Insider Podcast: Serena Passes Test
WTA Insider | In the latest Daily Dispatch, hear Italian journalist Luca Baldissera’s take on his compatriot Roberta Vinci as well as a preview of the remaining fourth-round clashes.
WTA Insider | In the latest Daily Dispatch, hear Italian journalist Luca Baldissera’s take on his compatriot Roberta Vinci as well as a preview of the remaining fourth-round clashes.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Who has enjoyed the smoothest passage to the final? What does Angelique Kerber need to do to top the rankings? And just how impressive has Serena Williams’ serving been?
These are just a few of the questions answered in a US Open semifinal edition of wtatennis.com’s By The Numbers.
439 – Karolina Pliskova’s three aces against Ana Konjuh took her tally for the year to a WTA leading 439 from 54 matches.
110 – The average rank of Pliskova’s opponent en route to the last four is 110 (No.243 Sofia Kenin, No.192 Montserrat González, No.92 Ana Konjuh, No.6 Venus Williams and No.18 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova).
84 – Serena’s peerless delivery has helped her win 149 of 177 (84%) points on her first serve – the best percentage of any singles player this fortnight.
74 – Wozniacki is currently ranked No.74 – her lowest position since August 2007. Aside from unranked Kim Clijsters in 2009, Wozniacki is bidding to be the lowest-ranked finalist in US Open history.
60 – Serena has struck more aces, 60, than any other player in the tournament. Kerber, meanwhile, has hit just six.
52 – Kerber’s victory over Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals was her 52nd of the year. This is the most by any player on tour (Simona Halep is her closest competition, with 40 wins).
48 – Wozniacki has won 48 of her 71 meetings with left-handers on tour. Seven of these defeats have come against Kerber, including four on hardcourts. The Dane has, however, won their only two meetings stateside, at Cincinnati (2014) and Indian Wells (2013).
34 – Williams will be aged 34 years and 350 days at the end of the tournament, making her the second-oldest US Open semifinalist in the Open Era, after Billie Jean King in 1979, who was 35 years, 291 days.
33 – Williams is appearing in her 33rd Grand Slam semifinal. For Pliskova it is her very first.
17 – In her 17 previous Grand Slam appearances Pliskova had never reached the second week. The last player to reach a major semifinal having never previously been beyond the third round was Madison Keys at the 2015 Australian Open.
10 – Wozniacki has defeated two Top 10 players (No.9 Madison Keys and No.10 Svetlana Kuznetsova) this fortnight – a feat she had never achieved in 36 previous majors.
7 – Wozniacki is the seventh unseeded player to make the US Open semifinals since the number of seeds was increased to 32 in 2001; the others were Clijsters (2009), Yanina Wickmayer (2009), Kerber (2011), Flavia Pennetta (2013), Peng Shuai (2014) and Vinci (2015).
6 – Pliskova is projected to reach a new career-high ranking of No.6 and could rise as high as No.5 by winning the title.
4 – Williams is bidding to reach all four major finals in the same year for the very first time. The last player to achieve this feat was Justine Henin in 2006.
2 – In her five matches Williams has dropped serve just twice – both coming during her quarterfinal against Halep.
1 – Williams needs to win her semifinal to have a chance of extending her 186-week stay as World No.1. If Kerber advances to the final, Williams will need to win the title to hold on to top spot.
0 – The number of sets Kerber has conceded en route to the semifinals. The last player to win a major without dropping a set was Serena at the 2014 US Open.
And then there were four! Serena Williams will lead a strong quartet of semifinalists into action on Day 11 in New York. Chris Oddo previews the action for wtatennis.com.
WTA Insider | On the latest WTA Insider Live Blog, the quarterfinals conclude at the US Open; can World No.1 Serena Williams overcome an in-form Simona Halep under the lights?
NEW YORK, NY, USA – No.10 seed Karolina Pliskova is into her first Grand Slam semifinal after a commanding victory over 18-year-old Ana Konjuh at the US Open.
Both were making their Grand Slam quarterfinal debut – in fact, neither had been past the third round at any Slam before the fortnight – but experience won out for Pliskova, who had little trouble moving past Konjuh in the 57-minute, 6-2, 6-2 romp.
“I was kind of nervous this morning, before the match,” Pliskova said of playing in her first major quarterfinal. “But always when I get on the court I just forget about everything and I’m not nervous anymore.”
“And I’m just trying to play tennis. Maybe I will think about all what I have been playing last few weeks after the tournament, but right now I just don’t want to, you know, put it in too much inside me. I just want to play.”
.@KaPliskova wins 100% of her first serves en route to a first-set victory over #Konjuh. #usopen @Chase https://t.co/o3RAc1pG59
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2016
The victory is especially affirming for the Czech, who’s been a dangerous player at the WTA level for the past two years since her breakthrough, but could never translate that big game onto the big stage.
“To be honest, the Grand Slams before, I wasn’t feeling bad in any of them,” Pliskova said after her third round press conference, the first time ever she’d reached the second week of a Slam. “But just somehow the game on the court wasn’t the way I wanted it to be.
“I was just a little bit tight, I wasn’t playing my tennis, wasn’t aggressive enough. If I’m not playing my game, I cannot beat those players like this. I cannot be the one who is running.”
Pliskova didn’t need to do much running against Konjuh, the lowest-ranked and youngest player in the quarterfinals. The Czech is famous for her huge serve – in fact she’s been the WTA’s ace leader for two years – but Pliskova kept her biggest weapon reigned in. She hit just three aces, much lower than her eight-a-match average, but was still lethal on serve, winning 92 percent of points behind her first serve during the match – 100 percent in the first set.
The 18-year-old Konjuh also wields a powerful serve, which she showed off during her impressive takedown of Agnieszka Radwanska in the last round. But the Croat struggled to hold onto it against the big-hitting Pliskova, who broke her twice at the outset of the match to go up 4-0 in the first set, then twice at the end of the second.
Pliskova closed out the match with back-to-back aces to reach her first Grand Slam semifinals.
Ace the day! @kapliskova dominates #Konjuh 6-2, 6-2 in just 57 minutes to make her first slam semifinal @mbusa https://t.co/mKjBWbbXqo
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2016
Despite the one-sided loss, Konjuh only takes the positives away from her Grand Slam experience.
“You know, I cannot be sad after all of this,” Konjuh reflected in her post-match press conference. “Good luck to her. She’s having great season so far, and, you know, I’m cheering for her.”
“But overall, I’m happy with my results here. When I came here I could only imagine playing the quarters. I think it’s been a great tournament.”
Pliskova awaits the winner in the night match between Serena Williams and Simona Halep to play for a spot in the final.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Top seed Serena Williams reached her sixth straight US Open semifinal with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win over No.5 seed Simona Halep.
“I feel great. I’m glad I got tested,” she told press after the match. “I think her level really picked up in the second, but I had some opportunities that I didn’t take.
“So what I gather from that is I really could have played better in that second set and maybe had an opportunity to win in straights.
“I think if anything, that’s the biggest silver lining I take.”
Playing the last of the ladies quarterfinals, Serena enjoyed a strong start against Halep, racing out to a 3-0 lead and edging out a long sixth game to take the opening set in just over a half hour. Halep, however, has been playing some of her best tennis this summer with a win at the Rogers Cup and a semifinal showing at the Western & Southern Open, and saved a stunning 12 break points in the second set to level the match on her fifth set point.
Serena began the decider saving a pair of break points of her own, converting the comeback into a 4-1 lead and didn’t look back as she served out her spot in the semifinal in 134 minutes.
“I think there is a huge enjoyment in the three-set matches, but I just feel like you don’t get that appreciation until later. Obviously in the moment you want to win fast and you want to win easy and win in straights. You really feel that appreciation much later.”
In all, the American hit 50 winners to 43 unforced errors, and the serve proved particularly potent on Wednesday night with 18 aces. For her part, Halep kept a positive differential of her own with 20 winners to 17 unforced errors, but was only able to break serve twice in three sets.
“I think it was a good match,” Halep told press. “I played well. I could play better in those moments when I had chances. But I think the level was pretty high.
“I’m ok with the way that I was fighting till the end. It’s something normal now for me, so it’s a good thing. She played really well. She is the best player, so her serve was huge today.
“It was tough. I’m a little bit sad, but I have just to take the positives, because I have a lot going ahead.”
Up next for the World No.1 is No.10 seed and Cincinnati champ Karolina Pliskova, who is playing her first Grand Slam semifinal, in the first match of Thursday’s night session.
“I haven’t even gotten that far yet, actually,” Serena admitted. “I’m still trying to just get over this match. I’m sure Venus will tell me something, but I’ll be there. I’ll be ready tomorrow.”
After over 2 hours of tennis, 18 aces and 50 winners @serenawilliams beats #Halep to move on. #usopen https://t.co/58PNxuxl7t
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 8, 2016
NEW YORK, NY, USA – There is little doubt that in New York Caroline Wozniacki has found a home away from home.
Born in Denmark to Polish parents, like all players, Wozniacki’s professional calling has left little time for setting down roots. However, there is something about the Big Apple that the former World No.1 has found very much to her liking.
Professionally, the city has provided plenty of moments to cherish – most notably runs to the US Open final in 2009 and 2014 – while off the court the Dane moves to a New York beat, attending fashion shows, sports events and even running the marathon.
It is no surprise then that this fortnight on the tennis calendar has coincided with Wozniacki’s return to form.
After a campaign hampered by a nagging ankle injury, Wozniacki has provided a timely reminder of her considerable talents; indeed, counterpunching masterclasses against first Svetlana Kuznetsova and then Madison Keys were as impressive as anything produced during her pomp.
Owner of an apartment in downtown Manhattan, Wozniacki, enjoys home comforts not available to most during the tour’s fortnightly visit to Flushing Meadows.
“I just can cook – or I don’t cook, actually; my mom has been cooking,” Wozniacki told the press after a fourth round upset of No.8 seed Madison Keys. “She does my laundry, as well.”
While many of her rivals jet off to sunnier climes to practice between tournaments, Wozniacki is eager to spend as much time in her adopted home as possible – even if it takes her a little off the beaten track.
“We travel so much, so I don’t get to spend as much time here as I want. But when I’m here lately I have been training at the McEnroe Academy on Randall’s Island. Sometimes I go to the Westside Highway; it’s public courts. They usually let me in and let me in and train for as long as I want. I kind of like being there, because I feel like a proper New Yorker.
“I actually haven’t ever waited [for a court] because people have been so sweet that they’ve let me in. But if I had to wait, I would. What can I do? I have to follow the rules, right?”
Her past accomplishments and ties to the city ensure Wozniacki is never left wanting for support. In fact, aided by the sizeable Polish expatriate community, even against American No.3 Keys, Wozniacki was a popular winner. “Well, there are a lot of Polish people living here. Obviously there is a big fan base from Poland here.
“I was born in Denmark and feel Danish, but I have some Polish blood in me. It’s nice I can take the best of both worlds. Also I have a big part of the New York crowd with me. It’s a great combination here.”
A segment of these same fans will be torn, though, when she steps on court for her next match, a semifinal against World No.2 Angelique Kerber. Like Wozniacki, Kerber, whose father is Polish, has close links to the motherland, where she trains and owns a house.
Down the years, the two have engaged in several titanic struggles – Kerber edges the head-to-head, 7-5 – and Wozniacki is expecting more of the same on Thursday. “We are similar in that we are both hard working. I think that, you know, hard work pays off. She’s obviously very passionate. She loves what she’s doing and it shows.
“Obviously I have had tough matches against her in the past. She’s a great competitor. She looks fit, so it’s going to be a tough one.”
NEW YORK, NY, USA – CoCo Vandeweghe enjoyed a productive afternoon, winning alongside first Martina Hingis, then Rajeev Ram, to keep alive her bid for doubles silverware on two fronts.
After a slow start to the tournament, Vandeweghe and Hingis are improving with each match, and against quarterfinal foes Katerina Siniakova and Barbora Krejcikova produced their most accomplished performance yet, romping home, 6-1, 6-2.
Breaks at the starts of both sets set the No.6 seeds on their way, running their young Czech rivals ragged for the little over an hour spent on court.
“I felt that we always had potential,” Hingis said. “It was just question of being solid for entire sets and entire matches, so it was nice to be able to hold that for 90 minutes today. I feel like my role is almost trying to get her to calm down and make her realize that even a shot with 80% of what she’s capable of is still a damn good shot.
“When you change partners, everybody gets excited. It gives you new energy and new motivation. That’s what keeps you going. I love the challenge. Matches like today that are almost perfect; why wouldn’t you keep going?”
CoCo Vandeweghe is bonding with new partner Hingis (and her vintage hairstyle). BASELINE: https://t.co/LnRqaGhoJA pic.twitter.com/YhOeQy7zfI
— TENNIS.com (@Tennis) September 7, 2016
A tougher test is sure to lie ahead in the semifinals, where they take on Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic, who booked their spot courtesy of a 7-6(3), 6-1 victory the previous day over Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova.
On the other side of the draw, former champions and No.5 seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina take on Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova.
The swiftness of her first outing afforded Vandeweghe the luxury of a longer break ahead of teaming up with Ram to defeat Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Robert Farah in a more taxing mixed doubles semifinal, 7-6(4), 6-4.
In the final the American dup will face Laura Siegemund and Mate Pavic, 7-6(5), 7-5 winners over Chan Yung-Jan and Nenad Zimonjic.
DALIAN, China – Jana Cepelova ended Peng Shuai’s campaign at the Dalian Women’s Tennis Open at the first hurdle after a three-set win on Wednesday.
Watch live streaming from Dalian all week right here.
In a closely fought encounter, No.6 seed Cepelova held her nerve during a tense conclusion to close out a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory in a fraction over two hours.
Exactly two years ago, Peng produced some of the best tennis of her career to reach the semifinals of the US Open. However, since then success has been thin on the ground after a debilitating back problem forced her to miss nearly all of 2015.
Progress since her return has been slow, struggling for wins away from the ITF Circuit. Against Cepelova she had her chances, threatening to get edge ahead in the deciding set only to surrender the solitary break in the seventh game.
Elsewhere, there were wins for Cepelova’s fellow seeds, Wang Qiang, Duan Ying-Ying and Tamira Paszek. Top seed Wang withstood a late rally to defeat Nigina Abduraimova, 6-4, 7-6(4), while Duan, the No.3 seed, provided further home cheer with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Sara Sorribes Tormo.
No.4 seed Paszek was pushed even harder, but finished strongly to see off You Xiaodi, 7-5, 5-7, 6-1.
The American flag flies over Arthur Ashe Stadium – and its brand new retractable roof.
Johanna Konta fought through the shadows under the new courts.
Simona Halep tore through the draw on the way to her second straight US Open quarterfinal.
Agnieszka Radwanska was one of four women who started the tournament with a shot at the WTA World No.1 ranking.
Caroline Wozniacki loves New York City, and the city loves her: the two-time finalist revitalized her season at the US Open.
Last year’s finalist Roberta Vinci is a big hit, too, signing autographs for fans after her match.
Players and fans wrote goodbye messages to Louis Armstrong Stadium, which hosted its last scheduled match this year after 39 years.
Venus Williams surprised fans at an on-site event, hitting a few tennis balls on court and answering fan questions.
She’s back! Caroline Wozniacki returned to the US Open semifinals after an emphatic win over Anastasija Sevastova.
As day turned to evening the grounds were packed in preparation for the US Open night session.
Inside the stadium, the stars were out in full force to support their favorite players, including Beyoncé, who was in Serena Williams’ box cheering on the No.1.
But with Garbiñe Muguruza and Agnieszka Radwanska bowing out early, Angelique Kerber has a big chance to dethrone Serena at the top spot.
Kerber zoomed past an ailing Roberta Vinci to reach the semifinals.
Anastasija Sevastova’s Cinderella run to the US Open quarterfinals made lots of headlines…
…as did 18-year-old Ana Konjuh’s.
Konjuh was the author of one of the biggest upsets of the tournament when she knocked out Radwanska in the fourth round.
Things move fast in New York City, and after almost two weeks of action we see familiar faces emerge among the surprises.
Steady as always, Serena marches in historic fashion, aiming for a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title.
But World No.2 Kerber has just one goal in mind, and she inches closer and closer to it with every win.
As the sun sets over Flushing Meadows, will we see a new WTA World No.1 at the end of the fornight?