Sunday, September 06, 2026

US.8- Her Song


It's late summer, and Aryna Sabalenka's season has seemingly been overwhelmed by forces both beyond and within her own control. But a New York three-peat is still well within her grasp.



Of course, in 2025, Sabalenka also had what would have been one of the best seasons this century within her grasp, too. Yet, despite finishing another year at #1, it didn't quite work out that way.

Last year, Sabalenka was in the finals of three majors (playing for an AO three-peat and her first RG title), but won just one (the last one, "salvaging" her slam campaign by successfully defending her U.S. Open crown), played in finals on both ends of the Sunshine swing (winning Indian Wells), played for what would have been her maiden WTAF crown (she came up short there, too), and reached nine overall singles finals (but lost more than she won, going 4-5).

2026 has been much of the same, only a bit worse.

Sabalenka lost her second straight AO final, but rebounded to finally pull off the Sunshine Double she missed out on last year. But she hasn't won a title since that March stretch, and has instead suffered a series of disconcerting collapses, including losing after having 6 MP vs. Hailey Baptiste in Madrid, then losing a 6-3/4-1 30/love lead vs. Diana Shnaider in the RG QF, falling in a love 3rd.

Sabalenka lost another love 3rd set vs. Jessie Pegula in Berlin, then her Round of 16 defeat in Wimbledon (vs. Naomi Osaka, on grass) was her worst finish in a major since the 2022 RG. She then fell this hardcourt summer at that same stage in both Toronto (to Ekaterina Alexandrova, who was under .500 for the year) and Cincinnati (to Sara Bejlek). Sabalenka nearly lost the #1 ranking to Elena Rybakina *before* the start of the U.S. Open, and now needs a combination of occurrences -- first w/ Rybakina not reaching the SF, then if that happens either Sabalenka winning the title, or either Coco Gauff or Jessie Pegula *not* -- to hold onto the top spot.

Yet, here we are, into the second week at the season's final major once again, and Sabalenka is still cookin'. As she should have, she posted a 6-4/6-3 win over Taylor Townsend, whose biggest headline on the day came in her attempt to steal the fashion runway spotlight from Osaka during her 24-hour absence from the daily schedule.



Today's win was Sabalenka's 17th straight in the U.S. Open, where she's won 23 of her last 24 matches. She's 10-1 in hard court majors in '26, and 54-4 since the U.S. in '22. She's reached the last *seven* AO/US finals.

After missing out on her AO three-peat last year, Sabalenka is still alive to accomplish the feat in New York. The last woman to do that was Serena Williams (from 2012-14), whose three-year reign is only the second in the Open era after Chris Evert's four-year run of titles from 1975-78. The most recent before that? "Little" Mo Connolly in 1951-53.

If Rybakina reaches the SF, Sabalenka will lose her #1 ranking no matter what happens the rest of the way (then Rybakina can try to keep it, with so many points to defend this fall). But if the Kazakh doesn't do the deed by her own hand -- and she still might have to defeat *two* former U.S. Open champions just the reach the final four -- then Sabalenka might still yet hold onto her top spot.

At any rate, she can still keep New York City -- the slam host that seems to suit her personality best -- as her own.

If Sabalenka can ultimately do over this second week precisely what she did last year, as in arriving in town while pushing all her season's slam chips to the middle of the table and *winning*, #1 ranking or no #1 ranking the final melody of this U.S. Open will still be her HER song.

All the details haven't yet been ironed out, but Sabalenka's task couldn't be more clear.





=DAY 8 NOTES=
...Sabalenka's next match won't be another in her intriguing series with Marta Kostyuk, but instead vs. one of the three players who've accomplished what the current world #1 *hasn't* this season. That is, win a major title.

Looking to become the first maiden slam champion since 2019 to win *another* major title in her next attempt, last accomplished when Naomi Osaka won the '18 U.S. and '19 AO in order (no other first-timer has reached a follow-up final since, though two have reached SF -- Sabalenka at RG23 and Gauff at AO24), #6 Linda Noskova won a hard fought battle on Sunday with the #11-seeded Ukrainian, the same player the Czech defeated in the Wimbledon semis earlier this summer en route to her Wimbledon title.

The 21-year old Noskova had to work overtime to do it in spite of her 7-5/5-3 lead in the affair. She held two MP at 5-4, only to see Kostyuk get the break, then two games later get another to swipe a 7-5 set win of her own.

The Czech led 5-3 again in the decider, and served at 5-4. She held two more MP (40/15) there, had to save a BP, then had two more MP chances before finally putting away her fifth of the match, winning 7-5/5-7/6-4.

Noskova has won eleven straight matches in slam play as she powers her way into her first U.S. Open QF.



Sabalenka holds a 2-0 edge in the head-to-head with Noskova, winning a (long ago by now, as the Czech was just two months past her 18th birthday at the time) match in Adelaide in '23, as well as a potentially more relevant win this past March in Indian Wells.

...later on Armstrong, #3 Jessie Pegula punched her ticket to a third consecutive U.S. Open QF (and fourth in the last five majors) with a 6-3/6-4 win over #16 Sorana Cirstea, seemingly ending the slam career of the 36-year old Romanian who announced early this year that 2026 would be her farewell season on tour.

Cirstea has since gone on to have perhaps her best season, becoming the oldest player to make her Top 20 singles debut, reaching a QF in RG (her best run in Paris in 17 years) and winnning a title in Cluj (her first WTA win on home soil, and her second tour-level title since last summer, after having gone four years without winning any). She notched her maiden career #1 win over Sabalenka in Rome, and is set to possibly reach another new career-high ranking after the Open (Cirstea is at a "live" #15).



Pegula, still in the mix for the #1 ranking, improves to 27-9 in her U.S. Open career. She's 14-3 this hard court summer, but has yet to be able to *finish* a great run. She won a 1000 title in Dubai in February, but in recent weeks has reached a pair of finals, only to fall in Washington (vs. Eala) and Cincinnati (vs. Gauff).

...the other QF in the top half of the draw will be an all-Bannerette affair, as #26 Emma Navarro defeated #21 Anna Kalinskaya 6-4/6-2 in the wrap-up match on Ashe, reaching her second U.S. Open QF in three years (w/ her '24 SF) and her first at any major since AO25. Navarro's game is getting better with each round, as after starting with a pair of three-set wins she's lost just 8 and 6 games, respectively, in her last two wins.



Pegula defeated Navarro a few weeks ago in the Cincinnati 3rd Round, and leads their head-to-head series 4-0. But the matches *have* been competitive, with two three-setters and 7-6 and 7-5 sets in Pegula's pair of straight sets wins.

...in wheelchair play in College Park (MD), Diede de Groot doubled up on titles heading into the Open, adding to her Saturday win in singles by taking the doubles today alongside Aniek Van Koot with a 6-3/6-2 win over Manami Tanaka & Zhu Zhenzhen.

De Groot won six straight U.S, Open singles titles before her late '24 hip surgery. She lost in the QF a year ago, suffering just her second loss in eight appearances in the WC tournament in New York. She's made the doubles final at Flushing Meadows in all eight appearances (winning five times).

...junior MD play has started at Flushing Meadows, and in stark contrast to the opening rounds of women's MD action, we've already got a Top 4 seed out.

#4-seeded Brazilian Victoria Luiza Barros was knocked off by Bannerette wild card Annika Penickova.

BTW, Jana Kovackova & Katerina Zajickova are the #5 seeds in the girls' doubles. Kovackova, already the first player with a Career Slam in Girls' Doubles, will now be looking to be the first to complete a season Grand Slam. The Czech has won the last four major GD crowns, starting with last year's U.S. Open with sister Alena. The two teamed up to win in Australia in January, then Jana and Zajickova took the titles in Paris and London.

...on the ITF World Tennis circuit, 17-year old Brit Hannah Klugman picked up her maiden pro title with a win over Linda Fruhvirtova in the final of a $50K in Leiria, Portugual, taking the 7-5/4-6/6-1 final.

Earlier this season, Klugman recorded her first tour-level match win in Nottingham, finding a spot in the MD as a lucky loser and upsetting Harriet Dart.



Also, in Saint-Palais-sur-Mer, France, Fiona Ferro won the all-Pastry battle with Clara Burel, adding a $50K crown to the 125 she won back in April (Oeiras).

Taiwan's Joanna Garland won the week's biggest crown, taking the $75K in Tianjin, China, with a win over Darya Astakhova.







*WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR def. Taylor Townsend/USA
#6 Linda Noskova/CZE def, #11 Marta Kostyuk/UKR
#3 Jessie Pegula/USA def. #16 Sorana Cirstea/ROU
#26 Emma Navarro/USA def. #21 Anna Kalinskaya/RUS
#5 Mirra Andreeva/RUS vs. #24 Anastasia Potapova/AUT
#14 Iva Jovic/USA vs. #4 Coco Gauff/USA
#8 Iga Swiatek/POL vs. (Q) Zheng Qinwen/CHN
#13 Naomi Osaka/JPN vs. #2 Elena Rybakina/KAZ

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Siniakova/Townend (CZE/USA) vs. #13 Hunter/Krawczyk (AUS/USA)
Neel/Olmos (EST/MEX) vs. #6 Bucsa/Melichar-Martinez (ESP/USA)
#4 Hsieh/Ostapenko (TPE/LAT) vs. #14 Chan/Joint (TPE/AUS)
#10 Perez/Schuurs (AUS/NED) vs. #8 Mertens/Schuurs (BEL/NED)
Bondar/Kalinina (HUN/UKR) vs. #9 Routliffe/Sutjiadi (NZL/INA)
(WC) Krueger/Montgomery (USA/USA) vs. Maria/Sonmez (GER/TUR)
#7 Jiang/Zhang (CHN/CHN) vs. Kato/Wu (JPN/TPE)
Hozumi/Klepac (JPN/SLO) vs. #2 Dabrowski/Stefani (CAN/BRA)

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
Karolina Muchova/Jakub Mensik (CZE/CZE) def. #4 Belinda Bencic/Flavio Cobolli (SUI/ITA) 6-3/1-6 [10-6]










...WELL-PLAYED (tip of the cap)... ON DAY 8:





...I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE IT'S JUST ME... ON DAY 8:


But I kind of think that a slam can only support *one* fashion sideshow star per tournament. Serena used to fill that role in New York, and now -- whether it rubs some wrong or not -- Osaka has taken up that mantle (at all four majors).

Townsend's HBCU tribute was a nice nod the other day, but it sort of strains the confines of the attempt when a doubles specialist and barely-Top 100 singles player *continues* to try and occupy the stage in a bigger way than should probably be necessary (or needed).




...NICE (I just hope she didn't draw a Hordette on the previous page)... ON DAY 8:





...SEE YA, SORI... ON DAY 8:


If this is the end -- and maybe it will be since her results haven't *quite* held to her early-season heights (she hasn't reached a QF since RG, or a SF since Rome) -- then Cirstea's 20-year slam career (2007-26) concludes with a 76-69 record, three QF (2 RG, 1 US) and five Top 10 wins.













#IsmuasMonthOfMusic #MusicChallenge Day 2: A song that aged beautifully Elton John - Your Song youtu.be/CrznwpD-2tk

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— Scotify (@scotify.bsky.social) January 1, 2026 at 9:25 PM










New York












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**BACKSPIN 2026 ITF WORLD TENNIS PLAYER-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN 1: Mananchaya Sawangkaew, THA
JAN 2: Lilli Tagger, AUT
FEB: Celine Naef, SUI
MAR: Hanne Vandewinkel, BEL
1Q...VANDEWINKEL
APR: Jeline Vandromme, BEL
MAY 1: Ekaterina Tupitsyna, RUS
MAY 2: Kristina Liutova, RUS
2Q 1...LIUTOVA
JUN: Polina Iatcenko, RUS
JUL: Eva Vedder, NED
2Q 2 (grass)...IATCENKO
JUL: Alicia Dudeney, GBR
AUG: Hanne Vandewinkel, BEL
[Multiple 2026 Weekly ITF WORLD TENNIS Award Wins]
2...Alicia Dudeney, GBR
2...Tyra Grant, ITA
2...Alena Kovackova/Jana Kovackova, CZE/CZE
2...Barbora Palicova, CZE
2...Hanne Vandewinkel, BEL

**BACKSPIN 2026 TEAM-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
AO: Olivia Gadecki/John Peers, AUS/AUS
FEB/MAR: Belinda Bencic/Flavio Cobolli, SUI/ITA
1Q...GADECKI/PEERS
APR: GBR BJK Cup Team
MAY: Texas A&M Women's Team
RG: Sara Errani/Andrea Vavassori, ITA/ITA
2Q 1...ERRANI/VAVASSORI
WI: Alona Ostapenko/Marcelo Arevalo, LAT/ELS
2Q 2 (grass)...OSTAPENKO/AREVALO
JUL/AUG: ITA 14u Team
US: Karolina Muchova/Jakob Mensik, CZE/CZE
3Q...MUCHOVA/MENSIK





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sure man, whatever’s comfortable for you #Cat #Caturday 0l

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— Free Cats Daily😻 (@freecatsdaily.bsky.social) September 4, 2026 at 2:14 PM

Loaf vs melted cheese

— Making-Good 👊🏳️‍🌈🔥 (@making-good.bsky.social) September 4, 2026 at 4:23 PM


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Partners in crime… a

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— I 💙 Dogs (@dogs100.bsky.social) September 6, 2026 at 10:44 AM









TOP QUALIFIER: Lucie Havlickova, CZE
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #7 Karolina Muchova/CZE (follows up MX title w/ 4 games lost 1r/2r)
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2: #31 Andrea Lazaro Garcia/ESP def. Mai Hontama/JPN 5-7/7-6(6)/6-1 - saved 7 MP, four at 5-4 in 2nd set and three more at triple MP at 6-3 in TB
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - Cristina Bucsa/ESP def. (Q) Himeno Sakatsume/JPN 7-6(6)/6-7(0)/7-6(10-6) - three tie-breaks; Bucsa served 5-4 w/ 2 MP in 3rd, then again at 6-5
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Jasmine Paolini/ITA (def. Veronika Erjavec/SLO)
FIRST SEED OUT: #27 Barbora Krejcikova/CZE (1r- lost to Kamila Rakhimova/UZB)
FIRST CAREER SLAM MD WINS: Polina Iatcenko/RUS (1st MD), Himeno Sakatsume/JPN (2nd), Lilli Tagger/AUT (2nd)
PROTECTED RANKING MD WINS: Nadia Podoroska/ARG, Mananchaya Sawangkaew/THA (both 2nd Rd.)
LUCKY LOSER MD WINS: D.Semenistaja/LAT (1r-L)
UPSET QUEENS: Spain
REVELATION LADIES: Great Britain
NATION OF POOR SOULS: SUI (0-3 1st Rd.; #12 Bencic hightest seed out; Teichmann w/d)
CRASH & BURN: Madison Keys/USA (3r- blew 5-0 lead in 3rd set vs. Zheng/CHN, had a MP)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: Madison Keys/USA (2r- saved 5 MP vs. Bondar/HUN; Bondar 2 MP at 5-2 in 3rd, 3 more at 5-3, then served for again at 5-4; Bondar led 5-3 in MTB, Keys won last 7 points)
IT ("?"): x
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Zheng Qinwen/CHN (in 4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Leolia Jeanjean/FRA, Sofia Kenin/USA, Taylah Preston/AUS, Sloane Stephens/USA (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: in 4r: Gauff, Jovic, Navarro(W), Pegula(W), Townsend(L)
COMEBACK: Zheng Qinwen/CHN
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
DOUBLES STAR: x
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Iva Jovic/USA
BROADWAY-BOUND: Naomi Osaka (and the nominee for "Best Costume Design" is...)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: Kenin d. V.Williams in 2:02 a.m. finish (latest 1r); Jovic/Eala NextGen dual on Ashe
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
BIG CITY ROLLER: x







All for Day 8. More tomorrow.

Read more...

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 11:44 PM  0 comments

US.7- There She Goes Again


And on Day 7, Madison Keys devolved back into Madison Keys again.










=DAY 7 NOTES=
...was it really just two days ago that "New Madi" crawled back out of the shadows to remind everyone that Madison Keys 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 today 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.

Today's collapse was just a case of there she goes again.



After taking a 6-1 1st set vs. qualifier (and two-time quarterfinalist) Zheng Qinwen 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 win 1-6/7-6(3)/7-5.

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?



Of course, this sort of thing is nothing new in the Keys oeuvre, going back many, many years. And even winning the AO title last year didn't change the landscape. Despite Top 5 talent, save for the 2-3 very good results that prop up her ranking on an annual basis, she still can't help but struggle and spin her wheels with a perpetual standing somewhere between #15-20.

Of course, in typical Keys fashion, her failure to win this match today will be followed by her FALLING UP, ranking wise. She came into this Open at #24, but even after today's debacle she's currently up to #19 in the "live" rankings because, you know, as bad as *this* exit is the one she had at Flushing Meadows *last* year -- in the "best" season of her career -- was actually *worse.* In 2025, Keys was dumped out of the draw in the *1st Round* as the #6 seed, blowing a 7-6(10)/3-0 lead in a loss to Renata Zarazua.

Madison Keys Saw It Coming “Tennis just feels really hard right now, so I feel like that kind of took over,” she said after losing to Zheng Qinwen from 5-0 up in the 3rd. "I mean, I got really scared, like I couldn't swing" stevetignor.substack.com/p/madison-ke...

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— stephentignor.bsky.social (@stephentignor.bsky.social) September 5, 2026 at 4:19 PM


As it's turned out, rather than a later-career consolidation of efforts that led to a productive final few chapters, that AO title run has turned out to be the aberration. It's remarkable that it ever happened at all.



Zheng will now roll into a second week meeting with #8 Iga Swiatek, just their second (after I.W. '25) since Zheng pulled the big upset in the Olympic SF at Roland Garros two years ago. It was a moment that changed Zheng's career forever, and a moment after which the Pole hasn't ever quite been the same, either.

Of course, that's the only time that Zheng has defeated Swiatek in her career. Iga leads the head-to-head series 7-1, but it's the loss in Paris that is all that anyone really remembers.

While Zheng had to scale a mountain to get her win today, Swiatek had to constantly fight back against the gusty winds of an upset that threatened to blow her off the semi-redemptive peak she's established for herself this summer with her title run in Toronto.

#25 Marie Bouzkova seemingly had Swiatek right where she would have wanted her today, if she'd been asked about her hopes for the upcoming contest at the start of the day. The match began with four breaks of serve, but it was Bouzkova who broke late in the 1st and had an opportunity to serve out the set at 6-5. She couldn't do it, then Swiatek controlled the ensuing TB, going up 6-2 and winning it 7-3.

In the 2nd, Bouzkova again found herself in a good position, twice going up a break at 3-0 and 4-2. Back on serve late, the Czech had three BP/SP on Swiatek's serve. But the Pole battled through the muck of a below-average game with an above average mental performance, getting the game 12 hold and then again taking a 7-3 TB to get off the court in straights with a 7-6(3)/7-6(3) victory.



With her sixth straight second week run in New York, and her eighth in the last nine majors (minus only a 3r exit during this summer's Wimbledon title defense attempt), Swiatek's performance today gives hope to the Pole that she might be capable of recapuring the particular brand of resilience she displayed during her U.S. Open title run four years ago, when she pulled through a round-by-round "B"-game (or maybe B-) performance by finding a way to win all the biggest points and scrap her way to maybe her most impressive slam title run (at least until her SW19 win).

Zheng, and the Chinese star's muscle memory from that past win in Paris, will soon test Swiatek again, with a potential match-up against either Naomi Osaka or Elena Rybakina waiting on deck should she pull her way through.

...#13-seeded Osaka won a three-set encounter with #23 Elise Mertens under the lights on Armstrong, rallying from 4-2 down in the 3rd. After being denied a MP on return at 5-4, Osaka eventually broke the Waffle to close out the match, winning 6-3/3-6/7-5 on MP #4.

This is Osaka's third straight second week run at a major, marking the first time in her career that she's posted three consecutive such results in slam play *and* the first time she's ever reached the Round of 16 in three majors in a single season.



#2 Rybakina escaped a trap set by Yuliia Starodubtseva in the 1st set. The Ukrainian notched the first break of the match to take a 5-4 lead, and had the chance to steal the set at the eleventh hour by serving it out a game later. But she immediately fell behind love/40. Starodubtseva got the game to deuce, but Rybakina broke on her fourth BP.

It was Starodubtseva who saved the first SP, down 5-6, as she held to force a TB. Starodubtseva finally reached SP at 6-5, but Rybakina denied her and then swept the final three points to win 8-6. She took the 2nd with less fanfare, winning 7-6(6)/6-3 to move within two wins (reaching the SF) of officially securing the #1 ranking after this tournament.

It seems close, but she'll have to get past Osaka for the first, and then either Zheng or Swiatek for the second. It was Swiatek, remember, who defeated Rybakina last month in the Toronto final (had she won, she'd have gotten within 4 points of Sabalenka), and against whom the Kazakh retired in the Cincinnati QF when was also two wins away from securing the #1 ranking (by reaching the final).



...meanwhile, Anastasia Potapova's masterful spring run on the dirt has sort of gotten lost in the mix of a season chocked full of contenders for #1, young breakout stars and, even during the clay season, even better stretches of success (Kostyuk) or a bigger finish (Andreeva). Potapova went 17-5 in the stretch, notching two Top 4 wins (over Rybakina and Gauff) while stringing together a Linz final, Madrid SF (as a LL), Rome 4th Round (as a Q) and Roland Garros Round of 16. But since she left Paris, the #24-seeded Austrian followed up a 1-3 grass stint with a 2-3 pre-U.S. Open summer hard court prep.

Today, though, Potapova found her way back into the conversation at the expense of an error-prone '25 finalist Amanda Anisimova, winning 6-2/7-5 to record her first Top 10 win on hard court in more than three years.



Potapova's third career slam second week is her first outside of Paris (2024 & '26), and settles her '26 mark on hard courts at 10-10 as she heads into a second straight match against a Top 10 opponent.



That opponent will be the player who ended the spring clay season with the biggest title grab, #5-seeded RG champ Mirra Andreeva. The Hordette took out Nikola Bartunkova 6-2/7-6 today to reach her maiden U.S. Open 4th Round, her best result this season since her win in Paris.

Just fifteen slam MD into her career, Andreeva has now completed her Career Round of 16 slam. The 19-year old has reached the second week at three of this season's majors.



...in the afternoon, #4 Coco Gauff continued her summer hard court roll, prevailing over a game Cristina Bucsa to win 6-3/6-4. Busca had led 3-1 in the 1st set, and was on serve at 4-4 in the 2nd until Gauff went on a match-closing eight-point streak after dropping her serve at love in game 8.



Gauff's ninth straight wins improves her summer HC mark to 12-1. Not only has she won all eight of her sets played at Flushing Meadows, but she's currently on an 18-set heater that began after she lost the 1st set of her Cincinnati opener vs. Liudmila Samsonova that kicked off what turned out to ba a title run. Gauff has won 25 of 28 sets since her loss in the Wimbledon SF.

Gauff's next opponent reacted like this after winning her way into the 4th Round on Ashe on Saturday night....



Of course, in order to reach such a carthartic moment #14 Iva Jovic had to engage in a marvelous match under the lights against #17 Alex 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 (you know, like a Madison Keys... who couldn't replicate Jovic and Eala's steadiness back when *she* was 17 or 21, either).

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 held 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, winning 7-5/3-6/7-5.



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 won that 7-5 3rd set.

Jovic came into the U.S. Open as one of just nine women who'd reached the 3rd Round at every major in 2026, and now she's into her third slam *4th* Round this year (she's again one of nine to have reached so many, with only Sabalenka going 4-for-4).



...meanwhile, in the final big pre-U.S. Open J300 junior event in Repentigny (Quebec), Daniella Britton won an all-Brit battle with Hollie Smart in the final, taking the title with a 6-1/6-2 victory.

Smart had defeated the #2 and #4 seeds en route to the final.

France's top seeded Ksenia Efremova, the AO girls' champ, lost early in yet another big hard court event this summer, falling to Serbian Masa Jankovic in the 3rd Round (the same spot she went out as the #1 seed in the College Park J300).

...also at College Park (Maryland), Diede de Groot rebounded from her shutout in the Wimbledon final to win the title in her first event since SW19. The world #2 dropped just ten games over four rounds, taking the final by a 6-0/6-3 win over Dutch countrywoman Aniek Van Koot. It's de Groot's fifth title this season.

De Groot & Van Koot have also reached the doubles final, to be played on Sunday.





*WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR vs. Taylor Townsend/USA
#11 Marta Kostyuk/UKR vs. #6 Linda Noskova/CZE
#3 Jessie Pegula/USA vs. #16 Sorana Cirstea/ROU
#21 Anna Kalinskaya/RUS vs. #26 Emma Navarro/USA
#5 Mirra Andreeva/RUS vs. #24 Anastasia Potapova/AUT
#14 Iva Jovic/USA vs. #4 Coco Gauff/USA
#8 Iga Swiatek/POL vs. (Q) Zheng Qinwen/CHN
#13 Naomi Osaka/JPN vs. #2 Elena Rybakina/KAZ

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Siniakova/Townend (CZE/USA) vs. #13 Hunter/Krawczyk (AUS/USA)
Neel/Olmos (EST/MEX) vs. x/x
x/x vs. #10 Perez/Schuurs (AUS/NED) vs. x/x
Bondar/Kalinina (HUN/UKR) vs. #9 Routliffe/Sutjiadi (NZL/INA)
(WC) Krueger/Montgomery (USA/USA) vs. x/x
x/x vs. x/x
x/x vs. #2 Dabrowski/Stefani (CAN/BRA)

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
Karolina Muchova/Jakub Mensik (CZE/CZE) def. #4 Belinda Bencic/Flavio Cobolli (SUI/ITA) 6-3/1-6 [10-6]










...THANKS, COACH... ON DAY 7:





...SHE SHALL RETURN... ON DAY 7:


In real time, "The Subset" had to pivot from their "it's fixed" commentary about Eala to their time-worn "she's a failure who can't play" fallback position. Such rich, unintentional comedy is rarely found.





























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*RECENT U.S. OPEN "COMEBACK" WINNERS*
2017 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2018 Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
2019 Taylor Townsend, USA
2020 Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL
2021 U.S. Open fans
2022 Caroline Garcia, FRA
2023 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2024 Karolina Muchova, CZE
2025 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2026 Zheng Qinwen, CHN

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "CRASH & BURN"**
2018 Simona Halep, ROU (1st Rd.)
2019 Sloane Stephens, USA (1st Rd.)
2020 Karolina Pliskova, CZE (2nd Rd.)
2021 A.Barty, AUS and N.Osaka, JPN (3rd Rd.)
2022 Simona Halep, ROU (1st Rd.)
2023 Maria Sakkari, GRE (1st Rd.)
2024 Elena Rybakina, KAZ (2nd Rd. w/o)
2025 Madison Keys, USA (1st Rd.)
2026 Madison Keys, USA (3rd Rd.)

**U.S. OPEN "BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKOUT" WINNERS**
2019 Kristie Ahn
2020 Jennifer Brady
2021 Coco Gauff/Caty McNally
2022 NO AWARD GIVEN
2023 Peyton Stearns
2024 Ashlyn Krueger
2025 Taylor Townsend
2026 Iva Jovic

**BACKSPIN 2026 JUNIOR STAR-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Sun Xinran, CHN
AO: Ksenia Efremova, FRA
FEB: Janae Preston, USA
MAR: Nana Silva, BRA (aka Nauhany Vitoria Leme da Silva)
1Q...EFREMOVA
APR: Nana Silva, BRA
MAY: Victoria Luiza Barros, BRA
RG: Alisa Oktiabreva, RUS
2Q 1...OKTIABREVA
JUN: Janae Preston, USA
WI: Anna Pushkareva, RUS
2Q 2 (grass)...JANA KOVACKOVA, CZE
JUL: Lujza Beviz, HUN
AUG: Felitsata Dorofeeva-Rybas, RUS
[Multiple 2026 Weekly JUNIOR STAR Award Wins]
6...Sun Xinran, CHN
5...Janae Preston, USA
4...Nana Silva, BRA
3...Victoria Luiza Barros, BRA
3...Ksenia Efremova, FRA
3...Jana Kovackova/Katerina Zajickova, CZE/CZE
2...Victoria Luiza Barros/Nana Silva, BRA/BRA
2...Felitsata Dorofeeva-Rybas, RUS
2...Kristina Liutova, RUS
2...Mariia Makarova, RUS
2...Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, IND
2...Giulia Safina Popa, ROU
2...Mariella Thamm, GER

**BACKSPIN 2026 WHEELCHAIR PLAYER-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Wang Ziying, CHN
AO: Li Xiaohui, CHN
FEB: Diede de Groot, NED
MAR: Aniek Van Koot, NED
1Q...LI
APR: Yui Kamiji, JPN
MAY: Lizzy de Greef, NED
RG: Diede de Groot, NED
2Q 1...DE GROOT
JUN: Diede de Groot, NED
WI: Yui Kamiji, JPN
2Q 2 (grass)...KAMIJI
JUL: Lizzy de Greef, NED
AUG/SEPT: Diede de Groot, NED
[Multiple 2025 Weekly WHEELCHAIR Award Wins]
5...Yui Kamiji, JPN
4...Diede de Groot, NED
3...Lizzy de Greef, NED
2...Li Xiaohui, CHN
2...Wang Ziying, CHN
2...Zhu Zhenzhen, CHN




*2026 US FINAL 16*
[by ranking]
#1 - Aryna Sabalenka
#2 - Elena Rybakina
#3 - Jessie Pegula
#4 - Coco Gauff
#5 - Mirra Andreeva
#6 - Linda Noskova
#8 - Iga Swiatek
#11 - Marta Kostyuk
#13 - Naomi Osaka
#14 - Iva Jovic
#17 - Sorana Cirstea
#23 - Anna Kalinskaya
#25 - Anastasia Potapova
#27 - Emma Navarro
#96 - Taylor Townsend
#121 - Zheng Qinwen

[by age]
36 - Cirstea
32 - Pegula
30 - Townsend
28 - Osaka, Sabalenka
27 - Kalinskaya, Rybakina
25 - Navarro, Potapova, Swiatek
24 - Kostyuk
23 - Zheng
22 - Gauff
21 - Noskova
19 - Andreeva
18 - Jovic

[by nation]
5 - USA (Gauff,Jovic,Navarro,Pegula,Townsend)
2 - RUS (Andreeva,Kalinskaya)
1 - AUT (Potapova)
1 - BLR (Sabalenka)
1 - CHN (Zheng)
1 - CZE (Noskova)
1 - JPN (Osaka)
1 - KAZ (Rybakina)
1 - POL (Swiatek)
1 - ROU (Cirstea)
1 - UKR (Kostyuk)

[by career slam Round-of-16s]
23 - Swiatek
21 - Sabalenka
19 - Gauff
13 - Pegula
12 - Rybakina
10 - Osaka
9 - Andreeva
7 - Cirstea
6 - Kostyuk, Navarro, Zheng
4 - Kalinskaya, Noskova
3 - Jovic, Potapova, Townsend

[w/ consecutive slam Round of 16s]
16 (9) - Sabalenka (last 16 played, 9 con. = DNP Wimb.'24)
3 - Kostyuk
3 - Osaka
2 - Gauff
2 - Jovic
2 - Noskova
2 - Pegula

[w/ multiple career US Round of 16s]
7 - Sabalenka
6 - Swiatek
5 - Gauff, Osaka, Pegula
3 - Townsend, Zheng
2 - Cirstea, Kostyuk, Navarro, Rybakina

[w/ consecutive US Round of 16s]
6 - Sabalenka, Swiatek
5 - Gauff, Pegula
3 (1) - Zheng (w/ 2023-24, DNP '25)
2 - Kostyuk, Osaka, Rybakina, Townsend

[WTA career slam Round of 16s - active]
64...Serena Williams
50...Venus Williams
[30...Victoria Azarenka]
25...Madison Keys
23...Iga Swiatek
22...Elina Svitolina
21...Aryna Sabalenka
19...Coco Gauff
17...Elise Mertens
16...Sloane Stephens
16...Vera Zvonareva
14...Karolina Pliskova
13...Belinda Bencic
13...Jessie Pegula
12...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
12...Elena Rybakina
10...Amanda Anisimova
10...Ons Jabeur
10...Barbora Krejickova
10...Karolina Muchova
10...Naomi Osaka

[WTA slam Round of 16s since 2020 (of 27) - active]
22 - Swiatek
21 - Sabalenka
17 - Gauff
13 - Pegula
12 - Mertens, Rybakina, Svitolina
11 - Keys
10 - Jabeur
9 - M.Andreeva, Krejcikova, Muchova
8 - Anisimova, Badosa, Bencic
7 - [Azarenka]
6 - Kostyuk, Navarro, Paolini, Osaka
6 - Pavlyuchenkova, Vondrousova, Zheng Q.
5 - Cirstea, Kasatkina
5 - Sakkari, Samsonova, Vekic

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s - youngest]
18 - Iva Jovic (AO)
18 - Iva Jovic (WI)
18 - Iva Jovic (US)
18 - Mirra Andreeva (AO)
19 - Mirra Andreeva (RG)
19 - Mirra Andreeva (US)
19 - Victoria Mboko (AO)

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s - oldest]
36 - Sorana Cirstea (US)
36 - Sorana Cirstea (RG)
32 - Jessie Pegula (US)
32 - Jessie Pegula (WI)
31 - Jessie Pegula (AO)
31 - Yulia Putintseva (AO)
31 - Elina Svitolina (RG)
31 - Elina Svitolina (AO)
31 - Madison Keys (WI)
31 - Madison Keys (RG)
30 - Madison Keys (AO)
30 - Elise Mertens (WI)
30 - Elise Mertens (AO)
30 - Barbora Krejcikova (WI)
30 - Jasmine Paolini (WI)
30 - Taylor Townsend (US)

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s - unseeded]
=AO (3)=
Maddison Inglis (Q), Yulia Putintseva, Wang Xinyu
=RG (4)=
Maya Chwalinska (Q), Diane Parry, Jil Teichmann (PR), Wang Xiyu (Q)
=WI (2)=
Barbora Krejcikova, Ashlyn Krueger (Q)
=US (2)=
Taylor Townsend, Zheng Qinwen (Q)br />

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s - 1st-time GS 4th Rd.; w/ MD #]
AO - (3) Inglis (7th), Jovic (6th), Mboko (4th)
RG - (3) Chwalinska (3rd), Parry (21st), Wang Xiyu (16th)
WI - (2) Eala (6th), Krueger (14th)
US - none

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s - completed "Career Round of 16 Slam"]
AO - Putintseva (48th slam MD)
RG - Bencic (38th)
WI - Kostyuk (26th), Osaka (34th)
US - Andreeva (15th), Kalinskaya (24th)

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s - lowest-ranked]
#170 - Jil Teichmann (RG)
#168 - Maddison Inglis (AO)
#148 - Wang Xiyu (RG)
#121 - Zheng Qinwen (US)
#114 - Maya Chwalinska (RG)
#102 - Ashlyn Krueger (WI)
#96 - Taylor Townsend (USA)
#94 - Yulia Putintseva (AO)
#92 - Diane Parry (RG)

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s]
4 - Aryna Sabalenka (AO/RG/WI/US)
3 - Mirra Andreeva (AO/RG/US)
3 - Coco Gauff (AO/WI/US)
3 - Iva Jovic (AO/WI/US)
3 - Madison Keys (AO/RG/WI)
3 - Marta Kostyuk (RG/WI/US)
3 - Naomi Osaka (RG/WI/US)
3 - Jessie Pegula (AO/WI/US)
3 - Iga Swiatek (AO/RG/US)
2 - Belinda Bencic (RG/WI)
2 - Sorana Cirstea (RG/US)
2 - Anna Kalinskaya (RG/US)
2 - Elise Mertens (AO/WI)
2 - Anastasia Potapova (RG/US)
2 - Karolina Muchova (AO/WI)
2 - Linda Noskova (WI/US)
2 - Elena Rybakina (AO/US)
2 - Elina Svitolina (AO/RG)

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s - by nation]
16 = 5/1/5/5 = USA (Gauff,Jovic,Navarro,Pegula,Townsend)
6 = 1/0/4/1 = CZE (Noskova)
6 = 1/3/0/2 = RUS (Andreeva,Kalinskaya)
5 = 1/2/1/1 = UKR (Kostyuk)
4 = 1/1/1/1 = BLR (Sabalenka)
4 = 1/2/0/1 = POL (Swiatek)
3 = 1/1/0/1 = CHN (Zheng)
3 = 0/1/1/1 = JPN (Osaka)
3 = 2/0/0/1 = KAZ (Rybakina)
3 = 0/2/1/0 = SUI
2 = 0/1/0/1 = AUT (Potapova)
2 = 1/0/1/0 = BEL
2 = 0/1/0/1 = ROU (Cirstea)
=
1 AO: AUS,CAN
1 RG: FRA
1 WI: ITA,PHI
1 US: -

[2026 slam Rd. of 16s - by region]
19 = (3/6/7/3) - W.Europe/Scandinavia (AUT-CZE-POL)
17 = (3/7/2/5) - Eastern Europe/Russia (BLR-ROU-RUS-UKR)
17 = (6/1/5/5) - North America/Atlantic (USA)
11 = (4/2/2/3) - Asia/Oceania (CHN-JPN-KAZ)
0 = (0/0/0/0) - South America
0 = (0/0/0/0) - Africa/Middle East/Mediterranean






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TOP QUALIFIER: Lucie Havlickova, CZE
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #7 Karolina Muchova/CZE (follows up MX title w/ 4 games lost 1r/2r)
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2: #31 Andrea Lazaro Garcia/ESP def. Mai Hontama/JPN 5-7/7-6(6)/6-1 - saved 7 MP, four at 5-4 in 2nd set and three more at triple MP at 6-3 in TB
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - Cristina Bucsa/ESP def. (Q) Himeno Sakatsume/JPN 7-6(6)/6-7(0)/7-6(10-6) - three tie-breaks; Bucsa served 5-4 w/ 2 MP in 3rd, then again at 6-5
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Jasmine Paolini/ITA (def. Veronika Erjavec/SLO)
FIRST SEED OUT: #27 Barbora Krejcikova/CZE (1r- lost to Kamila Rakhimova/UZB)
FIRST CAREER SLAM MD WINS: Polina Iatcenko/RUS (1st MD), Himeno Sakatsume/JPN (2nd), Lilli Tagger/AUT (2nd)
PROTECTED RANKING MD WINS: Nadia Podoroska/ARG, Mananchaya Sawangkaew/THA (both 2nd Rd.)
LUCKY LOSER MD WINS: D.Semenistaja/LAT (1r-L)
UPSET QUEENS: Spain
REVELATION LADIES: Great Britain
NATION OF POOR SOULS: SUI (0-3 1st Rd.; #12 Bencic hightest seed out; Teichmann w/d)
CRASH & BURN: Madison Keys/USA (3r- blew 5-0 lead in 3rd set vs. Zheng/CHN, had a MP)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: Madison Keys/USA (2r- saved 5 MP vs. Bondar/HUN; Bondar 2 MP at 5-2 in 3rd, 3 more at 5-3, then served for again at 5-4; Bondar led 5-3 in MTB, Keys won last 7 points)
IT ("?"): x
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Zheng Qinwen/CHN (in 4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Leolia Jeanjean/FRA, Sofia Kenin/USA, Taylah Preston/AUS, Sloane Stephens/USA (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: in 4r: Gauff, Jovic, Navarro, Pegula, Townsend
COMEBACK: Zheng Qinwen/CHN
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
DOUBLES STAR: x
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Iva Jovic/USA
BROADWAY-BOUND: Naomi Osaka (and the nominee for "Best Costume Design" is...)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominee: Kenin d. V.Williams in 2:02 a.m. finish (latest 1r)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
BIG CITY ROLLER: x







All for Day 7. More tomorrow.

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posted by Todd.Spiker @ 1:30 AM  0 comments