Saturday, August 29, 2026

Wk.34- Pretty Please, with a Pastry on Top









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*WEEK 34 CHAMPIONS*
MONTERREY, MEXICO (WTA 250; Hard Outdoor)
S: Diane Parry/FRA def. Elise Mertens/BEL 6-4/0-6/6-3
WD: Maya Joint/Xu Yifan (AUS/CHN) def. Maria Kozyreva/Maia Lumsden (RUS/GBR) 6-2/4-6 [10-5]
U.S. OPEN (Hard Court Outdoor)
MX: Karolina Muchova/Jakub Mensik (CZE/CZE) def. Belinda Bencic/Flavio Cobolli (SUI/ITA) 6-3/1-6 [10-6]
Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), USA (WTA 125; Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Katie Volynets/USA def. Tereza Valentova/CZE 6-3/7-5
D: Isabelle Haverlag/Nika Radisic (NED/SLO) def. Jesika Maleckova/Miriam Skoch (CZE/CZE) 6-2/1-6 [10-7]



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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Diane Parry/FRA
...after ending 2025 at #127, her worst year-end finish since 2021, 2026 has turned out to be quite a season for Parry. Before she arrived in Monterrey, already this year the former junior #1 (2019) had reached her first tour-level SF (in Ostrava) since 2024, played in her first career major Round of 16 (RG), posted her second-biggest career match win (def. Amanda Ansimova in Paris, her first Top 10 victory since '22), won a 125 crown, re-entered the Top 100 and cracked the Top 50 to reach a career-high of #47 in June.

After starting her grass season by qualifying and reaching the 2nd Round in Berlin (a loss to eventual Wimbledon champ Linda Noskova), Parry fell into a brief 2-5 skid, but she's come out of it this hard court summer with renewed momentum. After a 4th Round run in Cincinnati (which included a win over Elise Mertens from a set down), Parry escaped a 1st Round match vs. Donna Vekic (winning in three after losing an opening TB) and then hit her full stride.

Straight sets wins over Oleksandra Oliynykova, Clara Tauson and Ann Li followed to send the Pastry to her first tour-level singles final, where she once again faced off with Mertens on the eve of Day 1 at the U.S. Open on Saturday night. Parry won the 1st set this time before Mertens seemingly wrestled away control of the match with a love 2nd only to see the French woman re-establish herself in the 3rd, taking a 5-1 lead and serving out her maiden tour title on her second try.

Parry will jump from #50 all the way up to a new career-best standing of #33, putting considerable distance between herself and FRA #2 Elsa Jacquemot, who'll be #114 in the new rankings.

Parry heads to New York already with eight slam MD wins in her last four major MD, starting with a 3r at last year's Wimbledon before US 3r, RG 4r and WI 2r finishes (she lost in AO qualifyiing). Her eight wins in those four events come after she'd collected a combined 11 in 18 slam MD from 2019 through RG25.

She'll open her latest U.S. Open with a 1st Rounder vs. Swiss vet Viktorija Golubic.


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RISER: Katie Volynets/USA
...in Philadelphia, Volynets matched her biggest title, picking up her second 125 crown (in her fifth final) while dropping no sets in a week that saw her post wins over Mia Pohankova, Mananchaya Sawangkaew, Oksana Selekhmeteva and Tereza Valentova in a 6-3/7-5 final.

Her week lifts Volynets' record to 11-3 since her loss in Wimbledon qualifying, a stretch which included another 125 final in Newport. The Bannerette is 18-6 since her three-set loss to Marta Kostyuk in the RG 2nd Round after she taken a 1st set TB (Kostyuk went on to reach the semis).


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VETERAN: Elise Mertens/BEL
...Mertens always seems to sneak up on everyone, and she very nearly did that all over again in Monterrey.

Earlier this season, always under the radar, the Belgian reached the AO 4r (her first second week run in Melbourne since 2022) and then her first Wimbledon QF (after upsetting #2 Elena Rybakina in the 3rd Rd. for her biggest career win), her best result at a major since 2020. In January, Mertens won her sixth career slam doubles crown (she's won one in each of the last three seasons), afterward spending a month in the doubles #1 ranking. It was the tenth stint of her career, giving her a combined full year (52 weeks) in the top spot since she first claimed the position in the spring of 2021.

The #2 singles seed in Monterrey, Mertens battled through a pair of three-setters to reach the final, defeating lucky loser Panna Urdvardy and Nikola Bartunkova (who'd led 6-1/4-2, 40/15, holding five GP for 5-2) on either end of a straight sets victory over Yuliia Starodubtseva, reaching her 17th career tour final and extending her streak of seasons with at least one tour singles final appearance to ten years (2017-26).

After dropping the 1st set of the final to Diane Parry, Mertens posted a love 2nd, but failed to capitalize on early chances in the 3rd and quickly found herself fighting uphill against the Pastry, falling down a double-break. She got one break back when Parry served for the match, but saw Parry serve it out two games later.

Mertens will climb back into the Top 20 (at #19) as the U.S. Open begins.
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COMEBACK: Maya Joint/AUS
...2026 has been a challenging year for Joint, but she's shown herself to be pretty resilient. The Aussie is just 11-21 on the season in singles, with her ranking falling from #28 in February to #78 in the pre-U.S. Open edition, but the 20-year old has shown sparks of life throughout '26, and it's been especially so of late.

Starting with her win over Serena Williams at Wimbledon (needless to say, a pretty good starting point), Joint has gone 8-6. Over the course of the season, even while her solo efforts slowed, she's managed to pick things up in doubles. She won a 500 title in Abu Dhabi, and this summer reached a final in Memphis, as well.

In Monterrey, joining forces with 38-year old Xu Yifan, who hadn't won a tour title since '24, another trophy was claimed via a 10-5 MTB win in the final over Maria Kozyreva & Maia Lumsden. It's Joint's third career tour-level win, and #15 for the Chninese veteran.

The run improves Joint's doubles mark to 21-12 in '26, almost the complete opposite of her single numbers (she's 22-23 combined, 23-24 w/ her AO MX participation added in).
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FRESH FACE: Nikola Bartunkova/CZE
...Bartunkova has had a breakout season in '26, but she surely let one get away in Monterrey.

The 20-year old Crusher had already this year debuted in the MD at the season's first three majors (w/ the U.S. next), reaching AO/WI 3rd Rounds and posting her first career Top 10 win in Melbourne (vs. Bencic, 2r). In her first three career 1000 MD, the Czech has notched wins, including reaching the Round of 16 in Rome. It was all enough to allow her to arrive in Monterrey at a career-high #38.



After falling in two previous '26 QF, Bartunkova played into her first SF of the season (second of her WTA career) with wins over Antonia Ruzic, Liang En-shou and Dasha Vidmanova. She then essentially had would have been her maiden tour final on her racket vs. Elise Mertens, leading the veteran Waffle 6-1/4-2,40/15 before everything fell apart and she managed to win just two games the rest of the way.

Had she reached the final, Bartunkova would have been the seventh different Czech to play in a WTA singles title match this year, with a shot to become the sixth different winner from her nation.

She'll still rise to a new career-high of #32, though it'll be too late to get her first seed at a major. One of a dozen Czechs in the U.S. Open MD (behind only the U.S.'s 24), Bartunkova will open vs. Mayar Sherif.
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JUNIOR STARS: Jordyn Hazelitt/USA and Paola Pinera Celorio/ESP
...it was a landmark week for 16-year old Hazelitt, as the 16-year old girls' #22 knocked off both the #1 (Shannon Lam) and #2 (Chukwumelije Clarke) seeds in the U.S. Open's Wild Card Challenge to earn a spot in the week's women's qualifying tournament.

In her tour-level tournament debut, Hazelitt forced Harriet Dart into a 3rd set (winning a 7-1 2nd set breaker) in the opening round of U.S. Open qualifying before ultimately losing to the Brit, who then went on to win two more three-setters to reach the MD.

In March, Hazelitt won the J300 North American Regional Championship in San Diego, her biggest junior title to date. Before her U.S. Open qualifying debut, she'd played in just four previous pro events, going 3-4 this year in a series of low-level challengers.

Meanwhile, on the junior level, Spain's Pinera Celorio claimed her second title of the season, and the biggest of her career, at the J300 event in College Park, Maryland.

The 15-year old (jr. #16) defeated #7-ranked girl Mariia Makarova 6-2/6-4 in the final.



Earlier in the event, top-seeded Ksenia Efremova, the AO junior winner, had been upset by Bannerette Adia Lopez.
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DOUBLES: Karolina Muchova/CZE
...congrats to Karolina... I guess? Hey, at least it's something for the mantle and the bank account, right?



Hmmm... nope, still an exhibition.

It took three MTB over four rounds of "matches" -- vs. Mladenovic/Arevalo 1r, Andreeva/Rublev SF and Bencic/Cobolli F -- but Muchova and fellow Czech Jakub Mensik became the first all-Czech duo to win any (even-in-name-only) MX slam title since the 2013 RG (Hradecka/Frantisek) and the first ever at the U.S. Open.

Meanwhile, why internet polls are "undefeated"...


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*TOP US OPEN Q-PLAYERS*



Lucie Havlickova, CZE (21, #225)

...another week, another Crusher qualifier as Havlickova is one of two (w/ Gabriela Knutson) to play their way into the U.S. Open MD.

The 21-year old's slam MD debut comes after wins over a pair of Japanese opponents, #2-seeded Moyuka Uchijima, against whom she saved two MP, and Nao Hibino.

Havlickova, a girls' U.S. Open singles finalist in 2022 (a loss to Alex Eala), is one of seven women's qualifiers who'll make their major MD debut this week.


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Harriet Dart, GBR (30, #131)

...Dart's qualifies as maybe the most interesting trip through the qualifying rounds, as she won three straight three-set matches.

The combined age of her first two opponents, a pair of 16-year olds in Jordyn Hazelitt and Kristina Penickova, was actually less than that of her third, 34-year old fellow Brit Heather Watson


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Robin Montgomery, USA (21, #187)

...already a maiden tour title winner in '26 (at Rosmalen), Montgomery qualified for her fourth career U.S. Open MD with wins over Kayla Cross, Jeline Vandromme and Carson Branstine. Still just 21 years old (at least for another week), Montgomery made her Open MD debut at age 15 in 2020.

At 0-3, Montgomery is still seeking her first official win in New York. She'll try to get it vs. a seed in the 1st Round, #32 Maria Sakkari.


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Storm Hunter, AUS (32, #169)

...already a previous '26 slam qualifier at the AO, the Aussie vet completes her Career Major Qualifier Slam with her first successful Q-run in New York. Hunter saved a pair of MP in the Q2 vs. Korean Ku Yeon-woo in between wins over two seeded opponents, #19 Maddison Inglis and #4 Darja Semenistaja.


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Elvina Kalieva, USA (23, #115)

...the other half of this year's all first-time tour semifinalist match-up in Memphis (the winner of that match, 16-year old Kristina Liutova, also qualified at Flushing Meadows this week), Kalieva strung together wins over Kristina Mladenovic, Sofia Costoulas and, in a three-setter, Czech teen Vendula Valdmannova in the final Q-round, to set up her slam MD debut


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Mary Stoiana, USA (23, #122)

...the former Texas A&M Aggie (and NCAA #1-ranked player) played her way into her first slam MD with back-to-back three-set wins over Katie Swan and Yuan Yue.



Stoiana will get an immediate spotlight, opening up against #17 Alex Eala.
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*US26 QUALIFIERS*
Harriet Dart, GBR (30/131)
Lucie Havlickova, CZE (21/225)*
Storm Hunter, AUS (32/169)
Polina Iatcenko, RUS (22/160)*
Francesca Jones, GBR (25/104)
Elvina Kalieva, USA (23/115)*
Gabriela Knutson, CZE (29/184)*
Anouk Koevermans, NED (22/228)*
Kristina Liutova, RUS (16/125)*
Robin Montgomery, USA (21/187)
Arantxa Rus, NED (35/203)
Himeno Sakatsume, JPN (25/144)
Lucrezia Stefanini, ITA (28/119)
Mary Stoiana, USA (23/122)*
Zheng Qinwen, CHN (23/121)
Tamara Zidansek, SLO (28/146)
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* - first slam MD

*RECENT U.S. OPEN "Q-PLAYER OF THE WEEK" WINNERS*
2014 Aleksandra Krunic, SRB
2015 Jessica Pegula, USA
2016 Taylor Townsend, USA
2017 Kaia Kanepi, EST
2018 Genie Bouchard, CAN
2019 Peng Shuai, CHN
2020 DNP Q
2021 Rebecca Marino, CAN
2022 Sara Bejlek, CZE
2023 Wang Yafan, CHN
2024 Yuliia Starodubtseva, UKR
2025 Janice Tjen, INA
2026 Lucie Havlickova, CZE

*LOW-RANKED 2026 SLAM QUALIFIERS*
#897 - Sloane Stephens, USA (AO)
#697 - Bai Zhuoxuan, CHN (AO)
#539 - Mariam Bolkvadze, GEO (WI)
#363 - Storm Hunter, AUS (AO)
#361 - Sloane Stephens, USA (RG)
#228 - Anouk Koevermans, NED (US)
#225 - Lucie Havlickova, CZE (US)
#223 - Lina Gjorcheska, MKD (WI)
#220 - Elena Pridankina, RUS (RG)
#216 - Iryna Shymanovich, BLR (WI)
#215 - Susan Bandecchi, SUI (RG)
#210 - Anastasia Gasanova, RUS (WI)
#203 - Arantxa Rus, NED (US)

*MULTI-SLAM QUALIFIERS IN 2026*
2 - Linda Fruhvirtova, CZE (AO/RG)
2 - Storm Hunter, AUS (AO/US)
2 - Alina Korneeva, RUS (RG/WI)
2 - Ashlyn Krueger, USA (RG/WI)
2 - Claire Liu, USA (RG/WI)
2 - Robin Montgomery, USA (WI/US)
2 - Himeno Sakatsume, JPN (AO/US)
2 - Sloane Stephens, USA (AO/RG)

*YOUNGEST 2026 SLAM...*
=Q=
US - Kristina Liutova, RUS (16)
WI - Tyra Grant, ITA (18)
RG - Alina Korneeva, RUS (18)
WI - Teodora Kostovic, SRB (18)
AO - Nikola Bartunkova, CZE (19)
WI - Alina Korneeva, RUS (19)
AO - Linda Fruhvirtova, CZE (20)
RG - Elena Pridankina, RUS (20)
RG - Kaitlin Quevedo, ESP (20)

*OLDEST 2026 SLAM...*
=Q=
US - Arantxa Rus, NED (35)
RG - Sloane Stephens, USA (33)
AO - Sloane Stephens, USA (32)
US - Storm Hunter, AUS (32)
AO - Storm Hunter, AUS (31)
AO - Aliaksandra Sasnovich, BLR (31)
WI - Lina Gjorcheska, MKD (31)
RG - Mayar Sherif, EGY (30)
WI - Leolia Jeanjean, FRA (30)
US - Harriet Dart, GBR (30)




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1. Monterrey SF - Elise Mertens def. Nikola Bartunkova
...1-6/6-4/6-2. Mertens goes the long way around to extend her seasons-with-a-tour-final streak to ten, rallying from 6-1/4-2, 40/15 down vs. the Czech (who had five GP chances to take a commanding lead in game 7). Mertens won the last four games of the 2nd set to extend the match, and ten of twelve to close out the night and reach her 17th career tour final.


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2. U.S. Open Q2 - Andrea Lazaro Garcia def. Mai Hontama
...5-7/7-6(6)/6-1. A crazy win from #31-seeded Lazaro Garcia, who saved seven MP in all vs. Hontama.

Hontama had four MP chances at 5-4 in the 2nd on return, but rebounced to prevent Lazaro Garcia from serving out the set at 6-5. Things went to a TB, where Hontama want out to a 4-1 lead and had triple MP at 6-3 only to drop the final five points. Lazaro Garcia then dominated the 3rd set to get the win.

The "save" wouldn't lead to a great qualifying story, though, as the Spaniard fell in the final round vs. Polina Iatcenko.
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3. Monterrey Final - Diane Parry def. Elise Mertens
...6-4/0-6/6-3. Parry started quickly out of the gates, grabbing the 1st set lead at 4-1 before Mertens' game caught up and nearly flipped it in her favor. On serve down 5-4, Mertens lost a 30/15 edge and was broken as Parry took the match lead.

But Mertens' late-set momentum carried over into the 2nd as she won it at love and had an opportunity to get on top to open the 3rd. But Parry saved a pair of BP in the opening game, then built up a two-break lead at 5-1. She needed the extra cushion, as it took her two tries to serve out her maiden tour title.

Meanwhile, fitting on the day that Roger Federer was inducted into the Hall of Fame...


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4. U.S. Open Q3 - Zheng Qinwen def. Elena Pridankina
...6-3/3-6/6-0. It's amusing that one of the "bright spots" that has often been mentioned about playing a mixed "event" during the week before the actual Open is that it brings additional attention to the qualifying rounds. Yet, for 95% of the singles qualifying week the only results that were publicized through the U.S. Open's social media were those involving Zheng while the rest were pretty much ignored altogether.

As it is the 2023-24 quarterfinalist is back in the MD at the Open for the first time in two years, having not won a 1st Rounder in a major since her '25 RG QF run prior to the elbow surgery that has kept her on the sidelines and/or treading water for well over a year now.
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5. U.S. Open Q2 - Lucie Havlickova def. Moyuka Uchijima
...6-2/2-6/7-6(10-6). Another week, another Crusher qualifying run (this time after saving multiple MP).

Havlickova's berth in her maiden slam MD spot included a Q2 match in which she saved a pair of MP in the 3rd set against #2-seeded Uchijima. After the Czech failed to serve out the match moments later at 6-5, she went on to take a 10-6 MTB.
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6. U.S. Open Q2 - Storm Hunter def. Ku Yeon-woo
...4-6/7-6(6)/6-0. Hunter's qualifying run included the Aussie saving a pair of 2nd set MP vs. Ku. The Korean held her first MP at 5-3 before attempting to serve out the win at 5-4, then held her second MP at 6-5 in the TB. Hunter swept the final three points to get the win.
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7. U.S. Open MX Final - Karolina Muchova/Jakub Mensik def. Belinda Bencic/Flavio Cobolli
...6-3/1-6 [10-6]. The win by the Czechs prevented what would have been an interesting parallel had Bencic & Cobollin taken the title.

A win would have essentially given that duo their second exhibition MX crown of the season, as they won the event held at Indian Wells back in March. Of course, *that* (actual) exhibition was more of a real event than this so-called major, as its 16-team field didn't have their competition boiled down to two days on the calendar, played *real* 1st/2nd sets rather than going to 4 games like in New York, and the SF/F weren't all played during a single night session that ended late enough that, had it been played at Wimbledon, everyone would have been ordered to come back and resume things the *next* day.


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8. Monterrey 2nd Rd. - Alycia Parks def. Maja Chwalinska
...3-6/6-2/6-2. Nothing to say here, really. But just look at these stats (wow)...


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9. U.S. Open MX QF - Elina Svitolina/Gaef Monfils def. Katerina Siniakova/Henry Patten
...6-5(6)/5-6(3) [10-8]. BTW, Siniakova/Patten -- the WTA and ATP doubles #1-ranked players -- would have otherwise been the top seed in a real event, but had already had to play two *qualifying* "matches" just to reach the draw, as well as a 1st Rounder, just to get this far.

Along with all the breathless almost game-by-game coverage of the MX from the USTA lapdog section of social media, funny little mirages just seemed to appear out of nowhere, too...



Only for all of them -- including this one -- to collapse under the weight of reality...


U.S. Open MX SF - Belinda Bencic/Flavio Cobolli def. Elina Svitolina/Gaef Monfils 4-5(7)/4-1 [10-5]



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10. U.S. Open Q3 - Tamara Zidansek def. Bianca Andreescu
...2-6/6-3/6-4. We're just never getting *that* Bianca -- or anything even closely resembling her -- are we?



The story of the Canadian's glorious run(s) is going to one day be one of those tales told with great wistfullness about how things were "back in the olden days" to a generation of disbelievers that will be adamant that such a thing was never possible ("she didn't really beat Serena -- it's just a myth!").


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11. Philadelphia 125 Final - Katie Volynets def. Tereza Valentova
...6-3/7-5. Another in what has become a growing line of "not-quite-there-yet" results from the Czech, as the 19-year old Valentova drops no sets en route to reaching her fourth career 125 final -- losing just 12 games in seven sets after winning a 1st Round, 1st set TB vs. Ariana Arsenault -- only to fall in straights to Volynets.

After reaching her maiden tour final late last year in Osaka, Valentova, who received treatment for a hip in the 2nd set in the Philly final, has followed up a 3rd Round AO run with back-to-back 1st Round losses in majors, hasn't advanced past the 2nd Round in any of her seven 1000 MD appearances, and is now 0-2 in 125 finals in '26.

After being a #42 this spring, Valentova's ranking has slipped into the #70s.


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12. U.S. Open Q3 - Kristina Liutova def. Martyna Kubka
...6-4/6-0. The Memphis champ clears another career hurdle by playing her way into her maiden slam MD, becoming at 16 the youngest player in the 2026 women's singles draw (and in any major this year) after posting three set wins over Tatiana Prozorova and Lola Radivojevic before a far quicker dispatching of Martyna Kubka in the final round.



In her major MD debut, Liutova will face a fellow qualifier in the 1st Round, though still a "big fish" is Olympic Gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, who reached the QF in her last two appearances in the MD in New York.

In her WTA MD debut in Memphis, Liutova opened her career with a Top 20 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova.
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HM- U.S. Open Q1 - Zheng Qinwen def. You Xiaodi
...6-3/6-2. Well-played...


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Womp womp...




Flashforward to the final of the greatest event ever in the history of tennis...




But, but... I thought this was the most perfect event ever.


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Meanwhile... an actual fun mixed doubles exhibition that isn't trying to be something it's not...



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So there was a late withdrawl from one of the wild cards, meaning Wawrinka *did* get one after the USTA was assailed from pillar to post for such a shameful way to treat a former champion. Weird how that happens, huh? Expect some additional goodies -- wink, wink -- in the stocking of one Patrick Kypson somewhere down the line when it comes to wild cards and team inclusions.



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Show whether or not you're an apparel company that cares about your athlete without saying whether or not you're an apparel company that cares about your athlete...




Hmmm ...how about "but, even when you do care, showing that you treat your athletes like a replaceable army of mannequins that don't deserve to look like unique individuals?"




Ah, there you go... that's the sweet spot.







US26 "PROP PICK" PREDICTIONS

1. The winner will *not* come from the trio of women who've won major titles in 2026
...of course, they'd be Elena Rybakina, Mirra Andreeva and Linda Noskova
2. The winner *will* be a former slam singles finalist
...the list from the last three seaons (11): Anisimova, Chwalinska, Gauff, Keys, Krejickova, Muchova, Paolini, Pegula, Sabalenka, Swiatek, Zheng

The list from before the 2024 season (+7, though only one might likely come into play): Fernandez, Kenin, Osaka, Ostapenko, Pliskova, Stephens, V.Williams
3. The runner-up will be a first-time major finalist
...there have been three so far in '26 (Andreeva & Chwalinska at RG, Noskova at WI), but just one at the U.S. Open since the (x2) Raducanu/Fernandez final in 2021 (Pegula in '24). The three first-timers in New York are the smallest number at any of the four majors in the 2020s (AO: 5, RG: 8, WI: 4).
4. Iga Swiatek will at least match her best '26 result at a major
...after a QF at the Australian Open, Swiatek posted 4r and 3r results in the next two slam events this year
5. The Williams sisters, without a doubles match win as a team since the 2018 Roland Garros (going 0-3), will post at least one in New York
...Serena not risking injury by playing singles, as happened at Wimbledon, doesn't hurt their chances here, either. Of course, there *is* still Venus who has to get through a match.
HM- Dark Horses (4r+): if not "dark horses," then at least intriguing names to watch...

Diana Shnaider: she's the #15 seed, so reaching the Round of 16 would just hold up her seed. But Shnaider took advantage of Sabalenka's collapse in Paris, and this time finds herself on the opposite end of the #1's section (and Sabalenka might not even make it to the 4r, as she could see Krejickova in the 3rd). The Hordette is 7-3 this hard court summer, and reached the 4th Round in New York in her '24 debut. Potentially worrisome: a 1st Rd. match-up with an upset-minded Daria Snigur.

Diane Parry: off a Wimbledon Round of 16, Cincy 4th Round and Monterrey title (she's on an 8-1 run after winning her maiden WTA crown), the Pastry has posted 3r-3r-4r-2r results in her last four major MD appearances. She has a possible match-up with #16 Cirstea in the 2nd Round, and has the rusty #19 seed Paolini in her 3rd Round way, but a path is there for Parry to reach a second slam 4th Round in '26 (after having none in 20 MD from 2019-25).

Liudmila Samsonova: yep, I'm going to play the "Samsonova Flip" card again. If she gets past Maya Joint in the opener, Samsonova (8-4 since her 8-16 start) would have a shot at a big name in #9 Svitolina in the 2nd Round. Samsonova reached the Round of 16 in 2022 and '24.

Naomi Osaka: the #13 seed is a two-time champ and reached the SF last year, but it bears watching that if #2 Rybakina isn't up to snuff after her Cincinnati retirement then the bottom section of the draw could big-time fall Osaka's way. They could meet in what would probably be the biggest Round of 16 match-up (well, along with Iga/Eala).

























"Dolly" #poem #poet #poetry #writing #writingcommunity #poetrysky #dolly #dollyparton

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— M. Monty (@mmonty333.bsky.social) August 25, 2026 at 8:37 PM



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I have a new post on my author blog. AI has even more to say dianeelaynedeesauthor.blogspot.com/2026/08/ai-h... #AI #poetry

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— Diane Elayne Dees (@womenwhoserve.bsky.social) August 27, 2026 at 11:11 AM







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Aryna Sabalenka isn't going to win the U.S. Open, is she?



















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*2026 FIRST-TIME WTA FINALISTS*
Sara Bejlek, CZE (#101/20 = Abu Dhabi)-W
Taylor Townsend, USA (#119/29 = Austin)
Yuliia Starodubtseva, UKR (#89/26 = Charleston)
Panna Udvardy, HUN (#92/27 = Bogota)
Veronika Podrez, UKR (#209/19 = Rouen)
Petra Marcinko, CRO (#76/20 = Rabat)-W
Maja Chwalinska, POL (#114/24 = Roland Garros)
Robin Montgomery, USA (#484/21 = Rosmalen)-W
Daria Snigur, UKR (#54/24 = Prague)
Kristina Liutova, RUS (16/#229 = Memphis)-W
Dasha Vidmanova, CZE (23/#114 = Memphis)
Alex Eala, PHI (21/#28 = Washington)-W
DIANE PARRY, FRA (23/#50 = Monterrey)-W





*2026 MX DOUBLES CHAMPIONS*
Australian Open - Gadecki/Peers, AUS/AUS
Indian Wells (Inv.) - Bencic/Cobolli, SUI/ITA
Roland Garros - Errani/Vavassori, TIA/ITA
Wimbledon - Ostapenko/Arevalo, LAT/ELS
US Open - Muchova/Mensik, CZE/CZE

*RECENT MX SLAM CHAMPIONS*
[2024]
AO: Hsieh Su-wei/Jan Zielinski (TPE/POL)
RG: Laura Siegemund/Edouard Roger-Vasselin (GER/FRA)
WI: Hsieh Su-wei/Jan Zielinski (TPE/POL)
US: Sara Errani/Andrea Vavassori (ITA/ITA)
[2025]
AO: Olivia Gadecki/John Peers (AUS/AUS)
RG: Sara Errani/Andrea Vavassori (ITA/ITA)
WI: Katerina Siniakova/Sem Verbeek (CZE/NED)
US: Sara Errani/Andrea Vavassori (ITA/ITA)
[2026]
AO: Olivia Gadecki/John Peers (AUS/AUS)
RG: Sara Errani/Andrea Vavassori (ITA/ITA)
WI: Alona Ostapenko/Marcelo Arevalo (LAT/ELS)
US: Karolina Muchova/Jakub Mensik (CZE/CZE)

*RECENT U.S. OPEN MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPIONS*
1998 Serena Williams/Max Mirnyi, USA/BLR
1999 Ai Sugiyama/Mahesh Bhupathi, JPN/IND
2000 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario/Jared Palmer, ESP/USA
2001 Rennae Stubbs/Todd Woodbridge, AUS/AUS
2002 Lisa Raymond/Mike Bryan, USA/USA
2003 Katarina Srebotnik/Bob Bryan, SLO/USA
2004 Vera Zvonareva/Bob Bryan, RUS/USA
2005 Daniela Hantuchova/Mahesh Bhupathi, SVK/IND
2006 Martina Navratilova/Bob Bryan, USA/USA
2007 Victoria Azarenka/Max Mirnyi, BLR/BLR
2008 Cara Black/Leander Paes, ZIM/IND
2009 Carly Gullickson/Travis Parrott, USA/USA
2010 Liezel Huber/Bob Bryan, USA/USA
2011 Melanie Oudin/Jack Sock, USA/USA
2012 Ekaterina Makarova/Bruno Soares, RUS/BRA
2013 Andrea Hlavackova/Max Mirnyi, CZE/BLR
2014 Sania Mirza/Bruno Soares, IND/BRA
2015 Martina Hingis/Leander Paes, SUI/IND
2016 Laura Siegemund/Mate Pavic, GER/CRO
2017 Martina Hingis/Jamie Murray, SUI/GBR
2018 Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Jamie Murray, USA/GBR
2019 Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Jamie Murray, USA/GBR
2020 DNP
2021 Desirae Krawczyk/Joe Salisbury, USA/GBR
2022 Storm Sanders/John Peers, AUS/AUS
2023 Anna Danilina/Harri Heliovaara, KAZ/FIN
2024 Sara Errani/Andrea Vavassori, ITA/ITA
2025 Sara Errani/Andrea Vavassori, ITA/ITA
2026 Karolina Muchova/Jakub Mensik, CZE/CZE

*RECENT WOMEN'S U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONS*
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Sloane Stephens, USA
2018 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2019 Bianca Andreescu, CAN
2020 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2021 Emma Raducanu, GBR
2022 Iga Swiatek, POL
2023 Coco Gauff, USA
2024 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2025 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR

*RECENT U.S. OPEN TOP SEEDS*
2010 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (SF)
2011 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (SF)
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (RU)
2013 Serena Williams, USA (W)
2014 Serena Williams, USA (W)
2015 Serena Williams, USA (SF)
2016 Serena Williams, USA (SF)
2017 Karolina Pliskova, CZE (QF)
2018 Simona Halep, ROU (1st)
2019 Naomi Osaka, JPN (4th)
2020 Karolina Pliskova, CZE (2nd)
2021 Ash Barty, AUS (3rd)
2022 Iga Swiatek, POL (W)
2023 Iga Swiatek, POL (4th)
2024 Iga Swiatek, POL (QF)
2025 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (W)
2026 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR

*U.S. OPEN DEFENDING CHAMP RESULTS - OPEN ERA*
1968 Virginia Wade (SF)
1969 Margaret Smith-Court (W)
1970 Margaret Smith-Court (DNP; SF in '72)
1971 Billie Jean King (W)
1972 Billie Jean King (3rd Rd.)
1973 Margaret Smith-Court (DNP; QF in '75)
1974 Billie Jean King (DNP; QF in '77)
1975 Chris Evert (W)
1976 Chris Evert (W)
1977 Chris Evert (W)
1978 Chris Evert (RU)
1979 Tracy Austin (SF)
1980 Chris Evert-Lloyd (SF)
1981 Tracy Austin (QF)
1982 Chris Evert-Lloyd (RU)
1983 Martina Navratilova (W)
1984 Martina Navratilova (RU)
1985 Hana Mandlikova (4th Rd.)
1986 Martina Navratilova (W)
1987 Martina Navratilova (QF)
1988 Steffi Graf (W)
1989 Steffi Graf (RU)
1990 Gabriela Sabatini (QF)
1991 Monica Seles (W)
1992 Monica Seles (DNP-stabbing; RU in '95)
1993 Steffi Graf (RU)
1994 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (4th Rd.)
1995 Steffi Graf (W)
1996 Steffi Graf (DNP; 4th Rd. in '98)
1997 Martina Hingis (RU)
1998 Lindsay Davenport (SF)
1999 Serena Williams (QF)
2000 Venus Williams (W)
2001 Venus Williams (RU)
2002 Serena Williams (DNP; QF in '04)
2003 Justine Henin-Hardenne (4th Rd.)
2004 Svetlana Kuznetsova (1st Rd.)
2005 Kim Clijsters (DNP; W in '09)
2006 Maria Sharapova (3rd Rd.)
2007 Justine Henin (DNP; retired)
2008 Serena Williams (SF)
2009 Kim Clijsters (W)
2010 Kim Clijsters (DNP; 2nd Rd. in '12)
2011 Samantha Stosur (QF)
2012 Serena Williams (W)
2013 Serena Williams (W)
2014 Serena Williams (SF)
2015 Flavia Pennetta (DNP; retired)
2016 Angelique Kerber (1st Rd.)
2017 Sloane Stephens (QF)
2018 Naomi Osaka (4th Rd.)
2019 Bianca Andreescu (DNP; 4th Rd. in '21)
2020 Naomi Osaka (3rd Rd.)
2021 Emma Raducanu (1st Rd.)
2022 Iga Swiatek (4th Rd.)
2023 Coco Gauff (4th Rd.)
2024 Aryna Sabalenka (W)
2025 Aryna Sabalenka

*RECENT FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS AND RESULT AT NEXT MAJOR*
2018 Naomi Osaka (US): Australian W
2019 Ash Barty (RG): Wimbledon 4th
2019 Bianca Andreescu (US): DNP 2020/2021 AO 2nd
2020 Sofia Kenin (AO): U.S. Open 5th
2020 Iga Swiatek (RG): Australian 4th
2021 Barbora Krejcikova (RG): Wimbledon 4th
2021 Emma Raducanu (US): Australian 2nd
2022 Elena Rybakina (WI): U.S. Open 1st
2023 Aryna Sabalenka (AO): Roland Garros SF
2023 Marketa Vondrousova (WI): U.S. Open QF
2023 Coco Gauff (US): Australian SF
2025 Madison Keys (AO): Roland Garros QF
2026 Mirra Andreeva (RG): Wimbledon 2nd
2026 Linda Noskova (WI): U.S. Open....

*US26 MAIN DRAW*
=most by nation (of 36 nations in original MD)=
24 - USA
12 - CZE
10 - RUS
7 - UKR
5 - AUS,ESP
4 - AUT,CHN,FRA,GER,POL
3 - CRO,GBR,ITA,JPN,SUI
2 - ARG,BEL,COL,HUN,KAZ,NED,ROU,SLO,THA,UZB
1 - BLR,CAN,DEN,EGY,GRE,INA,LAT,MEX,PHI,TUR
[age groups]
7 - age 19 and under
92 - age 20-29
24 - age 30-34
5 - age 35+
[slam MD debuts in season's majors]
2020: 21
2021: 15
2022: 26
2023: 21
2024: 22
2025: 26
2026: 33 [AO 8 / RG 10 / WI 5 / US 10...7 Q, 3 WC, 0 PR, 0 Auto]

*2026 U.S. OPEN MD...*
=youngest=
16 - Kristina Liutova, RUS (Q) - DOB: February 2, 2010
17 - Thea Frodin, USA (WC) - DOB: December 17, 2008
18 - Lilli Tagger, AUT - DOB: February 17, 2008
18 - Iva Jovic, USA - DOB: December 6, 2007
19 - Alina Korneeva, RUS (Q) - DOB: June 23, 2007
19 - Mirra Andreeva, RUS - DOB: April 29, 2007
19 - Tereza Valentova, CZE - DOB: February 20, 2007
[youngest - 2026 slams]
16 - US: Kristina Liutova, RUS (Q) - DOB: February 2, 2010
17 - RG: Ksenia Efremova, FRA (WC) - DOB: April 28, 2009
17 - WI: Hannah Klugman, GBR (WC) - DOB: February 18, 2009
17 - AO: Emerson Jones, AUS (WC) - DOB: July 7, 2008
17 - WI: Mike Stojsavljevic, GBR (WC) - DOB: December 15, 2008
17 - US: Thea Frodin, USA (WC) - DOB: December 17, 2008
17 - RG: Emerson Jones, AUS (WC) - DOB: July 7, 2008
=oldest=
46 - Venus Williams, USA (WC): DOB: June 17, 1980
39 - Tatjana Maria, GER - DOB: August 8, 1987
37 - Zhang Shuai, CHN - DOB: January 21, 1989
36 - Sorana Cirstea, ROU - DOB: April 7, 1990
35 - Arantxa Rus, NED - DOB: December 13, 1990
[oldest - 2026 slams]
46 - US: Venus Williams, USA (WC) - DOB: June 17, 1980
45 - AO: Venus Williams, USA (WC) - DOB: June 17, 1980
44 - WI: Serena Williams, USA (WC) - DOB: September 26, 1981
39 - US: Tatjana Maria, GER - DOB: August 8, 1987
38 - WI: Tatjana Maria, GER - DOB: August 8, 1987
38 - RG: Tatjana Maria, GER - DOB: August 8, 1987
38 - AO: Tatjana Maria, GER - DOB: August 8, 1987
38 - WI: Laura Siegemund, GER - DOB: March 4, 1988

*IN U.S. OPEN WOMEN'S SLAM SINGLES MD...*
[oldest]
2020 Venus Williams, USA (40)
2021 Samantha Stosur, AUS (37)
2022 Venus Williams, USA (42)
2023 Venus Williams, USA (43)
2024 Varvara Lepchenko, USA (38)
2025 Venus Williams, USA (45)
2026 Venus Williams, USA (46)
[youngest]
2020 Robin Montgomery, USA (15)
2021 Ashlyn Krueger, USA (17)
2022 Sara Bejlek, CZE (16)
2023 Mirra Andreeva, RUS (16)
2024 Iva Jovic, USA (16)
2025 Julieta Pareja, USA (16)
2026 Kristina Liutova, RUS (16)






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I never would have predicted that cutting 20% of the staff at the federal agency that makes sure our food is safe would result in a bunch of our food being declared unsafe.

— Charlotte Clymer (@charlotteclymer.bsky.social) August 28, 2026 at 7:11 PM


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LOL! YOU LITERALLY VOTED YES TO CONFIRM RFK JR. !!!!

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— EJD (@firewxguy.bsky.social) August 26, 2026 at 4:21 PM


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#writerslife #amwritingromance #amwriting #writersky #authorsky

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— Rob Bignell, Editor/Author (@inventingreality.bsky.social) August 25, 2026 at 8:31 PM



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All for now.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 11:57 PM 

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