Saturday, September 11, 2021

The New Queen of Queens

The end was actually the beginning. Emma Raducanu, welcome to the first day of the rest of your life.



On the anniversary of the unthinkable, two teenagers not yet born yet when "9/11" became embedded in U.S. history two decades ago, met today to decide the closing act of an unlikely show that came to consume the women's draw at Flushing Meadows over the past two (or is it three?) weeks. But, ultimately, only one could be crowned the new Queen of Queens.

At first, after a series of all-time greats identifiable by single names (Serena, Venus, Roger, Rafa) and others who'd produced significant results at recent majors (including last year's Australian Open champ, and a finalist from this year in Melbourne) had announced their absence from this slam, even as the fans returned to the stands in New York amidst a still-ongoing pandemic and a Grand Slam season remained in play on the men's side of the event, this U.S. Open appeared as if it might be remembered for what it *wasn't.* But then, as it often does in all areas of life, fate intervened.

In this case, rather the an unfortunate reality, what played out on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center was one of the most exhilarating, unexpected and innately memorable U.S. Opens ever.

Thank 18-year old Brit Raducanu and 19-year old Canadian Leylah Fernandez. Respectively, the first qualifier to ever reach a major final, one who was never threatened on the scoreboard over three weeks of play, and a diminutive battler who simply posted upset victories over three Top 5 players, two former #1's and a pair of ex-U.S. Open champs. #150 Raducanu entered the final having not lost a set through *nine* qualifying and MD wins, while #73 Fernandez had run off four straight three-set triumphs over a virtual who's-who of the women's game, twice coming back from a set and break down to frustrate far more accomplished foes.

As the days wore on, the two teenagers kept their heads even while many about them -- especially those directly on the other side of the net -- were often losing theirs. Fernandez's raised fists and sweeping gestures designed to stoke the passions of the newly-assembled crowds, alongside the "what-is-happening?" post-match smiles of Raducanu, quickly became the symbols of this 141st edition of the tournament.

Two weeks ago, it was clear that *none* of this should have ever happened. Playing in just her seventh slam MD, Fernandez won her maiden tour title in March, but began this Open having won just nine of twenty matches since. She was just 4-6 in her slam career, yet had proved to be the more composed and in control player on court in every match she played in New York, even while facing the likes of Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka.

The run of Raducanu, for her part, may have been even more remarkable, both for the fact this Open featured just her second slam MD appearance (after her Round of 16 run earlier this summer at Wimbledon) and because she was seemingly never stressed between the lines in the *biggest* tennis event on earth, just two months after having had to retire mid-match in her final chapter at SW19 due to the anxiety of not being able to handle the big stage moment in which she suddenly found herself. Yet at Flushing Meadows the title-less teen who only made her tour-level debut this past grass season nearly double-bageled Sara Sorribes Tormo (one of the tour's toughest outs all season long), eliminated Shelby Rogers on the heels of the Bannerette's win over #1 Ash Barty, ended Olympic champ Belinda Bencic's golden summer, and had Maria Sakkari cursing the Gods as all of *her* shots just missed while the Brit's never seemed to at all.

Never before in the Open era had two unseeded players *both* reached a major final, but at this slam it seemed a perfectly natural occurrence. Linked in ongoing performance as well as varied familial backgrounds, they perfectly epitomize the global reach of the sport that has fueled and will continue to direct its ongoing growth. Raducanu was born to Romanian and Chinese parents in Canada before moving to the U.K., while Fernandez is the product of a Filipina mother and Ecuadoran father, born in Montreal and currently training from a Florida base.

Their runs at this slam will likely inspire countless other future champions, on all parts of the world map radiating out from New York City.

Similarly relentless and footloose on opposite ends of the draw, with equal parts smile and roar, when Fernandez and Raducanu finally met, three years after having faced off in an early-round match in the Wimbledon juniors, something had to give. They'd traded off on consuming the headlines throughout this Open, but only one could win the final match in the first slam championship decided by two teenagers in over two decades, since when a 17-year old Serena Williams defeated a same-aged Martina Hingis on Ashe Stadium court in 1999 (even then, the "end" and the "beginning" were in play, as Hingis would never claim another singles slam, while Williams' would be her first of 23).

Perhaps the toughest task of the day was faced by the fans in attendance. Who would they cheer for, and could they root for *both?* In their pre-match introduction, not surprisingly, it was Fernandez who got the biggest cheers. But, as the match played out, keeping calm was never an option, and cheering on Raducanu proved to be just as easy for most.

After often having to fight from behind over the course of this U.S. Open, against Raducanu, Fernandez found her back against the wall almost immediately, falling behind love/40 in her opening service stint in game 2. But the Canadian, as she has, battled to get back to deuce as the game turned into a mini tug-of-war battle. Fernandez would have two double-faults, but also hold two GP. Finally, on her sixth BP chance, Raducanu grabbed the early edge with a backhand error from Fernandez to take a 2-0 lead. But Fernandez's inability to be held down for long in this tournament popped up yet again a game later. A round after Raducanu saved seven BP in her first two serve games against Sakkari in the semis, she saved three in game #3 of this final. But a DF gave Fernandez a fourth chance, and the Brit's netted backhand put the set back on serve.

Was Raducanu about to join the long list of players to be "Leyleh-ed" at Flushing Meadows? Quite simply, no. Not in the 1st set, anyway.

A game after Fernandez held to knot the set at 2-2, Raducanu fell behind love/30 on serve, but held to re-take the still-on-serve lead. The Canadian held with a net cord dribbler at 40/30 a game later, and the Brit missed on a swing volley to fall down 15/30 in game #7. But, again, Raducanu was unbothered and didn't let one bad point snowball into a trending "moment" for her opponent. Instead, Raducanu held for 4-3. With her first serve not quite firing, though she was still working around it and keeping herself in the set, Fernandez opened game #8 with a DF, but held for 4-4. But two games later she fell behind 15/30. Raducanu's backhand crosscourt return winner put her at double SP. The Canadian saved them both.

But Raducanu was unbowed. She netted a return shot on her third BP, but finally put away #4 with a forehand down the line to win the 1st at 6-4, extending her sets won streak to nineteen.



After not being able to work the 1st set to her advantage, Fernandez was right back at it in the 2nd, scrambling to not fall behind early. Down 0-1, 15/40 the Canadian saved a pair of BP (her 11th save on 13 BP) and held for 1-1. Was now when the Brit would finally fall prey to Fernandez's rallying skills? We'd soon have an answer.

Fernandez grabbed a 15/40 lead in game #3. Raducanu saved both BP, as the Canadian netted a forehand return. The Brit fired a big serve (107 mph) to reach GP, but failed to get a down the line forehand over the highest point of the net. Fernandez then carved out a BP chance, and Raducanu's backhand error gave her the lead.

A game later, though, Raducanu hit lines on back-to-back shots to reach BP, then fired a backhand return winner off a Fernandez second serve to get the set back to level at 2-2. Two games later, with the end clearly within her sights, the Brit broke for a 4-2 lead with a forehand pass. In stride and hitting out, Raducanu quickly went up 40/15 on serve, holding for 5-2 with a Fernandez long backhard return. At 30/30 a game later, the Canadian hit another net cord shot, only this time the ball didn't carry over the net, giving Raducanu a MP. Fernandez saved it, and soon saved another. Finding still more inner reserves, she held with a forehand smacked into the corner.

With Raducanu serving one game away from the title, she had one final test to pass.

After falling behind love/15, the Brit followed up a wide serve with a forehand down the line to move within two points of the win. But Fernandez won a rally in which she forced Raducanu to slide into shots on the edges of both sides of the court, reaching BP. It was on that point that Raducunu dragged her knee across a strech of the backcourt surface, leaving a long shoe mark and blood running down her calf. Once the umpire noticed the blood, a medic was called to clean things up.

While Raducanu sat, BP down, getting the wound on her knee fixed up, Fernandez bobbed between laughing in the backcourt at the audacity of the show and complaining about the break in the action, then when play resumed she fired a rally-ending error. She got another BP look, saved -- by the skin of Raducanu's teeth (but not her knee) -- with a stabbing high volley that angled well out of reach of Fernandez.

A big serve and groundstroke follow-up gave Raducanu immediate control of the next point, and she found herself at MP for a third time. This time she fired a wide ace, then collapsed onto her back in disbelief just inside the baseline.



Raducanu's 6-4/6-3 triumph makes her the first female British slam champ since the in-attendance Virginia Wade in 1977 while also completing quite likely the most unimaginable run to a major title in this or any other tennis lifetime.

From the qualifying first round to the final championship point, Raducanu won ten straight matches and an amazing twenty consecutive sets. While we've never seen it until now, the notion of another qualifier-turned-champion isn't *impossible* (after all, with Nadia Podoroska's run in Paris last fall, we've seen *two* reach slam semis in less than a year), but it seems as if it would take a veritable aligning of the stars and planets for it to occur again without the player in question ever dropping a solitary set (let alone not losing more than four games in any of them in the MD, and five just once in qualifying) along such a hard-to-believe path.



In the trophy ceremony, Fernandez, while her in-match string ended tonight, continued her undefeated reign in the post-match comments category. As she had with "before the match" (when asked when she believed she could beat Osaka) to "maple syrup" (the key to Canada's tennis success) and all points in between, the teenager once more hit precisely the right note at the close of her interview with Mary Joe Fernandez (no relation), noting on this somber anniversary in the U.S. that she hopes "to be as strong and resilient as New York has been the last twenty years," saying "I love you, New York," and knowing that the city loves her right back.



Raducanu, too, said all the right things, following in her final (linked-together-forever... "she's all that, but so was she") opponent's footsteps when it came to an awareness of decorum and history that belie birthdates that could make such a thing as 9/11 seem like "ancient history" to someone their age (or older) who might choose to remain a stranger to real world realities. (Hmmm, maybe the multicultural backgrounds of the pair play a part, leading to a less insular outlook and an ability to see things with a wider worldview.)

After thanking Wade and Tim Henman, the former British men's player whose long and ultimately fruitless quest to reach a slam final ended more than a decade ago, for both inspiration and assistance in achieving her dream, Raducanu (suddenly set to become the new world #23 on Monday!) finally got her hands on the championship trophy.



And, with the moment, after two weeks of controlled mayhem barely contained within the court's painted lines, the bizarro-like dream sequence that has been this U.S. Open reached it apex.

Emma Raducanu is the U.S. Open champ. Did that just happen?

Well, she's lifting the trophy. So it *must* have, right?



A slam that began being talked about as an "ending" ultimately transformed into being about a whole new beginning in one of the most remarkable turnabouts in the sport's history.

Simply irresisistble? Oh my, yes. Thank the Tennis Gods, and the teenager They chose to crown the new U.S. Open queen.






=DAY 13 NOTES=
...in the MX final, Desirae Krawczyk's dream slam season continued.



Krawczyk's third '21 MX slam win (second w/ Joe Salisbury) came today with a 7-5/6-2 victory over Giuliana Olmos and Marcelo Arevalo, both of whom were looking to claim their maiden wins (Olmos was already the first Mexican woman to reach a slam final, while Arevalo was the first player to do so from El Salvador).

The last woman, and the only other since Martina Navratilova in 1985, to win three MX slams in a single season was Martina Hingis in 2015. Salisbury, by the way, also won the men's doubles at this Open.



...Diede de Groot & Aniek Van Koot took the wheelchair doubles crown with a 6-1/6-2 win over Yui Kamiji & Jordanne Whiley. The Duch pair won three of four majors (and Paralympic Gold) this season, and have taken the title at eight of the last eleven majors. The duo won a Grand Slam in 2019. Van Koot has now won 19 doubles slams, second only to Esther Vergeer, while de Groot has 12. De Groot will seek to complete a singles Golden Slam on Sunday.



In the post-match ceremony, a tearful Whiley announced that this would be her final slam appearance.



...in juniors, Bannerette Robin Montgomery swept the girls' singles and doubles title. In the singles final, the #7 seed defeated #6 Kristina Dmitruk to become the third U.S. girl to take the home slam in the last six years.



Later, Montgomery teamed with Ashlyn Krueger against fellow U.S. juniors Reese Brantmeier & Elvina Kalieva, winning the crown in a 10-4 match tie-break. The last girl to sweep the U.S. Open junior titles was Michaella Krajicek in 2004.












*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
(Q) Emma Raducanu/GBR def. Leylah Fernandez/CAN 6-4/6-3

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#11 Gauff/McNally (USA/USA) vs. #14 Stosur/Zhang (AUS/CHN)

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
#2 Krawczyk/Salisbury (USA/GBR) def. Olmos/Arevalo (MEX/ELS) 7-5/6-2

*WOMEN'S WC SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Diede de Groot/NED vs. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN

*WOMEN'S WC DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 de Groot/Van Koot (NED/NED) def. #2 Kamiji/Whiley (JPN/GBR) 6-1/6-2

*GIRLS' SINGLES FINAL*
#7 Robin Montgomery/USA def. #6 Kristina Dmitruk/BLR/SUI 6-2/6-4

*GIRLS' DOUBLES FINAL*
#3 Krueger/Montgomery (USA/USA) def. #8 Brantmeier/Kalieva (USA/USA) 5-7/6-3 [10-4]











...MEMORIES ON DAY 13:



A few of the 2nd Round Wimbledon match-ups from this year to watch in 2024: Nastasja Schunk vs. Polina Kudermetova, Linda Fruhvirtova vs. Petra Marcinko, Mara Guth vs. Sara Bejlek, Kristina Dmitruk vs. Julia Middendorf and Ane Mintegi del Olmo vs. Alex Eala.

I mean, who knows.


...HMM, ESPN... ON DAY 13:

..so you're saying that the IBM Watson Power Rankings, based on "momentum," coming into today had the two players who reached the final at #1 and #2 on the list. Imagine that.

Why does this list exist, again?


...BUSINESS CASUAL... ON DAY 13:




...A HUG 44 YEARS IN THE MAKING... ON DAY 13:




..."ACE QUEEN?"... ON DAY 13:

















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*FEWEST SLAMS MD TO FIRST TITLE - OPEN ERA*
2 - 2021 US OPEN: EMMA RADUCANU, GBR (18)
4 - 1990 Roland Garros: Monica Seles, YUG (16)
4 - 2019 US Open: Bianca Andreescu, CAN (19)
5 - 2021 Roland Garros: Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (25)
6 - 1979 US Open: Tracy Austin, USA (16)
7 - 1971 Roland Garros; Evonne Goolgong, AUS (19)
7 - 1979 Australian Open: Barbara Jordan, USA (22)
7 - 1989 Roland Garros: Arantxa Sanchez, ESP (17)
7 - 1999 US Open: Serena Williams, USA (17)
7 - 2004 Wimbledon: Maria Sharapova, RUS (17)
7 - 2020 Roland Garros: Iga Swiatek, POL (19)
8 - 1974 Roland Garros: Chris Evert, USA (19)
8 - 2017 Roland Garros: Alona Ostapenko, LAT (20)
9 - 1976 Wimbledon: Sue Barker, GBR (20)
9 - 1997 Australian Open: Martina Hingis, SUI (16)
-- NOTE: Margaret Smith (Court) pre-Open era in 2nd GS (1960 AO, age 17)

*LOW-RANKED SLAM CHAMPIONS - OPEN ERA*
NR - Evonne Goolagong 1977 Australian
NR - Kim Clijsters, 2009 US Open
#150 - EMMA RADUCANU, 2021 US Open
#111 - Chris O'Neil, 1978 Australian
#83 - Sloane Stephens, 2017 US Open
#81 - Serena Williams, 2007 Australian

*LOW-SEEDED U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONS - OPEN ERA*
Unseeded/Wild Card - Kim Clijsters, BEL (2009)
Unseeded - EMMA RADUCANU, GBR (2021)
Unseeded - Sloane Stephens, USA (2017)
#26 - Flavia Pennetta, ITA (2015)
#20 - Naomi Osaka, JPN (2018)
#15 - Bianca Andreescu, CAN (2019)
#9 - Samantha Stosur, AUS (2011)
#9 - Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS (2004)

*RECENT TEEN SLAM CHAMPS*
1997 Martina Hingis, SUI - AO (16)*
1997 Iva Majoli, CRO - RG (19)*
1997 Martina Hingis, SUI - WI (16)
1997 Martina Hingis, SUI - US (16)
1998 Martina Hingis, SUI - AO (17)
1999 Martina Hingis, SUI - AO (18)
1999 Serena Williams, USA - US (17)*
2004 Maria Sharapova, RUS - WI (17)*
2004 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS - US (19)*
2006 Maria Sharapova, RUS - US (19)
2019 Bianca Andreescu, CAN - US (19)*
2020 Iga Swiatek, POL - RG (19)*
2021 Emma Raducanu, GBR - US (18)*
--
* - 1st time slam winner

*ACTIVE SINGLES PLAYERS - WON IN FIRST SLAM FINAL*
1999 U.S. Open - Serena Williams
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
2019 U.S. Open - Bianca Andreescu
2020 Australian Open - Sofia Kenin
2020 Roland Garros - Iga Swiatek
2021 Roland Garros - Barbora Krejcikova
2021 U.S. Open - Emma Raducanu

*WON US OPEN WITHOUT LOSING A SET - Open era*
1971 Billie Jean King, USA
1976 Chris Evert, USA
1977 Chris Evert, USA
1978 Chris Evert, USA
1983 Martina Navratilova, USA
1987 Martina Navratilova, USA
1992 Monica Seles, YUG
1996 Steffi Graf, GER
1997 Martina Hingis, SUI
1998 Lindsay Davenport, USA
2001 Venus Williams, USA
2002 Serena Williams, USA
2007 Justine Henin, BEL
2008 Serena Williams, USA
2014 Serena Williams, USA
2021 Emma Raducanu, GBR

*WHEELCHAIR SLAM DOUBLES TITLES*
[AO-RG-WI-US]
21 - Esther Vergeer, NED [7-5-3-6]
19 - ANIEK VAN KOOT, NED [5-7-3-4]
17 - Yui Kamiji, JPN [5-3-6-3]
14 - Jiske Griffioen, NED [5-3-2-4]
12 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED [2-4-2-4]
12 - Jordanne Whiley, GBR [3-2-5-2]

*U.S. OPEN WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES WINNERS*
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
2019 Diede de Groot & Aniek Van Koot, NED/NED
2020 Yui Kamiji & Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2021 Diede de Groot & Aniek Van Koot, NED/NED

*U.S. GIRLS SINGLES CHAMPS AT U.S. OPEN*
1978 Linda Siegel
1979 Alycia Moulton
1980 Susan Mascarin
1981 Zina Garrison
1982 Beth Herr
1986 Elly Hakami
1988 Carrie Cunningham
1989 Jennifer Capriati
1992 Lindsay Davenport
1994 Meilen Tu
1995 Tara Snyder
2008 CoCo Vandeweghe
2011 Grace Min
2012 Samantha Crawford
2016 Kayla Day
2017 Amanda Anisimova
2021 Robin Montgomery

*RECENT U.S. OPEN GIRLS FINALS*
2015 Dalma Galfi/HUN def. Sonya Kenin/USA
2016 Kayla Day/USA def. Viktoria Kuzmova/SVK
2017 Amanda Anisimova/USA def. Coco Gauff/USA
2018 Wang Xiyu/CHN def. Clara Burel/FRA
2019 Maria Camila Osorio Serrano/COL d. Alexandra Yepifanova/USA
2020 DNP
2021 Robin Montgomery/USA def. Kristina Dmitruk/BLR

*RECENT GIRLS SLAM CHAMPIONS*
[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
US: Maria Camila Osorio Serrano, COL
[2020]
AO: Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, AND
RG: Elsa Jacquemot, FRA
[2021]
RG: Linda Noskova, CZE
WI: Ane Mintegi del Olmo, ESP
US: Robin Monttomery, USA

*RECENT GIRLS DOUBLES SLAM CHAMPIONS*
[2018]
AO: Liang En-Shuo/Wang Xinyu (TPE/CHN)
RG: Caty McNally/Iga Swiatek (USA/POL)
WI: Wang Xinyu/Wang Xiyu (CHN/CHN)
US: Coco Gauff/Caty McNally (USA/USA)
[2019]
AO: Natsumi Kawaguchi/Adrienn Nagy (JPN/HUN)
RG: Chloe Beck/Emma Navarro (USA/USA)
WI: Savannah Broadus/Abigail Forbes (USA/USA)
US: Kamilla Bartone/Oksana Selekhmetova (LAT/RUS)
[2020]
AO: Alex Eala/Priska Madelyn Nugroho (PHI/INA)
RG: Eleonora Alvisi/Lisa Pigoti (ITA/ITA)
[2021]
RG: Alex Eala/Oksana Selekmeteva (PHI/RUS)
WI: Kristina Dmitruk/Diana Shnaider (BLR/RUS)
US: Ashlyn Krueger/Robin Montgomery (USA/USA)

*SLAM MX TITLES - active*
5...Katarina Srebotnik, SLO
4...Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
3...Latisha Chan, TPE
3...DESIRAE KRAWCZYK, USA
3...Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
3...Sania Mirza, IND
3...Samantha Stosur, AUS
2...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2...Gaby Dabrowski, CAN
2...Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
2...Serena Williams, USA
2...Venus Williams, USA
2...Vera Zvonareva, RUS

*RECENT MX SLAM CHAMPIONS*
[2018]
AO: Gaby Dabrowski/Mate Pavic (CAN/CRO)
RG: Latisha Chan/Ivan Dodig (TPE/CRO)
WI: Nicole Melichar/Alexander Peya (USA/AUT)
US: Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Jamie Murray (USA/GBR)
[2019]
AO: Barbora Krejcikova/Rajeev Ram (CZE/USA)
RG: Latisha Chan/Ivan Dodig (TPE/CRO)
WI: Latisha Chan/Ivan Dodig (TPE/CRO)
US: Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Jamie Murray (USA/GBR)
[2020]
AO: Barbora Krejcikova/Nikola Mektic (CZE/CRO)
[2021]
AO: Barbora Krejcikova/Rajeev Ram (CZE/USA)
RG: Desirae Krawczyk/Joe Salisbury (USA/GBR)
WI: Desirae Krawczyk/Neal Skupski (USA/GBR)
US: Desirae Krawczyk/Joe Salisbugy (USA/GBR)

*U.S. OPEN - RECENT "DOUBLES STAR" WINNERS*
2014 Yui Kamiji & Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR (WC)
2015 Martina Hingis, SUI
2016 Laura Siegemund, GER
2017 Martina Hingis, SUI
2018 Ash Barty & CoCo Vandeweghe, AUS/USA
2019 Diede de Groot & Aniek Van Koot, NED/NED (WC)
2020 Yui Kamiji & Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR (WC)
2021 Desirae Krawczyk, USA
[2021]
AO: Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
RG: Desirae Krawczyk, USA
WI: Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR (WC)

*U.S. OPEN - RECENT "JUNIOR BREAKOUT" WINNERS*
2014 Marie Bouzkova, CZE
2015 Dalma Galfi, HUN
2016 Viktoria Kuzmova, SVK
2017 Maria Lourdes Carle, ARG & Emiliana Arango, COL
2018 Dasha Lopatetska, UKR
2019 Oksana Selekhmeteva, RUS
2020 [under 18] Katrina Scott, USA
2021 Robin Montgomery, USA
[2021]
RG: Linda Noskova, CZE
WI: Ane Mintegi del Olmo/ESP and Nastasja Schunk/GER

*U.S. OPEN "BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKOUT" WINNERS*
2019 Kristie Ahn
2020 Jennifer Brady
2021 Coco Gauff/Caty McNally






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TOP QUALIFIER: Rebecca Marino/CAN (first US MD since '11)
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #9 Garbine Muguruza/ESP
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): Leylah Fernandez/CAN
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): Emma Raducanu/GBR
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3: Katie Boulter/GBR def. #8 Kristina Kucova/SVK 7-5/2-6/6-4 (from break down at 4-2, wins final 4 games to reach first U.S. Open MD)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #4 Karolina Pliskova/CZE def. Amanda Anisimova/USA 7-5/6-7(5)/7-6(7) - (Anisimova first on Ashe; Pliskova US reocord 24 aces; Anisimova up 5-2 in 3rd TB, Pliskova saves MP and wins on MP #2 9-7; no Top 20 seed def. in first two round)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): #17 Maria Sakkari/GRE def. #6 Bianca Andreescu/CAN 6-7(2)/7-6(6)/6-3 (3:29 ends at women's US record 2:13 a.m.; ends Andreescu's 10-0 start in Open)
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Kristina Kucova/SVK (def. Li/USA)
FIRST SEED OUT: #31 Yulia Putintseva/KAZ (1st Rd./lost to Kanepi)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Valentini Grammatikopoulou/GRE, Rebeka Masarova/ESP
UPSET QUEENS: Russia
REVELATION LADIES: Greece
NATION OF POOR SOULS: USA (8-14 in 1st; Keys/Riske out; Serena/Venus/Kenin/Brady DNP; 3/4 '17 all-US SF out)
CRASH & BURN: #2 Naomi Osaka/JPN (3rd Rd. to Fernandez/CAN; served for match in 2nd set) and #1 Ash Barty/AUS (3rd Rd. to Rogers/USA; led 5-2, double-break in 3rd)
ZOMBIE QUEENS OF NEW YORK: Elise Mertens/BEL (1r vs. Peterson; down 6-3/5-3 and RP served twice for match; saved 5 MP in 2nd, 1 MP in 3rd) and Rebeka Masarova/ESP (1r vs. Bogdan; down 7-6/4-1; saved 2 MP in 3rd TB, on own 6th MP; first slam win) - simultaneously-played U.S. Open women's record 3:40 matches
IT ("Teens"): Leylah Fernandez/CAN and Emma Raducanu/GBR
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: Nominee: de Groot (for WC Golden Slam), Kamiji
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Emma Raducanu/GBR (in F) (LL 3r: Minnen, Rakhimova)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: none (went 0-8 in 1st Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: Shelby Rogers (4th Rd.)
COMEBACK: U.S. Open fans
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: Ka.Pliskova, Stosur/Zhang
DOUBLES STAR: Desirae Krawczyk/USA
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Coco Gauff/Caty McNally, USA/USA
BROADWAY-BOUND: "Oh Canada!" (Fernandez F, Marino Q-POW, Dabrowski WD SF, FAA men's SF, Andreescu QF...+ Toronto-born Raducanu F)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Maria Sakkari/GRE (wins 3:29 4r match at 2:13 a.m.; def. Pliskova to reach SF)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Robin Montgomery/USA







All for Day 13. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 11:42 PM 

3 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

5 of the last 6 slams(Azarenka, Swiatek, Pavlyuchenkova, Barty, Fernandez) have has a former junior winner reach the final.

Makarova qualified.

Luxembourg favorites might be Ostapenko and Tauson.

Potoroz has Juvan and Zidansek in same section, so Riske might be favorite.

No WTA commercial? Which brings up the question? How can Subway have an ad with Serena, Steph Curry, Tom Brady, Megan Rapinoe and Draymond Green, and have it as bad as it is?

"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. You've seen, and seeing is believing."- Saliva



The final was really good. A grind that was reminiscent of Schiavone/Stosur, only a couple of points made the difference. That match only went 1:38, while today's went 1:51. It should be noted that both made another slam final the next year. Due to the depth on tour, plus the young age of both, that may not be realistic, but they will be back.

Break point opportunities left and right, with Fernandez trying to bring Raducanu off the baseline, while Raducanu tried to keep Fernandez to it. Hopefully, this is the start of a great rivalry.

Wouldn't mind if they leaned into this and play doubles together at IW.

Raducanu may be stalled for a month. With the 4 week rule, she will need WC to get into Chicago and IW.

Fernandez has now lost 2 finals to British women, having lost to Watson last year.

Was Raducanu a woman of destiny? In a slam year that has been full of omens, we had another one. Osaka kept the status quo in Australia, then things got spooky.

Take Novotna's last protege in Krejcikova winning the French Open in the same style Novotna won Wimbledon, winning both singles and doubles, while becoming the first Czech in 40 years to win the title.

Next scene is Barty, wearing a dress to honor 1971 winner Evonne Goolagong, then becoming the first Aussie to win since Goolagong in 1980.

How do you top that? In a week where the Original 9 get honored for their part in building the tour, and the first winner of the US Open in the Open Era is in attendance, who also happens to be the last British woman to win a slam some 44 years ago, you kind of feel that the stars were in alignment.

It is hard enough to win 7 matches, much less 10, but Raducanu did it without dropping a set, in one of the most impressive slam runs in recent memory.

Stat of the Day- 11- Number of British women with a title in the Open Era.

Jones, Barker, Wade. Those are the names you know. You would have never thought that a country with those stars could go 24 years without a singles title. And the streak starting was probably a shock, as both Monique Javer and Sara Gomer both won titles in 1988, after which the drought started.

The other odd stat belongs to Sue Barker. She reached 6 of her first 12 finals on clay. Her French Open title was the last, which meant that her last 19 finals were on other surfaces. Also is still the last Brit to win a title on clay.

Open Era Titles:

55- Virginia Wade
19- Ann Jones*
15- Sue Barker
4 - Heather Watson
4 - Johanna Konta
2 - Jo Durie
2 - Anne Hobbs
1 - Sara Gomer
1 - Monique Javer
1 - Annabel Croft
1 - Emma Raducanu

Wade's numbers are unreachable in this era, so double digits is what we should hope for with Raducanu.

Sun Sep 12, 07:50:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

*Note-Jones is listed with 113 titles, but 19 reflects Open Era but not WTA as she was part time by the time they started.

Sun Sep 12, 07:53:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

The whole "interruption/we didn't have time for..." thing in the Subway ads just doesn't really work. I've even questioned whether or not that was Barkley's voice (sometimes it sounds like someone trying *to sound* like Barkley), but it apparently *is* him.

I was going to do one more WTA ad (though I had more than that as possibilities), but it was a late add and I never got it finished... so I'll just do them on occasion in the weekly posts the rest of the season. ;)

Really interesting historical "connections" you noticed there with this year's slam winners. There *has* seemed to be something of a "guiding hand" in the majors this year. Maybe Serena should do something to commemorate Althea Gibson next season for a little "special assistance" in one final push in that almost-shelved quest?

Sun Sep 12, 11:48:00 PM EDT  

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