001) and Serena winning it twice (2002, 2012).
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Even before Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza’s headline-grabbing split, the doubles draw at this year’s US Open promised to be the most open in recent memory.
The surprise and sudden parting of Hingis and Mirza elevated rivals Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic to top seeds, although arguably not favorites. Fast forward a few weeks and hierarchy is no clearer on the eve of the opening round at Flushing Meadows.
Garcia and Mladenovic, who will start on Thursday, were handed what on paper appeared to be a relatively straightforward opening assignment against Kurumi Nara and Naomi Osaka – a rookie partnership not famed for their success in doubles. Nevertheless, with the French duo badly out of form – they have mustered together a total of just four wins since lifting the Roland Garros crown at the start of the summer – nothing is a formality.
Beyond that, the draw has been relatively kind; indeed, should they recover the joie de vivre that carried them through an all-conquering clay court season, a place in the last eight beckons.
There they are seeded to meet Mirza and her new partner, Barbora Strycova. In their first tournament, the two hit the ground running, collecting a title that would also give Mirza sole ownership of the No.1 ranking.
Hopes of more success were boosted by Strycova’s early singles exit, leaving the No.7 seeds’ opening week schedule clear to focus on avoiding a similar fate at their first major in unison.
Hingis is also in the top half, and also competing alongside a player smarting from a surprise loss flying solo: CoCo Vandeweghe. However, the draw has been less generous, placing them in a section containing several regular pairings, starting with Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Kveta Peschke.
Should they come through the early rounds unscathed, a potential quarterfinal showdown with 2013 winners and recent Olympic silver medalists Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka awaits.
The title favorites are arguably to be found in a bottom half of the draw containing No.2 seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan, Wimbledon finalists Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova, and former champions Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.
Seeded No.5 this time, Makarova and Vesnina find themselves in a relatively unthreatening section, the stiffest competition likely to come from Vania King and Monica Niculescu. The Chan sisters, who fell in the quarterfinals 12 months ago, appear equally well-placed to reach the second week.
Since coming so close to tasting Wimbledon glory, Babos and Shvedova have made a couple of solid if unspectacular showings on the North American hardcourt circuit, leaving them relatively fresh for New York. They will begin with a potentially tricky assignment against crowd favorite CiCi Bellis and Julia Boserup.
Also in their section are a number of experience pairings, including Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson, No.8 seeds Julia Goerges and Karolina Pliskova, and two-time major winners Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova.