Thursday, September 15, 2022

2022 3Q Awards: Match Compendium






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1. U.S. Open 3rd Rd. - Petra Kvitova def. Garbine Muguruza
...5-7/6-3/7-6(10). On the middle Saturday of the U.S. Open, #9-seeded Muguruza and #21-seed Kvitova opened play in the first match on Armstrong of a Labor Day weekend in New York. It was an appropriately juicy match-up, with the two having combined to win four majors and reach seven slam finals in their careers. And the match didn't disappoint.

The Czech came into the day with a five match winning streak (including at the U.S. Open five years ago) against the Spaniard, whose only win over Kvitova came in 2015.

Early on, Muguruza looked fit to move forward in the tournament. After having won a 2nd set TB in both of her first two matches to avoid having to play three-setters, the Spaniard pulled back a 4-2 Kvitova edge in the 1st. After getting back on serve -- and then serving down 4-5, 15/30 -- Muguruza swatted a low swing volley into the sun that just caught the corner of the service box to prevent handing Kvitova a pair of SP. She got the hold, and a game later Kvitova's day-long service inconsistency saw back-to-back DF give Muguruza a 15/40 lead, then a third on BP #2 give her a break edge.

Serving at 6-5, Muguruza led 30/love. Kvitova got the game to 30-all, and saved a SP, but on Muguruza's second SP chance the Czech directed a backhand down the line and caught the highest part of the net. The ball bounced out and Muguruza took the 1st 7-5.

Kvitova led 4-2 again in the 2nd, and again Muguruza threatened to get the set back on serve, taking a love/30 lead on the Czech's serve before errors on back-to-back points (the second when she couldn't successfully return a less-than-challenging second serve) led to Kvitova getting the hold. She served out the 6-3 set two games later, setting up what turned out to be a wonderful 3rd in which both woman fought to within an inch of victory to stay alive.

Kvitova was "pojddddddding!" early on, but Muguruza climbed out of a love/30 hole to hold for 2-1. When Kvitova suddenly missed on four consecutive first serves, the Spaniard took a 15/40 lead and got the break for a 4-2 edge. Down love/30 again, Muguruza battled back to hold for 5-2. She served for the match at 5-3, getting to within two points of the win at 30/30 -- missing on a short forehand -- before dropping serve as Kvitova stayed alive.

Both took 40/love leads on serve in games 11 and 12. Muguruza got an easy hold, while Kvitova danced with potential defeat. A Muguruza deep deuce return of a Kvitova second serve produced an error that gave her a MP. The Czech saved it with an ace down the T, only to DF on the next point and give Muguruza another chance. She didn't convert it, either. A Kvitova DF on GP extended the game, but she got the hold to force a deciding match TB.

Muguruza was the first to assume a mini-break lead at 4-3, but gave it back a point leader. A forehand winner gave Kvitova an 8-5 lead, with the match on her racket as she served two. Muguruza took both to get the breaker back on sreve. Kvitova reached her first MP at 9-5, and on her second MP saw Muguruza fire back a big return of one the Czech's lefty serves, then follow up with a forehand winner to tie the score at 9-9. With both women (twice) a point away from MP in the closing momonts, Muguruza never saw a third MP. Meanwhile, Kvitova's ace gave *her* MP #3, but the two were soon tied again at 10-10. Kvitova's forehand winner gave her a fourth MP chance at 11-10, and it was the one to finally be converted as Muguruza's netted forehand halted a rally that ended with a victorious Kvitova.



The win gave the Czech her 22nd career slam Round of 16, but only her second at Flushing Meadows since her '17 QF run (w/ '15 her best result in the event). Overall, it's her first 4th Round at a slam since the pandemic fall Roland Garros in 2020.

And don't think she didn't appreciate it.


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2. U.S. Open 3rd Rd. - Ajla Tomljanovic def. Serena Williams
...7-5/6-7(4)/6-1. The End.



On Night 5 at Flushing Meadows, the curtain finally came down (well, probably) on perhaps the greatest career in tennis history.

From the start of the week, the thoughts about how long this Williams' U.S. Open "farewell" would last were always a fluid, round-by-round thing. Danka Kovinic would have a shot vs. Williams in the 1st Round if Serena wasn't prepared. She was. Moving on. A 2nd Round match-up with #2 Anett Kontaveit always felt like it would tilt Serena's way, as the Estonian is generally (but not always) a slam disappointment, and that was *before* Covid and a step-back '22 season managed to tie a rope around Kontaveit's ankle well before being reflected in her actual singles ranking. Williams finally started to look like Williams against Kontaveit, winning in three sets as she picked up her 48th career victory over a Top 2 opponent.

29-year old Aussie Tomljanovic, though, presented a different measuring stick. While she's yet to win a tour title (0-4 in finals), she's played some of her best tennis in recent majors, including back-to-back Wimbledon QF runs, as well as a QF in Cincinnati last month (with a win over #4 Paula Badosa) and a Top 5 victory at Roland Garros this spring over (wouldn't you know it) Kontaveit.

Williams' form would be tested on this night and, while she once again proved her formidability even in something far less than her *top* form, she tired down the stretch of what turned out to be (at 3:05) her longest career U.S. Open match. One couldn't help but get the feeling that if she'd had a few more pre-Open tournaments under her belt that Williams would have continued on (for who knows how long) in the event. But she didn't, and she isn't, and probably (maybe) never will again. Of course, even Williams wouldn't be totally definitive about *that* in the aftermath (nor has she been since), even after a week-long public celebration and commemoration (if not memorialization) of her tennis career and cultural impact.

It didn't take long for the clues to be seen about how this match might be different from the previous two under the lights on Ashe. In the 1st set, Tomljanvoic rallied from 5-3 down to win 7-5. In the 2nd, Williams built up a 4-0 lead, but ended up needing the cushion to survive. Tomljanovic won 5 of 6 games and took the set to a TB. Williams won it 7-4, but expended enough energy to hamper her chances in the decider.

Tomljanovic got the early 3rd set lead and didn't stop pulling ahead. She soon led 5-1 and served for the match, and to end Williams' career. Serena didn't have any miracles left in her tennis bag, but she didn't go out without one last fight, saving five MP in an eight-deuce game in which she held three BP but could never cut the double-break lead in half. Finally, on Tomljanovic's sixth MP, Williams netted a forehand to end the 7-5/6-7(4)/6-1 contest, as well as her unmatched career. (Probably.)



"It's been a fun ride," Serena said during her on-court interview after the match, even if not quite being able to bring herself to utter a true "goodbye," thanking everyone for being there tonight and over the course of her part in The Greatest Tennis Story Ever Told, as well as tipping a proverbial (and little sisterly) cap to the other side of that fabled sibling tale. "I wouldn't be Serena if there wasn't Venus," she stated, paying perhaps one final on-court homage to the player, friend, opponent, and big sister who put down the footsteps that she would soon follow (and eventually overtake).



If we truly never do see Serena on court, be it in singles or doubles, ever again there is one thing that we can probably be fairly sure of. We won't see her kind come this way again. Or at least, if anyone *ever* even comes close, we'll all be long gone before she gets here.


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3. Toronto 1st Rd. - Sloane Stephens def. Sofia Kenin
...6-2/6-7(5)/7-5. Even in defeat, in a three-hour contest with multiple rain delays, a good sign for the comeback-minded Kenin, who rallied from 6-2/5-1 down, saving four MP (2 at 5-1, 2 at 5-2) to win five straight games and win the TB to send things to a 3rd. Stephens led there 3-0, and 5-2, holding another MP at 5-4, before Kenin knotted the score at 5-all. Finally, Stephens, broken three times when serving for the match, broke Kenin's serve to get the win, completing the victory on her sixth MP.


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4. Toronto Final - Simona Halep def. Beatriz Haddad Maia
...6-3/2-6/6-3. Haddad often had this match on her racket with her power, but Halep's career-long penchant to battle and force opponents into using up every drop of reserve (hey, she does it, so why not them?) ultimately pushed the veteran into the winner's circle as the Brazilian wasn't able to produce a sufficient combination of power and accuracy consistently *enough* to get the better of the Romanian.



Haddad led 3-0 in the 1st, but Halep dug her heels into the match after a slow start, pushing her physically bigger opponent off the baseline with her driving groundstrokes, winning six straight games to take the set. Haddad bounced back brilliantly, going up a double-break in the 2nd and controlling the set to knot the match.

But Halep produced the final push, taking a 2-0 lead in the 3rd. Haddad held in a tough third game to stay in the flow of the proceedings, but Halep wasn't to be denied. She took back the control, using her defensive skills and forcing Haddad to try and take it back. While the game was willing, the gameplan was not, and the Brazilian couldn't do it. Halep raced to a 4-1 lead, and kept a step ahead the rest of the way, serving out the set at 6-3 to win her third title in the event (one off the record held by Evert and Seles), officially announcing her return to the upper echelon of the sport as she returned to the Top 10 after falling out of the Top 20 due to her '21 calf injury.


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5. Toronto 2nd Rd. - Coco Gauff def. Elena Rybakina
...6-4/6-7(8)/7-6(3). Rybakina saves 4 MP in the 2nd, forcing and winning a TB, then takes an early break lead in the 3rd.



Gauff battled back to take a 4-2 edge, but ultimately had to win a deciding tie-break to advance.


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6. Warsaw QF - Caroline Garcia def. Iga Swiatek
...6-1/1-6/6-4. After falling to Alize Cornet at Wimbledon, Swiatek is cut down to size by another French women. But this time it happened on clay, where the world #1 had won 18 straight, *and* in front of a Polish crowd.

In completing her first career #1 win, her first Top 10 win in nearly two years, Garcia became the first Pastry to defeat a top-ranked woman on clay in 17 years.


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7. U.S. Open 1st Rd. - Alize Cornet def. Emma Raducanu
...6-3/6-3. Alize is life. Still, and forever.



Throughout her career, Alize Cornet has hit all the notes.

Highs. Lows. Good. Bad. Great decisions, as well as questionable ones. Needless, and sometimes messy, drama. Required and hard-won maturity. Sometimes too much emotion, but often just the right amount of passion. And, through practice (as well and trial and error), some glory thrown in to make it all worthwhile.

Night 2 at the U.S. Open was another case of the 32-year old French woman stepping onto the big stage and shining brighter than ever on it. Seven months after reaching her first slam QF in Melbourne (her 63-major wait was the longest ever), and two months after knocking off world #1 Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon to end the Pole's 37-match win streak, Cornet played in a 1st Round match at a 63rd consecutive major, an all-time women's tennis record.



Cornet's opponent under the lights on Armstrong was the #11-seeded Emma Raducanu, the 19-year old defending champ who thrilled the crowds (and stunned the sport) last year by becoming the first qualifier to ever win a major singles title. As she often does under such circumstances, with such a big moment at hand Cornet put on a command performance filled with drop shots and applause-worthy winners, first ending Raducanu's 20-set winning streak in the event, then erasing her perfect 10-0 match record in it, too.

Once again, Raducanu was hampered by blisters on her fingers that required medical treatment during the match. Cornet was the dominant figure throughout, but it was *still* Cornet so a little drama -- though on a far smaller scale than used to be the case with her years ago -- had to be inserted for a *little* flavor. With weather becoming an issue in the New York City area in the evening, the roof was closed early in the 2nd set. When Cornet was serving. Having broken Raducanu in the opening game, Cornet was seemingly distracted by the roof's movement. She dropped serve and whacked a ball in frustration which seemed to possibly hit a ball kid in the middle of the court. Nothing was done about it, though, either because the umpire didn't see it or because the ball kid was running across in front of the net when Cornet hit the ball toward it.

Cornet's 1-0 lead soon turned into a 3-1 Raducanu edge. But the Pastry quickly turned things back around, winning eight consecutive points (and 12 of 13) as she rallied to break for a 4-3 lead. Two games later another break ended the match, giving Cornet seven straight wins over Top 20 players in majors (the streak ended vs. Danielle Collins in the 3rd Rd.).



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8. Cleveland 1st Rd. - Sara Sorribes Tormo def. Camila Osorio
...7-6(5)/4-6/6-3. The neverending match (aka Sorribes Tormo's longest match of the week) lasted 3:54, the longest on tour in '22 and the seventh-longest in MD women's tour play in the Open era. Naturally, the Spaniard is on that list twice (and she has a pair of 3:30+ outings in her last two events).


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9. San Jose 2nd Rd. - Coco Gauff def. Naomi Osaka
...6-4/6-4. A fairly straightforward match turned into something more interesting late, as Gauff's 5-1 2nd set lead turned into an adventure that nearly saw Osaka recover and send the contest in a totally different direction. Osaka trailed love/40 on serve at 5-1 (saving 4 MP) and 5-3 (saving 3 more) before Coco finally put away the match on serve on her 8th MP.


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10. Toronto 1st Rd. - Serena Williams def. Nuria Parrizas Diaz
...6-3/6-4. In the week of the announcement of her (upcoming/eventual) retirement, Williams posted her first match win since Roland Garros in 2021, and first on hard court since the '21 AO. With it, she became the fourth 40+ year old woman in the 2000s to post a tour-level MD win.


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11. Budapest 2nd Rd. - Lesia Tsurenko def. Kamilla Rakhimova
...6-7(1)/6-4/7-5. Tsurenko failed to serve out the 1st set, but found a way to win nonetheless. The 3:53 affair was the longest on tour in 2022, with the Ukrainian prevailing despite the Russian grabbing the early advantage by winning four straight games and leading 7-6/4-3, and then serving at 5-3 in the 3rd, holding a MP. But after surviving and prevailing in this marathon battle, Tsurenko was forced to retire after losing the first eight games of her QF match against Yulia Putintseva.
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12. Palermo 1st Rd. - Sara Sorribes Tormo def. Ana Bogdan
...2-6/6-4/6-2. Sorribes recovers from a set deficit to win in three en route to her first '22 semifinal. Playing in the thick of the current European heat wave, the Spaniard received a visit from a physio when down 6-2/3-2. She went on to level the match, then received a potentially important boost to start the deciding final set when Bogdan returned to the court 90 seconds late from the between-sets break and was docked six penalty points by the chair umpire. Up 1-0, 30/love without having played a point, Sorribes closed out the win.
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13. Toronto 3rd Rd. - Coco Gauff def. Arnya Sabalenka
...7-5/4-6/7-6(4). Sabalenka's 18 DF vs. Gauff (who had 15 of her own) proved to be too many. The three-hour affair saw Gauff taken to three sets despite having led 7-5/4-2, 40/love, then surge back from 3-0 down to the Belarusian in the 3rd.

Gauff/Sabalenka ended with a 131-131 tie in points, with an unlikely matching of both points won on return (54-54) as well as on serve (77-77).


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14. Cincinnati 3rd Rd. - Madison Keys def. Iga Swiatek
...6-3/6-4. While this was Keys' first career #1 win and (surprisingly) also her first Top 3 victory (of 22 career Top 10 wins), it turned out to be the last match lost by Swiatek on North American hard courts this summer.
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15. Vancouver WTA 125 2nd Rd. - Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva def. Jodie Burrage
...7-5/6-7(5)/7-6(7). The Andorran teen failed to serve out the match in straight sets, then stopped the Brit when she *twice* tried to serve things out in the 3rd (at 5-4 and 6-5). VJK then won a 9-7 TB to end the 2:55 affair.
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16. U.S. Open Jr. 2nd Rd. - Taylah Preston def. Angella Okutoyi
...6-2/6-7(4)/6-1. Preston led Okutoyi 6-2/5-0, twice serving for the match in the 2nd set, holding a MP on her own serve at 5-3 and then two more in the following game on that of the Kenyan's. Okutoyi took at 6-5 lead, but was broken by Preston to force a TB, which Okutoyi won 7-4 to force a 3rd set. Once there, Preston regrouped and won it 6-1.
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HM- Palermo Q2 - Elina Avanesyan def. Carolina Alves 6-3/7-5
Palermo 1st Rd.- Elina Avanesyan def. Carolina Alves 6-2/5-7/6-1
...it happens occasionally, and it happened again here. Avanesyan didn't fall prey to the qualifier/lucky loser do-over trap as the Russian posted back-to-back wins (though the second one took a little longer) over the Brazilian.
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*A CRUSH OF CZECHS ON THE HORIZON*




Prague Q2 - Barbora Palicova def. Yanina Wickmayer 6-4/4-6/6-2
Prague Q2 - Dominika Salkova def. Natalia Vikhlyantseva 6-7(3)/7-5/6-2
...one could have seemingly filled the entire Q draw in Prague with the exceeding deep talent pool of young Czechs populating the junior circuit (and winning pro challenger events) over the past year. Three got the chance to play their way into the MD in Prague.

Nikola Bartunkova ('22 RG Jr. SF & WI Jr. QF) lost in her Q-round opener to Oksana Selekhmeteva, but Palicova posted wins over Viktoria Kuzmova and Wickmayer to reach her maiden tour MD, while Salkova upset the likes of Astra Sharma and Vikhlyantseva to do the same.



The main draw of singles included additional Czech Crush wild cards Linda Havlickova ('22 RG Jr. champ and, later, U.S. jr finalist) and Linda Noskova ('21 RG Jr. champ).

Five Czechs reached the second round, two faced off in a semifinal (one being Noskova, in just her second WTA MD with wins over Alize Cornet and Nao Hibino), and Marie Bouzkova (an "elder" at age 23, now 24) won her maiden tour title.



As the 3Q ends, four of the top eight highest-ranked players under age 18 are Czechs, including four of the top five (Noskova, Linda and Brenda Fruhvirtova, and Sara Bejlek, the latter a 16-year old who led a field of three Czechs who made it through U.S. Open qualifying to become the three youngest players in the Open's MD).


*FANCY MEETING YOU HERE*

Lausanne SF - Olga Danilovic def. Anastasia Potapova
...6-3/6-2. Four years ago, Danilovic (then a LL) won a battle of 17-year olds against (then a WC) Potapova in Moscow.



A qualifier this time around, Danilovic improved upon her result against Potapova in Lausanne...



...but (ultimately) only went home with the doubles title.


*POLISH WISH FULFILLMENT FOR A CAUSE*




5. Iga Swiatek & Friends for Ukraine Exhibition (Krakow) - Aga Radwanska def. Iga Swiatek 6-4
MX Doubles - Iga Swiatek/Martyn Pawelski def. Aga Radwanska/Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4
...the Iga-organized charity event for Ukraine (w/ Elina Svitolina) went over without a hitch in Krakow, as Swiatek shared the court with Aga Radwanska.




*IGA WISH FULFILLMENT FOR A CAUSE*


In the USTA's Tennis Plays for Peace for the benefit of Ukraine before the U.S. Open, Iga Swiatek got to fulfill a personal dream by sharing the court with Rafa Nadal.





*A CZECHIAN FAREWELL*




Prague 1st Rd. - Andrea Sestina Hlavackova/Lucie Hradecka def. Anastasia Detiuc/Miriam Kolodziejova 5-7/6-2 [10-3]
Prague QF - Miyu Kato/Samantha Murray Sharan def. Andrea Sestina Hlavackova/Lucie Hradecka 6-3/6-1
...having retired in 2019 and not played since the 2018 WTAF, Hlavackova returned for one final engagement with her old doubles partner Hradecka, with whom she won 13 titles, two slams and an Olympic Silver medal. It turned out to be more than a one-and-done affair, as the Czechs notched a 1st Round MTB win before playing their final match together a round later.




*TENNIS GODS-101*

San Jose 1st Rd. - Dasha Kasatkina def. Elena Rybakina 1-6/6-2/6-0
... In dueling "first match since..." appearances, Kasatkina (in her first tournament since officially coming out) gradually took control vs. the Wimbledon champ (in her first post-SW19 outing) and then dominated the 3rd set, losing just seven points (4 in the last four games).



San Jose QF - Veronika Kudermetova def. Ons Jabeur
...7-6(5)/6-2. Along with Kasatkina's 1st Round win over Rybakina, Kudermetova's victory over Jabeur means that Russians --banned from Wimbledon -- defeated *both* Wimbledon women's finalists in their first post-SW19 events.

The Tennis Gods remain undefeated.


*WHEN NATIONS GO TO WAR...*

Cincinnati Q2 - Anna Kalinskaya def. Anastasia Potapova
...7-5/6-1. The kerfuffle from Cincinnati qualifying weekend, when a fan with a Ukrainian flag was removed from a match featuring two Russians and then later had her flag confiscated, didn't really make anyone look good.

Not the fan draped in a Ukrainian flag sitting courtside during an all-Russian match with (obviously) the intention to be a distraction (accounts were conflicting about whether or not she purposely pointed the flag at the players between games... if she was doing so, then the incident arguably moves from the "free speech" column to the "potential intimidation" one, as the last thing the sport needs is another fan/protester/player physical altercation during a match). Not the player (apparently Kalinskaya) who complained to the umpire. Not the umpire (in a tough spot) who had the player's back and confronted the fan. Not the security who apparently got a bit rough when called upon to intervene. And surely not the tournament officials who (clearly) sent personnel in search of the fan after she left the stands in order to enforce a rarely-enforced rule about the size of flags that are allowed to be brought onto the grounds.




*YESSSSS-!!... say what now?*

U.S. Open Q1 - Carolina Avles def. Stefanie Voegele 6-2/6-7(1)/7-6(8)
...Alves led 3-0 and 5-2 in the 3rd set, holding two MP in game #9 before Voegele won four straight games to lead 6-5. The Swiss held a MP of her own a game later, but the two played into the first women's 10-point MTB in U.S. Open history.

Alves thought she'd won the match at 7-5, going to the net in celebration before being told by the chair umpire that she actually need three *more* points. She got them, closing out the three-hour affair.


*THE FINAL VICTORY*

U.S. Open 2nd Rd. - Serena Williams def. Anett Kontaveit 7-6(4)/2-6/6-2
...at the close of a second night of lights, pomp and circumstance during Williams' final slam run, Serena picked up her 48th career win over a world #1/#2.




*FOOTNOTES, FAULTS AND FOREHANDS*




U.S. Open 2nd Rd. - Victoria Azarenka def. Marta Kostyuk 6-2/6-3
...normally this match-up, while a good one, wouldn't have come equipped with footnotes, but Kostyuk's mission this season to be a one-woman prosecutor, judge and (if she could be) jury in a virtual public trial against all the Russian and Belarusian players on tour in the wake of Vladimir Putin's Russian army invasion (w/ an assist from the Belarusian government) pretty much made the reality of real world events encroaching upon the tennis tour a prerequisite for any discussion of the contest.

Kostyuk has hectored RUS/BLR players with official statements since the start of the six-month long conflict, stating that (though it's an exceedingly complicated situation for the players, who have nothing to do with such decisions and sometimes no longer even spend much time in their nations of origin) they haven't condemed the actions of the invaders, desecraters and murderers strongly *enough* publicly, and/or haven't come to her *personally* to discuss the issue since she's been one of the most vocal voices in the sport regarding the conflict and its impact on tennis.

After originally getting behind the "no flags" idea, Kostyuk has also at times called for all RUS/BLR to be banned from playing anywhere in tour events (not just on English grass), questioned whether she'd ever choose to play a match against such players (she pulled out of the semis in Granby last weekend with what was termed a "shoulder injury," but it raised eyebrows because she was also a round away from her possible first career WTA final, which ultimately would have been against Russian Dasha Kasatkina), and before the start of the Open she refused to participate in the tournament's Tennis Plays for Peace exhibition for the benefit of Ukraine (on the nation's independence day) because she and other Ukrainian players hadn't been consulted about whether any RUS/BLR players would participate.

Azarenka, who has spoken out about a desire for peace (but not to Kostyuk *directly*, apparently... something which the 20-year old has attributed to her "not being ranked high enough") had originally been announced to be involved in the event, but Kostyuk's criticism ultimately led to the former #1 being removed from the roster by the USTA.

Nothing could alter the U.S. Open draw, though, and after 1st Round wins by both women they were scheduled to play against one another in the 2nd Round. The question of whether Kostyuk would show up was a no-go. She did. And she (mostly) played well, though she mixed in far too many unforced errors with her stinging groundstrokes to really put herself in a good position to challenge for a win against the three-time U.S. Open finalist and former #1, the #26-seed at this event.

For her part, Azarenka put forth a workwomanlike performance on the day. Taking a 4-1 1st set lead, she saved all four BP she faced in the set and won it 6-2. The 33-year old raced to an even bigger lead in the 2nd, leading 5-1 and going on to win it 6-3, picking up her 43rd career U.S. Open match win, breaking a tie with the Australian Open as the slam where she's won most often.

After exchanging no pleasantries before the match, the two did the same afterward, offering only a quick racket tap at the net. I guess that counts as peace on the tennis tour. Kostyuk *had* finally reached out the Azarenka a day earlier... texting her to warn her that she wouldn't be shaking her hand.



As expected, the issue carried over into the post-match press conferences.





*THE END OF (ANOTHER) ERA*

U.S. Open 1st Rd. - Lucie Hradecka/Linda Noskova def. Serena Williams/Venus Williams 7-6(5)/6-4
...while Serena's singles farewell was appropriately highlighted at Flushing Meadows, her retirement (should it *totally* stick) also marks the end of one of the most remarkable doubles duos in tennis history. The sisters -- before Krejcikova/Siniakova matched the feat at the end of the Open -- had been the only women's duo to ever complete a Career Golden Slam in WD (4 majors + Olympic Gold), teaming to win win 14 majors (4-2-6-2) together in their career, with both reaching doubles #1 to go along with their already HoF-worthy (and then some) singles accomplishments.





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1. U.S. Open 2nd Rd. - Aryna Sabalenka def. Kaia Kanepi
...2-6/7-6(8)/6-4. Sabalenka's successful defense of her '21 Open semi (and near takedown of eventual champ Iga Swiatek, as she led 4-2 in the 3rd set) almost didn't happen.

The Belarusian seemed fated to an early exit in New York after trailing Kanepi 6-2/5-1 with the Estonian twice serving for the match and holding two MP in the 2nd set TB. But Sabalenka survived, and the rest was (almost) history.


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2. Cincinnati 1st Rd. - Petra Kvitova def. Jil Teichmann
...6-7(2)/7-6(6)/6-3. A year after falling to Ash Barty in the Cincinnati final, Teichmann served for the match at 6-5 in the 2nd in her opening match in the tournament. She held a MP at 6-5 in the TB, only to then lose in three sets, proving to be the launching pad for one of Kvitova's best weeks in a sometimes-trying season.



In a Six Degrees of Cincinnati situation, this turned out to be a match-up of the tournament runners-up of the last two years, as Kvitova lost in the championship match to Caroline Garcia.
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3. San Jose 2nd Rd. - Paula Badosa def. Elli Mandlik
...6-2/5-7/7-6(5). #240 Mandlik's MD tour-level debut just about got *really* serious, as she led #4 Badosa 5-3 in the 3rd set. Badosa held in a deuce game for 5-4, then broke Mandlik in a two-deuce game on her third BP in game #10. After breaking the Spaniard, Mandlik served at 6-5, but a third straight break of serve in the set led to a deciding TB, won by Badosa as she pulled away from a 4-4 tie to win 7-5.


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4. U.S. Open Q3 - Clara Burel def. Misaki Doi
...2-6/6-4/7-6(10). Doi led 5-0 in the 1st, winning nine of the first twelve games to lead 6-2/3-1. Burel took 5 of 6 games to knot the match, and led 4-2 in the 3rd.

The Pastry served at 5-4, but saw the Japanese veteran surge back and hold MP at 6-5 on Burel's serve when rain stopped the match, giving the French woman a timely reprieve. Burel came back to save four MP and take the match to a deciding MTB. Again, play was stopped six points in, but Burel returned to save a fifth MP at 10-9 before going on to win 12-10.
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5. U.S. Open Jr. 2nd Rd. - Iva Jovic def. Solana Sierra
...5-7/6-2/6-7(9). Wild card Bannerette Jovic, 14, upset #5-seeded Sierra -- a girls' semifinalist at last year's Open, RG junior finalist this year and a winner of back-to-back ITF titles this summers -- ralling from 5-0 down in the 3rd, with the Argentine up 15/40 on Jovic's serve. After failing to convert the two MP, Sierra served at 5-1 and 5-3 but couldn't get the hold.

The set went into a MTB, where Sierra led 9-8, but saw Jovic save a 3rd MP before Sierra DF'd on the U.S. girls' first (and only) MP, handing Jovic an 11-9 win.


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6. Washington 1st Rd. - Rebecca Marino def. Venus Williams
...4-6/6-1/6-4. In her first solo match since Chicago last summer, Venus had a bead on her first singles win of '22, leading Marino 3-0 and 4-1 in the 3rd, and holding BP at 4-3 once the Canadian had tightened the score. As it was, Marino broke for 5-4 and served out the win at love, giving Venus another loss to a #100+ opponent (her eighth such loss since the summer of '19) as she lost for the ninth time in her last ten outings and fell to 4-21 since the 2019 U.S. Open.



Williams lost the other three matches she played this summer, as well, all against Top 50 players in Jil Teichmann, Karolina Pliskova and Alison Van Uytvanck.
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7. Lausanne 2nd Rd. - Olga Danilovic def. Anna Kalinskaya 6-3/3-6/7-5
Lausanne QF - Olga Danilovic def. Simona Waltert 6-4/4-6/7-6(5)
...the Serb's comebacks come in bunches, as Kalinskaya served at 5-3 in the 3rd, DF'ing on a MP, before losing the last four games (and 6 of 7); while Waltert overcame a 6-4/2-0 deficit to force a 3rd, only to then *also* fail to serve out the match at 5-3 in the deciding set. Danilovic reached the final.
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8. Cleveland 1st Rd. - Madison Brengle def. Varvara Gracheva
...6-3/4-6/7-5. Brengle prevails despite the Hordette serving up 5-4. 40/15 in the 3rd, ultimately holding six MP (she DF'd on 3) before falling for the ninth straight time.



Cleveland 2nd Rd. - Madison Brengle def. Ekaterina Alexandrova
...3-6/7-5/7-5. Brengle's journey In the Land ended in the QF, but she added another comeback victory over another Russian in the 2nd Round, this time overcoming a 6-3/5-3 deficit, with Alexandrova serving at 5-4.


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9. Toronto 3rd Rd. - Jessie Pegula def. Camila Giorgi
...3-6/6-0/7-5. Rallying from 4-2 in the 3rd (a point from 5-2), saving a MP against the defending champ and winning nine of ten points to end the contest, this win was (arguably?) Pegula's biggest moment of a week that included another 1000 SF and a(nother) doubles title that resulted in a(nother) Top 10 ranking (this time in WD).

Well, unless you count the likely-long-lasting meme from her loss against a struggling-but-fighting-to-find-a-way Simona Halep in their semifinal encounter.


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10. Palermo QF - Jasmine Paolini def. Nuria Parrizas Diaz
...6-7(5)/7-5/6-2. Parrizas Diaz led 7-6/5-2, holding two MP, before Paolini swept the final five games of the 2nd and went on to win the three-hour affair to reach her third career SF, her best tour-level result since she last played a WTA event in her nation (Courmayeur/October).


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11. U.S. Open 1st Rd. - Karolina Pliskova def. Magda Linette
...6-2/4-6/7-6(8). Pliskova found herself down 4-1 in the 3rd set against Magda Linette, but battled back, breaking the Pole in consecutive service games to lead 6-5. But the Czech wasn't able to serve out the win as the match was decided in a match tie-break. Pliskova led 3-0, 6-1 and 7-2, but then experienced an error-laden stretch (she seemed to be tiring in the heat, and several times bent over at the waist at the end of points) that nearly cost her the match.

Serving at 7-6, she dropped both points and was suddenly behind 8-7. Pliskova nearly missed on a swing volley at the net, just catching the baseline to avoid going down MP. Instead it was an error off Linette's racket a point later that gave Pliskova a MP. Pliskova put in a big serve, then put away a forehand to win 10-8 and survive en route to the QF.
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12. Warsaw 1st Rd. - Kristina Mladenovic def. Anna Bondar
...1-6/7-5/7-6(8). This win against Bondar highlighted so much of what ails Mladenovic, but also what likely still keeps her trying again and again (and again) to reclaim her former singles form. The Pastry trailed Bondar 6-1/3-3 when play was suspended, but a day later found a way to fight and win despite 21 DF (the most by a winner on tour in '22 until Sabalenka won w/ 23 in San Jose a week later) and having trailed 5-2 in the 3rd set, saving six MP while rallying to win the 2:55 contest.

Even with the win, Mladenovic was outpointed 110-100 by Bondar, who also won more games (17-15) and dominated in such a way in return points won (60-36) that it seems impossible to think that the Hungarian found a way to lose the match.


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13. San Jose 2nd Rd. - Aryna Sabalenka def. Caroline Dolehide 5-7/6-1/7-5
...5-7/6-1/7-5. Sabalenka broke Mladenovic's tour season mark from a week earlier by winning over Dolehide despite *23* DF. Dolehide broke serve to lead 5-3 in the 3rd, but Sabalenka swept the final four games, winning 16 of the last 19 points.
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14. Concord 125 2nd Rd. - Katie Volynets def. Harmony Tan
...4-6/6-0/7-6(4). Tan clipped Serena at Wimbledon, but saw another Bannerette get the better of her in New Hampshire. The Pasty rallied from 3-1 down in the 3rd to lead 5-3 and serve for the match, holding four MP. But Volynets claimed three of four games and took the deciding tie-break.
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15. Iasi 125 1st Rd. - Kristina Mladenovic def. Tena Lukas
...2-6/7-6(5)/6-3. Another week, another crazy Mladenovic match. Here the Pastry kept her DF total fairly low (9), but still had to rally from 6-2/4-2 down to get the win. The final stats make one wonder how Mladenovic managed to do it, again, as Lukas converted 8 of 14 BP chances and won both more points on serve (53-50) *and* on return (53-51).
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*PERSEVERANCE, THY NAME IS AJLA*

U.S. Open 4th Rd. - Ajla Tomljanovic def. Liudmila Samsonova 7-6(8)/6-1
...two nights after ending the career of none other than Serena Williams, Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic was asked to return and try to win again. To her vast credit, that's just what she did, outplaying the previously-in-top-form Samsonova on a night (after two sets, both for very different reasons) the Hordette is going to want to forget. Well, except for maybe to learn something from the experience.

Samsonova put herself in the proverbial driver's seat in the 1st, but twice saw Tomljanovic recover from break disadvantages, then survive a monumental tenth game in which the Aussie served down 5-4. In what turned out to be an 18-minute game that lasted 12 deuces, Tomljanovic rallied from a love/40 start to save a total of seven SP before, after Samsonova's wayward forehand seemed to forbid her from taking the set by the neck, finally holding on her own eighth GP to knot the set at 5-5.

Samsonova recovered from love/30 to hold for 6-5, forcing Tomljanovic to again hold to stay alive in the set.

The set went to a tie-break, where Samsonova was the first to take a mini-break lead at 6-5, holding her eighth SP. She failed to secure the set again, and then on the very next point, in the middle of a rally, the Russian seemed to pull up and not even attempt a swing at a ball that bounced near the baseline, apparently thinking that it had landed out. It hadn't. It gave Tomljanovic a SP. The Aussie promptly DF'd, but a short time later, on her third SP, Tomljanovic took the set when a Samsonova (what else?) forehand sailed long (her 34th UE in the set) to end the 10-8 TB and (somehow) put Samsonova fall behind in the match.

In the 2nd, Samsonova, riding a 13-match winning streak, hit the physical/mental wall. She nearly lost the set at love, but a late hold prevented the ignominy in what still turned out to be a straight sets defeat. Tomljanovic committed just three UE in the 2nd, while Samsonova managed to add 22 more, giving her 56 in a 20-game, 157-point match.




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*THE ANTI-MARKETING TENNIS MARKETING IDEA (SQUARED)*

Nice effort. Yeah, not really.




And this... hahahaha!




I'm sure that wasn't meant as a sarcastic comeback from WTA twitter, but it should have been.


*SERIOUSLY, LIKE, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? (U.S. OPEN DAY 8)*




How embarrassing.

What's the point of having *two* courts with roofs -- and radar!, with threatening skies above! -- if you *still* can't see the rain coming in time to close the roof, drench the court and then have to go old-school with drying machines and kids dragging towels under their feet while the players (and everyone else) wait around (w/ annoyed looks) for more than half an hour? And there was even a long delay for the drying efforts to start... probably because no one thought TPTB would be stupid enough -- as I said, with a roof and radar! -- to allow this situation to occur. In *2022.*

Sheesh.





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1. U.S. Open 1st Rd. - Daria Snigur def. Simona Halep
...6-2/0-6/6-4. In a match up of the 2019 Wimbledon junior and women's champs, the 20-year old Ukrainian qualifier (#124) makes headlines in her slam MD debut by rallying from a love 2nd set loss to take out Toronto champ Halep, staving off a late rally (from 5-1 down in the 3rd to 5-4) to make the #7-seeded Romanian the First Seed Out at Flushing Meadows.

With Halep's game careening around the hard court, Snigur took the 1st set 6-2, but the two-time slam winner dominated the 2nd, claiming it at love and being expected to carry out her course correction into the 2nd Round. But that didn't happen. Snigur didn't flinch, but Halep did.

In a slip (slightly) reminiscent of her old "Cliffs of Simona" days, Halep's errors began to get in the way of the narrative of her "victory."

Halep dropped serve to open the 3rd, but held a BP to get back on serve in game #2. She couldn't put it away, then saw Snigur take a love/40 lead in game #5 and go up a double break at 4-1. Halep again had a chance to change the momentum a game later. Snigur held a GP for 5-1, but Halep took a point on which she had to control a volley off a net cord shot. Snigur's double-fault gave Halep a BP chance, but again it went unconverted via a Halep unforced error. Halep's long return ended the two-deuce game as Snigur ultimately did take a 5-1 lead.

But Halep has escaped from such predicaments before, and proceeded to calm her game. A hold was followed by a quick break of the newcomer's serve to close the gap to 5-3. A game later, Halep saved back-to-back MP (from 15/40) and then held with an ace to make it 5-4. It seemed that if Halep could just get back to even the momentum might fully tilt her way against her inexperienced opponent. And she *did* take a love/30 lead on Snigur's serve in game #10.

But Snigur didn't waver, and also didn't suddenly go for too much in a panic move to keep Halep from further breathing down her neck. She got back to 30-all, then passed Halep at the net to get her third MP chance. A long Halep error ended the match, giving the #124-ranked Snigur the win in her slam debut, sending Halep out in the 1st Round in New York for the third time in her last five appearances.



The 20-year old participated in the Tennis Plays for Peace exhibition for her nation that took place at Flushing Meadows the previous week during her qualifying run. Because of that, she got to play on Armstrong before this match, so a case could be made that it helped her "nerves" in her first big stage appearance, though she had no problem saying after the match how nervous she actually was. You'd never have guessed it.


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2. U.S. Open 1st Rd. - Clara Burel def. Elena Rybakina
...6-4/6-4. Burel's qualifying round reprieve (vs. Doi) gave her the opportunity to face #25-seed Rybakina in her first slam action since winning Wimbledon. The Pastry took full advantage.

Rybakina has admitted her frustration over a ranking far lower than it *should* be since she was awarded no points for her SW19 win, as well as her less-than-complimentary court assignments since then despite being a reigning major champion. Well, this result (on Court 12) didn't help the Kazakh on that front, as her loss to Burel made Rybakina the first maiden slam champ to fall in the opening round of her next major since Sloane Stephens exited in the 1st Round of the Australian Open in 2018.


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3. U.S. Open 2nd Rd. - Wang Xiyu def. Maria Sakkari
...3-6/7-5/7-5. In 21-year old Wang's first big-stage moment, she defeats #3-ranked Sakkari on Louis Armstrong Stadium court to record her first career Top 10 win, using her forehand to take control of the match and send the '21 U.S. Open semifinalist packing by winning out in a tight battle down the stretch, overcoming having lost a 4-1 2nd set lead to pull ahead after Sakkari had won 4 of 5 games, and then staging a comeback from 3-1 down in the 3rd to the Greek, getting the set back on serve and then pulling off a match-ending break to reach her first career slam 3rd Round.



The loss means that Sakkari, though she improved upon her '21 slam results in Melbourne (1r-->4r) and London (2r-->3r) this season, fell back considerably in trying to defend *both* of her big SF runs from last year in Paris and New York, going out in the 2nd Round on both occasions.
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4. Toronto 3rd Rd. - Beatriz Haddad Maia def. Iga Swiatek
...6-4/3-6/7-5. Swiatek held a break lead early in the 3rd, then found herself down MP at 4-5. She fired off an ace, followed by a DF on her own GP before finally holding. But the Brazilian didn't crumble, and instead polished off a quick hold of serve, then took a love/40 lead on Swiatek a game later. Swiatek saved two more MP with a body serve, then an Haddad UE, but the Pole's own error on MP #4 gave her a third loss -- on three different surfaces -- in six matches and Haddad her first career victory over a world #1.


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5. Lausanne 1st Rd. - Simona Waltert def. Danielle Collins
...6-7(5)/6-3/7-6(6). The Swiss wild card, after failing to serve out the match before the TB, records her first career Top 10 win after saving three MP from 6-3 down in the breaker (2 via a Collins DF), winning 8-6 in a match in which the two combined for 27 DF (Collins 15, Waltert 12) and faced 36 BP (11 were converted). Waltert ultimately reached her first tour QF.
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6. San Jose Q2 - Elli Mandlik def. Jil Teichmann
...3-6/6-3/6-0. Top Q-seed Teichmann led 6-3/3-1, then the Bannerette reeled off the final eleven games to reach the MD.

San Jose 1st Rd. - Elli Mandlik def. Alison Riske
...6-3/6-3. The daughter of a legend makes her tour debut a memorable one.



After Mandlik's surprising power got the best of Riske, the then pushed #4-ranked Paula Badosa to the edge a round later. Mandlik led the #2-seeded Spaniard 5-3 in the 3rd before Badosa held in a tight game to stay in the match before eventually winning a deciding 7-5 TB.
Mandlik cracked the Top 200 for the first time following the event.
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7. U.S. Open 1st Rd. - Harriet Dart def. Dasha Kasatkina
...7-6(8)/1-6/6-3. In a quick turnaround from her Granby win in Canada, Kasatkina lost a 1st set TB at 10-8 to Brit Dart. But she rebounded to take the 2nd and lead by an early break in the 3rd. Dart got things back on serve at 3-3, though, and soon served for the match at 5-3. She saved a BP with a forehand winner down the line, but Kasatkina flubbed a short volley and found herself down MP. Another Dart forehand winner sealed the victory, the first of her career over a Top 10 player.


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8. Prague 2nd Rd. - Linda Noskova def. Alize Cornet
...7-5/1-6/7-6(7). Cornet has had the opportunity to see mulitple Crush of Czechs club members up close in their early forms, having faced and lost (via ret. at 4-4 in the 3rd) to Linda Fruhvirtova last year in Charleston. This time the Pastry came up on the short end again, as Noskova rallied from 3-1 down in the 3rd to win a 9-7 TB en route to her maiden tour SF.


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9. Vancouver WTA 125 1st Rd. - Cadence Brace def. Claire Liu
...6-3/6-3. The 17-year old Canadian WC (#742) knocks off the #3-seeded (world #79) Liu, posting her first singles win above the ITF challenger level.



Granby 1st Rd. - Cadence Brace def. Kaja Juvan
...7-5/6-3. The 17-year old Canadian qualifier (#646) gets the first notch on her tour-level MD belt.



At the very least, however high she ultimately rises in the rankings, likely most can probably agree this Canadian has (at least) a "Top 10 name." I mean, "Cadence Brace"... come on.
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10. Cincinnati 1st Rd. - Caty McNally def. Aliaksandra Sasnovich
...6-3/3-6/7-6(2). Cincinnati native McNally lives out a dream with her 1st Round win in her home event, preventing Sasnovich from serving out the match at 5-4 in the 3rd and taking a deciding TB.

A round later, McNally held 3 MP for an upset of soon-to-be U.S. Open finalist Ons Jabeur, as well, before falling in a deciding TB.
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11. Hamburg 1st Rd. - Joanne Züger def. Jule Niemeier
...6-4/0-6/6-4/6-2. Niemeier loses consecutive matches for the first time since April, as the Swiss newcomer makes her tour MD debut match a successful one.
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12. Prague 2nd Rd. - Nao Hibino def. Barbora Krejcikova
...3-6/7-6(5)/6-3. Defending champ Krejcikova served for the match at 6-3/5-3, though even with her break of serve it felt in the moment like a minor bump on the road to a victory on home soil over LL Hibino. I guess that's why they play the games, huh?


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HM- Granby 1st Rd. - Katherine Sebov def. Wang Xinyu
...3-6/6-4/6-0. She's not one of the band of promising Canadian teens (she's 23), but #307 Sebov joined in on her compatriots' fun in Granby by picking up her first career tour-level MD singles win.


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*A DAY (well, 24-hour period) THAT WILL LIVE IN...*

Cincinnati 1st Rd. - Emma Raducanu def. Serena Williams 6-4/6-0
Cincinnati 2nd Rd. - Emma Raducanu def. Victoria Azarenka 6-0/6-2
...since her stunning U.S. Open triumph last year, Raducanu spend the last twelve months signing endorsement deals, changing coaches and recovering from a series of minor injuries while her on-court successes have been few and far between (though, when they've come, they've been promising ones). Through it all, the Brit has taken everything in stride, brushed off a stream of social media criticism and generally approached her situation -- that of a teenager with little pro experience suddenly being thrust into the spotlight with newly outlandish expectations based on a few weeks of work spread out over two majors -- from the sort of mature, grounded perspective that should be an example for others when it comes to dealing with the sort of instant pressure that sometimes comes with big-time success in the sport.

In Cincinnati, a healthy Raducanu may have brought to mind for the first time in the past year the player who won at Flushing Meadows. Granted, while her big, historic wins in the event came against all-time greats who are either (somewhat) shadows of their former selves or severly match play-deficient at the moment, it's hard to not raise one's eyebrows when *anyone* -- let alone a recent Open champ -- strings together consecutive dominating wins over the likes of future Hall of Famers Williams and Azarenka.



Raducanu allowed just six total games, handing the two back-to-back bagel sets in less than 24 hours, defeating Williams 4 & love, then Azarenka love & 2, winning 17 straight games in a stretch (final 7 vs. Serena, first 10 vs. Vika).



The Brit was out-hit by Jessie Pegula a round later, but played well and stayed close in a 7-5/6-4 loss, and fell in the 1st Round of her U.S. Open title defense to Alize Cornet.


*DEAR DIARY...*



Hamburg Final - Sophie Chang/Angela Kulikov def. Miyu Kato/Aldila Sutjiadi 6-3/4-6 [10-6]
...recent USC graduate Kulikov enjoyed a *full* WTA experience in Hamburg. She made her tour-level debut in the doubles, teaming with Chang, with whom she's already won five ITF crowns since October. In the QF, she put her body on the line...



It paid off with her (and Chang's) maiden tour final appearance after a pair of MTB wins in the 1st Round (over Barnett/Nichols) and SF (Potapova/Sizikova), and the pair were further rewarded with their maiden title after another MTB win in the championship match over Miyu Kato & Aldila Sutjiadi.






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posted by Todd.Spiker @ 11:58 PM 

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