Saturday, August 30, 2025

US.6- The Czech is on the Trail











=DAY 6 NOTES=
...when the schedule came out for Friday, and the Elena Rybakina/Emma Raducanu match was first-up at 11 a.m. it seemed liked a "what are they thinking?" sort of deal was taking place with what looked -- on paper -- like maybe *the* marquee match-up of the day.

Umm, yeah. Then *that* Rybakina showed up. She improved to 13-4 this hard court summer, and everyone was able to get a bite of lunch without missing any of the action.



#9-seeded Rybakina's 6-1/6-2 win continues what has been a restorative summer for the Kazakh, as she arrived in New York with three consecutive SF results in Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati. Thing is, she went 0-3 in those semis (making her 1-5 in '25 SF) after having had multiple big moments on her racket in those encounters that she simply was not able to capitalize on. So, while seeing a dominant Rybakina is a thrilling reminder of the version of her that won Wimbledon just three seasons ago, it's still difficult to trust that this is a Rybakina that we'll see through to the latter stages of week two.

With Rybakina so far allowing more than three games in just one of six sets at this Open (in a TB 2nd set vs. Tereza Valentova, after the 18-year old Czech had served for the set), today's win puts her into her first 4th Round at Flushing Meadows, and completes her Career Round of 16 Slam (in her 25th major MD). This is Rybakina's third 4th Round at a slam this year. So far, she's yet to reach a QF.



...yesterday, I very nearly listed Barbora Krejickova as the "Early-Round Top Player" for this Open. I'm glad I didn't, since such an act may have enacted the "jinx" that generally comes with such things (see Raducanu).

Facing off with '24 U.S. Open semifinalist Emma Navarro, the #10 seed, Krejcikova got the opportunity for a quick slam "do-over" after going out vs. the Bannerette at Wimbledon earlier this summer. The defending champion at SW19, Krejcikova had only just recently returned to the court in May after an early-season back injury. She'd had some immediate success (an Eastbourne QF and back-to-back matches won after being MP down), but found her body her most unforgiving opponent so early in her comeback. At one point in her reign-ending loss to Navarro, the Czech leaned into the back wall of the grass court at the AELTC in tears.

Krejickova, who fell to #78 following that loss to Navarro, dropped the opening set against her today, but rallied to force a 3rd. She trailed 0-3, love/30, but found a way to take down Navarro in a 4-6/6-4/6-4 contest that produces a Round of 16 run that is the Czech's best result in New York since a QF in her MD debut in 2021 (she had 2r-1r-2r results the last three years).

Krejickova is 11-6 in her abbreviated '25 season, but 6-1 this summer on hard courts.



Meanwhile, I thank Emma -- who'll slip to at least #16, with her two early-round wins keeping her in the Top 20 -- for allowing me to successfully check off one -- the first so far -- of my U.S. Open "Prop" predictions (that she wouldn't reach the QF in her '24 SF follow-up).

...meanwhile, Krejcikova isn't the only Czech who seems to miss more time than she doesn't who has managed to find her health and form at this Open. Marketa Vondrousova, too, can be a lethal foe when the proverbial broken clock is correct twice a day. As of now, this major counts as one of those times. Today she downed #7 Jasmine Paolini, 7-6(4)/6-1.



Vondrousova, whose latest injury layoff involved hand surgery that cost her the last half of the 2024 season, has already managed to win a title this season in another comeback surge (Berlin, which included a victory over #1 Aryna Sabalenka). She's missed five majors since the start of 2022, but even during that stretch won a slam ('23 Wimbledon) and reached two more major QF. One of those last eight runs was in New York, the 2023 edition of the Open that was positioned between two others ('22/'24) that Vondrousova missed due to injury.

Tomorrow, another Czech will join Krejcikova and Vondrousova in the Round of 16, as #11 Karolina Muchova (no stranger to being "injury-plagued") faces off with #21 Linda Noskova.

...later in a night match on Armstrong, #1 Aryna Sabalenka, as she did in her previous matches this week against Rebeka Masarova (7-5 1st) and Polina Kudermetova (2nd set TB), had to gut out at least one tight set to make her way through in straights. Serving from behind down the stretch in the 2nd against #31 Leylah Fernandez, who defeated the Belarussian in their last meeting in the '21 U.S. Open semis, Sabalenka pushed things to a tie-break and, well, that was the end of the story. As usual.

Sabalenka won it 7-2, firing a crosscourt forehand winner while doing a sliding split on the sideline on MP to win her Open era record 18th straight TB. She's won 20 of her last 21, as well.



41-4 in the last seven hard court majors (SF-W-RU-W-W-RU-4r+), Sabalenka advances to the Round of 16 at her 12th straight slam (aside from the '24 WI, where she was a DNP). The next longest such active streak belongs to Iga Swiatek, who'll play for her fifth 4th Round appearance in a row tomorrow.



...Cristina Bucsa continues to be one of the most under-the-radar players on tour. Much of the Spaniard's recent success has come in doubles, to the tune of winning six WTA titles since April of last year, doubles Bronze at last year's Olympics and an eleventh hour title run in Monterrey just before the start of this U.S. Open.

Coming into the Day 6 with a 25-25 mark in '25, #95-ranked Bucsa had maybe the greatest day of her singles career at Flushing Meadows, staging a comeback from 6-3/4-2 down vs. #19 Elise Mertens to win in three -- after forcing the decider by breaking the Belgian as she served to reach a 2nd set TB, holding two GP, before the Spaniard closed out the set on her fourth BP -- to reach her maiden Round of 16 at a major (in her 16th MD).



0-6 in her career vs. Top 10 opponents, Bucsa will next face #1 Sabalenka. She's 0-2 vs. #1-ranked opponents, having lost twice to Iga Swiatek in 2023.

...well, Vika Azarenka's "moment" didn't come on Friday. She *did* have a chance to make things very interesting against #4 Jessie Pegula, serving for the 2nd set at 5-4, but the '24 finalist swept the remaining three games vs. the three-time finalist, winning 6-1/7-5 to add another victory at what has been her best major.



Pegula is now 20-8 in New York, with QF-4r-F-4r+ results the last four years. Her run to the final a year ago came after she'd ended her career 0-for-6 shutout in slam QF.

...in a match-up to determine which would make their first career appearance in the 4th Round of a major, Bannerette Ann Li handled Aussie qualifier Priscilla Hon, 7-5/6-3. Li gets it done in her 15th career major MD.



...then, in the Ashe night session closer, Taylor Townsend assured that her dust-up with Alona Ostapenko will continue to linger in the air of this event as the doubles #1 (singles #139) played her way into her second career U.S. Open Round of 16 (w/ 2019) with a 7-5/6-2 upset of #5 Mirra Andreeva. It's Townsend's third career Top 10 win, with two of them (Halep '19) coming at the U.S. Open on Ashe court.



Andreeva, a legitimate Player of the Year candidate in the early spring, has tailed off just a tad as the season had gone on, occasionally showing her youth. With this loss, she went just 2-2 on summer hard courts. The U.S. Open remains a mystery that the teenager has yet to solve, as it's the last remaining major where she's yet to reach the second week.






*WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR vs. Cristina Bucsa/ESP
#9 Elena Rybakina/KAZ vs. Marketa Vondrousova/CZE
#4 Jessie Pegula/USA vs. Ann Li/USA
Barbora Krejcikova/CZE vs. Taylor Townsend/USA
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x







...I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHAT SHE'S TALKING ABOUT, BUT I LOVE THE CZECH ACCENT (it makes me think of Jana)... ON DAY 6:





...TAYLOR'S VERSION, PART 2 (and to be continued)... ON DAY 6:





...BJK's IS SUCH AN IDENTIFIABLE FIGURE AS A POSTER IMAGE (see the U.S. Open poster from a few years ago, too)... ON DAY 6:





...SINCE TOWNSEND'S ADVANCEMENT MEANS THIS WILL BE MILKED A BIT MORE, SOME NOTEWORTHY TAKES... ON DAY 6:





...OF COURSE, THE MOST EYE-ROLLING (but also most expected) PART OF THE LAST FEW DAYS HAS BEEN... ON DAY 6:


Reading comments from "sudden experts" who've probably never heard Ostapenko's name before this week say that she would never had said what she said if Townsend had been White.























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*BEST 2025 SLAM RESULTS*
[qualifiers]
RG 3rd Rd. - Victoria Mboko, CAN
WI 3rd Rd. - Diane Parry, FRA
US 3rd Rd. - Priscilla Hon, AUS
AO 2nd Rd. - Destanee Aiava, AUS
AO 2nd Rd. - Gabriela Ruse, ROU
RG 2nd Rd. - Sara Bejlek, CZE
RG 2nd Rd. - Joanna Garland, TPE
RG 2nd Rd. - Nao Hibino, JPN
RG 2nd Rd. - Leyre Romero Gormaz, ESP
RG 2nd Rd. - Tereza Valentova, CZE
WI 2nd Rd. - Veronika Erjavec, SLO
WI 2nd Rd. - Elsa Jacquemot, FRA
WI 2nd Rd. - Aliaksandra Sasnovich, BLR
US 2nd Rd. - Janice Tjen, INA
US 2nd Rd. - Tereza Valentova, CZE

**"FIRST SLAM..." FEATS IN 2020s**
=at U.S. Open=
2020 - none
2021 - Leylah Fernandez, CAN (7th slam MD)
2022 - none
2023 - Peyton Stearns, USA (4th)
2023 - Wang Xinyu, CHN (10th)
2024 - Diana Shnaider, RUS (6th)
2024 - Wang Yafan, CHN (17th)
2025 - Cristina Bucsa, ESP (16th)
2025 - Ann Li, USA (15th)
[2025]
AO - Eva Lys, GER (6th)
RG - Lois Boisson, FRA (1st)
RG - Hailey Baptiste, USA (8th)
WI - Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, ESP (7th)
WI - Sonay Kartal, GBR (6th)
WI - Solana Sierra, ARG (3rd)
US - Cristina Bucsa, ESP (16th)

**"CAREER SLAM" FEATS IN 2020s**
=ROUND OF 16=
2020 US - Alize Cornet, FRA (57th slam MD)
2021 AO - Donna Vekic, CRO (29th)
2021 US - Iga Swiatek, POL (11th)
2022 AO - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (8th)
2022 AO - Kaia Kanepi, EST (53rd)
2022 US - Caroline Garcia, FRA (42nd)
2022 US - Coco Gauff, USA (13th)
2022 US - Ons Jabeur, TUN (22nd)
2022 US - Zhang Shuai, CHN (41st)
2023 RG - Karolina Muchova, CZE (17th)
2023 RG - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (21st)
2023 WI - Jessie Pegula, USA (19th)
2023 WI - Marketa Vondrousova, CZE (21st)
2023 US - Alona Ostapenko, LAT (31st)
2024 WI - Danielle Collins, USA (27th)
2024 US - Paula Badosa, ESP (19th)
2024 US - Jasmine Paolini, ITA (20th)
2025 AO - Dasha Kasatkina, RUS (36th)
2025 AO - Emma Navarro, USA (9th)
2025 US - Elena Rybakina, KAZ (25th)

**BACKSPIN 2025 WTA FRESH FACE-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Polina Kudermetova, RUS
AO: Clara Tauson, DEN
FEB: Clara Tauson, DEN
MAR: Alex Eala, PHI
1Q...TAUSON
APR: Julieta Pareja, USA
MAY: Peyton Stearns, USA
RG: Victoria Mboko, CAN
2Q Clay Court...STEARNS
JUN: McCartney Kessler, USA
WI: Solana Sierra, ARG
2Q Grass Court...KARTAL, GBR
JUL: Tereza Valentova, CZE
AUG (pre-U.S.): Victoria Mboko, CAN
[Multiple 2025 Weekly FRESH FACE Award Wins]
5 - Victoria Mboko, CAN
5 - Wang Xinyu, CHN
4 - Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, ESP
4 - Maya Joint, AUS
4 - Linda Noskova, CZE
3 - Alex Eala, PHI
3 - Iva Jovic, USA
3 - Clara Tauson, DEN
2 - Emiliana Arango, COL
2 - Elena Avanesyan, ARM
2 - Sara Bejlek, CZE
2 - Olga Danilovic, SRB
2 - Elsa Jacquemot, FRA
2 - Polina Kudermetova, RUS
2 - Robin Montgomery, USA
2 - Clervie Ngounoue, USA
2 - Diana Shnaider, RUS
2 - Peyton Stearns, USA
2 - Anca Todoni, ROU
2 - Tereza Valentova, CZE





kosova-font











TOP QUALIFIER: Janice Tjen, INA
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): Emma Raducanu/GBR
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2: Dominika Salkova/CZE def. Kristina Dmitruk/BLR 6-3/5-7/7-6(10-8) - saved 4 MP on serve at 6-5 in the 3rd, then trailed 4-1 in MTB
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - Alex Eala/PHI def. #14 Clara Tauson/DEN 6-3/2-6/7-6(13-11) - comeback from 5-1 down in 3rd; first PHI w/ GS MD win
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Polina Kudermetova/RUS (def. Parrizas Diaz/ESP, ret. after 2-2 in 1st set)
FIRST SEED OUT: #24 Veronika Kudermetova/RUS (1r, lost to qualifier Tjen/INA)
FIRST CAREER SLAM MD WINS: Alex Eala/PHI (3rd GS MD), Polina Kudermetova/RUS (5th MD) and Janice Tjen/INA (1st MD)
PROTECTED RANKING MD WINS: Sorana Cirstea/ROU (2nd Rd.)
LUCKY LOSER MD WINS: no LL in MD
UPSET QUEENS: Asia (seeded upsets by Tjen/INA, Eala/PHI; Uchijima saved 7 MP vs. Danilovic)
REVELATION LADIES: Russia (10-3 1r; first slam MD W by P.Kudermetova, and first US wins by Blinkova and Zakharova)
NATION OF POOR SOULS: China (1-5 1st Rd.; 0-5 start; Zheng Qinwen DNP)
CRASH & BURN: #6 Madison Keys/USA (AO champ loses 1r to Zarazua; second US 1r exit in 12 years)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: Moyuka Uchijima/JPN (1r- saved 7 MP, down triple MP twice vs. Danilovic)
IT ("?"): x
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: x
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Priscilla Hon/AUS (3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Caty McNally/USA (2nd Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: in 3r: Anisimova, Gauff, Li(W), Navarro(L), Pegula(W), Townsend(W)
COMEBACK: Nominees: Osaka, Krejcikova, Sakkari, Vondrousova
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominee: Siegemund
DOUBLES STAR: x
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Nominees: Li, Townsend
BROADWAY-BOUND: Nominees: "Exquisitely Back in the City" (Sharapova gets HoF ring on Ashe, 19 years after won title); "Mortal Kombat: NYC" (Townsend/Ostapenko)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: Gauff, Townsend
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x







All for Day 6. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 1:42 AM 

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