Muguruza Makes Night Session Debut
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!
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.
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.
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.
Venus Williams: Improves to 18-0 in US Open 1st round. Only Chris Evert (19-0) has a better record in the 1st round at US Open (Open Era)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) 30 August 2016
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.”
WTA Insider | On the second day of the WTA Insider Live Blog, the top half of the draw begin their US Open campaigns, including Simona Halep and Serena Williams.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – The 2016 US Open is well underway after Madison Keys took Day 1 all the way into the latest finish for a women’s match in tournament history.
But before Keys thrilled the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, there was plenty of tennis on the menu. No.2 seed Angelique Kerber and No.3 seed Garbiñe Muguruza each played first round matches that fell on opposite ends of the difficulty spectrum, while a reflective No.9 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova booked a second round clash with former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki for what will be their 13th meeting in a tense head-to-head.
2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic is also on the line to discuss her tough season, and her hopes for what’s to come. It’s all here on the first Daily Dispatch from Flushing Meadows; check it out below!
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NEW YORK, NY, USA – Earlier today, No.26 seed Ana Ivanovic was stunned in straight sets by Czech player Denisa Allertova 7-6(4), 6-1 in her opening match at the US Open.
It was Ivanovic’s fourth first-round loss in a row in a season marked by early exits and a drop in ranking.
After a fantastic couple of seasons in 2014 and 2015 – which saw Ivanovic get back into the Top 10 following a spate of injuries and return to the French Open semifinals – the former No.1 is down to No.31, and the last semifinal she’s reached came in February at St. Petersburg.
Following the latest in a string of disappointing results, Ivanovic was asked directly in her post-match press conference if she had any plans to retire.
Here’s what she answered:
“No, not at all. I just need to really see why is this happening, you know. Because, I mean, I had struggles throughout my career; I had some tough times. This is not the first time I’m going through this.
“It just hurts because I know what I invested.”
Earlier in the week, Ivanovic told WTA Insider of her frustrating 2016 season and what she considers one of her lowest moments: losing in straight sets to qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round of Wimbledon after weeks of putting in hard work at the gym and on the courts.
“I’ve really felt, always, that if you put the hard work in, it will give results,” she told the WTA Insider Podcast. “But now, I feel like I’ve been putting in so much hard work in, but the results just haven’t been coming in the matches.
“It’s always a process, but also a Catch-22. Because, to win matches you need confidence, but to get confidence you need to win matches. So that’s a little bit where I’m at.”
Despite the disappointments she’s suffered this year, Ivanovic embraces the tough moments and bad luck, viewing them as just another facet in her long career.
Another Ivanovic trait? Finding her way back.
“I really haven’t been lucky in my career,” Ivanovic said. “I always felt like I had to go through hard work, and I had to do it all myself.
“And in a way, I’m proud of it. Because I know that I actually deserve whatever I’ve achieved. Because everything was a product of hard work, nothing was just given to me.”
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NEW YORK, NY, USA – No.5 seed Simona Halep got her US Open campaign off to a flying start, dropping just two games in her dominating hour-long romp over Kirsten Flipkens, 6-0, 6-2.
“It was a tough match, because for me the first round of a tournament is always tough,” Halep said. “I started pretty well, I played my game today. I had enough time to do what I wanted.”
“I’d give it less than a 9,” she added, a joking nod to the legendary Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci who watched on from her box.
Despite the humble self-evaluation, the numbers revealed just how dominant her performance was. Halep won almost double the points that Flipkens did – 60 to 35 – and twice as many winners, 22 to Flipkens’ 11. She also won 80% of the points at the net, and converted six of her 10 break point chances, against Flipkens’ one of three.
No. 5 seed @Simona_Halep with an easy win to move on to the second round. #usopen https://t.co/ILfNrpKLyd @Chase https://t.co/XgtT1ow7aV
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 30, 2016
Halep had all the answers to Flipkens’ tricky all court game and backhand slice during the 61-minute encounter. She credited the insight from her coach, Darren Cahill, as a key in her game plan.
“When we found out that I play against Flipkens, he had a very good slice and he trained me very well,” she said. “So today it was very easy to play against this slice.”
Flipkens avoided the dreaded double bagel by grabbing a late break at 6-0, 5-0 to get on board in the second set. She took advantage of a couple of nervy points from the Romanian as her opponent’s nerves crept into her game.
“I played pretty well ’til the end, but you know, sometimes even if you have experience you are too nervous to finish the match. I just tried to stay focused,” Halep told ESPN’s Rennae Stubbs after the match.
The Romanian righted the ship in the end and coasted into the second round with ease. She’ll play French Open finalist Lucie Safarova next, after the Czech scored a 6-4, 6-4 win over Daria Gavrilova.
What an impressive @Simona_Halep that was today.. I even think I didnt play bad at all! Well done and good luck is all that I can say
— Kirsten Flipkens (@FlipperKF) August 30, 2016
No.4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska dropped just two games against American qualifier Jessica Pegula to ease into the second round at the US Open.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Tied at six matches apiece, the rivalry between Svetlana Kuznetsova and Caroline Wozniacki is among the most underrated in tennis.
Meeting for the 13th time in the second round of this year’s US Open, the pair differs in almost every way. The Russian’s power game contrasts the Dane’s wall-like defenses. Kuznetsova’s flashes of brilliances have been rewarded with two Grand Slam titles, while Wozniacki’s maddening consistency earned her the No.1 ranking for 67 weeks – the ninth largest total in WTA history.
Two of their most high-profile meetings have come in Flushing Meadows; the first was all the way back in 2009, when Kuznetsova was a reigning French Open winner, while Wozniacki was a star on the rise. The Dane took the match in three tense sets to make it all the way to her first major final. Two years later, it was Wozniacki who was on top of the world, taking on a feisty veteran Kuznetsova, who was eager to earn her way back into the upper echelons in the game.
“She’s been playing well, and we’ve had a lot of grueling matches, like 7-6 and 7-5 in the third,” Wozniacki told press after her first round win over Taylor Townsend. “It’s a match I’m looking forward to. I’m just going to have fun out there and enjoy every moment.”
“It’s another match,” Kuznetsova echoed after her 6-1, 6-2 victory against Francesca Schiavone. “She’s a great opponent, a great player. It’s going to be another tough one. I just have to go out there and play my best; that’s it.”
The tides have turned yet again, and Kuznetsova is back in the Top 10 with her best season since 2009 already in the books, while Wozniacki is at a nine-year low at No.74 after months of injury woes.
“It hasn’t been a good season, because I’ve been injured for most of it,” Wozniacki mused. “That’s something you can’t really do much about other than keep working and keep trying to get your body in check. I’m just happy to be here and happy to get another match.”
Wozniacki christened the new Grandstand court with a titanic match against Townsend, who battled through three rounds of qualies and was a set away from unseating the former No.1.
“It was really difficult, with her lefty spin serves. I like to say I’m one of the better returners on tour, but that did not show and so that was really frustrating. Once we kind of got going in the rally, I felt ok, but I’m just happy to be here.
“It was a little windy, and I wasn’t sure which way the wind was going, but I was just like, ‘Ok, especially on the return, just get it in – anywhere!'”
The gambles paid off against the young American, but an even tougher test looms against Kuznetsova, who defeated her in straight sets just two months ago at Wimbledon.
“I don’t take much from Wimbledon, to be honest. Hardcourts are a completely different game. At this point, I’m just happy when I’m healthy, and that’s been my focus this year, just trying to get back healthy and feeling 100% body-wise. It’s been a struggle, and I feel like I’m there now, and make the most of it for the rest of the year.”
Kuznetsova can relate to ups and downs; she calls them a career.
“Tennis players, we get affected by the press, by the people, by the parents, by the country, and by the federation. What you start to learn is to not be affected by the idea that everyone wants something from you, because I’m not a dollar. There’s no way everyone’s going to like me!
“I’ve had to get comfortable within myself, and so if you don’t like me, it’s not my problem. I’m trying to be a better person to everyone else, and a better player every day. That’s important for me, and I just leave other things behind that I cannot change. I was letting myself down because of the expectations of other people, but it’s more important for me not to let down my own expectations.
“When you start to focus on that, you get a different perspective of everything.”
It’s a perspective she’ll need to earn the winning edge in their storied head-to-head, but not one that can be earned overnight.
“It’s all about work, day by day. That’s why I said, I can’t let myself down, because if you let down after you lose, you miss a good strike of days. Days count by days and accumulate, and then you get better. It’s many days of work, and not one day, where I had a dream or something.”
Kuznetsova and Wozniacki play for a spot in the third round on Wednesday.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.