Wednesday, September 16, 2026

2026 3Q Backspin Awards: Inalienably Elena


Popping the buttons on a new #1-ranked suit...










Another summer has come and gone. The best of the best (and a bit of the rest)...


3Q Top Players list & post-U.S. Open Ms.Backspin Update: HERE
3Q Top Players list & post-U.S. Open Ms.Backspin Update: HERE





#1 - ELENA'S NEW YORK STATE OF MIND ...having left New York City following a 4th Round loss a year ago, Elena Rybakina puts the finishing touches on a 12-month dream calendar year: winning her second of two majors, along with the WTA Finals and two 500 crowns, while reaching a pair of 1000 finals, recording 18 Top 10 wins (three over #1) and, of course, claiming the #1 ranking simply by reaching the SF at this year's U.S. Open. But that wasn't enough for Rybakina, who powered her way through three former slam winners in Naomi Osaka (4r), Coco Gauff (SF) and Aryna Sabalenka (F), as well as an Olympic Gold medalist (Zheng Qinwen/QF) to win her third different major while becoming the only women's two-time slam champ in 2026, a season in which the current #2, #3 and #4 (plus Iga Swiatek, for the first time since 2021) won none.
#2 - QUEEN CITY COCO ...before Cincinnati, Coco Gauff's '26 season had been a character study of a player proving herself to be perhaps the tour's greatest fighter, but having nothing tangible to show for it. That quickly changed as all the wobbles -- on serve, or with her sometimes-troublesome forehand -- that she so often has to fight *against* and often win *in spite of* worked to her favor, making Gauff's solid backhand and elite speed and defensive skills all that much more effective. After briefly being in trouble in her opening match vs. Liudmila Samsonova, trailing by a set and 4-4, Gauff turbo-charged her game at that precise moment and never let up. She didn't drop a set the rest of the way, often playing on a different level than her opponents as she breezed through the likes of Marie Bouzkova (3 & 2), Marta Kostyuk (2 & 2), Sara Bejlek (4 & 1) and Jessie Pegula (2 & 4 in the final) en route to her second win in the event.
#3 - IGA WITH AN "Eh" ...nearly a year after her win in Cincinnati, Iga Swiatek "substitutes" last summer's hard court title run with her first in Toronto, one of the few 1000 level events she'd yet to claim. Swiatek came into the event having not won a title, nor reached a final in nearly a full year, a drought almost as long as the final/title-less one between her '24 RG and the '25 grass season. She'd gone 0-4 vs. Top 10 competition on hard court this year, and was 1-5 overall in '26 (1-7 in her last eight dating back to last season, and 2-9 since she won Cincinnati last summer). After quick wins over Sara Bejlek (love & 3) and Viktorija Golubic (2 & 1), Swiatek's most important win of the week may have come when she recovered from winning just *one* point on serve in the 1st set vs. Marta Kostyuk in the 4r to take out the Ukrainian in three. A 2 & 1 victory over Diana Shnaider sent Swiatek into just her second SF of the season (w/ Rome), where she again had to win in three over another Ukrainian foe, Elina Svitolina. In the final against a tired Elena Rybakina, who'd played a late night SF before the (later) afternoon final a day later, Swiatek started well, and never wavered. It gave her back-to-back Top 10 wins for the first time in almost a year.
#4 - THE SECOND REIGN OF QUEEN KAMIJI ...after a decade of playing in the shadow of Diede de Groot, losing to her in 28 straight match-ups between 2021-24, Yui Kamiji has re-emerged atop the wheelchair tennis mountain to reclaim the top spot she held in the early 2010s before the historic rise of her Dutch rival. With de Groot working through a hip injury and making a slow comeback following surgery, Kamiji has filled in the few remaining slots in her career resume over the past two years, including sweeping the Paralympic Golds and completing her Career Gold Slam at this year's Wimbledon (joining de Groot as the only women to have won the s/d titles at every slam, the Paralympics and year-ending championships). In New York, she swept the titles at a second straight '26 major, defeating de Groot in a second consecutive slam final to defend her '25 crown and claim her fourth career U.S. Open win (a dozen years after her first), while also winning a third straight slam doubles crown this season alongside Zhu Zhenzhen.
#5 - DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN ...already a Career Doubles Slam holder (and a Golden one at that, with Barbora Krejickova), Katerina Siniakova spread her partnership wealth to Taylor Townsend at the U.S. Open as the pair completed *their own* Career Doubles Slam as a team, claiming their second major this season (RG). Siniakova is the first player, male or female, to have completed a pair of Doubles Slams with different partners, doing so just days before she became the second woman in tour history (w/ Navratilova) to reach 200 total weeks in the WD #1 ranking.
#6 - COMEBACKS (ALMOST) AS GOOD AS GOLD ...on the comeback from 2025 elbow surgery, Zheng Qinwen stages a sneak attack on the U.S. Open draw as the former world #4 and Olympic Gold medalist -- ranked at #121 -- qualified to become maybe the most dangerous floater in the field. After winning back-to-back three-setters, one over fellow 16-year old qualifier Kristina Liutova, Zheng staged back-to-back massive rallies against former slam winners, erasing 5-0 deficits to win consecutive sets over Madison Keys in the 3rd Round (in a 3rd set, w/ Keys holding MP) and in the 1st set of what turned out to be a straight sets 4th Round win over Iga Swiatek as Zheng became just the fourth qualifier to reach the U.S. Open women's QF. She was in a battle there with Elena Rybakina, tied 4-4 in the 3rd, before the eventual champion turned up her level of play (breaking in game 9 on her fourth BP chance) and put the match away.
#7 - THE EALA ELEVATION: D.C. EDITION ...when Alex Eala gets on a roll, good things tend to happen quickly. See her SF run in Miami last year when she upset three past slam champions, her maiden tour final in Eastbourne last summer (when she won six matches in all, starting in qualifying), or this year's impressive grass court campaign (12-4, with a pair of Top 10 wins in Berlin, then another over defending champ Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon). With her usual crowd support intact, Eala went on another spectacular run to her second tour-level final in Washington, winning a high profile all-Asian clash with Zheng Qinwen, bouncing defending champ Leylah Fernandez (rallying from 5-1 down in the 2nd to win in straights), and then eliminating both Elina Svitolina and Naomi Osaka before taking a two-day, three-set final vs. Jessie Pegula after play had resumed on Monday after Sunday's match had been suspended in the middle of the 2nd set. The win in the title match (a first by a Filipina in tour history) gave Eala's her seventh Top 10 victory in '26, and lifted her into the Top 20 (another Filipino first).
#8 - ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER CRUSHER REVLELATION ...five-foot-five lefty Sara Bejlek demanded attention in Cincinnati, as the 20-year old Czech ran off wins over Karolina Pliskova, Barbora Krejcikova and Ekaterina Alexandrova before stunning #1 Aryna Sabalenka for her first career Top 10 victory. She followed up with another upset of Madison Keys, after having trailed 6-3/3-1, fought off a pair of BP at 5-5, and rallied from 4-2 down in the deciding TB (and w/ Keys serving two at 5-4). A high-flying Coco Gauff proved too big a hurdle to overcome in the semis, but Bejlek's impressive summer hard court stretch allowed her to crack the Top 30 and secure her first slam seed at Flushing Meadows.
#9 - LILLI'S WORLD ...We first heard Austrian Lilli Tagger's footsteps *last* season, when she made a November run to her maiden WTA final in Jiangxi in her tour debut less than half a year after she was crowned the RG junior champion. The 18-year old has flashed potential but not yet posted a truly significant result, even while displaying a unique ability as a young pro to raise her game level to an untouchable place in the closing moments of matches. Sporting a very Sharapovian figure on court, 6-foot-1 with her long limbs and power off the ground and on serve, along with a tremendous one-handed backhand to delight all the tennis purists (and w/ Francesca Schiavone in her coaching box), Tagger came into the summer hard court stretch having reached just a single tour-level QF in '26, but having claimed her biggest career title (a $100K) in January and reached a 125 final (February) ahead of her major MD debuts at Roland Garros and Wimbledon (both 1r exits). En route to her maiden tour title in Prague, she handled Czechs Sara Bejlek and Barbora Krejcikova, ending the veteran's eight-match winning streak with a strong finish and deciding TB win to reach her second tour final, then against Daria Snigur rallied from 5-2 down in the 1st to power her way to what felt like a fairly "easy" 7-6/6-3 win. By the end of summer, Tagger had also notched her maiden slam MD win at the U.S. Open.
#10 - THE NATURAL ...already a multi-title winner on the challenger circuit in 2026, 16-year old Kristina Liutova makes her tour debut in Memphis a memorable one. An extremely cool customer throughout her journey, Liutova's smart, controlled play, accuracy and strong defense simply proved to be a nut that no one could crack. The #229-ranked qualifier, who won a 3rd set TB in the final round to reach the MD, notched a Top 20 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova in the 1st Round in her very first tour-level match, then rode the wave all the way to the title, defeating fellow first-time finalist Dasha Vidmanova in three sets. Liutova is the youngest WTA singles champ since 2019 (Coco Gauff), and the ninth player in tour history to win the title in her debut tour-level MD event.
H.M. Bouzkova-Noskova/CZE-CZE (win biggest career WD titles at Cincinnati 1000); ITA 14u (junior Italians add another team title to nation's trophy case, winning first under-14 crown); Tamara Korpatsch/GER (wins Hamburg, cracks Top 50 at age 31); Barbora Krejcikova/CZE (wins inaugural event in Athens, def. Greece's Sakkari in final); Seira Matsuoka/JPN (roller wins first jr. WC title in third '26 final); Karolina Muchova/CZE (wins first slam title in U.S. "MX"); Diane Parry/FRA (adds to career year w/ maiden tour title in Monterrey); Mayar Sherif/EGY (second career WTA title in Iasi); Siniakova-Zhang/CZE-CHN (the Czech's *other* big partnership takes second '26 title in Toronto); Sun Xinran/CHN (girls' #1 wins first jr. slam title at U.S. Open in third straight major final);




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*GROUP HUG GOALS (non-Cup variety)*







*"CZECH GONNA CZECH," starring Nikola Bartunkova*







*THE EXACT MOMENT MIRRA PUT AWAY HER CHILDISH THINGS (and became a cynical adult)*







*ALEX DOES D.C.*







*LILLI TAGGER BREAK*







*WHAT TO DO IF A WTA PLAYER CAN'T COMMIT TO ACTUALLY TAKING A DOG OF HER OWN ON THE ROAD?*


Why, the WTA Rent-a-Doggo program, of course. Ask us about it at the nearest information desk.







*FASHION SHOW*







*THE PERSONALITY SPECTRUM: WTA EDITION*


A perfect visual illustration of two distinct personalities, simultaneously in real time...






*QUARTERLY COCO-IN-ACTION HONORS*






*NEW YORK CITY, as seen by Zheng Qinwen*







*EVERYONE PROMOTES THE WTA BETTER THAN THE WTA PROMOTES THE WTA*




BTW, the cute interactions between Rybakina and the U.S. Open "lemonade stand girl" were all over social media after the final. Guess who *didn't* post any of it on its social media platforms. Yep, naturally, the WTA.




*THE ONLY WORTHWHILE MOMENT FROM THE U.S. OPEN "Mixed Doubles event"*




Meanwhile, here's an actual fun mixed doubles exhibition that wasn't desperately trying to be something it's not...







*THE ETERNAL QUESTION*







*QUARTERLY KAROLINA MUCHOVA APPRECIATION CORNER*






*PENKO BEING PENKO*







*WHEN ALONA *ISN'T* THE TEAM MEMBER LEADING THE DRAMA (aka Just Because Alone Isn't Leading the Drama Doesn't Mean She Can't Join In)*




Worth the long read (for the history lesson)...







*FORGET PICKLEBALL...*


The new sport soon to be the rage on all the spare tennis courts is KickRacket (or KickRacquet, if you're so inclined)!







*WHEN THE OUTFIT MATCH-UP GODS DECIDE TO LET THE SUN SHINE DOWN ON ONE PARTICULAR COURT*







*THE MOVE*


Luitova's already got her post-match interview move down, too. Shades of Zheng Qinwen... Look out for this one.






*THE MOST CZECH POINT (sans any actual Czechs)*







*Alex Ealatis...PUNISHABLE BY UP TO A SIX-MONTH PROVISIONAL CHEERING SUSPENSION?*







*THE MOST UNINTENTIONALLY BALLETIC OF SPORTS*






*THE THRILL OF VICTORY AND THE AGONY FURY OF DEFEAT*







*ELENA DOES NEW YORK*















1. Cincinnati SF - Jessie Pegula def. Iga Swiatek
...7-5/4-6/6-4. Swiatek's attempt at the Canada/Cincinnati season double -- only Evonne Goolagong has done it, in 1973 -- falls a round short of the final, as does the title defense of the post-Wimbledon crown she won last year.

It was a match of swinging momentum, as Pegula's 4-2 1st set lead evaporated as Swiatek leveled things at 4-4. Pegula edged ahead again with a break from 40/15 down to lead 6-5, then served out the set as Swiatek's miss on a seemingly easy volley at the net sealed it.



In the 2nd, the script was flipped, as Swiatek's 4-2 lead turned into a 4-all deadlock before she broke Pegula to send things to the 3rd.

In the decider, Swiatek held an early break lead at 3-1. Pegula got things back on serve, then Swiatek tried to hold her off down the stretch. The Pole denied a BP at 3-3, then three more from love/40 down at 4-4, only to DF on Pegula's fourth BP chance. Pegula then served out the win to reach her fifth final this season.


===============================================



2. U.S. Open 3rd Rd. - Iva Jovic def. Alex Eala
...7-5/3-6/7-5. Jovic's carthartic reaction moment was justified after engaging in a marvelous match under the lights against Eala, a three-hour duel in which neither burgeoning star proved to be afraid of the moment nor stepped back as the pressure got more and more intense.

Sure, it wasn't exactly a serving tutorial, but the two combined for 78 winners (Jovic 44, Eala 34) and the air of a battle between (still) newcomers -- at age 18 and 21, respectively -- who look far more comfortable under such circumstances than a whole heap of players with a great deal more experience.

The 1st set entertained seven breaks over a dozen games, with four straight mid-set until Jovic held at love to win it 7-5. There were five breaks in nine games in the 2nd, with five consecutive coming in the heart of the set once again until Eala held serve to win 6-3.

Eala seemed to be ready to pull away in the decider. The Filipina broke to open the set, then again took a break lead at 3-2. She held at love for 4-2, and had a pair of BP for a double-break lead in the next game. But Jovic dug in her heels to get the hold, then broke to get things back on serve a game later. After a Jovic hold at love and one point into game 10 (w/ Eala serving down 4-5), the Bannerette had won 12 of 14 points.

Eala would go on to save a MP in that game, and ultimately hold with a 112-mph first serve (she'd averaged under 90 all night).

Two games later, again with Eala serving to stay in the match, the score was tied 30/30 before Jovic finally edged across the finish line to reach the second week at a third major in '26.



Jovic was introduced to the big stage two summers ago in New York when at 16 she made her slam MD debut, winning her 1st Round match before nearly upsetting a seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova (who won a 7-5 set) a round later. She exited the court with tears in her eyes. This time, though, the teenager was the victor in another 7-5 3rd set.
===============================================



3. U.S. Open 2nd Rd. - Madison Keys def. Anna Bondar
...5-7/6-4/7-6(10-5). Every once in a while, Keys will find that dawg in her. On this day at Flushing Meadows, she took Bondar's best shot -- five times, in fact -- and lived on (well, for a *little* bit longer) to tell the tale.



Of course, it took the #22 seed first losing out in a 1st set vs. Bondar in which Keys had managed to overcome a 4-2 deficit, only to then drop serve again to fall behind 6-5 before the Hungarian served out the set a game later.

Come the 3rd, Bondar seemed about to punt the '17 U.S. finalist and '25 AO winner out of her home slam, leading 5-2 and holding a pair of MP on serve, then three more on return (including two from 15/40) in the next game. Keys saved them all then, with her time in the draw walking a proverbial tightrope, denied Bondar again when she served for the match at 5-4. Keys broke at love.

Two holds later and it all came down to a match TB, where again Keys fell behind. Bondar got half-way to the victory, leading 5-3, only to see Keys sweep the final seven points to take the breaker 10-5.


===============================================
4. U.S. Open QF - Aryna Sabalenka def. Linda Noskova
...7-6(1)/3-6/7-6(10-7). Before the Open, it'd been a trying spring and summer since her Sunshine Double triumph for the top-seeded two-time defending U.S. Open champ Sabalenka. As 2026 has gone on, her slippage in results has even begun to infect her runs in majors, not in the fashion of her coming up short in the final stages of the events (yet again, as happened when she lost three major finals in five events up to AO26) but in the form her not even getting *that* far.

Sabalenka's QF in Paris ended her run of six straight SF+ finishes in majors (she'd gone out that early in just one of her previous 13 slams), then her *4th Round* exit at Wimbledon was her worst result in a major since the '22 RG.

Still, she arrived on Day 10 with a shot at another SF berth, but after having never truly been tested in the tournament. Through the first four rounds, Sabalenka hadn't dropped a set, surrendering just an average of 5.5 games a match, but she'd also faced just one opponent ranked in the Top 60, #59 Camila Osorio in the 1st Round. Her other three Flushing Meadows victims had, in order, been ranked #160, #92 and #96.

All that changed when the reigning Wimbledon champ, #6 Noskova, showed up trying to return to the final four at a major just two months after winning her maiden slam crown. The Czech would give Sabalenka a (likely much-needed) scare, while also allowing the (at least for the moment) world #1 to prove that, yes, she can still play like *that* player on the biggest points on the biggest stages. Especially on the hard court majors where she's so often made her career mark.

Sabalenka got off to a strong start, and held a single-break lead at 3-0 over the Czech. But Noskova gradually pulled herself back into things. As Sabalenka served for the set at 5-3, the Belarusian played her very worst game, DF'ing to go down 15/30 and then having her game unravel from there as Noskova broke to get the set back on serve.

But, unlike as has been the case in other circumstances this season, Sabalenka didn't allow her previous poor game to snowball into a collapse. She held in a professional service game two games later, then Noskova did the same to force a TB.

Having not lost a TB in New York since 2022 (her outrageous overall slam TB win streak ended at 21 at Wimbledon), Sabalenka emphatically stated her case this time, confidently taking a 6-0 lead and securing the opening set with a 7-1 win.

Sabalenka had multiple opportunities to grab an advantage in the 2nd, but simply could not get the job done. Two BP in game 1, and another in game 5, went by the wayside. Then Noskova was the one to take a break lead at 4-2. Sabalenka saved a SP on serve in game 8, but Noskova converted on her third of game 9 (fourth overall), holding for 6-3 to take her first set in three match-ups with Sabalenka (the Czech had previously lost all five sets in the series, two via TB).

In the decider, Sabalenka again couldn't convert a BP chance in game 2, then the two exchanged consecutive love holds in games 3 & 4. Sabalenka fell behind love/40 in the next game, with Noskova breaking on her second opportunity to take a 3-2 lead and then holding at love a game later.

But Sabalenka's resurgence would continue, as a hold at 15 preceded her taking a love/40 lead on return in game 8. Noskova pushed a short ball long and things were back on serve at 4-4. Fully rediscovering her big stage self, Sabalenka followed up with a classic *big* game, holding again at 15 to re-take the scoreboard lead in the set. Again, things would go to a TB (this time a 10-point MTB).

Sabalenka would drop the opening point on serve, but held her ground and soon edged ahead with a mini-break lead at 4-3. Noskova didn't back down, though, firing off some clutch winners and getting things back on serve with a break of Sabalenka's serve to get to within 7-6. But Sabalenka immediately responded, taking her mini-break lead back on the next point, then stepping to the line to serve while up 8-7. Two points later, on her first MP, Sabalenka fired off an ace to win her tenth straight U.S. Open TB and reach the SF for a sixth straight year (and at a ninth consecutive hard court major).


===============================================



5. Iasi 2nd Rd. - Tamara Zidansek def. Anna Bondar
...7-6(5)/6-7(5)/7-5. The jewel/marathon portion of Zidansek's long week (10:20 on court over 4 matches) in Iasi, as the Slovak tried but couldn't salt the match away vs. Bondar on a tighter schedule, but ultimately took the long journey (as in 3:31) to victory.

Zidansek failed to serve out the 1st set at 5-4, but then rallied from 5-3 down in the TB with four straight points. She then led 4-1 in the 2nd set, holding a MP at 5-4. After Bondar staged a comeback and served for the set at 6-5, Zidansek got the break to force another TB, this one claimed (also 7-5) by the Hungarian.

In the 3rd, again, Zidansek couldn't close out the win when serving at 5-4, holding a MP before being broken on a fifth BP chance. But she broke Bondar in the next game, then *finally* served out the win in a match that tied for the long tour-level MD contest (w/ AO 1r, Jacquemot def. Kostyuk) so far this year.
===============================================
6. Iasi SF - Paula Badosa def. Tamara Zidansek
...3-6/7-5/7-6(1). If not for her win over Bondar, *this* would have been Zidansek's long outing. As it turned out, the Slovak's excessive overtime over the course of the week likely did her no favors.

Zidansek led Badosa by a set and 5-3, and served for the match at 5-4. Badosa swept the final four games of the set to force a 3rd, where *again* Zidansek failed to put things away with things on her racket on serve. Serving a 6-5, she was broken at love by the Spaniard, then saw Badosa dominate a 7-1 TB to advance to her first tour final in nearly two years.



BTW, Badosa came about a fly's wing away from being justifiably defaulted from this match due to this dangerous and reckless racket fling.


===============================================
7. Prague SF - Lilli Tagger def. Barbora Krejcikova
...6-7(5)/6-3/7-6(4). Another impressive performance from the 18-year old Austrian, as Tagger's one-handed backhand and ability to finish strong -- already a common thread through the early stages of her pro career -- finally stopped Krejcikova's eight-match winning streak and prevented her second career appearance in the Prague final.

Krejcikova managed to climb out of a 5-3 hold to win the 1st, but couldn't pull the 2nd set back as Tagger forced a decider. There, Krejcikova got things back on serve after an early 2-0 Tagger lead, then saved four BP to stay ahead on serve at 3-2.

But after falling behind 3-1 in the TB, Tagger roared back against her tiring opponent, breaking out of a 4-4 tie to sweep the final three points.


===============================================
8. U.S. Open 2nd Rd. - Cristina Bucsa def. Himeno Sakatsume
...7-6(6)/6-7(0)/7-6(10-6). Bucsa's sudden NYC resurgence, which began with a win over #28 Sara Bejlek in the 1st Round, continued here, but it took quite the effort. As in *three* tie-breaks vs. a qualifier.

Bucsa failed to serve out the 1st set, but rallied from 5-4 down in the TB to win 8-6. Sakatsume's 7-0 TB win in the 2nd sent things to a decider, where again Bucsa gained and lost a scoreboard edge.

Serving up 5-4, the Spaniard couldn't put away either of two MP chances as Sakatsume stayed alive with a break on her fifth opportunity in the game. Bucsa served for the match again at 6-5, but dropped serve once more as things went to a final match tie-break. The two were tied up a 3-3, but Bucsa managed to pull through with a 10-6 win.


===============================================



9. Toronto SF - Iga Swiatek def. Elina Svitolina
...6-3/1-6/6-3. Swiatek survives her biggest mid-week stumbling block in Svitolina, a player already with a pair of three-set wins over her in '26 and one who turned around the match with a dominant 2nd set (she led 5-0) and carved out a break lead in the 3rd.

Swiatek saved a pair of BP in the opening game of the decider, but four games later Svitolina took the break advantage with a conversion of BP #4 in Swiatek's third service game of the set, taking a 3-2 lead. But right when one might have expected Svitolina to race to the finish line, she wasn't able to match Swiatek's immediate bounce back and went into full-on collapse mode.

Svitolina, for all the brilliance she'd shown for nearly a set and a half, ended things by not winning another game in the match, and after Swiatek broke back to even the score at 3-3 the Ukrainian could barely even get on the scoreboard at all. She fell apart in a love break of serve to hand Swiatek a 5-3 lead, ending the game with a DF, and saw her losing streak extend to ten points. Svitolina won just one of the final twelve points on the night, and that single point came via a Swiatek DF on her first MP.

Rather than Svitolina getting her 52nd career Top 10 win, Swiatek got *her* 55th.


===============================================
10. Athens 1st Rd. - Carole Monnet def. Rebeka Masarova
...4-6/6-2/7-6(10). The seventh time proved to be the charm for Monnet.

The Pastry served for the win at 5-4 in the 3rd before Masarova forced a deciding tie-break. Then things really got crazy.

Monnet held triple MP at 6-3, but moments later had to *save* a MP at 7-6. The Pastry had four more MP over the remainder of the breaker, finally converting on her seventh MP of the day to win 12-10.
===============================================
11. Toronto 1st Rd. - Caty McNally def. Tatjana Maria 4-6/7-6(4)/6-1
Toronto 2nd Rd. - Caty McNally def. Linda Noskova 7-6(5)/6-1
...McNally's two wild momentum-swinging outings in Toronto, both of which she won.

After squandering a 4-0 1st set lead vs. Maria (who won six straight games to take the set), McNally overcame a 4-2 deficit and MP (at 6-5) to take a TB (she led 6-1) to force a 3rd set in which she dominated the German vet.

In Noskova's first post-SW19 match, McNally fell behind 5-1 in the 1st set, but then won 12 of the last 14 games to record her second Top 10 win of the season.


===============================================
12. Cincinnati 2nd Rd. - Janice Tjen def. Viktorija Golubic
...7-6(8)/5-7/7-5. Tjen reaches her second 1000 3rd Round of the season with a victory in a match with wildly swinging momentum.

Tjen rallied from 4-1 down in the 1st, and Golubic serving at 5-4, to convert on her fifth SP of the TB to take the lead. She then led 5-1 in the 2nd, holding a MP at 5-2 and then four more at 5-4 before Golubic swept the final six games to send things to the decider.

In the 3rd, Tjen's 4-2 lead was turned around into a pair of Golubic MP at 5-4, up 15/40 on return, before Tjen swept the final three games. From being MP down, Tjen ran off 12 of the final 13 points.
===============================================
HM- Cincinnati 3rd Rd. - Amanda Anisimova def. Alex Eala
...4-6/6-4/6-2. The second time was the charm for Anisimova, who broke Eala to lead 4-3 in the 1st but then couldn't close out the set win. After being 1-for-9 on BP chances up until that point, Anisimova broke to lead 4-3 again in the 2nd. This time she held her advantage, and carried it through to the finish in the 3rd.

This was just her second *Top 20* win of the season (after def. Mirra Andreeva in Dubai, after which she'd gone 0-5 vs. Top 20 foes), while Eala was a set away from getting *Top 10* win #8 (she's 7-3 overall in '26).


===============================================



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*NEVERMIND*



Athens 2nd Rd. - Alycia Parks def. Mai Hontama
...6-7(4)/6-2/7-5. Hontama rallied from 5-1 back (and 4-0 in the TB, w/ seven straight points) to take the 1st set, lost the 2nd, then staged a comeback from 4-0 down in the 3rd, winning five straight games and holding a MP on return at 5-4. And then she didn't win another game.

I mean... really? All that for n-o-t-h-i-n-g.




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*MOMENTS NEARLY THREE DECADES IN THE MAKING*



Cincinnati 1st Rd. - Marta Kostyuk/Peyton Stearns def. Serena Williams/Venus Williams
...6-2/1-6 [10-8]. The stands were packed, and the first pairing of the Williams sisters in doubles since the 2022 U.S. Open (a loss to a then 17-year old Noskova & then 37-year old Hradecka) had moments that woke up the echos...



Things got off to an ominous start...



After leveling the match and forcing a MTB, then rallying there from 6-0 and 8-2 down to get to 8-7, it turned out to be all for naught as things ended with a Venus Williams DF on MP.




U.S. Open 1st Rd. - Chan Hao-ching/Maya Joint def. Serena Williams/Venus Williams
...6-3/6-7(6)/7-6(10-7). Later, in the opening match of th Day 6 night session on Ashe, the Williams sisters returned to play their first doubles match as a team at the U.S. Open since 2022.



It turned out to be an entertaining, three-hour affair against Chan & Joint, the latter the same Aussie who defeated Serena in *singles* in the 1st Round at Wimbledon. After Chan/Joint took the 1st, the Williamses battled back to knot the match as they went to a (full) 3rd set in an attempt to record their first win together since the 2018 Roland Garros (they'd gone 0-3 since then coming into the night).



Chan/Joint took a 4-1 lead in the 3rd before things turned (at a point, in should be noted, where the "MX" event set would have *ended*), as the sisters forced a deciding match tie-break, where they raced to a 5-0 lead. But for the second time in their two doubles matches this summer, after losing 6-0 and 8-2 leads vs. Kostyuk/Stearns in their 1st Round MTB in Cincinnati, the Williamses' lead evaporated as Chan/Joint rallied to win 10-7.



In the end -- though it was difficult to separate it from all the exhibitions, sideshows and nostalgic moments of the first two weeks of this U.S. Open -- at least *this* one was actually a worthwhile outing, and lived up to the attention it expectedly received and deserved, certainly more so than the so-called "Mixed" event in the week leading up to the regular tournament.






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*SO NICE SHE DID IT TWICE*

U.S. Open 4th Round - Zheng Qinwen def. Iga Swiatek
...7-5/6-3. Apparently, Zheng liked coming back from 5-0 love down vs. Madison Keys so much that she simply decided to do it against Swiatek, too.



It's been two years since Zheng ended Swiatek's 25-match winning streak on the courts at Roland Garros, clipping her in the Olympic SF in Paris en route to the Gold medal. That week made Zheng's career, while Swiatek has never really been the same player since.

Zheng, already a previous slam finalist (AO) in that '24 season, climbed as high as #4 in the next year, but has seen large sections of both 2025 and '26 greatly impacted by an elbow injury and surgery that took her off court and then slowed her return to action and form. Fighting all the way during her latest U.S. Open experience, after missing last year's tournament following back-to-back QF in 2023-24, Zheng had to make made her way through qualifying just to return to the MD. At times over this year's event, she started to resemble again the player who shot up the rankings and looked to be positioning herself for even greater things.

Meanwhile, Swiatek, now a former (fairly dominant) #1, is positioned in the bottom tier of the Top 10. Since that Olympic loss, the Pole's once-strong aura of something close to invincibility has been worn down to a dull edge, both in her industrious opponents' eyes and often, seemingly, in her own. No top-ranked player pointed toward *legitimate* greatness in recent tennis memory (i.e. decades) has displayed, as she has over the past two years, such a degeneration when it comes to both self-belief and actual real results as Swiatek. While overmatched opponents still fall by the wayside in short order, any player with a history of success against her, or the ability to turn up her game mid-match, now stands a chance against Iga, no matter the time, place or score. And not just because *they* now have such an increased belief in what is possible for them on any given day, but also because Swiatek apparently does, as well. It results in her "freezing" up, playing tentatively, and often unleashing a hail of errors from a place where precision formerly ruled the court.

The result has been a series of sometimes-shocking collapses, losses against players that Swiatek formerly dominated (until one result turned the tide), in places where she was previously "unbeatable" and even after she's played a series of sterling matches that *seemed* to cause her former glory stride to kick in all over again (at least in the eyes of her overly optimistic fanbase, as well as in some shortsighted, lazy media corners), only for it to soon be revealed to be a mirage.

While Swiatek is still capable to flashing her her old form, it's now only a short-lived condition. We saw it for about a month and a half last summer, when her year-long final drought (after playing in 22 from 2022-24) ended during the grass season and, after years of stubborn refusal, she was finally convinced by then-coach Wim Fissette to alter her style of play on the surface, resulting in a stunning Wimbledon title run and momentum that carried over to a title on hard court in Cincinnati.

Of course, Fissette was later summarily ejected from the team eight months later when The Troubles returned early this year.

A few weeks earlier in Toronto, Swiatek ended what was this time an eleven-month final drought (at the time, she'd only reached one SF -- in Rome -- since September '25), winning one of the few 1000 tournaments she hadn't during her dominant peak. Suddenly, everything was prematurely "rosy" again, though anyone who believed that "the darkness" was permanently in her rear-view mirror was laboring to view the situation through overly Iga-colored glasses.

We learned in New YOrk that Toronto (and a subsequent Cincy SF) was a moment, not a pivot.

It's fitting, in a way, that precisely what happened to Swiatek on Day 9 was experienced in a different way, against the same opponent, by Keys just two days earlier. For they've become very similar players, results-wise... posting consistenty "good" results that still in no way meet the talent level, but slipping in one or two *big* weeks that prop up their ranking and hide six or so horrible, cover-your-eyes outcomes/exits while people then try to pretend that either those didn't happen, or that they're the aberration rather than the player being who they are or have become.

Even so, it was hard to see coming what happened on Labor Day afternoon in New York.

On this day, #8 Swiatek came bursting out of the starting gate, and one had to wonder if Zheng's epic comeback from 5-0 down in the 3rd set vs. Keys had taken so much out of her -- mentally and physically -- that'd she'd be on and off rather quickly this time around. Like Keys, Swiatek led 5-0, and seemed set to comfortably coast into the 2nd set and likely beyond.

But then the weirdest case of deja vu was dumped over the head of Swiatek.

Hmmm, upgrade your view, indeed.



Anyone who saw the Zheng/Keys match had the thought in their head when the score hit 5-0, but no one *really* believed it. But then Swiatek served for the match, holding two SP at 5-1, then she served for it again, holding another SP on serve at 5-3. Suddenly, Zheng got a whiff of the familiar, and Swiatek started to retreat back into her tentative tendencies when suddenly challenged by a worthy opponent. In the blink of an eye, Zheng was back on serve a 5-4.

Zheng's quick hold leveled the match at 5-5, then a game later Swiatek took a 30/love lead on her own serve. But a DF and pair of brilliant power shots from Zheng carved out a BP chance. Swiatek DF'd again and Zheng led 6-5, and moments later served for the set.

Zheng easily held at love, winning her *seventh* consecutive game and a *second straight* set over two matches after having trailed 5-0. That's probably never happened before in slam play (though to hear Swiatek's comments after the match, you'd think it happened *all the time*... though, granted, it's crazy how it played out with Zheng being involved in such a thing twice).



In the 2nd, up 2-1, Swiatek took a brief MTO, but soon after rallied from love/30 down, saving a BP to hold for 3-2. A game later, she led 15/40 on Zheng's serve and seemed set to get things back on course. But, no.

Seemingly trapped between whether to hit bigger or slower to take away some of Zheng's ability to pound the ball back at her, Swiatek let her opportunity slip by as Zheng got the hold. Swiatek wouldn't win another game.

A return winner down the line from Zheng got the break for 4-3, and a subsequent hold pushed Swiatek's back against the wall. She quickly fell behind love/40 before putting up a *bit* of fight, saving three MP (two via big-hitting errors from Zheng) before throwing in a day-ending error on MP #4.

As Zheng fell onto her back again -- another deja vu moment -- with an against-the-odds 7-5/6-3 win, Swiatek's slam season officially ended without a major win for the first time since 2021. Her 12 match wins over the four '26 slams are her worst in a full calendar year of major MD appearances since her 2019 slam debut campaign.



With the win, Zheng became just the fourth qualifier to reach the U.S. Open women's QF, after Barbara Gerken (1981, likely *decades* before she didn't invent pickleball), Kaia Kanepi (2017) and Emma Raduanu (2021).







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1. U.S. Open 3rd Rd. -Zheng Qinwen def. Madison Keys
...1-6/7-6(3)/7-5. And on Day 7, "New Madi" devolved back into Madison Keys again.



Was it really just two days earlier that "New Madi" (aka the version of Keys that was alble to win a major) crawled back out of the shadows to remind everyone that the veteran Bannerette has the talent to be a true "dawg" on the court, storming back to save five MP against Anna Bondar in the 2nd Round, only to get bounced from the the tournament here after leading 5-0 (!!) and holding a MP just one round later?

Of course it was, because that *is* Madison Keys. Always has been and, 2025 AO title notwithstanding, always will be. Apparently.

This particular collapse was just a case of there she goes again.



After taking a 6-1 1st set vs. qualifier (and two-time quarterfinalist) Zheng in their 3rd Round match-up on Saturday, #22-seeded Keys had fought to try to get off the court in straights. She recovered from a 5-3 deficit in the 2nd to force a TB, only to lose it 7-3. No matter, she raced out to a 5-0 lead in the decider. So... it was over, right? Nope.

Keys would hold a MP on serve at 5-1, then served for the match again at 5-3. But Zheng couldn't stop winning, while Keys never won again. Suddenly serving for the match up 6-5, Zheng fell behind 15/30. But Keys continued the hail of unforced errors that traditionally accompany one of her epic breakdowns, as Zheng finished off her seventh straight game to get the win.

While Zheng fell onto her back on the court, Keys whacked herself over her head with her racket. Now what did the racket do to deserve that?


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2. Prague 2nd Rd. - Lanlana Tararudee def. Nikola Bartunkova
...7-6(4)/3-6/7-6(6). Tararudee shocked even herself with an epic comeback to complete her victory over Bartunkova, who seemingly has the "W" in her racket bag on multiple occasions.

It started in the 1st set, when Bartunkova rallied from 3-0 down to serve at 5-4, holding a SP. Tararudee got the break, then two games later saw the Czech save a pair of BP to force TB. Tararudee won it 7-4. But Bartunkova turned things around in front of a home crowd, racing to a 4-0 lead in the 3rd, holding a BP for 5-0. She didn't convert, but still held a 5-1 lead with a 15/40 edge on the Thai's serve in game 7.

Bartunkova held three MP in that game alone, and after Tararudee got the hold the Czech served for the match in three straight service games, at 5-2, 5-4 and 6-5. Tararudee got the match into a deciding TB, where Bartunkova turned around a 5-3 deficit to reach MP for a *fourth* time at 6-5.

Tararudee then swept the last three points to get the win.


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3. U.S. Open 1st Rd. - Maria Sakkari def. Robin Montgomery
...2-6/7-5/6-2. Sakkari came to New York to play. Though her stay *almost* didn't last very long.



Sakkari's 2026 comeback season finally "went public" with her, well, comeback victory over qualifier Montgomery. The Rosmalen champ led the Greek vet 6-2/4-0, and was up 30/love at 4-1, before everything fell apart. Sakkari won five straight games, then broke the Bannerette on her fourth BP of game 12 to take the set. She went on to win in three.

Sakkari had earned her celebration after operating without much fanfare for most of the season. After a few years of a steady decline following a long stint in the Top 10, then Top 20, and followed by multiple coaching changes, she reunited with former longtime coach Tom Hill in the middle of last year. Operating with a renewed clean slate after finishing outside the Top 50 in '25, she'd improved enough to reclaim a spot amongst the seeds (at #32) at this U.S. Open, her first in a major since AO25.
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4. Cincinnati 2nd Rd. - Elina Svitolina def. Tereza Valentova
...3-6/7-6(5)/6-0. Valentova's expected climb up the tennis ladder has experienced some pitfalls this season, and the Czech's squandered work in her match vs. Svitolina likely exits near the very top of that list.

Valentova, facing Svitolina in the Ukrainian's first match since her own eleventh hour collapse vs. Swiatek in the Toronto SF, failed to secure seven MP in all, five at 5-4 in the 2nd (she led 15/40) and two more at 6-5. She then let go of a 5-2 lead in the TB, losing five straight points leading into a not unexpected love 3rd set whitewash.



Adding insult to injury (sort of), Svitolina didn't play again in the tournament, pulling out before her 3rd Round match.
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5. Toronto QF - Elena Rybakina def. Naomi Osaka
...4-6/7-6(5)/6-4. Rybakina's second "save" in a matter of days -- as trailing by a double-break in the 3rd vs. Liudmila Samsonova a round earlier -- as she overcame a 6-4/4-2 deficit vs. Osaka, forcing a 2nd set TB and rising to the occasion to win the breaker after the two were tied at 5-5.

In the 3rd, Rybakina continued to raise her game at all the most important moments, especially so when she fell behind love/40 while serving down 3-2. After saving four BP in the game to get the hold, she broke Osaka in the following game to edge ahead on the scoreboard. Serving for the match at 5-4, Rybakina completed a sterling final set stat on serve, winning 19 of 19 of her first serve points and ending the match with her 15th ace of the night.


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6. U.S. Open 1st Rd. - Karolina Pliskova def. Hanne Vandewinkel
...2-6/7-5/6-3. While Barbora Krejcikova fell early in NYC, fellow Old School Crusher Pliskova did not. Barely.

The 34-year old *seemed* on her way out, though, trailing Vandewinkel 6-2/5-2, and facing down a MP at 5-4 in the Belgian's second attempt to serve out the match. The Czech broke Vandewinkel for a third straight time to seize the 2nd set, then ran out to a 4-0 lead in the decider. Pliskova held two MP on Vandewinkel's serve at 5-2, and finally served out the win on MP #4 for her 31st career U.S. Open MD win (more than at any major during her career).


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7. U.S. Open 2nd Rd. - Yuliia Starodubtseva def. Maria Sakkari
...1-6/7-6(4)/6-2. In a U.S. Open women's competition that almost stubbornly held to form in the earl rounds (and later, too, as the Top 4 reached the SF and it was #1/#2 match-up in the final), with only #12 Belinda Bencic falling in the top nineteen seeds, and 26 of the 32 seeded players advancing into the 32-player field in the 3rd Round, we very nearly had an entire 2nd Round be played without a single seed falling.

The fly in the ointment was Sakkari -- at #32 the lowest-ranked of the seeds -- as the lone "L" in a 26-1 collective 2nd Round mark over two days. But she came within a point -- three times -- of making it 27-0.

The Greek came back from 4-1 down in the 2nd to serve for the match at 5-4, holding three MP before Starodubtseva got the break on her third BP of the game. Things went to a TB, where the Ukrainian raced to a quick 4-0 lead and won it 7-4. She then took the 3rd at 6-2 to sent Sakkari out, reaching her second major 3rd Round (w/ RG) this season.


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8. U.S. Open 1st Rd. - Polina Iatcenko def. Renata Zarazua
...4-6/6-5/7-6(10-7). In the opening hours of Day 1, Zarazua entered the discussion for "First Victory" by taking a 6-4/3-1 lead on qualifier Iatcenko.

For her part, Iatcenko made her slam MD debut a winning one, staging a remarkable, multi-part comeback vs. Mexican veteran, playing in her 12th consecutive major MD (just one off the 13 straight appearances from Angelica Gavaldon from 1993-96, the longest recent streak by a Mexican woman in slam competition).

Iatcenko forced a 3rd set, and once again fell behind, this time by a 4-2 lead. Zarazua served for the win at 5-4, but ultimately fell in a 10-7 MTB as the Hordette picked up her first career win at a major.

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9. 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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10. U.S. Open Q2 - Andrea Lazaro Garcia def. Mai Hontama
...5-7/7-6(6)/6-1. A crazy win from #31 Q-seed 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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11. Hamburg 1st Rd. - Alina Charaeva def. Sara Sorribes Tormo
...3-6/7-5/6-1. Days after reaching her first tour-level doubles final just weeks after announcing her new representation of Armenia, Charaeva battled for over three hours to pull off this singles win.

Sorribes Tormo led 6-3/5-3, and held triple MP at 40/love in game 9 on serve, then had a fourth MP on return a game later. Charaeva held serve, then broke and served out the set to force a 3rd. She raced to a 5-0 lead in the decider, finishing off the Spaniard by a 6-1 score.
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12. Toronto 4th Rd. - Elena Rybakina def. Liudmila Samsonova
...6-4/4-6/6-4. Looking for a *big* win and result, Samsonova had one on her racket vs. Rybakina but let it get away.

The Hordette held a 3-0, double-break, edge on the Kazakh in the decider, only to see Rybakina find her #2-ranked (but not for long) self and break Samsonova in three straight service games down the stretch on her way to an important win.


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13. Hamburg 2nd Rd. - Anna Bondar def. Noma Noha Akugue 6-1/3-6/7-5
Hamburg SF - Anna Bondar def. Elina Avanesyan 7-6(3)/4-6/7-6(2)
...Bondar's week in Hamburg included a pair of nervy escapes.

Against NNA, she rallied from 3-1 down vs. the German, who served for the match at 5-4.

But that comeback was nothing compared to the semis, where Bondar won a 3:29 marathon over Avanesyan. The Hungarian saved four SP in the 1st, two at 5-4 and two more at 6-5, before winning a 7-3 TB. In the 2nd, it was Avanesyan who rallied, erasing a double-break deficit at 3-0 by winning six straight games.

In the 3rd, Avanesyan led 3-1, and held a MP at 5-4 and two more at 6-5 (all on serve). But Bondar forced a deciding breaker, dominating the proceedings by going up 6-1 en route to a 7-2 win.
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14. Toronto 1st Rd. - Panna Udvardy def. Eva Lys
...2-6/7-6(3)/2-0 ret. Lys has gotten a lot of attention on social media in '26, but not so much *between the lines*.

She led Udvardy here by a 6-2/5-2 score, and served for the match at 5-3 before eventually losing a 2nd set TB and then retiring two games into the 3rd to fall to 5-13 on the season.



The German's last multi-win event was in Tokyo (Q+MD) last October, which had followed a SF run in the Beijing 1000. After being ranked at a career high of #39 in January, Lys nearly fell out of the Top 100 (#99) after her 2nd Round U.S. Open loss.
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15. Toronto 1st Rd. - Dasha Kasatkina def. Wang Xinyu
...1-6/7-6(5)/7-5. Kasatkina stages a comeback from 6-2/4-1 down, with Wang twice serving for the match (at 6-5 in the 2nd, then 5-3 in the 3rd).

Kasatkina pushed #2 Elena Rybakina to three sets in the 2nd Round, but fell short of what would have been her biggest win since 2018 (when she posted three victories over Caroline Wozniacki, twice as a world #2 and once as #1). Kasatkina's most recent Top 10 victory was at last year's RG.

At #85 after the U.S. Open, Kasatkina will need a late-season push to avoid her worst finish since at least 2020 (#71), if not in more than a decade (her #72 season in 2015 is the worst of her career since she first cracked the Top 100 that year). She ended 2014 at #370.
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HM- U.S. Open 1st Rd. - Kimberly Birrell def. Petra Marcinko
...3-6/7-6(4)/6-3. On Day 1 at Flushing Meadows, Marcinko won the 1st set and then staged a comeback from 5-3 down in the 2nd set to hold a MP at 6-5. But Aussie Birrell saved it and held to force a TB. They were tied 3-3 when the match was called for the day due to rain.

When they returned a day later, it was Birrell who rose to the top, winning four of five points to take a 7-4 TB and then going on to take the match, her first career MD victory at the U.S. Open.



This marked the third consecutive '26 major at which Birrell had posted a MD win. From her slam debut in 2016 through 2025 (which included 12 MD appearances), she'd totaled just three wins in majors for her career (and two of those came in the same event during a 3r run at AO19).
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1. Cincinnati 4th Rd. - Sara Bejlek def. Aryna Sabalenka
...7-6(7)/6-4. Sabalenka's final collapse before partially -- but not fully -- pulling her spring/summer out of the fire at Flushing Meadows. And she did it twice just to make sure it stuck.

Up a break twice in the 1st set, Sabalenka saw Beljek edge ahead and hold a SP at 6-5 before being forced into a TB. Given a reprieve, Sabalenka led 5-1, only to go down in a hail of UE and fall 9-7.



After fighting through an opening game that saw her lose serve again, Sabalenka righted the ship and took a 4-1 lead. But the prosperity was short lived, as Bejlek held firm while Sabalenka veered off course once more. With her UE total pushing toward 50, she essentially broke herself in game 9 and handed the ball to Bejlek to serve out the match at 5-4.

The 20-year old didn't blink, and instead fired off three winners in a love hold, closing out her maiden #1 (and Top 10) win with an ace just a few minutes after midnight.
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2. Cincinnati QF - Sara Bejlek def. Madison Keys
...3-6/6-4/7-6(5). Another round, another Crusher win, and all credit to Bejlek for what was a career week.

The details on Keys' loss here included holding a 6-3/3-1 lead, rallying from being 4-1 down (but just a single break) in the 3rd to get back on serve and hold two BP at 5-5 for chance to serve for the win. Bejlek held, and things would go to a tie-break.

Keys led 4-2, and later served two up 5-4 with the match on her racket. She lost the last three points.



Of course, that soon pale in comparison to her exloits at Flushing Meadows, which including having to save five MP vs. Anna Bondar in the 3rd Round, then losing a 5-0 3rd set lead vs. Zheng Qinwen in the Round of 16.
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3. Memphis 1st Rd. - Kristina Liutova def. Ekaterina Alexandrova
...7-6(2)/4-6/5-4 ret. Already having been super-successful on the challenger level, 16-year old Liutova makes her tour-level MD debut, doing so against a top-seeded, #19-ranked Alexandrova. And the teenager got the win.

Liutova came from 4-2 back to take the 1st set in a TB, then trailed Alexandrova 4-2 in the 3rd, as well. The veteran held a 40/15 edge while trying to get to 5-3, but Liutova got the break on her fifth BP before holding at love a game later.

Alexandrova retired due to the heat soon afterward (the match lasted over three hours), handing the teenager her maiden Top 20 win in her WTA debut match en route to what would turn out to be a title-winning week.


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4. Prague QF - Tereza Valentova def. Marie Bouzkova
...2-6/6-4/7-6(6). Bouzkova's defense attempt in Prague was ended by fellow Czech Valentova, who pulled off one the biggest wins of her young career.

Valentova had led 4-2 in the 3rd, but Bouzkova pulled even by converting BP #4 to tie the score at 4-all. Valentova went out to a 6-4 lead in the TB, finally putting away the win on MP #3 and taking the breaker 8-6.


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5. Toronto 4th Rd. - Ekaterina Alexandrova def. Aryna Sabalenka
...7-6(3)/4-6/6-4. Pre-U.S. Open, not only had Sabalenka's knack for reaching the final stages of events evaporated, but so did her TB dominance.

Alexandrova broke Sabalenka's serve in her first two attempts in the 3rd. Things got back on serve in game 7, but Alexandrova eventually broke Sabalenka again to close out her third career #1 win on her third MP chance.

The Russian vet has won three of her last four meetings on hard court vs. Sabalenka.



Alexandrova's 1st set breaker win was the fourth dropped by Sabalenka this season after going 22-2 last year. She'd drop a fifth vs. Bejlik in Cincinnati, but ultimately won three of her last four in the 3Q's closing weeks (two over Linda Noskova in the U.S. Open QF).
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*WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND*

U.S. Open 1st Rd. - Cristina Bucsa def. Sara Bejlek
...7-5/4-6/6-1. In her first match since her urprise Toronto semifinals run, Bejlek was ousted quickly in New York, with the #28 seed becoming the second seeded Czech to fall in the 1st Round.

Bucsa arrived carrying the weight of quite a few unproductive months, as well as the pressure to defend her Round of 16 U.S. Open points from a year ago. Since claiming her maiden tour singles title in Merida in March, Bucsa had gone just 3-10.


Bucsa won a three-TB match vs. Himeno Sakatsume in the 2nd Round before falling to Coco Gauff. It left her just 6-16 outside of her 6-0 turn in Merida.











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