US.9- Happiness is a Warm U.S. Open Semifinal Berth

It wasn't always pretty on Tuesday, but Ons Jabeur was ultimately successful in continuing her personal journey to amend *all* the tennis record books.

The first African woman in the Open Era to reach the @usopen semifinals ??@Ons_Jabeur | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/bqIgmwbRym

— wta (@WTA) September 6, 2022

Having continually set new standards for Arab, North African and Tunisian tennis in an already historic career, the #5-seeded Jabeur added a first U.S. Open semifinal berth to her astoundingly long list of firsts meant to not only lift *her* up through the sport's ranks but to also (hopefully, per her mission) inspire others of similar backgrounds to lift *themselves* up in related ways.

2022 has turned out to be the year that Jabeur has created her own, well-known personal "brand," assuming the role of goodwill ambassador and Minister of Happiness, not to mention Serena Williams' doubles partner as well as the game's consummate showwoman with a magic wand doubling as a racket, with a will to entertain that not only thrills the masses but -- unlike so many tennis "entertainers" before her -- also serves to elevate her own game to grand (and maybe still grander) heights.

The year didn't start out so perfectly for Jabeur, though. She was forced to miss the Australian Open, where she posted her maiden major QF two years earlier, due to a back injury. Ever since then, her campaign to make up for lost time has taken her to all sorts of new and exciting places. From five final appearances (she'd entered the season w/ four in her career) to her two biggest titles -- including a 500 win on grass (Berlin) and a 1000 on clay (Madrid) that was then a followed by another 1000 final in Rome that made her just the fourth woman (the other three all reached #1) to pull off the back-to-back finals feat -- and an appearance in the Wimbledon final.

Jabeur's QF opponent on Tuesday afternoon was the unseeded Ajla Tomljanovic, a back-to-back Wimbledon quarterfinalist who had traveled a remarkable road to get there, from overcoming a tough 1st Round opponent (Muchova) to rallying from 5-3 down in the 3rd (vs. Rodina) a round later, and then managing to end the career of Serena Williams before halting Liudmila Samsonova's 13-match winning streak in straight sets despite the Russian holding 8 SP in the opener. It had been an admirable run, even if at times it sometimes felt like she'd pulled it off via a trick of mirrors, often simply remaining steady from the baseline while her opponents failed to take advantage of the opportunities they had in the match.

Some of that occurred today, as well, as Jabeur was not in the greatest of form. Even while winning (mostly) throughout, the "happiness" aspect of her persona was often absent from the Tunisian's face, replaced by a smile turned upside down and a racket tossed in anger due to enough frustrating unforced errors to upset her hard-won aesthetic.

Up a break early in the 1st set, Jabeur led 3-1 and love/30 on Tomljanovic's serve, but the Aussie got the hold. A Jabeur DF put her down 15/40 a game later, and soon the set was back on serve as Tomljanovic played the waiting game. Jabeur broke back for 4-3. After failing to convert SP on Tomljanovic's serve, Jabeur finally served out the set at 6-3.

Jabeur opened the 2nd with a break (via a Tomljanovic DF) as Jabeur again took a 3-1 lead. But as the Aussie played a mostly error-free game, while Jabeur did the opposite, the two exchanged breaks in games 4, 5 and 6 as the score was knotted at 3-all. Finally, patience won out as the set turned the Aussie's way. Tomljanovic won her third straight game with another break to take a 5-3 edge, only to then be broken at love when serving for the set. Jabeur held from 15/30 to bring the score back to even again through ten games, and the women played into a tie-break.

Tomljanovic got noticably tight mid-way through the breaker, double-faulting to fall behind 5-3. It was enough to give Jabeur a cushion, and she used it to finally bring the match to its conclusion, taking the TB 7-4 to win 6-4/7-6(4), reaching her second straight slam semi while becoming the first North African, Arab and Tunisian woman to play so deeply into the draw at Flushing Meadows.

.@Ons_Jabeur earns her semifinal spot in straight sets!#USOpen pic.twitter.com/Z3rPMrHZFw

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 6, 2022

Afterward, Jabeur was clearly not satisfied with her performance. But it was *enough*, and that alone will have to suffice. At least for today, happiness is a U.S. Open semifinal berth. Jabeur's ongoing quest for perfection will begin anew tomorrow.

Ons Jabeur on getting to a semifinal at the @usopen for her, Tunisian, Arab and African tennis #usopen, with @rennaestubbs. https://t.co/TjkOyQhYCP

— Andrew Jones (@TWDTV1) September 6, 2022

=DAY 9 NOTES= ...in the day's second women's quarterfinal, #12 Coco Gauff attempted to find a way to do what few have been able to do for much of this summer. Namely, stop Caroline Garcia.

The #17-seeded Frenchwoman's singles game has been virtually ablaze since she won the Roland Garros doubles alongside Kristina Mladenovic (their second title together in Paris... and don't look now but they're still alive in this Open, as well), winning titles on grass, clay and hard courts, including in Cincinnati last month as a qualifier. Garcia came into today's QF on a 12-match winning streak, having swept through all four of her matches in New York in straight sets, having never lost back-to-back games vs. any opponent through four rounds.

Try as she might, Gauff, while the "want to" was there to become the youngest U.S. Open semifinalist since 1999 (someone named Selena, or was it Serena... yeah, that's it), just wasn't up to the task. Not yet. The 18-year old, even while having reached a slam singles final (on a slower clay surface) *and* become the doubles #1 this season, is still a work in progress. We've just had the privilege of seeing it from (seemingly) the journey's earliest moments. The defense, athleticism and speed are there. The offensive skills are ever-improving. The serve still needs some work. She'll get there soon, but "that day" wasn't on Night 9.

Caroline Garcia stops Coco Gauff in the #USOpen quarters ?? https://t.co/aEIyQReyGb pic.twitter.com/0hEIIJQvrg

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2022

Take off! Destination: Semis!@CaroGarcia has made her first ever Grand Slam semi final in New York. pic.twitter.com/maXrDJgkGQ

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) September 7, 2022

Utilizing the effective serve (she's the tour ace leader), fearlessly aggressive gameplanning and volley skills that allowed her to hint at what she was capable of during her initial Top 10 run five years ago, Garcia consistently lifted her game at all the most important moments in this match, continuing her summer roll into her maiden slam semifinal and return visit to the Top 10 at the end of this U.S. Open.

From the outset, Garcia played almost exclusively from inside the baseline. Her hard, deep groundstrokes allowed her to gain the upperhand in rallies, and her aggressive return game (she stepped several feet inside to receive second serves) put undue pressure on Gauff's attempts to hold. Lethal at the net, Garcia moved into the court often, winning the point 81% of the time (13/16) when she did.

It all paid immediate dividends, as Gauff DF'd on Garcia's second BP in game 2 of the 1st, handing over the break and a 2-0 lead. The Pastry stretched it to 4-0 before encountering an obstacle. Serving at 4-2, Garcia missed an easy shot and found the game at deuce. A few errors and a few squandered GP were delaying factors, but she put away the hold with a stinging down the line forehand winner into the corner to lead 5-2. Two games later, she again raised her level late to close out a 30/30 game, holding to take the 1st set 6-3.

Garcia opened the 2nd with a break of serve, causing a frustrated Gauff to slam her racket. Garcia built the lead to 3-1, keeping her shots deep and sometimes seeming to almost toy with the teenager's serve (i.e. stepping deep inside the baseline to return a second serve, firing a shot up the middle and then coming in behind it for a volley winner like an in-her-prime Martina Navratilova from another era of tennis).

But Gauff didn't fold, holding from 15/40 down for 3-2 and consistently challenging Garcia on the game scoreline, hoping for an opportunity to strike. But Garcia never really offered any such chances. At 4-3, the Pasty *did* follow a DF with a backhand error to fall behind love/30, only to then expertly respond with a forehand winner down the line, ace, big forehand (producing a Gauff error) and another ace to get the hold for 5-3. Two games later, Garcia again answered a 15/30 deficit with an ace. From 30/30, back-to-back Gauff errors sealed her fate, as the French woman won 6-3/6-4 to reach her maiden slam semifinal.

?? flying into the semis!@CaroGarcia | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/PryjllRBZh

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2022

Garcia, on a 31-4 summer sprint, has now defeated six straight Top 20 opponents.

Both she and Gauff will be ranked in the Top 10 at the conclusion of this final '22 major, with the teenager joining fellow Bannerette Jessie Pegula (who plays #1 Iga Swiatek tomorrow -- at night! Pardon me while I sit down -- that made me a little dizzy.) as the only two woman ranked in the Top 10 of both singles and doubles.

And that's as a continuing "work in progress"... imagine what she'll be like at age 20 or 21.

...a continual rain wiped out the vast majority of the day's schedule on Tuesday. All junior action was pushed back until Wednesday, while a few additional doubles matches were played.

The first women's doubles semifinalists were identified as #10 Nicole Melichar-Martinez & Ellen Perez -- already with summer finals in Toronto, Cincinnati and Cleveland, with a title in the latter -- defeated Kirsten Flipkens & Sara Sorribes Tormo.

No longer playing singles, doubles is Flipkens' (only) game now, and she's somewhat surprising still seeking her maiden slam title and/or final in her pro career, having never reached a major WD/MX championship match. As a junior, the Belgian was a two-time girls singles champ (2003 Wimbledon and U.S.) and one-time doubles (2002 Wimbledon) champ.

Flipkens *does* still have one more chance to change that at this Open, as she's in the MX semis alongside Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

...the wheelchair draw is out, 16-players strong.

Even with the larger pool of players, #1 Diede de Groot got potentially one of the more competitive 1st Round opponents in Lucy Shuker. #2 Yui Kamiji opens vs. Chile's Macarena Cabrillana.

De Groot enters Flushing Meadows having won four straight U.S. Open singles titles, the last seven majors (she can complete a second consecutive seasonal Grand Slam with another title, which would be her 16th career slam win over a six-year period). Oh, yeah. And she rolls into NYC on a 61-match singles winning streak (25-0 in '22), having not lost since falling to Kamiji just before the *2021* Australian Open. She's won singles crowns in her last 16 events, is 66-1 the last two seasons (104-4 in s/d combined), is riding a 49-set singles streak, and has won 116 of her last 118.

But, you know, other than that. (Shrugs.)




*WOMEN'S SINGLES QF*
#1 Iga Swiatek/POL vs. #8 Jessie Pegula/USA
#22 Karolina Pliskova/CZE vs. #6 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR
#17 Caroline Garcia/FRA def. #12 Coco Gauff/USA
#5 Ons Jabeur/TUN def. Ajla Tomljanovic/AUS

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES QF*
#10 Melichar-Martinez/Perez (USA/AUS) def. Flipkens/Sorribes Tormo (BEL/ESP)
#3 Krejickova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE) vs. #5 Dabrowski/Olmos (CAN/MEX)
#12 Dolehide/Sanders (USA/AUS) vs. #14 Garcia/Mladenovic (FRA/FRA)
#6 Krawczyk/Schuurs (USA/NED) vs. McNally/Townsend (USA/USA)

*MIXED DOUBLES QF*
(WC) McNally/Blumberg (USA/USA) vs. Ostapenko/Vega Hernandez (LAT/ESP)
#4 Sanders/Peers (AUS/AUS) vs. Fernandez/Sock (CAN/USA)
(PR) Flipkens/Roger-Vasselin (BEL/FRA) def. Stosur/Ebden (AUS/AUS)
#2 Sh.Zhang/Pavic (CHN/CRO) def. (PR) Shibahara/Skugor (JPN/CRO)

*WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S ROUND OF 16*
#1 Diede de Groot/NED vs. Lucy Shuker/GBR
Momoko Ohtani/JPN vs. Angelica Bernal/COL
#3 Aniek Van Koot/NED vs. Dana Mathewson/USA
(WC) Pauline Deroulede/FRA vs. Katharina Kruger/GER
(WC) Shioria Funamizu/JPN vs. Manami Tanaka/JPN
Jiske Griffioen/NED vs. #4 Zhu Zhenzhen/CHN
Saki Takamuro/JPN vs. Kgothatso Montjane/RSA
Macarena Cabrillana/CHI vs. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN

*WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S QF*
#1 de Groot/Van Koot (NED/NED) vs. Bernal/Funamizu (COL/JPN)
Deroulede/Kruger (FRA/GER) vs. Tanaka/Zhu (JPN/CHN)
Cabrillana/Takamuro (CHI/JPN) vs. Griffioen/Ohtani (NED/JPN)
Mathewson/Shuker (USA/GBR) vs. #2 Kamiji/Montjane (JPN/RSA)

*GIRLS SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Sofia Costoulas vs. #14 Mira Andreeva/RUS
#10 Alex Eala/PHI vs. #8 Taylah Preston/AUS
#4 Celine Naef/SUI vs. Anastasiia Gureva/RUS
#9 Victoria Mboko/CAN vs. (WC) Iva Jovic/USA
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x

...AMELIE WAS ALWAYS ON CARO'S WAVELENGTH ON DAY 9:

Love this from @CaroGarcia, who declared it do indeed take nerve tonight after putting on an excellent mental performance against Coco at the #usopen pic.twitter.com/xRpD2n4BZb

— David Kane (@DKTNNS) September 7, 2022

...MURRAY'S STILL PATIENTLY WAITING FOR THE DAY HE'S FOREVER DUBBED A GENIUS... ON DAY 9:

Hey, it might actually get here, too.

Cue the Andy Murray Caroline Garcia tweet ??

— Laura Robson (@laurarobson5) September 7, 2022

The girl sharapova is playing is going to be number one in the world one day caroline garcia, what a player u heard it here first

— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) May 26, 2011

Hit summer movies often come with accompanying hit songs. Including... "Grease" (1978, Frankie Valli), "Fame" (1980, Irene Cara), "Eye of the Tiger" (1982, Survivor from "Rocky III" - my favorite of the Rocky movies), "La Bamba" (1987, Los Lobos' version -- via a lipsynching Lou Diamond Phillips -- of Ritchie Valens' original), and "Kiss From a Rose" (1995, Seal from the "Batman Forever" soundtrack).

*2022 FIRST SLAM SF*
=AO=
none
=RG=
Coco Gauff, USA (11th)
Dasha Kasatkina, RUS (26th)
Martina Trevisan, ITA (8th)
=WI=
Ons Jabeur, TUN (21st)
Tatjana Maria, GER (35th)
Elena Rybakina, KAZ (12th)
=US=
Caroline Garcia, FRA (42nd)
-
NOTE: Pegula to play QF (16th)

*FIRST-TIME SLAM SEMIFINALISTS SINCE 2020*
=2020=
AO: Sofia Kenin/USA (W)
US: Jennifer Brady/USA
RG: Nadia Podoroska/ARG, Iga Swiatek/POL (W)
=2021=
AO: Karolina Muchova, CZE
RG: B.Krejcikova/CZE (W), A.Pavlyuchenkova/RUS (RU), M.Sakkari/GRE, T.Zidansek/SLO
WI: Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
US: Leylah Fernandez/CAN (RU), Emma Raducanu/GBR (W)
=2022=
AO: -
RG: Coco Gauff/USA (RU), Dasha Kasatkina/RUS, Martina Trevisan/ITA
WI: Ons Jabeur/TUN (RU), Tatjana Maria/GER, Elena Rybakina/KAZ (W)
US: Caroline Garcia/FRA
-
TO PLAY QF: Pegula/USA

*MOST SLAMS BEFORE FIRST MAJOR SF*
53 - Barbora Strycova, CZE (2019 Wimbledon)
52 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (2021 Roland Garros)
46 - Elena Likhovtseva, RUS (2005 Roland Garros)
44 - Roberta Vinci, ITA (2015 U.S. Open)-RU
42 - CAROLINE GARCIA, FRA (2022 U.S. Open)
42 - Julia Goerges, GER (2018 Wimbledon)
42 - Elena Vesnina, RUS (2016 Wimbledon)
42 - Nathalie Tauziat, FRA (1998 Wimbledon)-RU

*LOWEST-SEEDED WOMEN IN US OPEN SF, since 2000*
Unseeded - 2000 Elena Dementieva, RUS
Unseeded - 2009 Yanina Wickmayer, BEL
Unseeded - 2011 Angelique Kerber, GER
Unseeded - 2013 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
Unseeded - 2014 Peng Shuai, CHN
Unseeded - 2015 Roberta Vinci, ITA (RU)
Unseeded - 2016 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
Unseeded - 2017 Sloane Stephens, USA (W)
Unseeded - 2020 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (RU)
Unseeded - 2021 Leylah Fernandez, CAN (RU)
Wild Card - 2009 Kim Clijsters, BEL (W)
Qualifier - 2021 Emma Raducanu, GBR (W)
#28 - 2020 Jennifer Brady, USA
#28 - 2011 Serena Williams, USA (RU)
#26 - 2015 Flavia Pennetta, ITA (W)
#20 - 2018 Naomi Osaka, JPN (W)
#20 - 2017 CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
#19 - 2018 Anastasija Sevastova, LAT
#19 - 2006 Jelena Jankovic,SRB
#17 - 2022 CAROLINE GARCIA, FRA
#17 - 2021 Maria Sakkari, GRE
#17 - 2018 Serena Williams, USA (RU)
#17 - 2014 Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
#15 - 2017 Madison Keys, USA (RU)
#15 - 2019 Bianca Andreescu, CAN (W)
-
NOTE: #22 Ka.Pliskova to play QF

*U.S. OPEN UNSEEDED QF*
[since 32-seed draw in 2001]
2001 Daja Bedanova, CZE
2002 Elena Bovina, RUS
2004 Shinobu Asagoe, JPN
2007 Agnes Szavay, HUN
2009 Kateryna Bondarenko, UKR
2009 Kim Clijsters, BEL (WC) - won title
2009 Melanie Oudin, USA
2009 Yanina Wickmayer, BEL
2010 Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
2011 Angelique Kerber, GER
2013 Daniela Hantuchova, SVK
2013 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
2014 Belinda Bencic, SUI
2014 Peng Shuai, CHN
2015 Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
2015 Roberta Vinci, ITA - reached final
2016 Ana Konjuh, CRO
2016 Anastasija Sevastova, LAT
2016 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2017 Sloane Stephens, USA (PR) - won title
2017 Kaia Kanepi, ESP (Q)
2018 Lesia Tsurenko, UKR
2020 Victoria Azarenka, BLR - reached final
2020 Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL (PR)
2020 Shelby Rogers, USA
2021 Leylah Fernandez, CAN - reached final
2021 Emma Raducanu, GBR (Q) - won title
2022 Ajla Tomljanovic, AUS

**BACKSPIN 2022 COACH-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Craig Tyzzer (Barty)
AO: Nicolas Almagro (Collins)
FEB: Dmitry Tursunov (Kontaveit)
MAR: Tomasz Wiktorowski (Swiatek)
1Q...WIKTOROWSKI (SWIATEK)
APR: Tomasz Wiktorowski (Swiatek)
MAY: Philippe Dehaes (Juvan)
RG: Tomasz Wiktorowski (Swiatek)
2Q Clay Court...WIKTOROWSKI (SWIATEK)
JUN: Evgeny Alexandrov (Alexandrova)
WI: Nathalie Tauziat/Sam Suymk (Tan)
2Q Grass Court...TAUZIAT/SUMYK (TAN)
JUL: Michael Geserer (Martic)
AUG (pre-U.S.): Bertrand Perret (Garcia)

**BACKSPIN 2022 BJK CUP MVP WINNERS**
QUALIFIERS: Leylah Fernandez, CAN
QUALIFIERS: Asia Muhammad/Jessie Pegula, USA
QUALIFIERS: Jasmine Paolini, ITA
QUALIFIERS: Yulia Putintseva, KAZ
QUALIFIERS: Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP
QUALIFIERS: Iga Swiatek, POL
QUALIFIERS: Marketa Vondrousova, CZE (overall Q MVP)
EUROPE/AFRICA I: Anna Bondar, HUN
EUROPE/AFRICA I: Kaja Juvan, SLO
EUROPE/AFRICA I: Petra Marcinko, CRO
ASIA/OCEANIA I: Shuko Aoyama/Ena Shibahara, JPN
ASIA/OCEANIA I: Yuan Yue, CHN
AMERICAS I: Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA (overall Zone I MVP)
AMERICAS I: Solana Sierra, ARG

*U.S. TOP 10 PLAYERS (33) - by Top 10 debut year*
1975 Chris Evert
1975 Martina Navratilova (as Czech, later USA)
1975 Billie Jean King (also year-end #1 pre-computer rankings)
1975 Nancy Richey
1976 Rosie Casals
1977 Kathy May
1977 Kristien Shaw
1978 Tracy Austin
1980 Kathy Jordan
1980 Andrea Jaeger
1980 Pam Shriver
1981 Barbora Potter
1983 Zina Garrison
1984 Bonnie Gadusek
1984 Kathy Horvath
1984 Lisa Bonder
1986 Kathy Rinaldi
1988 Lori McNeil
1989 Stephanie Rehe
1989 Mary Joe Fernandez
1989 Monica Seles (as Yugoslav, later USA)
1990 Jennifer Capriati
1994 Lindsay Davenport
1996 Chanda Rubin
1998 Venus Williams
1999 Serena Williams
2016 Madison Keys
2017 CoCo Vandeweghe
2018 Sloane Stephens
2020 Sofia Kenin
2022 Danielle Collins
2022 Jessie Pegula
2022 Coco Gauff

*MOST RECENT TOP 10 DEBUTS*
2010 [3] Li,Stosur,Schiavone
2011 [2] Kvitova,Petkovic
2012 [2] Kerber,Errani
2013 [1] Kirilenko
2014 [3] Halep,Cibulkova,Bouchard
2015 [6] Makarova,Suarez-Navarro,Safarova,Muguruza,Ka.Pliskova,Bacsinszky
2016 [4] Bencic,Vinci,Keys,Konta
2017 [5] Svitolina,Ostapenko,Garcia,Mladenovic,Vandeweghe
2018 [4] Goerges,Stephens,Osaka,Bertens,Kasatkina
2019 [3] Sabalenka,Barty,Andreescu
2020 [1] Kenin
2021 [6] Swiatek,Krejcikova,Sakkari,Jabeur,Kontaveit,Badosa
2022 [4] Collins,Pegula,Raducanu,Gauff

Yo complicadondome la vida pic.twitter.com/P8EyEJAlQF

— Don Favs (@Don_Favs) September 6, 2022

Sort of reminds you of a trip through a grand slam draw, all the way to a title.

Whatever they paying him it’s not enough. pic.twitter.com/YQplRTUCvf

— Overtime (@overtime) September 5, 2022

TOP QUALIFIER: Sara Bejlek/CZE (16; youngest in MD)
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): Serena Williams/USA (PR/#413; def. #2 Kontaveit; into 3rd Rd. at age 40) and Liudmila Samsonova/RUS (off back-to-back titles; def. '21 RU Fernandez 2r; 12 con. wins/14 con. sets)
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3 - #28 Clara Burel/FRA def. #7 Misaki Doi/JPN 2-6/6-4/7-6(10) - Doi led 6-2/3-1, Burel up 4-2 in 3rd; Burel saves 4 MP at 5-6 down in 3rd (rain before MP #1) and 5th in TB before winning 12-10
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - (Q) Daria Snigur/UKR def. #7 Simona Halep/ROU 6-2/0-6/6-4 (#124-ranked qualifier gets upset in slam debut)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Anna Kalinskaya/RUS (def. Peterson/SWE)
FIRST SEED OUT: #7 Simona Halep/ROU (1st Rd./lost to qualifier Snigur/UKR in slam MD debut; 3rd 1r U.S. exit in last five app.)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Cristina Bucsa/ESP, Linda Fruhvirtova/CZE, Elli Mandlik/USA, Daria Snigur/UKR, Yuan Yue/CHN
PROTECTED RANKING MD WINS: Evgeniya Rodina/RUS (2r), Serena Williams/USA (3r)
UPSET QUEENS: China
REVELATION LADIES: Ukraine
NATION OF POOR SOULS: GER veterans (Maria/Petkovic/Siegemund 0-3, pregnant Kerber DNP; Petkovic to retire)
CRASH & BURN: #7 Simona Halep/ROU (1r- lost to #124-ranked qualifier Snigur/UKR in slam MD debut)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: Nominees: Sabalenka (2r- trailed Kanepi 6-2/5-1, Kanepi twice for match and 2 MP in 2nd set TB); Ka.Pliskova (1r- trailed Linette 4-1 3rd; 7-2 MTB lead to 7-8 down, wins 10-8); Jovic (Jr 1r- down 0-5, 15/40 in 3rd vs. Sierra, saved 2 MP and 3rd in TB); Tomljanovic (2r- Rodina led 5-3 3rd; 4r- Samsonova 8 SP 1st)
IT ("??"): x
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: x
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Clara Burel/FRA and Yuan Yue/CHN (both 3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Elli Mandlik/USA (2nd Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: in QF: Gauff(x), Pegula
COMEBACK: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Alize Cornet/FRA (63rd con. slam; def. DC Raducanu 1r)
DOUBLES STAR: x
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Nominees: Davis, Mandlik, McNally (WD/MX), (jr)
BROADWAY-BOUND: "Danimal After Dark" (Danielle Collins/USA - all four matches in night session)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Serena Williams: The End
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x

All for Day 9. More tomorrow.