Kerber Kicks Off US Open Weekend
WTA Insider | Angelique Kerber headlined Friday night while young Americans Madison Keys and Catherine Bellis fought for glory in the latest WTA Insider Live Blog.
WTA Insider | Angelique Kerber headlined Friday night while young Americans Madison Keys and Catherine Bellis fought for glory in the latest WTA Insider Live Blog.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Overcoming a tough second round match, No.13 seed Johanna Konta rebounded well to dismiss No.24 seed Belinda Bencic, 6-2, 6-1, to reach the fourth round of the US Open for the second year in a row.
“I feel good,” she told press after the match. “I feel well enough to play. I’m really happy with how I was able to just really focus on the match at hand and the work at hand and then put all else out of my mind.”
Konta suffered from a scary case of dizziness en route to beating Tsvetana Pironkova on Wednesday, but faced no such issues on the new Grandstand court. The Brit broke serve five times without facing a break point herself, hitting eight aces and winning 19 of 20 points behind her first serve.
No. 13 seed @JoKonta91 fires home 15 winners to help her take the first set over #Bencic. #usopen @Chase https://t.co/nfFkPTJHol
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2016
Bencic was playing in her third event since Wimbledon, where she retired due to a left wrist injury, but was undone by 13 unforced errors to just six from her highter ranked opponent. Konta has been close to breaking into the Top 10 since the middle of the summer thanks to a year of impressive results, and will be aiming to reach her second major quarterfinal of the season – her first at Flushing Meadows.
“I do love the US Open. I do have a lot of firsts here. It was the first time I got to qualify into the main draw. It was the first slam I went deeper in, as well. I definitely think the US Open has got its own vibe, its own organized chaos. I think there is a lot of enjoyments players take from that.
“I think if you can stay focused on the work at hand here, you can make it anywhere,” she said with a laugh, quoting Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.”
Standing in her way will be Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova, who backed up her big win over No.3 seed Garbiñe Muguruza with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over 2009 quarterfinalist Kateryna Bondarenko. Sevastova, who retired in 2013 only to make a successful return to the game two years later, had never beaten her fellow comeback kid, who led by a break to start their match on Court 17 before Sevastova caught fire once more.
“I have played her once before actually in my first Australian Open qualifying, so I do know her and I have been on court with her. That was a number of years ago. She’s obviously playing very good tennis. She is a very good player. I have a lot of respect for her.
“Hopefully we’ll have a good match.”
#Sevastova catapults herself into the fourth round, beating #Bondarenko 6-4, 6-1. #usopen https://t.co/QgJyDU5ykA pic.twitter.com/UZDMlP3NGE
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2016
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Caroline Wozniacki’s US Open revival gathered further momentum as she brushed aside Monica Niculescu to reach the fourth round.
Having arrived at Flushing Meadows with little form to speak of, Wozniacki has been one of the stories of the opening week, following up her upset of No.9 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova with another impressive showing. The two-time finalist dissected Niculescu’s unorthodox game to win, 6-3, 6-1.
As she did against Kuznetsova, the Dane delivered a tidy performance, her sprightly movement betraying no signs of the ankle injury that sidelined her for much of the spring. After trading a couple of early breaks, Wozniacki struck again to edge 3-1 ahead, maintaining this advantage – despite a fraught final service game – to close out the set.
The Romanian had failed to take a set from Wozniacki in their six previous meetings and never looked like breaking this spell, quickly slipping 3-0 behind. With the former No.1 prevailing in the battle of wills from the baseline match point soon arrived, Niculescu surrendering as a drop shot drifted tamely wide.
See you next week @CaroWozniacki! She's into round four after a straight-set victory vs. #Niculescu. #usopen @Chase https://t.co/yLiBQzy6JP
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) 2 September 2016
“I think it’s fun to play against her but also really frustrating because she makes you feel like you can’t play tennis,” Wozniacki said. “You have to be mentally prepared to grind it out. It wasn’t pretty, but I got a good workout running after her drop shots. I just need to step in and hit the ball and go for it. Otherwise, I have no chance.”
Meeting Wozniacki for a place in the quarterfinals will be Madison Keys, who kept alive hopes of a maiden Grand Slam title by producing what she described as the comeback of her career. Trailing Naomi Osaka 5-1 in the final set, the No.8 seed looked dead and buried only to capitalize on some finishing line nerves to somehow turn the match around.
Serving for the match at 5-2, Osaka missed a presentable forehand volley that left her fighting back the tears. And while she regrouped admirably to force a tie-break, her moment had passed, Keys powering towards a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(3) victory.
“Was that the greatest comeback of your career?”
“For sure, hands down.” –Madison Keys #usopen— Nick McCarvel (@NickMcCarvel) September 2, 2016
NEW YORK, NY, USA – No.2 seed Angelique Kerber closed out a drama-free Friday night with a 6-1, 6-1 win over American qualifier Catherine Bellis to reach the second week of the US Open in 55 minutes.
“It was a great atmosphere,” she said after the match. “I mean, the fans and the crowd, it’s just amazing. Of course, to playing against an American, it was really special.
“I was enjoying playing tonight out there.”
In pole position to become the first German to become No.1 in the world since Stefanie Graf in 1997, the reigning Australian Open champion put on a masterclass for Bellis, the tournament’s most impressive young talent.
Bellis backed up her breakthrough week in 2014, where she became the youngest woman to win a match at the US Open in 18 years, by making it through qualifying and notching solid wins over Viktorija Golubic and Shelby Rogers to earn her best-ever Grand Slam finish.
“She’s a great young, really talented player. For sure she will have a great future. I’m really sure it will be a good one.”
What champions are made of: No. 2 @AngeliqueKerber grounds 17-yo CiCi #Bellis, 6-1, 6-1 to move into R16. #usopen pic.twitter.com/FWSlVQbWSi
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 3, 2016
But Kerber proved a bridge too far for Bellis as the German hit 17 winners to 18 unforced errors, not only dictating play but also playing the cleaner match compared to Bellis, who hit 11 winners and 21 unforced errors.
“I think it’s important to my game, being aggressive, but also being defensive. Your opponent’s playing sometimes really aggressive, so there are different ways to win. You have to play your own game. This is what I’m trying.”
Up next for the World No.2 is a former No.2 in Petra Kvitova, as the No.14 seed survived a second set surge to dispatch No.22 seed Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 6-4, earlier in the day on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“Petra with a three, it’s not working so far, which is good,” the Czech said after the match, jokingly referring to her P3tra nickname derived from her tendency to play three-setters. “I’m saving some energy.
“The important is the win. But of course, with saving energy it’s always better.”
Kvitova was two games from victory after racing out to a set and 4-0 lead, but Svitolina, a Connecticut Open finalist, won four games of her own to level the set.
“It was a little difficult at the end of the second set. It was a big fight, the last game.”
.@Petra_Kvitova puts up a strong finish to move into the fourth round. #usopen https://t.co/W2Cj4b1yx6 pic.twitter.com/ls5yP24MZH
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2016
Petra Kvitova has cut a relaxed figure so far at the US Open. So relaxed, in fact, that she is trialing an unconventional approach to practice.
The US Open has undergone more than a few changes in the last year, and while the majority of players have given the improvements two thumbs up, few have been as effusive in their praise as Monica Niculescu.
“We have stands everywhere,” Niculescu told WTA Insider after her first round win over Babora Strycova. “We have Hawkeye on Court 5; it’s incredible. I haven’t played under the roof yet, but it looks great. We even have more money on the badge to eat! So I’m happy.
“I love Manhattan. If you’re out at 1AM, there are still people out on the street, having fun. There are all the shops on Fifth Avenue. I love New York, and I love the US Open; it’s the best, and I’m happy I can do well here.”
Niculescu has done very well thus far at the US Open; unseeded and ranked No.58, the Romanian recovered from a second set hiccup to knock out Strycova, seeded No.18, and raced out to a 6-0, 5-0 lead before ultimately dispatching compatriot Ana Bogdan in straight sets.
“I wasn’t happy about the draw, what can I say? Strycova had some great results before the US Open; she beat Stosur in Cincinnati and had a great match against Kerber. I knew it was going to be a tough one, and that’s why I’m happy about my game.”
Her signature slicing and dicing will face its biggest test yet as she opens Day 5 on Arthur Ashe Stadium against two-time finalist and former No.1 Carolina Wozniacki. The Dane has won all five of their previous encounters in straight sets, but the pair haven’t played since 2013. Plus, Niculescu has a secret weapon.
“There are many Romanians here,” she said when asked about the voracious crowd support. “They come to New York all the time.”
She also had the opportunity to play doubles with World No.1 Sania Mirza just last week at the Connecticut Open. An impressive doubles player in her own right, winning three titles with three different partners in 2016, the former World No.28 considered the week with Mirza to have been an absolute masterclass.
“It was amazing. Listen, I learned so much from that week, and she gave me so many tips on how to play certain girls and how to see the game. She has so much power and it was so nice to play with her; she was hitting so big and I just had to go to the net and do my stuff. I learned so many things. I want to thank her for playing with me, and I felt fantastic. I’m hoping to play again, when I can with her, because it was great.
“I think the doubles helped me a lot. I came here, played very good tennis, and that’s because I had so many matches in New Haven. It was difficult, and I had so many important moments; in doubles, you have to stay focused, and I think it helped me so much.”
Some retail therapy might also help ready the Romanian for her first trip to the US Open second week since 2011.
“It’s sad, but the thing I love doing most in New York is shopping. I love shopping, and I cannot wait to relax and do that.”
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Two summers ago a 15-year-old CiCi Bellis captured the imagination of the New York public by becoming the youngest player in nearly two decades to win a match at the US Open.
Back at Flushing Meadows, she is once again the talk of the town, producing some fearless tennis to make her way through to the third round. The prize money for reaching this juncture – where she will face No.2 seed Angelique Kerber on Friday evening – is $140,000. However, the American, who has verbally agreed to accept a tennis scholarship to Stanford University, must forfeit these winnings if she is to maintain her college eligibility.
NCAA rules do permit money for travel expenses, providing the Californian with some welcome perks: “I just moved up to a regular suite,” she said after her second-round win over Shelby Rogers. “Maybe the presidential suite this time.”
Bellis is sure to receive overwhelming crowd support when she steps on Arthur Ashe to face Kerber. Among their number will be one particularly vocal contingent, who have followed the 17-year-old every step of the way since her run began in last week’s qualifying competition.
“They came out to first-round qualifying and have been to every single one of my matches since,” Bellis added. “One of them messaged me on Instagram and asked for tickets, and so I got them into my box today. Oh, my God, they call themselves Team CiCi, so it was fun.
“I think [the support] puts me in a different world. I feel like I’m not even here when I hear people like that group we are talking about. It’s surreal to me.”
Game, Set, Match @cicibellis99
The 17-year-old is through to R3 with 2-6 6-2 6-2 win over fellow American Rogers. pic.twitter.com/iN9HRXZEjZ
— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) 1 September 2016
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Serena Williams, cheered on by her A-list fan club, eased through her first outing under Arthur Ashe’s new roof on Thursday evening. Also advancing was one of 2016’s feel-good stories, Zhang Shuai, who toppled former champion and doubles partner Sam Stosur in straight sets.
In the latest Daily Dispatch from Flushing, hear from Serena, Zhang and the WTA Insider team as they analyze the Day 4 action, and look ahead to the start of the third round:
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NEW YORK, NY, USA – No.5 seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina faced down the barrel of five match points – three in a row during the second set tie-break – to turn the tables on Sam Stosur and Zhang Shuai to reach the third round in women’s doubles, 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4.
Winners in their last two events at the Rogers Cup and Olympic tennis event, Makarova and Vesnina were pushed to the limit by Stosur and Zhang, leading by a set and a break as Stosur held two match points.
“We hadn’t been able to break her the whole match, and then I remember it was 5-4, 40-15 on her serve,” Vesnina said. “It was a crazy match, and they really played well. We played against them at the French Open, and they really played much better here than there.
“Today was a great atmosphere on the court. It was a full stadium on Court 5; so many people came to watch doubles, which was really nice. We just really had fun today on the court as well; the atmosphere was amazing.”
Makarova and Vesnina raised their level to force a tie-break, but the unseeded duo again took an early lead, and the 2011 US Open champion had the chance to serve out the upset twice more before the Russians rebounded.
“They played really good volleys today, reacting so well,” Makarova added. “I can’t say we were missing a lot but the game was really good and they were really good today.”
Playing their first full match since winning the Gold medal, the pair hopes their career-defining achievement will help them hit even bigger results.
“We’re really happy to be playing here at the US Open,” Vesnina said. We have great memories from winning the title here in 2014. Of course, after Rio, we’re just really happy and motivated even more to do well here at a Grand Slam.”
The 2014 champion in women’s doubles two years ago alongside Vesnina, Makarova was more than happy to still be in the tournament after bowing out in the first round of singles to World No.1 Serena Williams. Vesnina has posited that sticking around for doubles is especially helpful if a player’s singles event ends earlier than she’d like, and it was a sentiment with with her partner was in complete agreement.
“I don’t even remember that I lost so early.It was upsetting for me, but doubles helps me still be at the tournament, fighting for the title, practice some other things. Doubles really helps me for singles for sure.”
Around the grounds, top seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic reached the second round with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Japanese alternates Kurumi Nara and Naomi Osaka, while No.12 seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova were equally efficient, defeating Lara Arruabarrena and Olga Savchuk, 6-4, 6-1.
No.2 seed Chan Yung-Jan and Chan Hao-Ching ended up on the losing end of a topsy-turvy second round against Alla Kudryavtseva and Sabine Lisicki. Playing just their second match as a pair, Kudryavtseva and Lisicki recovered from a second set bagel to knock out the 2015 quarterfinalists, 6-2, 0-6, 6-3.
“It’s difficult to adjust from more of a doubles player to more of a singles player,” Kudryavtseva told WTA Insider after their first round win. “But Sabine has great volleys; she’s not a typical singles player where she doesn’t know what to do at the net. She knows where she is, where to stand. She’s looking to cross. I’m happy with my choice.”
The Russian doubles star later paired with Scott Lipsky to win another match in mixed doubles, upsetting No.8 seeds Lucie Hradecka and Marcin Matkowski, 7-5, 6-7(3), 11-9.
The @usopen doubles event is underway!@WTA_insider analyzes the field –> https://t.co/HH0TfkgyoY pic.twitter.com/mmHiDxiWIj
— WTA (@WTA) September 1, 2016
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Garbiñe Muguruza’s shock exit to Anastasija Sevastova whittled down the number of contestants in the US Open’s No.1 ranking sideshow to three: Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber and Agnieszka Radwanska.
As the tournament enters its opening weekend wtatennis.com updates the state of play in the race for top spot…
Serena Stays On Course: Williams entered the US Open as the World No.1, a distinction she has held since February 18, 2013. Through the two weeks of the US Open, Williams will extend her streak to 186 consecutive weeks, tying the WTA record for most consecutive weeks at No.1 held by Steffi Graf (August 17, 1987-March 10, 1991).
Williams’ reign is all the more remarkable considering the 186 weeks preceding her ascension saw the No.1 ranking change hands nine times, with Dinara Safina, Serena, Caroline Wozniacki, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova all spending time at the summit.
In the opening two rounds, Williams has answered the questions regarding the health of her troublesome shoulder with business-like wins over Ekaterina Makarova and Vania King. To extend her current stint as No.1, Williams, who is defending 780 points, will need to at least reach the semifinals.
The longer Kerber stays in the tournament, though, the further Williams will need to advance:
– If Kerber reaches the quarterfinals, then Williams must reach the final.
– If Kerber falls in the semifinals, Williams would remain at No.1 by reaching the final.
– A championship match showdown between Williams and Kerber would see the winner walk away not only with the trophy, but the No.1 ranking.
Williams’ ranking points have come from seven tournaments in the last 52 weeks – 2015 US Open (780), Australian Open (1300), Indian Wells (650), Miami (120), Rome (900), Roland Garros (1300) and Wimbledon (2000).
What Will It Take For Kerber To Become World No.1?: Kerber is bidding to become the 22nd player to reach No.1 since the computer rankings were introduced in November 1975. In her previous tournament, the German came within one win of unseating Williams at No.1 in Cincinnati, only to fall short in the final against an on-song Karolina Pliskova.
The disappointment does not appear to have lingered, making short work of her opening two opponents, Polona Hercog and Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. Last year, Kerber lost to Victoria Azarenka in the third round at the US Open and as a result is only defending 130 points in Flushing Meadows. Kerber will have a 460-point advantage from the start of the tournament, therefore even a surprise third-round loss to crowd favorite CiCi Bellis does not rule her out of contention.
Kerber consistently has reached the business end of the WTA’s biggest events with six finals appearances this year, winning the titles at the Australian Open and Stuttgart, finishing as runner-up at Brisbane, Wimbledon, Cincinnati and the Olympics*. As a result, Kerber’s ranking has been on a steady incline after finishing 2015 at No.10.
* There were no ranking points awarded for this year’s Olympic tennis competition.
US Open Title Could Vault Radwanska To Top Spot: Agnieszka Radwanska will need to win the US Open title, to have reach the top spot. However, if Kerber reaches the final, Radwanska could only move as high as No.2.
The Pole came through her first test in the second round, surviving an epic opening set tie-break to eventually defuse the big-serving Naomi Broady. Next up is the gifted, if unpredictable, Caroline Garcia