Big Lights, Bright City
2??0?? years ago, @serenawilliams captured her first Grand Slam at the @usopen!
— WTA (@WTA) August 21, 2019
We take a look back at her run - first with her opening match against Kimberly Po
??: @usta pic.twitter.com/SOsoz3gRch
**RECENT WOMEN'S SLAM WINNERS**
2016 AO: Angelique Kerber, GER
2016 RG: Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2016 WI: Serena Williams, USA
2016 US: Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 AO: Serena Williams, USA
2017 RG: Alona Ostapenko, LAT
2017 WI: Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2017 US: Sloane Stephens, USA
2018 AO: Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2018 RG: Simona Halep, ROU
2018 WI: Angelique Kerber, GER
2018 US: Naomi Osaka, JPN
2019 AO: Naomi Osaka, JPN
2019 RG: Ash Barty, AUS
2019 WI: Simona Halep, ROU
**ACTIVE SINGLES PLAYERS - FIRST SLAM FINAL**
1997 U.S. Open - Venus Williams
1999 U.S. Open - Serena Williams (W)
2004 Wimbledon - Maria Sharapova (W)
2004 U.S. Open - Svetlana Kuznetsova (W)
2009 U.S. Open - Caroline Wozniacki
2010 Roland Garros - Samantha Stosur
2010 Wimbledon - Vera Zvonareva
2011 Wimbledon - Petra Kvitova (W)
2012 Australian Open - Victoria Azarenka (W)
2012 Roland Garros - Sara Errani
2013 Wimbledon - Sabine Lisicki
2014 Australian Open - Dominika Cibulkova
2014 Roland Garros - Simona Halep
2014 Wimbledon - Genie Bouchard
2015 Wimbledon - Garbine Muguruza
2016 Australian Open - Angelique Kerber (W)
2016 U.S. Open - Karolina Pliskova
2017 Roland Garros - Alona Ostapenko (W)
2017 U.S. Open - Sloane Stephens (W)
2017 U.S. Open - Madison Keys
2018 U.S. Open - Naomi Osaka (W)
2019 Roland Garros - Ash Barty (W)
2019 Roland Garros - Marketa Vondrousova
--
ALSO...
2008 U.S. Open - Jelena Jankovic
**ACTIVE SINGLES PLAYERS - WON IN FIRST SLAM FINAL**
1999 U.S. Open - Serena Williams
2004 Wimbledon - Maria Sharapova
2011 Wimbledon - Petra Kvitova
2012 Australian Open - Victoria Azarenka
2016 Australian Open - Angelique Kerber
2017 Roland Garros - Alona Ostapenko
2017 U.S. Open - Sloane Stephens
2018 U.S. Open - Naomi Osaka
2019 Roland Garros - Ash Barty
Big ?? pic.twitter.com/bkZSvBs0cE
— Alize Cornet (@alizecornet) August 22, 2019
**RECENT WOMEN'S U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONS**
2010 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2011 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2012 Serena Williams, USA
2013 Serena Williams, USA
2014 Serena Williams, USA
2015 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Sloane Stephens, USA
2018 Naomi Osaka, JPN
**U.S. OPEN FINALS - ACTIVE**
9...Serena Williams (6-3)
4...Venus Williams (2-2)
2...Svetlana Kuznetsova (1-1)
2...Victoria Azarenka (0-2)
2...Caroline Wozniacki (0-2)
1...Angelique Kerber (1-0)
1...Naomi Osaka (1-0)
1...Maria Sharapova (1-0)
1...Sloane Stephens (1-0))
1...Samantha Stosur (1-0)
1...Madison Keys (0-1)
1...Karolina Pliskova (0-1)
1...Vera Zvonareva (0-1)
--
ALSO: Jelena Jankovic (0-1)
**CAREER U.S. OPEN MATCH WIN LEADERS**
101...Chris Evert
95...Serena Williams*
89...Martina Navratilova
78...Venus Williams*
73...Steffi Graf
62...Lindsay Davenport
56...Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
53...Monica Seles
51...Gabriela Sabatini
**RECENT U.S. OPEN TOP SEEDS**
2010 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (SF)
2011 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (SF)
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (RU)
2013 Serena Williams, USA (W)
2014 Serena Williams, USA (W)
2015 Serena Williams, USA (SF)
2016 Serena Williams, USA (SF)
2017 Karolina Pliskova, CZE (QF)
2018 Simona Halep, ROU (1st)
2019 Naomi Osaka, JPN
**EARLIEST EXIT BY SLAM #1 at U.S. OPEN**
2018 1st Rd. - Simona Halep (lost to Kaia Kanepi)
1966 2nd Rd. - Billie Jean King (lost to Kerry Melville)
2008 2nd Rd. - Ana Ivanovic (lost to Julie Coin)
**FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS AT U.S. OPEN - OPEN ERA**
1968 Virginia Wade, GBR
1979 Tracy Austin, USA
1990 Gabriela Sabatini, ARG
1998 Lindsay Davenport, USA
1999 Serena Williams, USA
2004 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2005 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2011 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2015 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
2017 Sloane Stephens, USA
2018 Naomi Osaka, JPN
**LOW-SEEDED U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONS - OPEN ERA**
Unseeded/Wild Card - Kim Clijsters, BEL (2009)
Unseeded - Sloane Stephens, USA (2017)
#26 - Flavia Pennetta, ITA (2015)
#20 - Naomi Osaka, JPN (2018)
#9 - Samantha Stosur, AUS (2011)
#9 - Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS (2004)
#7 - Serena Williams, USA (1999)
#6 - Virginia Wade, GBR (1968)
**LOW-RANKED U.S. OPEN FINALISTS - since 1975**
Unranked - Kim Clijsters, 2009 (W)
#83 - Sloane Stephens, 2017 (W)
#66 - Venus Williams, 1997
**RECENT U.S. OPEN WOMEN'S SEMIFINALISTS**
2010 Clijsters (W), Zvonareva (F); V.Williams/Wozniacki
2011 Stosur (W), S.Williams (F); Kerber/Wozniacki
2012 S.Williams (W), Azarenka (F); Errani/Sharapova
2013 S.Williams (W), Azarenka (F); Li/Pennetta
2014 S.Williams (W), Wozniacki (F); Peng/Makarova
2015 Pennetta (W), Vinci (F); Halep/S.Williams
2016 Kerber (W), Ka.Pliskova (F); S.Williams/Wozniacki
2017 Stephens (W), Keys (F); Vandeweghe/V.Williams
2018 Osaka (W), S.Williams (F); Keys/Sevastova
**LOW-SEEDED U.S. OPEN SEMIFINALISTS - since 2000**
[unseeded]
2000 Elena Dementieva, RUS
2009 Yanina Wickmayer, BEL
2009 [WC] Kim Clijsters, BEL (W)
2011 Angelique Kerber, GER
2013 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
2014 Peng Shuai, CHN
2015 Roberta Vinci, ITA
2016 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2017 Sloane Stephens, USA (W)
[seeds]
#28 - 2011 Serena Williams, USA (RU)
#26 - 2015 Flavia Pennetta, ITA (W)
#20 - 2017 CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
#20 - 2018 Naomi Osaka, JPN (W)
#19 - 2006 Jelena Jankovic, SRB
#19 - 2018 Anastasija Sevastova, LAT
#17 - 2018 Serena Williams, USA (RU)
#16 - 2014 Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
#15 - 2017 Madison Keys, USA (RU)
#14 - 2018 Madison Keys, USA
#12 - 2005 Mary Pierce, FRA (RU)
#12 - 2007 Venus Williams, USA
Thank you @nytmag for the beautiful feature, kind words, and the thoughtful way you told my story. This life’s been an adventure, and I can’t wait for more. pic.twitter.com/vhHhZ8GY7g
— Venus Williams (@Venuseswilliams) August 22, 2019
**RECENT U.S. OPEN GIRLS FINALS**
2010 Daria Gavrilova/RUS d. Yulia Putintseva/RUS #
2011 Grace Min/USA d. Caroline Garcia/FRA
2012 Samantha Crawford/USA d. Anett Kontaveit/EST
2013 Ana Konjuh/CRO d. Tornado Black/USA
2014 Marie Bouzkova/CZE d. Anhelina Kalinina/UKR
2015 Dalma Galfi/HUN d. Sonya Kenin/USA
2016 Kayla Day/USA d. Viktoria Kuzmova/SVK
2017 Amanda Anisimova/USA d. Coco Gauff/USA
2018 Wang Xiyu/CHN d. Clara Burel/FRA
--
#- (2010) players now represent AUS & KAZ
**BEST U.S. OPEN GIRLS/WOMEN'S RESULTS**
[won Girls & Women's titles]
Lindsay Davenport (1992 Jr. Champion; 1998 Women's champion)
[others]
Martina Hingis (1994 Junior RU; 1997 Women's Champion)
Svetlana Kuznetsova (2001 Junior RU; 2004 Women's champion)
Victoria Azarenka (2005 Junior champion; 2012-13 Women's RU)
**BACK-TO-BACK WIMB/US TITLES - OPEN ERA**
1970 Margaret Court, AUS
1972 Billie Jean King, USA
1976 Chris Evert, USA
1982 Chris Evert-Lloyd, USA
1983 Martina Navratilova, USA
1986 Martina Navratilova, USA
1987 Martina Navratilova, USA
1988 Steffi Graf, GER *
1989 Steffi Graf, GER
1993 Steffi Graf, GER
1995 Steffi Graf, GER
1996 Steffi Graf, GER
1997 Martina Hingis, SUI
2000 Venus Williams, USA *
2001 Venus Williams, USA
2002 Serena Williams, USA
2012 Serena Williams, USA *
--
* - also won Olympic Gold
*RG/US TITLES IN SEASON - OPEN ERA*
1969 Margaret Court, AUS
1970 Margaret Court, AUS
1972 Billie Jean King, USA
1973 Margaret Court, AUS
1975 Chris Evert, USA
1980 Chirs Evert, USA
1984 Martina Navratilova, USA
1988 Steffi Graf, FRG
1991 Monica Seles, YUG
1992 Monica Seles, YUG
1993 Steffi Graf, GER
1994 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, ESP
1995 Steffi Graf, GER
1996 Steffi Graf, GER
2002 Serena Williams, USA
2003 Justine Henin, BEL
2007 Justine Henin, BEL
2013 Serena Williams, USA
*AO/US TITLES IN SEASON - OPEN ERA*
[Sept/Dec finals; 1977-86]
1982 Chris Evert, USA
1983 Martina Navratilova, USA
[Jan/Sept finals]
1969 Margaret Court, AUS
1970 Margaret Court, AUS
1973 Margaret Court, AUS
1988 Steffi Graf, FRG
1989 Steffi Graf, FRG
1991 Monica Seles, YUG
1992 Monica Seles, YUG
1997 Martina Hingis, SUI
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
**RECENT U.S. OPEN WOMEN'S DOUBLES CHAMPIONS**
2010 Vania King / Yaroslava Shvedova, USA/KAZ
2011 Liezel Huber / Lisa Raymond, USA/USA
2012 Sara Errani / Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA
2013 Andrea Hlavackova / Lucie Hradecka, CZE/CZE
2014 Ekaterina Makarova / Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS
2015 Martina Hingis / Sania Mirza, SUI/IND
2016 Bethanie Mattek-Sands / Lucie Safarova, USA/CZE
2017 Latisha Chan / Martina Hingis, TPE/SUI
2018 Ash Barty / CoCo Vandeweghe, AUS/USA
**RECENT U.S. OPEN MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPIONS**
2010 Liezel Huber / Bob Bryan, USA/USA
2011 Melanie Oudin / Jack Sock, USA/USA
2012 Ekaterina Makarova / Bruno Soares, RUS/BRA
2013 Andrea Hlavackova / Max Mirnyi, CZE/BLR
2014 Sania Mirza / Bruno Soares, IND/BRA
2015 Martina Hingis / Leander Paes, SUI/IND
2016 Laura Siegemund / Mate Pavic, GER/CRO
2017 Martina Hingis / Jamie Murray, SUI/GBR
2018 Bethanie Mattek-Sands / Jamie Murray, USA/GBR
**RECENT U.S. OPEN GIRLS DOUBLES CHAMPIONS**
2010 Timea Babos / Sloane Stephens, HUN/USA
2011 Irina Khromacheva / Demi Schuurs, RUS/NED
2012 Gabby Andrews / Taylor Townsend, USA/USA
2013 Barbora Krejcikova / Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
2014 Ipek Soylu / Jil Teichmann, TUR/SUI
2015 Viktoria Kuzmova / Aleksandra Pospelova, SVK/RUS
2016 Jada Myii Hart / Ena Shibahara, USA/USA
2017 Olga Danilovic / Marta Kostyuk, SRB/UKR
2018 Coco Gauff / Caty McNally, USA/USA
**U.S. OPEN WHEELCHAIR CHAMPIONS**
[singles]
2005 Esther Vergeer, NED
2006 Esther Vergeer, NED
2007 Esther Vergeer, NED
2008 --
2009 Esther Vergeer, NED
2010 Esther Vergeer, NED
2011 Esther Vergeer, NED
2012 --
2013 Aniek van Koot, NED
2014 Yui Kamiji, JPN
2015 Jordanne Whiley, GBR
2016 --
2017 Yui Kamiji, JPN
2018 Diede de Groot, NED
[doubles]
2005 Korie Homan & Esther Vergeer, NED/NED
2006 Jiske Griffioen & Esther Vergeer, NED/NED
2007 Jiske Griffioen & Esther Vergeer, NED/NED
2008 --
2009 Korie Homan & Esther Vergeer, NED/NED
2010 Esther Vergeer & Sharon Walraven, NED/NED
2011 Esther Vergeer & Sharon Walraven, NED/NED
2012 --
2013 Jiske Griffioen & Aniek van Koot, NED/NED
2014 Yui Kamiji & Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2015 Jiske Griffioen & Aniek van Koot, NED/NED
2016 --
2017 Marjolein Buis & Diede de Groot, NED/NED
2018 Diede de Groot & Yui Kamiji, NED/JPN
--
NOTE: event not held in 2008/12/16 (Paralympics)
NYC???? Dinner walks in the streets of #Manhattan after long days at work ???? #newyorkcity pic.twitter.com/CkcisUUYR0
— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) August 21, 2019
**RECENT WC SLAM SINGLES FINALS**
2017 AO - #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #1 Jiske Griffioen/NED
2017 RG - #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
2017 WI - Diede de Groot/NED def. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
2017 US - #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #2 Diede de Groot/NED
2018 AO - #2 Diede de Groot/NED def. #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2018 RG - #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #2 Diede de Groot/NED
2018 WI - #1 Diede de Groot/NED def. Aniek van Koot/NED
2018 US - #1 Diede de Groot/NED def. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2019 AO - #1 Diede de Groot/NED def. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2019 RG - #1 Diede de Groot/NED def. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2019 WI - Aniek Van Koot/NED def. #1 Diede de Groot/NED
**SLAM TITLES AFTER AGE 30**
10..Serena Williams, USA (age 30-35)*
3...Martina Navratilova, USA (age 30-33)
3...Margaret Court, AUS (age 30-31)
2...Billie Jean King, USA (age 30 & 31)
2...Chris Evert, USA (age 30 & 31)
1...Flavia Pennetta, ITA (age 33)
1...Virginia Wade. GBR (age 31)
1...Ann Haydon Jones, GBR (age 30)
1...Angelique Kerber, GER (age 30)*
--
*-active
**OLDEST WOMEN'S SINGLES SLAM CHAMPIONS - OPEN ERA**
Serena Williams (35y/125) - 2017 Australian
Serena Williams (34/283) - 2016 Wimbledon
Serena Williams (33/285) - 2015 Wimbledon
Martina Navratilova (33/263) - 1990 Wimbledon
Serena Williams (33/254) - 2015 Roland Garros
Flavia Pennetta (33/201) - 2015 U.S. Open
Serena Williams (33/127) - 2015 Australian
**OLDEST WOMEN'S SINGLES SLAM FINALISTS**
Serena Williams (37,291d) - lost '19 WI to Halep
Martina Navratilova (37y,258d) — lost '94 WI to C.Martinez
Venus Williams (37,28d) - lost '17 WI to Muguruza
Serena Williams (36/347) - lost '18 US to Osaka
Serena Williams (36/291) - lost '18 WI to Kerber
Venus Williams (36/226) — lost '17 AO to S.Williams
Serena Williams (35/125) — '17 AO, def. V.Williams
Martina Navratilova (34/325) — lost '91 US to Seles
Serena Williams (34/287) — '16 WI, def. Kerber
Serena Williams (34/252) — lost '16 RG to Muguruza
Serena Williams (34/127) — lost '16 AO to Kerber
**OLDEST FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS**
33y,199d - Flavia Pennetta, 2015 U.S. Open
29y,346d - Francesca Schiavone, 2010 Roland Garros
29y,275d - Jana Novotna, 1998 Wimbledon
29y,154d - Kerry Melville-Reid, 1977 Australian Open
29y,98d - Li Na, 2011 Roland Garros
28y,277d - Marion Bartoli, 2013 Wimbledon
28y,12d - Angelique Kerber, 2016 Australian Open
27y,200d - Caroline Wozniacki, 2018 Australian Open
26y,255d - Simona Halep, 2018 Roland Garros
26y,207d - Amelie Mauresmo, 2006 Australian Open
26y,165d - Samantha Stosur, 2011 U.S. Open
**MOST SLAMS BEFORE FIRST TITLE**
49 - Flavia Pennetta (2015 U.S. Open)
47 - Marion Bartoli (2013 Wimbledon)
45 - Jana Novotna (1998 Wimbledon)
43 - Caroline Wozniacki (2018 Australian Open)
39 - Francesca Schiavone (2010 Roland Garros)
34 - Samantha Stosur (2011 U.S. Open)
33 - Angelique Kerber (2016 Australian Open)
32 - Simona Halep (2018 Roland Garros)
32 - Amelie Mauresmo (2006 Australian Open)
**RECENT FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS AND NEXT MAJOR RESULT**
2010 Francesca Schiavone (RG): Wimbledon 1st
2011 Li Na (RG): Wimbledon 2nd
2011 Petra Kvitova (WI): U.S. 1st
2011 Samantha Stosur (US): Australian 1st
2012 Victoria Azarenka (AO): Roland Garros 4th
2013 Marion Bartoli (WI): DNP/retired
2015 Flavia Pennetta (US): DNP/retired
2016 Angelique Kerber (AO): Roland Garros 1st
2016 Garbine Muguruza (WI): Wimbledon 2nd
2017 Alona Ostapenko (RG): Wimbledon QF
2017 Sloane Stephens (US): Australian 1st
2018 Caroline Wozniacki (AO): Roland Garros 4th
2018 Simona Halep (RG): Wimbledon 3rd
2018 Naomi Osaka (US): Australian W
2019 Ash Barty (RG): Wimbledon 4th
**TEEN SLAM CHAMPS - since 1997**
1997 Martina Hingis, 16 (AO)*
1997 Iva Majoli, 19 (RG)*
1997 Martina Hingis, 16 (WI)
1997 Martina Hingis, 16 (US)
1998 Martina Hingis, 17 (AO)
1999 Martina Hingis, 18 (AO)
1999 Serena Williams, 17 (US)*
2004 Maria Sharapova, 17 (WI)*
2004 Svetlana Kuznetsova, 19 (US)*
2006 Maria Sharapova, 19 (US)
--
* - first-time slam winner
**BIGGEST AGE DIFFERENCE IN SLAM FINAL**
17y,45d - Seles (17) d. Navratilova (34) = '91 U.S.
16y,20d - Osaka (20) d. S.Williams (36) = '18 U.S.
15y,180d - Martinez (22) d. Navratilova (37) = '94 WI
14y,175d - Graf (18) d. Evert (33) = '88 AO
13y,113d - Muguruza (23) d. V.Williams (37) = '17 WI
**LOW RANKED IN SLAM FINAL - Open era**
NR - Evonne Goolagong, 1977 Australian (W)
NR - Kim Clijsters, 2009 US Open (W)
NR - Justine Henin, 2010 Australian
#181 - Serena Williams, 2018 Wimbledon
#111 - Chris O'Neil, 1978 Australian (W)
#83 - Sloane Stephens, 2017 US Open (W)
#81 - Serena Williams, 2007 Australian (W)
#78 - Betsy Nagelson, 1978 Australian
#68 - Barbara Jordan, 1979 Australian (W)
#66 - Venus Williams. 1997 US Open
**FIRST-TIME SLAM SEMIFINALISTS SINCE 2013**
=2013=
AO: Sloane Stephens/USA
RG: -
WI: Kirsten Flipkens/BEL
US: Flavia Pennetta/ITA
=2014=
AO: Genie Bouchard/CAN
RG: Simona Halep/ROU (RU), Andrea Petkovic/GER
WI: Lucie Safarova/CZE
US: Ekatarina Makarova/RUS, Peng Shuai/CHN
=2015=
AO: Madison Keys/USA
RG: Timea Bacsinszky/SUI
WI: Garbine Muguruza/ESP (RU)
US: Roberta Vinci/ITA (RU)
=2016=
AO: Johanna Konta/GBR
RG: Kiki Bertens/NED
WI: Elena Vesnina/RUS
US: Karolina Pliskova/CZE (RU)
=2017=
AO: CoCo Vandeweghe/USA
RG: Alona Ostapenko/LAT (W)
WI: Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK
US: -
=2018=
AO: Elise Mertens/BEL
RG: -
WI: Julia Goerges/GER
US: Naomi Osaka/JPN (W), Anastasija Sevastova/LAT
=2019=
AO: Danielle Collins/USA
RG: Amanda Anisimova/USA, Ash Barty/AUS (W), Marketa Vondrousova/CZE (RU)
WI: Barbora Strycova/CZE, Elina Svitolina/UKR
**CAREER SLAM #1 SEEDS - active**
20...Serena Williams
6...Caroline Wozniacki
5...Simona Halep
4...Maria Sharapova
3...Victoria Azarenka
3...Angelique Kerber
2...NAOMI OSAKA
1...Ash Barty
1...Karolina Pliskova
1...Venus Williams
-
ALSO: 1-Jelena Jankovic
**EARLIEST EXIT BY SLAM #1**
[pre-Open era]
1962 Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Margaret Court (lost to Billie Jean Moffitt)
[Open era]
1979 Australian Open 1st Rd. - Virginia Ruzici (lost to Mary Sawyer)
1994 Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Steffi Graf (lost to Lori McNeil)
1999 Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Martina Hingis (lost to Jelena Dokic)
2001 Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Martina Hingis (lost to Virginia Ruano Pascual)
2017 Roland Garros 1st Rd. - Angelique Kerber (lost to Ekaterina Makarova)
2018 US Open 1st Rd. - Simona Halep (lost to Kaia Kanepi)
**RECENT SLAM JUNIOR CHAMPS**
[2017]
AO: Marta Kostyuk, UKR
RG: Whitney Osuigwe, USA
WI: Claire Liu, USA
US: Amanda Anisimova, USA
[2018]
AO: Liang En-shuo, TPE
RG: Coco Gauff, USA
WI: Iga Swiatek, POL
US: Wang Xiyu, CHN
[2019]
AO: Clara Tauson, DEN
RG: Leylah Annie Fernandez, CAN
WI: Daria Snigur, UKR
Hey New York City ???? ??enjoying exploring the city before the #USOpen starts #usopen #centralpark #tourist #teamjule #newyork pic.twitter.com/0f2mwBru1m
— Jule Goerges?????? (@juliagoerges) August 20, 2019
Your ?? 4 Women’s Singles Seeds...
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 21, 2019
1?? Naomi Osaka
2?? Ashleigh Barty
3?? Karolina Pliskova
4?? Simona Halep#USOpen pic.twitter.com/ekEdhIkfOK
posted by Todd.Spiker @ 12:39 AM
3 Comments:
10 On the Up Side-The Big Apple Edition.
1.Halep-The pick here, not because she won Wimbledon, but because she has not won the US Open. Yes, Halep won Wimbledon, just as Kerber and Muguruza. Note_no first time slam winner there since Bartoli in 2013, plus Osaka in Australia, but we have not had anybody win their 2nd slam at an event since Serena in Australia(2017).
2.Andreescu- Can I really pick someone looking for their first MD win to take the title? Maybe? Halep-Andreescu feels like Pliskova-Venus a couple of years back. A round of 16 Labor Day match that will feel like a final, complete with a Romanian crowd that will appreciate the moment.
3.Vekic- Could just as well be Sabalenka, as they are in the Bertens 1/8th of the draw. Add Goerges as the 4th seed in this section, and you have the only one of the 8 in which no seed has even reached the QF here. The other 7 have had at least one seed reach the final.
4.Yastremska- Gets her first slam seed due to Anisimova's pullout, so you assume that she will take advantage. One recurring theme is that none of the 4 women on this list won a match here last year, with Andreescu losing in Q. Yastremska also looking for her first MD win here. If she gets it, has a possible matchup with Svitolina in 3rd.
5.Muchova- First person on this list to have won a match here last year, possibly because she beat Yastremska. Comes in with match play in the Bronx, so should be well aware of the conditions.
6.Sharapova- Like the Halep match, a much better chance of her to pull off the upset in round 1. Here you get Sharapova at 95%, compared to round 2, when she is at 75%. She has lost because of retirements and walkovers, but her last full on court loss to a player outside of the Top 20 was to Suarez Navarro at last year's USO. Also the site of her last Top 10 win-#10 Ostapenko.
7.Bouzkova- McAfee, Kaspersky, Bouzkova. Name 3 things that defend. 2014 Girls winner is another looking for her first MD win.
8.Rybakina- Has one more match to go, but repeat after me, looking for her first MD win.
9.Bolkvadze- 21 yr old from Georgia is a win away from becoming the first woman to represent her country here since Tatishvili in 2013. Would be going for first win since 2012, which was also Tatishvili.
10.Dolehide- Pan Am Games and ITF rebuilt a broken player. Has a tough match vs Friedsam, but if she wins, this would be her first WTA MD of the year.
10 On the Down Side.
1.Kuzmova- Not really worried long term about the 2016 Girls RU, but she is on a 3-8 streak, and does not look good.
2.Kvitova- I don't have asthma, but the weather has been bad enough that I have had issues breathing. She's at the mercy of the weather, needing 2 cool weeks or a roof. Add her arm issues, and winning more than 2 matches is a stretch.
3.Konta- Similar problem as Kvitova, as she does not do well in the heat. For Konta to win the title, she would need it to rain every day, and clear the air. Plus has a tough first rd match.
4.Garcia- Doesn't play well in the US. Last year's #6 seed has a possible 2nd rd match vs Brady, which would be their 4th this year. Brady leads 2-1, but 2-0 on hard.
5.S.Williams- Not 100% convinced that the mega match actually happens. Serena has her pride, and normally won't go out there if she thinks she might retire. The fact that she did in her last match makes it even more important to be in shape. This tournament will shape the rest of her year. Another final, and YEC would be in play even with skipping Asia.
6.Wang Qiang- The first 2020 Olympian, due to winning the 2018 Asian Games, Wang should go deeper in the draw than any other Chinese player. But not only may she not have the best result, she may not have the best Wang result, as Xiyu(the lefty), and Xinyu(the righty) are coming. Xinyu also shares a birthday with Serena.
7.Stosur- The WC feels like a victory lap. She may have deserved one as a former winner, but with 9 Aussies in qualies, there were better choices. Only 3 Top 30 wins in the last year, but worse, only 4-6 vs players outside the Top 100.
8.Ka. Pliskova- Of the elite players, she probably has the best draw. Second would be Osaka, but she has health questions. Pliskova has had a habit of losing matches that she has been in control of. The hold every time until you serve for the match(TM Svitolina) is a problem. Oddly enough, all of the big servers-Pliskova, Goerges, Bertens, have struggled with consistency this year.
9.Azarenka- It is football season. Those familiar with it should think of the Browns and Steelers. Does not matter if the Browns are good or bad. Some years really, really bad. But because they play 2 times a year, there isn't much new. The games are close because they know the tendencies. Tennis is the same in that we have two countrywomen(Sabalenka), former practice partners, and doubles partners. Neither one can trick the other, and both have had problems with untimely double faults. So it should be close, but the youngster should win.
10.Van Uytvanck- Another player that has won this season(Budapest), and it think that may have masked their struggles. Goerges, Sabalenka, and Sevastova also come to mind, but Van Uytvanck had it going early in the season, then pulled out of Miami due to illness, and hasn't been the same. Only 14-12 since winning Budapest, those stats are padded by ITF and 125K results. Would be nice to see her jumpstart her season.
Hmmm, if Serena were to pull out of that match it'd be *two* in a row vs. Sharapova in which she'd done so. I can imagine what her unmerry band of Twitter fa-... err, trolls would be shouting/sneering if the shoe was on the other foot. Considering they've already taken on the time-(dis)honored calls of "rigged draw" (against Serena... even though she has 15-year winning streak vs. her opponent -- no one said it has to make any sense, just like all conspiracy theories), I guess they sorta have. :/
If Konta loses to Kasatkina, Zavialoff might want to sleep with one eye open.
Apparently, K.Murray dropped Puig without telling her why, and she found out he was back with Stephens via Sloane's tweet. If true... classy move there.
So maybe Dolehide will be this year's early-round Bannerette Breakout (hmmm, maybe a new award?)... there's always one at Flushing Meadows. Although vs. Q.Wang, so maybe it'll be someone else (Pegula, Brady, Osuigwe?).
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