Sunday, September 07, 2025

New York, New York...




The festivities are over. Now comes the clean-up.










=DAY 15/Week 37 NOTES=
...there were three WTA 125 events held during the second week of the Open.

In Guadalajara, ahead of the tour-level 500 tournament held there in the upcoming week, Alex Eala followed up her historic (first-ever PHI) 1st Round win in New York by claiming the biggest title of her career, defeating Panna Udvardy 1-6/7-5/6-3 in the final. #75 Eala jumps back into the Top 60.

In Chengsha (CHN), Slovenia's Veronika Erjavec also won her maiden 125 crown, handling Maria Timofeeva in a 6-1/6-2 final. Earlier this seaon, Erjavec claimed her first tour-level doubles title in Iasi, and made her slam MD singles debuts in Melbourne and London.

In Montreux (SUI), Poland's Maja Chwalinska defeated Latvian Darja Semenistaja 6-1/6-2 in the final, picking up her second 125 crown in the past year.



...in ITF action, 18-year old Alina Korneeva, who won the AO/RG junior titles in '23, claimed her first title of the year in the $50K in Leiria, Portugal (def. Linda Fruhvirtova).

Korneeva won a pair of $100K challengers in 2023-24, the most recent of which came last September after the Hordette had missed seven months following wrist surgery.



In Heraklion (GRE), Crusher Vendula Valdmannova (a Wimbledon girls' semifinalist this summer) won her first pro title with a win over Ukraine's Kateryna Diatlova.




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1. Aryna Sabalenka, BLR ...in her last chance (and third major final of the season), #1 Sabalenka finally secured a '25 slam crown by becoming the first woman to successfully defend a U.S. Open title in more than a decade. She's reached six straight hard court slam finals (4-2), and is 44-3 in AO/US matches since the '22 U.S..
2. Dabrowski/Routliffe, CAN/NZL ...the duo swept the Cincinnati & U.S. titles, winning in New York for the second time in three years and (as far as Routliffe goes) defended her '24 Cincy title
3. Iga Swiatek, POL ...Iga didn't match her Wimbledon run on summer hard courts, but picked up one of the few 1000 tournaments she'd never before claimed in Cincinnati (she still needs Dubai and Canada, and has never played Wuhan) and reached the U.S. Open QF
4. Victoria Mboko, CAN ...the 18-year old had *the* breakout performance of the North American hard court season, winning her maiden tour title in her home event in Montreal
5. Naomi Osaka, JPN ...the two-time U.S. Open champ didn't lift a title, but more closely resembled her former self between the lines with a final in Montreal and SF at Flushing Meadows
6. Amanda Anisimova, USA ...unbowed by her coulda-been-devastating SW19 final defeat, Anisimova avenged her Wimbledon end with a U.S. Open win over Swiatek, then cooled down the hot Osaka to reach her second straight major final
7. Yui Kamiji, JPN ...still taking advantage of the likely "de Groot title pause" on the major stages of wheelchair tennis, Kamiji completed the best slam singles season of her career by winning her first U.S. Open title since 2017. The veteran won three of the four major titles and reached her first Wimbledon final in '25.
8. Taylor Townsend, USA ...a doubles champion in Washington, and finalist in Montreal and New York, as well as posting her best slam singles result (4r) since 2019
9. Li Xiaohui/Wang Ziying, CHN/CHN ...the wheelchair duo won their first U.S. Open, their third slam doubles victory of the season. When 2025 began, no Chinese had ever won a WC major. (Wang also won the Wimbledon singles, while Li reached the U.S. Open final.)
10. Elena Rybakina, KAZ ...she didn't *complete* a mission, but most players would kill for a hard court summer where they reach SF in Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati, as well as reaching the U.S. Open Round of 16 for the first time (going a combined 13-4)
HM- Lois Boisson/FRA (maiden WTA title in Hamburg, on clay), Marie Bouzkova/CZE (Prague W), Sorana Cirstea/ROU (Cleveland W), Sara Errani/ITA (U.S. MX invitational W), Leylah Fernandez/CAN (D.C. singles W, "twirling encore" partner to Venus at U.S.), N.Kichenok/Minomiya, UKR/JPN (Hamburg/Prague WD titles on clay/hard), Barbora Krejcikova/CZE (U.S. QF), Jasmine Paolini/ITA (Cincy F), Jessie Pegula/USA (U.S. SF)




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1. Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
...the clear top player leaving New York, and now without any possible asterisk attached to a #1 season

2. Iga Swiatek, POL
...her summer righted what had been a rocky course during the spring

3. Amanda Anisimova, USA
...without a slam title (unlike Keys and Gauff), and with fewer titles than Pegula (1 vs. 3), Anisimova's two major finals and 1000 title (Doha) still might make her the Bannerette Player of the Year

4. Yui Kamiji, JPN (WC)
...her '25 campaign will always require footnotes, but it's hard to argue with a season resume that includes three slam singles finals (in a career best four finals), an additional WD major, a return to #1 for the first time since 2018, a 3-0 mark vs. Diede de Groot (w/ 4 straight wins since last summer)... and doing it all at age 31, twelve years after playing in her first major final ('13 RG)

5t. Dabrowski/Routliffe, CAN/NZL
...their three titles (including Cincinnati 1000 and the U.S. Open) tie them for the tour lead and consideration for Doubles Team of the Year. Routliffe leads the tour with four individual WD titles.

5t. Errani/Paolini, ITA/ITA
...tied for the most WD titles in '25 (3, with 2 1000 wins and RG). Errani has also added the RG and "U.S." MX crowns, along with the Indian Wells Invitational, w/ Andrea Vavassori.

7. Jessie Pegula, USA
...the only player with '25 titles on hard, clay and grass courts, she finally posted an impressive slam result with a SF run in New York a year after reaching the final

8. Madison Keys, USA
...has cooled off considerably since opening with wins in Adelaide and the Australian Open (diminishing slams results: W-QF-3r-1r), but '25 still qualifies as her most memorable season

9. Mirra Andreeva, RUS
...hasn't had the anticipated slam breakout run (best result: RG/WI QF), but back-to-back 1000 wins (Dubai/I.W.) and two doubles titles (one in Miami) mark '25 as another step-up season for the Hordette teen

10. Coco Gauff, USA
...it says much about what Gauff *could* achieve that an "off" season has still produced a slam title (RG), a pair of 1000 finals (Madrid/Rome) and three combined wins over Sabalenka/Swiatek. If she gets her serve under control...

HM- Li/Wang, CHN/CHN (WC)
...combined to win *four* of the eight '25 wheelchair slam titles -- three as a doubles duo, and a WI singles win from Wang -- after China entered the year with *zero* as a nation in the sport's history









*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR def. #8 Amanda Anisimova/USA 6-3/7-6(3)

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#3 Dabrowski/Routliffe (CAN/NZL) def. #1 Siniakova/Townsend (CZE/USA) 6-4/6-4

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
(WC) Errani/Vavassori (ITA/ITA) def. #3 Swiatek/Ruud (POL/NOR) 6-3/5-7 [10-6]

*GIRLS SINGLES FINAL*
#14 Jeline Vandromme/BEL def. (Q) Lea Nilsson/SWE 7-6(2)/6-2

*GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL*
#3 Kovackova/Kovackova (CZE/CZE) def. #4 Vandromme/Vladson (BEL/LTU) 6-2/6-2

*WHEELCHAIR SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #3 Li Xiaohui/CHN 0-6/6-1/6-3

*WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES FINAL*
#2 Li/Wang (CHN/CHN) def. de Groot/Zhu (NED/CHN) 6-4/7-6(4)

*WHEELCHAIR JUNIOR SINGLES FINAL*
Sabina Czauz/USA def. #2 Luna Gryp/BEL 7-5/6-2

*WHEELCHAIR JUNIOR DOUBLES FINAL*
Czauz/Matsuoka (USA/JPN) def. Heald/Porges (USA/GER) 6-0/6-1









...THE NIGHT AFTER THE DAY... ON DAY 15:





...GO FIGURE... ON DAY 15:




It's easy to jump on Trump with this, but the USTA should have gone out of its way to tell everyone to show up *very* early once they knew he'd be there.

Maybe they did, though (shrugs)... I didn't really care, I was watching football.


...DIANE'S TOP 10 IS HERE!... ON DAY 15:


The power of a bad memory...If you can make it here...Twirling into the future...Hard (court) times...Yui makes it three...Point made--I hope...Hard to say goodbye...The hottest show in town...Sweet repeat...Roar! My U.S. Open top 10 womenwhoserve.blogspot.com/2025/09/my-u... #USOpen2025 #WTA

[image or embed]

— Diane Elayne Dees (@womenwhoserve.bsky.social) September 7, 2025 at 12:22 PM




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U.S. OPEN "PROP PICK" RECAP
1. The winner will be a former U.S. Open singles champion. Aryna Sabalenka more than qualified, though it could have been an either/or situation had semifinalist Naomi Osaka also reached the final (see below). YES. 1/1
2. Both singles finalists will be previous U.S. Open winners, and at least three Top 7 seeds will reach the semifinals. Had Osaka been able to finish off Amanda Anisimova later in the 3rd set of their semifinal, the 2-for-2 in the final would have happened. Anisimova also single-handedly prevented the second part of this one, as she defeated #2 Iga Swiatak in the QF (meaning only two Top 7 seeds reached the semis). Of course, I *could* have extended the pick to Top *8* and then Anisimova would have qualified as being correct. Just missed 'em, but NO and NO. 1/3
3. At least five Top 10 seeds will reach the QF. Based on numbers from recent years, five in the last eight in NYC would have been the most since 2016 (2017-24: 2-2-2-3-4-4-4-4). There ended being four once again this year. #9 Elena Rybakina's 4th Round loss to Marketa Vondrousova stymied this one. Was worth a shot, but NO. 1/4
4. #9 Elena Rybakina and #10 Emma Navarro will go out before the QF. Rybkina had never reached the U.S. Round of 16, while Navarro was a semifinalist last year. Navarro exited in the 3rd Round, while Rybakina went out in the 4th. YES, and YES. OVERALL: 3/6










...with the new rankings coming out Monday, a quick update on the new state of things...

* - The Top 10 includes the same ten women, with some notable shuffling, as Amanda Anisimova trades places with Jessie Pegula, with the U.S. Open finalists from the last two years flopping their #4 (Pegula to Anisimova) and #7 (Anisimova to Pegula) positions.

* - Moving up to career highs just outside the Top 10: new #11 Ekaterina Alexandrova and #12 Clara Tauson

* - Top 20: Naomi Osaka (#24 to #14) is back, while Emma Navarro falls to #18 (from #11) after exchanging her '24 U.S. SF with a 3rd Round finish this year

* - Top 50 risers: Marketa Vondrousova climbs 24 spots to #36 with her QF result (but unfortunate withdrawal w/ a knee injury), while her Czech countrywoman Barbora Krejickova is back at #40 (+22). Jaqueline Cristian moves to a career-high #43, while Ann Li is the new #46 (2 off her career high #44).

* - Top 50 exits: Katie Boulter falls out (#54), along with Donna Vekic (-19 to #68).

* - Top 100 notes: Cristina Bucsa's heartwarming run to her first slam Round of 16 lifts her 33 spots to #62 (within sight of her CH #56), while new career highs are set by Tereza Valentova (#77), Anastasia Zakharova (#80) and Elsa Jacquemot (#83). Gabriela Ruse takes a tumble from #70 to #96 after following up her U.S. 3rd Round a year ago with a 1st Round loss.

* - Top 200: Ella Seidel just misses out on her Top 100 debut, but is at a CH of #101, while Patricia Hon's Last Qualifier Standing run in NYC raises her 20 spots to a career-best #106. Taylor Townsend, the doubles #1, rises 27 in singles to #112; while Indonesian NCAA star-turned-ITF champ-turned-slam qualifier Janice Tjen moves up again to another CH of #130. Maja Chwalinska's 125 crown jumps her 43 spots to #134 (her CH is #121), Emerson Jones comes in at a new CH of #180, and Ukrainian-to-watch Oleksandra Oliynykova, a 125 semifinalist at Montreux, goes up 27 to #175.

* - RACE UPDATE: only Sabalenka and Swiatek have clinched WTAF berths, while four straight U.S. women rank 3-4-5-6 (Gauff-Anisimova-Keys-Pegula). Andreeva and Rybakina hold the final two spots in the field, but #9 Paolini is just 225 points back. Looking to make a move in the 4Q (#10-12): Alexandrova, Svitolina and Tauson.

* - DOUBLES: U.S. Open champs Erin Routliffe (#3) and Gaby Dabrowski (#4) both rise four spots, but remain behind the top-ranked Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova (140 pts. behind her DB partner).







TOP QUALIFIER: Janice Tjen, INA
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): Emma Raducanu/GBR
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): #23 Naomi Osaka/JPN
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): #1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR
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): 4th Rd. - Barbora Krejcikova/CZE def. Taylor Townsend/USA 1-6/7-6(13)/6-3 - saves 8 MP
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F): SF - #8 Amanda Anismova/USA def. #23 Naomi Osaka/JPN 6-7(4)/7-6(3)/6-3 - reached 2nd con. slam F; ends Osaka career 13-0 run in major QF+
=============================
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 ("Crusher Sisters"): Alena Kovackova/Jana Kovackova, CZE/CZE
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: Yui Kamiji/JPN
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Priscilla Hon/AUS (3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Caty McNally/USA (2nd Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: Amanda Anisimova (RU)
COMEBACK: Naomi Osaka/JPN
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Barbora Krejcikova/CZE
DOUBLES STAR: Li Xiaohui/Wang Ziying, CHN/CHN (WC)
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Taylor Townsend/USA
BROADWAY-BOUND: "Naomi Osaka presents 'Labubus Take New York'"
LADY OF THE EVENING: Maria Sharapova ("Exquisitely Back in the City," received Hall of Fame ring on Ashe 19 years after won title there)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Jeline Vandromme/BEL







All for now. 3Q Backspin Awards this week.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 7:36 PM 

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