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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.

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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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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Three tournaments into a comeback from wrist surgery, Madison Keys isn’t one to back down from a challenge.

Keys took a tough three-set loss to fellow American and Charleston native Shelby Rogers on Wednesday at the Volvo Car Open and, as has become her post-match ritual, began exposing a series of abusive tweets she received from cyberbullies on her official Twitter account.

“I can take criticism,” she writes in one response. “Telling me to go die is taking it too far.”

The American often uses her signature mix of emojis and sarcasm to disempower the insults hurled her way, but Keys isn’t just doing this for herself. A FearlesslyGIRL Ambassador, Keys aims to take a global stand against cyberbullying, shining a light on something that fellow athletes often suffer through in silence.

“I’ve taken a stance where we can have different opinions,” Keys said this week in Charleston’s All-Access Hour, “but as long as we can talk respectfully and we can have a conversation that doesn’t turn into an argument, I think that’s a big thing that I’m trying to do.

“The world has gotten very negative in very different ways and especially on social media, when you click on something, the comments are individually very negative.

“I think trying to bring more positivity to the world is very important.”

Read more from Keys below and check out the trailer for her Tennis Channel special airing Saturday, April 8 at noon ET.

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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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Garcia & Mladenovic Oust Defending Champ

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Fresh off qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic recovered from an early deficit to defeat World No.1 Sania Mirza and new partner Barbora Strycova, 7-6(3), 6-1, and reach the semifinals of the US Open.

The French duo and Roland Garros winners became the second team to qualify for the WTA Finals this morning after then-Co-No.1s Mirza and Martina Hingis, who announced their split earlier this summer. Mirza held onto the top spot by defeating Hingis and new partner CoCo Vandeweghe in the final of the Western & Southern Open; she and Strycova appeared on course for a similarly impressive win over Garcia and Mladenovic when they raced out to a 5-2 first set lead.

But the top seeds wouldn’t be denied, saving two set points at 5-3 and going on to win 11 of the final 13 games of the match on Grandstand to reach their second major semifinal of the season.

“We’re obviously very excited to go back to Singapore for the second year in a row, and this time with my countrywoman and teammate,” Mladenovic told WTA Insider in a forthcoming interview for the WTA Insider Podcast. “It’s a nice story that we qualified together after being with different partners last year. It was one of our main goal this year when we joined forces.

“It’s such a privilege to qualify because only the best of the best get to go.”

Garcia and Mladenovic could play the other half of the team formerly known as Santina, as the last quarterfinal yet to be played is between No.6 seeded Hingis and Vandeweghe and rising Czech stars Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova, who ended Hingis and Mirza’s hopes of a Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam back at the French Open.

“I think when we spoke about playing together this year, we felt it was a good moment because individually we were good doubles players,” Garcia said. “We were in Singapore last year, so that means we’re ok! When we started the year and made the final in Sydney, it was good for our confidence for our first week playing together. We didn’t win right away, but we were still working on our timing and things got better and better.”

Joining the Frenchwomen in the semifinals were No.5 seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, who won a 13th straight match by taking out No.13 seeds and Slovenians Andreja Klepac and Katarina Srebotnik in straight sets, and No.12 seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova; last year’s Australian and French Open winners ended the miracle run of American wildcards Asia Muhammad and Taylor Townsend, 6-1, 6-2.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

CHARLESTON, SC, USA – The unseeded Jelena Ostapenko put together a dominating performance to oust 2011 champion Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets and move into the Volvo Car Open semifinals.

At 19 years old and ranked No.66, Charleston-debutante Ostapenko was the youngest and lowest-ranked player left in the draw. But she backed up her results to reach the second Premier-level semifinal of her career with the 6-2, 6-4 victory.

It feels amazing to be in the semis here,” Ostapenko told press after the match. “First time I’m in Charleston, and today was a tough match because Caroline is such a great player.

“I just tried, and I think it was not bad.”

Ostapenko was dictating from the start against the former World No.1, fearlessly changing the direction of the ball and firing off winners from every angle. After an edgy few opening games as both players acclimated to the tricky, windy conditions, it was the Latvian who kicked into gear, breaking three times to reel off six games in a row and snatch up the opening set and start the second with a break to the good.

Wozniacki earned the break straight back with some rock-solid returning, but found herself down again a couple of games later as Ostapenko outpaced her to bring up a 3-2 lead. Wozniacki saved three match points as the teenager served for the match – she was even a point away from making it 5-5 – but Ostapenko wouldn’t be denied. She kept up the pressure and broke through Wozniacki’s defense, booking her spot into the Charleston semifinals after an hour and twenty-six minutes.

I just knew before the match that I have to stay aggressive all the time and still be consistent,” Ostapenko explained. “And I tried not to step back, just to be like play in the court all the shots.And I think that’s helped me today.”

Despite winning just 51% of her first serve points, the Latvian backed it up by firing 40 winners against Wozniacki’s 14, outweighing her 26 unforced errors to Wozniacki’s six. And the Dane will surely rue her missed opportunities – she only converted one of the five break chances she created, while Ostapenko converted four of eight.

I really tried my best out there,” Wozniacki reflected in post-match press. “I was trying to grind everything down. I tried to change the pace when I had the opportunity, but I mean if she played like this every day, then she would be No.1 in the world.

“She really played well. She went for her shots. Everything was going in. She was hitting the lines. Everything that could go her way today was going her way.

“All I could do today was try my best, try my hardest to fight and try and get somewhat of a grip on it, but you know, it is what it is sometimes.”

The loss also denies Wozniacki a return to the upper echelon of the WTA rankings – she needed to reach at least the Charleston semifinals to guarantee herself a spot inside the Top 10.

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Serena Survives Halep In US Open Epic

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

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.”

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