New Haven: Kvitova vs Makarova
Petra Kvitova takes on Ekaterina Makarova in the quarterfinals of the Connecticut Open.
Petra Kvitova takes on Ekaterina Makarova in the quarterfinals of the Connecticut Open.
This year the US Open is looking to make rain delays a thing of the past, having finally unveiled a retractable roof over the world’s largest tennis venue, Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It was a massive undertaking requiring two years under construction, and it was inaugurated a few weeks ago just in time for this year’s final Grand Slam.
CNN Open Court gives you some fast facts on everything you need to know about Arthur Ashe Stadium’s new retractable roof.
Elina Svitolina takes on Elena Vesnina in the quarterfinals of the Connecticut Open.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – With defending champion Flavia Pennetta retiring from tennis at the end of last season, there will be a new champion in Flushing Meadows this year. But will it be a familiar face? Top seed Serena Williams comes into the US Open seeking her seventh title, a record-breaking 23rd major crown, while several former champions loom in the draw as well, like Samantha Stosur, Venus Williams, and Svetlana Kuznetsova. But with the No.1 ranking also at stake, will fellow top seeds Angelique Kerber, Garbiñe Muguruza and Agnieszka Radwanska make their mark?
Read on to delve into the US Open résumés of all the Top 16 seeds…
1. Serena Williams (USA)
17th appearance (84-10)
Best result: Champion (2001-2002, 2008, 2012-2014)
Best Grand Slam result: Champion (22): 1999 US Open, 2002 French Open, 2002 Wimbledon, 2002 US Open, 2003 Australian Open, 2003 Wimbledon, 2005 Australian Open, 2007 Australian Open, 2008 US Open, 2009 Australian Open, 2009 Wimbledon, 2010 Australian Open, 2010 Wimbledon, 2012 Wimbledon, 2012 US Open, 2013 French Open, 2013 US Open, 2014 US Open, 2015 Australian Open, 2015 French Open, 2015 Wimbledon, 2016 Wimbledon
2. Angelique Kerber (GER)
9th appearance (16-8)
Best result: Semifinal (2011)
Best Grand Slam result: Champion (1): 2016 Australian Open
3. Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP)
4th appearance (1-3)
Best result: Second round (2015)
Best Grand Slam result: Champion (1): 2016 French Open
4. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
11th appearance (19-10)
Best result: Fourth round (2007-2008, 2012-2013)
Best Grand Slam result: Final (1): 2012 Wimbledon
5. Simona Halep (ROU)
7th appearance (12-6)
Best result: Semifinal (2015)
Best Grand Slam result: Final (1): 2014 French Open
6. Venus Williams (USA)
17th appearance (69-15)
Best result: Champion (2000-2001)
Best Grand Slam result: Champion (7): 2000 Wimbledon, 2000 US Open, 2001 Wimbledon, 2001 US Open, 2005 Wimbledon, 2007 Wimbledon, 2008 Wimbledon
7. Roberta Vinci (ITA)
14th appearance (19-13)
Best result: Final (2015)
Best Grand Slam result: Final (1): 2015 US Open
8. Madison Keys (USA)
5th appearance (5-4)
Best result: Fourth round (2015)
Best Grand Slam result: Semifinal (1): 2015 Australian Open
9. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
14th appearance (33-12)
Best result: Champion (2004)
Best Grand Slam result: Champion (2): 2004 US Open, 2009 French Open
10. Karolina Pliskova (CZE)
4th appearance (2-3)
Best result: Third round (2014)
Best Grand Slam result: Third round (3): 2014 US Open, 2015 Australian Open, 2016 Australian Open
11. Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP)
9th appearance (11-8)
Best result: Quarterfinal (2013)
Best Grand Slam result: Quarterfinal (5): 2008 French Open, 2009 Australian Open, 2013 US Open, 2014 French Open, 2016 Australian Open
12. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)
9th appearance (12-8)
Best result: Quarterfinal (2010)
Best Grand Slam result: Final (1): 2014 Australian Open
13. Johanna Konta (GBR)
4th appearance (4-3)
Best result: Fourth round (2015)
Best Grand Slam result: Semifinal (1): 2016 Australian Open
14. Petra Kvitova (CZE)
9th appearance (16-8)
Best result: Quarterfinal (2015)
Best Grand Slam result: Champion (2): 2011 Wimbledon, 2014 Wimbledon
15. Timea Bacsinszky (SUI)
8th appearance (4-7)
Best result: Third round (2008)
Best Grand Slam result: Semifinal (1): 2015 French Open
16. Samantha Stosur (AUS)
13th appearance (21-11)
Best result: Champion (2011)
Best Grand Slam result: Champion (1): 2011 US Open
Johanna Larsson takes on Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals of the Connecticut Open.
New York City is a never-ending source of inspiration, so it was not hard for Nike to create a stunning collection for the final Grand Slam of the season. Vibrant colors are often an integral part of the US Open tennis clothes, as the host city’s vibrancy asks for lively designs with energizing pops of color. Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will present the new apparel Nike created for the most fashionable tennis tournament.
Having retained her number one ranking, Serena Williams is ready to continue to fight for it at the US Open, on top of being a leading candidate for claiming the top spot in the list of best dressed players at Flushing Meadows.
The predominant black of the American’s NikeCourt Power Dress reflects the glamor of the metropolis, while the exposed peeks of hyper pink in the pleats mimic the city’s neon lights. The dress also comes in white with pink highlights.
When it comes to performance, Nike paid special attention to equipping players for hot and humid summer days that hit the US Open, creating an engineered knit construction that combats the difficult weather conditions.
Madison Keys’ performance will be supported by lightweight mesh breathable material and perforated fabric of her NikeCourt Dry Slam Tank that pairs with the NikeCourt Flex Victory Skirt.
Pops of volt applied in a modern gradient way perfectly match the energy of the tournament, while skinny racerback and all-around knife pleats ensure optimal range of motion. Moreover, ultimate comfort is provided by the skirt’s built-in compression short and the option of choosing between two lengths.
On-court action is not everything there is to the US Open, so for all the work behind the scenes Nike created the practice collection. It includes the NikeCourt Baseline Tank equipped with Dri-FIT technology to keep players dry and comfortable, and the NikeCourt Baseline Short that comes in a wide variety of colors and features built-in knit jersey compression short, woven outer short with side vents, as well as tonal knit jersey side panel for enhanced mobility.
An interview with Agnieszka Radwanska after her win in the quarterfinal of the Connecticut Open.
An interview with Petra Kvitova after her win in the quarterfinals of the Connecticut Open.
An interview with Johanna Larsson after her win in the quarterfinals of the Connecticut Open.
NEW HAVEN, CT, USA – Defending champion Petra Kvitova kept her bid for a fourth Connecticut Open title firmly on track as she powered past Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-2 to book a spot in the quarterfinals.
Watch live action from New Haven this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Much like in her previous match, it took a few games for Kvitova to get going and find her rhythm against Bouchard. The Czech surrendered the first break to give Bouchard a 3-1 lead in the first set. But losing serve first just served to galvanize the No.6 seed, who broke back immediately and reeled off 10 straight games to put herself up a set and 5-0.
Kvitova closed out the match after just over an hour and advanced to her fifth consecutive New Haven quarterfinal. It was also Kvitova’s tenth win in a row in New Haven, improving her record at the tournament to an impressive 17-2.
With the win Kvitova sets up a quarterfinal clash with Ekaterina Makarova, an opponent she’s all too familiar with. This will be the fourth time they’ll have met this year, with Makarova owning wins at Miami and Wimbledon and Kvitova getting her revenge at the Olympic tennis event in Rio.
“I feel like I meet Ekaterina every week, it’s really funny,” Kvitova said of the matchup. “I remember one year we played here as well and I beat her. So I hope that I can take some of the good memories from here and try to play my best again.”
Fencing with water bottles is how we recover ? See you tomorrow @connecticutopen ? pic.twitter.com/3X6HrKIxjQ
— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) August 25, 2016