Friday, September 04, 2026

US.6- Here Comes the Ukrainian Again


Inevitably, here comes Marta. Again.









=DAY 6 NOTES=
...so, does Marta Kostyuk's "inevitability" translate to New York? Well, it has so far, at least.

The #11-seeded Ukrainian advanced to her second straight U.S. Open 4th Round on Friday, handling #18 Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3/6-2 as she tries to find her way into what would be her third consecutive major semifinal. She's 13-3 in slam action in 2026.



Kostyuk didn't show up at Flushing Meadows with the same sort of momentum she did Paris (where she reached her maiden major SF), before which she'd gone undefeated on the dirt and won titles in Rouen and Madrid, but she still managed to follow up her Wimbledon SF (in her only grass event) with continued success on a third surface. She reached the Round of 16 in Toronto, then the QF in Cincinnati, adding to her Top 10 win total in the latter with a victory over Mirra Andreeva to give her eight such victories on the year (she'd had nine in her career before this season).

Kostyuk's win today gives her an 8-2 HC mark in recent weeks, and extends her prolonged stretch of consistent results. Since mid-April, Kostyuk has put together a combined, three-surface run of 29-4. She's a round away from another potential (inevitable?) match-up with #1 Aryna Sabalenka, who prevailed 6-3/6-4 today over Kamilla Rakhimova.

Two-time defending champ Sabalenka has now won sixteen straight U.S. Open matches and has officially put together another season of four second week runs in majors. She's reached at least the Round of 16 in her last sixteen slam appearances.

Sabalenka leads her head-to-head with Kostyuk at 5-0, but the two have never met in a hard court major. Kostyuk has yet take a set off Sabalenka in the series, but they've played in multiple super-competitve match-ups over the past 16+ months, with three of their six sets going to tie-breaks.

But for match #6 to happen the two women will have to get past Taylor Townsend and Linda Noskova.

Sabalenka will face the unseeded Townsend, the doubles #2 who is also seeking to complete a Career Doubles Slam at this major, as she and Katerina Siniakova have already won the AO, RG and Wimbledon titles (Siniakova would become the first player to win a Career Slam with two different partners, having already done it with Barbora Krejcikova).

As far as her singles, Townsend's 6-2/6-7(3)/6-3 win today over #15 Diana Shnaider puts her into a second straight U.S. Open Round of 16, the third of her career in the event (she's 0-for-24 in appearances in the other three majors).

Townsend had served for the match at 6-2/5-4, only to see Shnaider roar back to lead 6-5. Townsend denied five SP to force a TB, where Shnaider won 7-3 to get to a 3rd set. But Townsend wasn't to be denied, getting the only break of the final set to lead 5-3 and then serving out the win.



For her part, #6 Noskova was put to a test by #29 Ann Li. The Wimbledon champion led 6-2/5-3 and served for the win at 5-4, only to be forced to a TB. There the Czech led 5-2, then wavered a bit but reached MP at 6-5, only to see Li sweep the final three points for an 8-6 win.

In the 3rd, though, Noskova righted the ship and took home the 6-2/6-7(6)/6-2 victory, her tenth straight in slam play this season. She'll face Kostyuk, the player she beat in the semis at the All-England Club earlier this summer.



...for a bit today, it seemed as if the first of the "four women in question" at this U.S. Open might be shown the door. In a match-up of former finalists, #3 Jessie Pegula fell victim in the early going to a supremely in-form #31 Leylah Fernandez, who bum-rushed the veteran Bannerette in a 6-1 1st set.

The Canadian had a shot to grab the 2nd set by the neck, as well, with a BP on Pegula's serve in game 5, then four more two games later after Fernandez had followed up her inability to get the break in her first attempt by dropping her own serve a game later. Trying to go big on returns, Fernandez missed instead, quite the opposite of what would have likely happened had this match taken place five years ago during her run to the final that included wins over *three* Top 5 opponents before her loss to qualifier Emma Raducanu.

Then, Fernandez would have gotten the break, shot her fist into the air (it was really Connors-like in the moment) and then injected a bit of rocket fuel into her soul as she raced toward the finish line.

But in 2026, which has been quite the challenging season for Fernandez (she came into this event at just 15-22, w/ her Round of 16 in Toronto her first multi-win event since May and just her fourth all season), it all turned out to be a big missed opportunity to push Pegula over the edge when she *might* have been unusually susceptible to a fall.

Fernandez finally got the break in the third game with BP chances in the 2nd, getting things back on serve at 5-4, but it was too little, too late. She'd drop her own serve again (at 15) in the next game as Pegula leveled the match and officially made the turn that saw her finally take control, easing her way down the road to a 1-6/6-4/6-3 win and her fifth straight push into the U.S. Open second week.



Pegula will next get #16 Sorana Cirstea, who ended #19 Jasmine Paolini's run with a 6-3/6-3 win. It's the 36-year old's second-best result in New York (behind only a '23 QF) in 17 MD appearances at Flushing Meadows (and a pair of failed qualifiying runs). The Romanian's eight wins in slam compeitition this season match her career-best collective season results in majors (a dozen years apart, in 2009 and '21).

...meanwhile, after what has been a fabulous season and sterling opening two rounds, #7 Karolina Muchova had what was maybe her most disappointing performance of the entire season in her 3rd Rounder match-up with #26 Emma Navarro, falling to the U.S. #6 by a 6-3/7-5 score.

Muchova had been 16-3 in her last 19 matches at the U.S. Open, including SF-SF-QF results the last three years.



Navarro reached the U.S. SF in 2024, but has had to produce a slow build in '26 after taking a break early this season to deal with ongoing health issues. She's been playing her way back in recent months, winning a title in Strasbourg and reaching the Nottingham final. Her win over Muchova is her third Top 10 victory of '26, as well as her third such win on a third different surface on the year. She joins Coco Gauff and Muchova herself as the only players to notch Top 10 wins on hard court, clay and grass this season.

Navarro has improved her '26 slam results at each turn, going from a 1st Round in Melbourne to the 2nd in Paris, then 3rd in London. She's into the 4th Round in New York, and will next look for more against #21 Anna Kalinskaya.

Under the lights on Armstrong, the Hordette made #9 Elina Svitolina the second Top 10 seed to fall on Friday, winning 6-3/2-6/6-3 to reach her first career U.S. Open 4th Round. The result completes Kalinskaya's Career Round of 16 Slam (in her 24th career major MD).

She's posted all four of her career slam 4th Round+ results since AO24.



...earlier, in the opening match 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 Hao-ching (aka Angel) & Maya 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 6-3/6-7(6)/7-6(10-7).



While the whole thing was actually a worthwhile outing, and lived up to the attention it expectedly received, we can now officially move into the middle weekend with all the exhibitions and sideshows behind us, and finally get to the actual tournament.







*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
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x

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










...STILL STICKING TO HER GUNS... ON DAY 6:





..."HEY, I KNOW THAT DUDE!"... ON DAY 6:





...THE BALL HAD ALREADY BEEN CALLED OUT, BUT SHE COULD HARDLY RESIST, YOU KNOW?... ON DAY 6:




























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**BACKSPIN 2026 DOUBLES PLAYER-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Siniakova/Zhang, CZE/CHN
AO: Mertens/Zhang, BEL/CHN
FEB: Danilina/Krunic, KAZ/SRB
MAR: Siniakova/Townsend, CZE/USA
1Q...SINIAKOVA/TOWNSEND
APR: Cirstea/Zhang, ROU/CHN
MAY: Siniakova/Townsend, CZE/USA
RG: Siniakova/Townsend, CZE/USA
2Q 1...SINIAKOVA/TOWNSEND
JUN: Dart/Lumsden, GBR/GBR
WI: Guo/Mladenovic, CHN/FRA
2Q 2 (grass)...GUO/MLADENOVIC
JUL: Dart/Lumsden, GBR/GBR
AUG: Siniakova/Zhang, CZE/CHN
[Multiple 2026 Weekly DOUBLES Award Wins]
6...Dabrowski/Stefani, CAN/BRA
4...Siniakova/Townsend, CZE/USA
3...Aoyama/Liang, JPN/TPE
3...Danilina/Krunic, KAZ/SRB
3...Dart/Lumsden, GBR/GBR
3...Siniakova/Zhang, CZE/CHN

**BACKSPIN 2026 DOWN PLAYER-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Iga Swiatek, POL
AO: Belinda Bencic, SUI
FEB: Errani/Paolini, ITA/ITA
MAR: Iga Swiatek, POL
1Q...SWIATEK
APR: Iga Swiatek, POL
MAY: Jasmine Paolini, ITA
RG: Elena Rybakina, KAZ
2Q 1...SWIATEK
JUN: Elena Rybakina, KAZ
WI: Iga Swiatek, POL
2Q 2 (grass)...SWIATEK
JUL: Cristina Bucsa, ESP
AUG: Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
[Multiple 2026 Weekly DOWN Award Wins]
4...Iga Swiatek, POL
3...Ekaterina Alexandrova, RUS
3...Jasmine Paolini, ITA
3...Elena Rybakina, KAZ
3...Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
3...Liudmila Samsonova, RUS
2...Emma Navarro, USA
2...Alona Ostapenko, LAT
2...Clara Tauson, DEN





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Wait, the official US White House website is featuring an arcade style game in which a cartoon white man in a suit chases cartoon black and brown people, eats/destroys them, and changes them into orange-clad inmates!?!

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— Dr. Jenny Morber (@jrmorber.bsky.social) September 4, 2026 at 12:45 PM









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: Nominee: V.Williams (1r loss is 15th con. defeat)
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 3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Leolia Jeanjean/FRA, Sofia Kenin/USA, Taylah Preston/AUS, Sloane Stephens/USA (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: in 3r: Anisimova, Gauff, Jovic, Keys, Li(L), Navarro(W), Pegula(W), Townsend(W)
COMEBACK: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
DOUBLES STAR: x
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Nominee: Frodin (17; makes slam debut)
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 6. More tomorrow.

Read more...

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 11:57 PM  0 comments

Thursday, September 03, 2026

US.5- Hit Her with Your Best Shot


Hit with her opponent's best shot, "New Madi" re-appeared on Day 5.










=DAY 5 NOTES=
...every once in a while, Madison Keys will find that dawg in her. On Thursday, she took Anna Bondar's best shot -- five times, in fact -- and lived on at this major 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 10-3, winning 5-7/6-4/7-6(10-5).



Keys remains, along with Aryna Sabalenka, on track to be the only two women to reach the second week (4r) at all four majors in 2026. Keys has never done it before, while Sabalenka has reached at least the Round of 16 in her last 15 slam appearances(and 18/19).

...meanwhile, Thursday's other daytime action saw more big names pass through to the next round with various levels of difficulty.



2022 champion Iga Swiatek found herself on the low end of the difficulty scale, winning 6-3/6-2 over Nadia Podoroska to reach her 27th consecutive 3rd Round at a major (the longest active streak in pro tennis) and improved to 12-1 this hard court summer.



Last year's runner-up, #10 Amanda Anisimova was tested by Austrian teen Lilli Tagger, fresh from her maiden slam MD win (where she nearly blew a 6-0/4-0 lead, only to end w/ a six-point flourish to win in two sets). After Anisimova took the opener, Tagger rebounded to take the 2nd set and force a decider, but the Bannerette quickly reestablished herself to win 6-3/3-6/6-1.

Anisimova has now reached the 3rd Round in seven straight majors (she'd combined for *eight* such finishes from 2017 through early '25).



Also advancing in short order was #5 Mirra Andreeva, via a love & 2 win over Eva Lys; while #4 Coco Gauff battled her way past her persistent nemesis, Paula Badosa, winning 6-4/7-6(5) under the lights on Ashe.

Badosa had won five of their previous eight match-ups, including big-event wins in Indian Wells (2021), Madrid (2023) and the Australian Open (2025).



The last of the four players vying for #1 (she needs to reach the SF, or hope that Gauff, Pegula or Sabalenka don't win the title) to play her 2nd Round match, and in fact the very last women's 2nd Round match at all, #2 Elena Rybakina closed out the night on Armstrong against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, winning 6-2/6-4 to improve to 9-0 in hard court majors in 2026.



You know, I just realized something with that graphic: the four-way battle between the would-be #1 players is also a four-way contest amongst sponsors: Nike (Sabalenka), Yonex (Rybakina), Adidas (Pegula) and New Balance (Gauff).

...meanwhile, Cristina Bucsa's sudden resurgence continued on Thursday, but it took quite the effort. As in *three* tie-breaks vs. qualifier Himeno Sakatsume.

Pretty much a non-factor *anywhere* in singles since her Merida title run earlier this year, Bucsa is defending Round of 16 points from last year's U.S. Open. She stunned #28 Sara Bejlek in three sets in the 1st Round, but found even more resistence today vs. her Japanese opponent.

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 deciding match tie-break. The two were tied up a 3-3, but Bucsa managed to pull through with a 10-6 win.



With her second win this year in New York, Bucsa is now just 5-15 outside of her undefeated 6-0 spurt to her maiden tour title in March.

...and, last but not least, the next obstacle directly in the path of Rybakina will not be #32 Maria Sakkari, but instead Yuliia Starodubtseva.

In a U.S. Open women's competition that has almost stubbornly held to form, 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 enitre 2nd Round be played without a single seed falling. I'm sure it's happened before, but I can't in any way remember the last time it did.

Well, whenever it was, it remains a rare event, as Sakkari -- the lowest-ranked of the seeds -- was the lone "L" in a 26-1 collective 2nd Round mark over the last 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 send Sakkari out, reaching her second major 3rd Round (w/ RG) this season.









...MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE (i.e. ushering Oliynykova out of an event)... ON DAY 5:





...THE WTA IS OVERPOPULATED BY "DOG MOMS," BUT THEN THERE'S "Iga with a Lego set"... ON DAY 5:





...OUR, hmm, *TRI*-ANNUAL REMINDER OF WHAT KEYS *CAN* DO... ON DAY 5:




Of course, that she was down FIVE MATCH POINTS to Anna Bondar is also one of the annual half dozen or so reminders that Keys only on random occasions actually gets the most out of her overall ability, too.


...Hmmm, MAYBE SECURITY COULD GLUE THEIR PHONES TO THE FLOOR?... ON DAY 5:





...MEANWHILE, LURKING AROUND THE CORNER (vs. Iga in 4r?)... ON DAY 5:





...ESPN's RELENTLESS SHILLING OF, well, ESPN ENTITIES GETS TIRESOME... but this one is actually worthwhile... ON DAY 5:














Pat Benatar (1980)




Pat Benatar (2026)












Citizens Savings Bank 41












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"It was really hard to play here, and to put the ball in the court." --Karolina Muchova Imagine--if it had been easy........🙂 #USOpen #WTA

— Diane Elayne Dees (@womenwhoserve.bsky.social) September 2, 2026 at 4:32 PM












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*US26 3rd ROUND NOTES*
[NATIONS IN 3rd Rd.; AO:17, RG:18, WI:18, US:17]
8 - USA
4 - CZE
4 - RUS
3 - UKR
1 - 13 nations

[32-PLAYER BREAKDOWN]
#1-10 SEEDS: 10
#11-20 SEEDS: 8
#21-32 SEEDS: 8
UNSEEDED: 5
QUALIFIERS: 1
WILD CARDS: 0
PROTECTED RANKING SPOT: 0

[FIRST-TIME MAJOR 3rd Rd. in 2026]
AO: Bartunkova(1st MD), Jovic(6), Selekhmeteva(5), Valentova(3)
RG: Chwalinska(3), Korpatsch(12), Oliynykova(2)
WI: Eala(6), Liu(21), Sawangkaew(2), Snigur(6)
US: none

[IN 3rd Rd. AT ALL FOUR 2026 MAJORS- 9]
Amanda Anisimova, USA
Coco Gauff, USA
Iva Jovic, USA
Anna Kalinskaya, RUS
Madison Keys, USA
Karolina Muchova, CZE
Naomi Osaka, JPN
Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
Iga Swiatek, POL

[REPEATS FROM 2026 U.S. OPEN 3rd Rd. - 20]
Ekaterina Alexandrova, RUS
Mirra Andreeva, RUS
Amanda Anisimova, USA
Cristina Bucsa, ESP
Leylah Fernandez, CAN
Coco Gauff, USA
Anna Kalinskaya, RUS
Marta Kostyuk, UKR
Ann Li, USA
Elise Mertens, BEL
Karolina Muchova, CZE
Emma Navarro, USA
Linda Noskova, CZE
Naomi Osaka, JPN
Jasmine Paolini, ITA
Jessie Pegula, USA
Elena Rybakina, KAZ
Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
Iga Swiatek, POL
Taylor Townsend, USA

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "LAST QUALIFIER STANDING" WINNERS**
2016 CiCi Bellis/USA (3rd Rd.)
2017 Kaia Kanepi/EST (QF)
2018 Karolina Muchova/CZE (3rd Rd.)
2019 Taylor Townsend/USA (4th Rd.)
2021 Emma Raducanu/GBR (W)
2022 Clara Burel/FRA and Yuan Yue/CHN (3rd Rd.)
2023 Kaja Juvan/SLO and Greet Minnen/BEL (3rd Rd.)
2024 Gabriela Ruse/ROU and Jessika Ponchet/FRA (3rd Rd.)
2025 Priscilla Hon/AUS (3rd Rd.)
2026 Zheng Qinwen/CHN (in 3rd Rd.)

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "LAST WILD CARD STANDING" WINNERS**
2017 Maria Sharapova, RUS (4th Rd.)
2018 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (3rd Rd.)
2019 Kristie Ahn, USA (4th Rd.)
2020 C.Bellis/USA, K.Scott/USA & S.Vickery/USA (2nd Rd.)
2021 0-8 in 1st Rd.
2022 Elli Mandlik, USA (2nd Rd.)
2023 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (4th Rd.)
2024 Iva Jovic/USA & Naomi Osaka/JPN (2nd Rd.)
2025 Caty McNally, USA (2nd Rd.)
2026 Jeanjean/FRA, Kenin/USA, Preston/AUS, Stephens/USA (2nd)

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK" WINNERS**
2015 Dasha Kasatkina, RUS
2016 Karolina Pliskova, CZE
2017 Madison Keys, USA and Sloane Stephens, USA
2018 Katerina Siniakova, CZE
2019 Donna Vekic, CRO
2020 Varvara Gracheva, RUS
2021 Elise Mertens, BEL and Rebeka Masarova, ESP
2022 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2023 Elise Mertens, BEL
2024 Paula Badosa, ESP
2025 Moyuka Uchijima, JPN
2026 Madison Keys, USA

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "BROADWAY-BOUND" WINNERS**
2017 Sharapova vs. Halep ("Opening Night")
2018 Kaia Kanepi, EST
2019 "Call Me Coco" summer preview shows
2020 "Three Moms & the Quarterfinals" (Serena, Vika and Pironkova)
2021 "Oh Canada!" (Fernandez, Andreescu, Dabrowski... +FAA men's SF)
2022 "Danielle After Dark" (Collins)
2023 "Jabeurwocky" (Jabeur)
2024 "In the Heat of the Night" (Zheng Q./Vekic 2:16 a.m. finish)
2025 Naomi Osaka presents "Labubus Take New York"
2026 Naomi Osaka (and the nominee for "Best Costume Design" is...)

**BACKSPIN 2026 FRESH FACE-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Iva Jovic, USA
AO: Iva Jovic, USA
FEB: Victoria Mboko, CAN
MAR: Victoria Mboko, CAN
1Q...MBOKO
APR: Yuliia Starodubtseva, UKR
MAY: Mirra Andreeva, RUS
RG: Diana Shnaider, RUS
2Q 1...SHNAIDER
JUN: Robin Montgomery, USA
WI: Alex Eala, PHI
2Q 2 (grass)...EALA
JUL: Kristina Liutova, RUS
AUG: Sara Bejlek, CZE
[Multiple 2025 Weekly FRESH FACE Award Wins]
6...Iva Jovic, USA
5...Nikola Bartunkova, CZE
4...Alex Eala, PHI
4...Talia Gibson, AUS
3...Alina Korneeva, RUS
3...Petra Marcinko, CRO
2...Mirra Andreeva, RUS
2...Hailey Baptiste, USA
2...Tyra Grant, ITA
2...Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, AND
2...Victoria Mboko, CAN
2...Oleksandra Oliynykova, UKR
2...Taylah Preston, AUS
2...Dominika Salkova, CZE
2...Oksana Selekhmeteva, ESP
2...Solana Sierra, ARG
2...Tereza Valentova, CZE
2...Dasha Vidmanova, CZE

**BACKSPIN 2026 MOST IMPROVED PLAYER-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Joanna Garland, TPE
AO: Nikola Bartunkova, CZE
FEB: Oleksandra Oliynykova, UKR
MAR: Hailey Baptiste, USA
1Q...TALIA GIBSON, AUS
APR: Lilli Tagger, AUT
MAY: Hailey Baptiste, USA
RG: Diane Parry, FRA
2Q 1...ANASTASIA POTAPOVA, AUT
JUN: Nikola Bartunkova, CZE
WI: Ashlyn Krueger, USA
2Q 2 (grass)...BARTUNKOVA
JUL: Francesca Jones, GBR
AUG: Alina Korneeva, RUS





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The Arch: NOW WITH A "Military Observation Deck" Suddenly the Arch is necessary for National Security @anntelnaes.bsky.social

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— paulpro (@mariopro.bsky.social) September 3, 2026 at 4:55 PM











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: x
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 3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Leolia Jeanjean/FRA, Sofia Kenin/USA, Taylah Preston/AUS, Sloane Stephens/USA (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: in 3r: Anisimova, Gauff, Jovic, Keys, Li, Navarro, Pegula, Townsend
COMEBACK: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
DOUBLES STAR: x
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Nominee: Frodin (17; makes slam debut)
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 5. More tomorrow.

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posted by Todd.Spiker @ 11:58 PM  0 comments

Wednesday, September 02, 2026

US.4- Give 'em What They Want


Nobody Czechs better than a Czech, and no Czech is Czeching better than Karolina Muchova.










=DAY 4 NOTES=
...the weather continued to reign in the city on Day 4 of this U.S. Open, with the 1st Round matches that didn't finish yesterday being pushed deeper and deeper into the schedule on Wednesday even as other players won *2nd* Rounders to advance to the 3rd Round.

While things could get complicated for some of those caught in the rainy cycle, the higher seeds and/or big names, and those who got an early start on things on Sunday, are mostly in a good place, riding high with their better standing and keeping something resembling a regular schedule through this opening week of action.

Some of those individuals took full advantage of their situation today by generally breezing through their matches rather than having to sweat things out.



#3 Jessica Pegula completed her 6-3/6-1 elimination of Sofia Kenin early in the day, becoming the first of the four woman chasing the women's #1 ranking to advance into the 3rd Round and doing so after having dropped just nine total games through two rounds.



Later, #1 Aryna Sabalenka ran her U.S. Open winning streak to 15 matches with a 1 & 1 win over qualifier Polina Iatcenko. But that performance still wasn't enough to top that of #7 Karolina Muchova.

In the midst of her career year, this season the Czech has reached her second career slam final (Wimbledon), won a pair of titles (Doha and Bad Homburg), reached four finals (as many as her last three seasons combined, and threatening to double in a lone season her previous *career* total of six coming into the year), climbed as high as #6 (a new career high) and posted six Top 10 wins on three different surfaces (only she and Coco Gauff can brag of such all-surface prowess in '26).

In a campaign in which even the highest-ranked players have either encountered dry spells when it's come to success and/or had particular difficulties in certain aspects of their season, Muchova has maybe been the most consistent -- and consistently magical with her racket, but that's always been the case -- player on tour.

She's reached at least the SF in six of her eleven events, and the Round of 16 in two of the biggest tournaments on the schedule (AO/IW). After being injury-free all season, the Czech finally took a short break after a minor surgery following Wimbledon and missed the summer hard court lead-up. But since she returned to action last week for the so-called MX slam event at Flushing Meadows she's yet to lose, winning the title there and then dropping just three games in her singles opener vs. Sinja Kraus.

Today, Muchova was even better, winning 6-1/6-0 over Katie Boulter to improve to 37-9 on the year (20-4 on hard court).



...meanwhile, the women's evening session closer on Armstrong, Noskova's #6-seeded countrywoman and Wimbledon champ Linda Noskova won her ninth straight match in a major, taking care of Lanlana Tararudee by a 6-4/6-2 score.

#9 Elina Svitolina didn't have quite as easy a time of it as her highly-ranked tourmates, but the Ukrainian managed to find her way through against the suddenly dangerous Maya Joint.

After taking the opening set, Svitolina rallied from 3-1 down in the 2nd, with Joint serving at 5-4, to force a TB. She held a MP at 6-5, but saw the Aussie, off her win from a set down over Liudmila Samsonova in the 1st Round, force a 3rd with an 8-6 win (Joint's first set win over a Top 10 opponent). There, Svitolina took a double-break lead at 4-1, but saw Joint cut the lead in half and then deny her on three MP chances at 5-3.

The Ukrainian served out the final game at love, winning 6-2/6-7(6)/6-4.



...in what is *still* supposedly her final major, #16 Sorana Cirstea defeated Monterry champ Diane Parry 6-2/7-5, not allowing a late blip on the radar to send her off course.

Cirstea had served at 5-4 in the 2nd and held two MP, but dropped serve before breaking the Pastry in the next game and then serving out the victory to record her ninth win at a major in 2026. The number adds yet another career-best effort to what has been a tremendous farewell season (if it turns out to be that). The Romanian's previous best had been 8-win campaigns a dozen years apart in 2009 and '21.

Cirstea is now a win away from a first slam season in which she's reached the second week at multiple majors (she reached the RG QF this spring).



...after a wild two-day 1st Rounder vs. Lois Boisson in which she lost the set and 4-2 lead she had when play suspsended on Day 1, and in the immediate aftermath became half of the starring duo in an internet meme sensation, #28 Emma Navarro had another battle on her hands today.



Against fellow Bannerette Caty McNally, Navarro dropped the opening set but picked things up to win 3-6/6-2/6-3. Even with the win, Navarro remains just 8-12 on hard court this season, due largely to her bad start (4-9) when dealing with health issues earlier in the year.

Still, this win also marks Navarro's first consecutive hard court wins this summer over her four events.

...the women's 1st Round did finally get finished in the early evening, with the most intriguing finish from Day 3 getting its conclusion closer to the start of in the day.



Yesterday, Paula Badosa held three MP vs. Dasha Kasatkina, two on return and another as she served through the rain with a 6-1/5-4 lead. The two had to come back today, and the drama wasn't over.

Ultimately, the two only had to complete the game they didn't finish yesterday, but in that game Badosa had to run through six *more* MP, while saving a pair of BP, before *finally* acing the Aussie on her ninth MP to claim the set at 6-4 and win her first U.S. Open MD match since her QF run in 2024. Badosa's persistent back injury kept her out of New York, where the Spaniard was born, last year (as well as in '23).



Of course, one of the broadcast footnotes about this was match was that ESPN was *still* in fine form while covering it. Using the network's own graphics rather than those provided by the U.S. Open, ESPN fouled up the MP totals to an amazing degree in the short time that the match was on court today. The scorebox went forward as if yesterday never existed, counting only Badosa's MP total for *today* (I'm assuming), listing her final MP not as #9 (her overall total), nor #7 (her total in the final game over two days), nor #6 (today's total), but instead as MP #5. I even think the graphic gave Kasatkina a third BP rather than the two she had today. Nor did the announcers make the corrections, which is a shame because it really shortchanged the drama of the whole endeavor.



...with the 1st Round virtually splattered over four days, the early awards for this slam sort of got mangled in the machine, but I'll give it a go.

With a surprising 3-0 start, the Brits get the Revelation Ladies honor on the strength of wins by two qualifiers (Dart and Jones), though Boulter was nearly double-bageled by Muchova today (but this is usually only a *1st Round* award).

2-0 opens from Thailand (Sawangkaew & Tararudee) and Uzbekistan (Timofeeva and Rakhimova, w/ the latter also winning today) earn honorable mentions.

The Upset Queens goes to the Spaniards, who posted a 4-1 1st Round mark, with Bucsa (def. #28 Bejlek), Badosa (def. Kasatkina), Bouzas Maneiro (def. Vidmanova) and Selekhmeteva getting wins. Only Quevedo failed to get on the board.

The Aussies were close here -- Preston def. Parks, Birrell over Marcinko, Joint def. Samsonova (though an upset of Svitolina might have flipped it to the Down Under crew) -- but didn't quite get there.

The Nation of Poor Souls? Switzerland.

After seeing Jil Teichmann dropping out late, things didn't get any better as the group went 0-3, with #12 Belinda Bencic being the highest seed to fall in the 1st Round (and through Day 4).

In all, players from 25 nations advanced through to the 2nd Round (the lowest at the four majors in '26), with the U.S. (11), Czech Republic (6), Russia (5) and Spain/Ukraine (both w/ 4) leading the totals.





...MEANWHILE, THIS WAS A TOP-NOTCH OUTFIT COMBINATION, TOO... ON DAY 4:





...STYLE, STORIES, SUBTEXT AND ACCUSATIONS... ON DAY 4:


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*US26 1st ROUND*
[highlights]
TOTAL MD NATIONS: 35
MOST IN 2nd RD. (25 diff. nations): 11-USA,6-CZE,5-RUS,4-ESP,4-UKR,3-AUS,3-GBR
UNDEFEATED 1st RD.: GBR (3-0); 2-0 (KAZ,THA,UZB); 1-0 (BLR,CAN,GRE,PHI)
BEST NON-UNDEFEATED 1st RD.: ESP (4-1); 2-1 (ITA,JPN); 6-5 (CZE); 4-3 (UKR)
WORST 1st RD.: SUI (0-3); 0-2 (COL,LAT,NED,SLO); 0-1 (DEN,EGY,INA,MEX,TUR); 1-3 (POL); 1-2 (CRO)
SEEDS OUT: 5 (2-CZE,1-LAT,1-POL,1-SUI)
DEF.SEEDS: 1-ESP,1-GER,1-SUI,1-USA,1-UZB
SLAM MD DEBUTS: 10 (5-USA,2-CZE,2-RUS,1-NED...combined 1-9)
FIRST-TIME SLAM MD WINS: 3 (1-AUT,1-JPN,1-RUS)
[BY NATION - alphabetical]
1-1 - ARG
3-3 - AUS
2-2 - AUT
1-1 - BEL
1-0 - BLR
1-0 - CAN
2-2 - CHN
0-2 - COL
1-2 - CRO
6-5 - CZE
0-1 - DEN
0-1 - EGY
4-1 - ESP
2-2 - FRA
3-0 - GBR
2-2 - GER
1-0 - GRE
1-1 - HUN
0-1 - INA
2-1 - ITA
2-1 - JPN
2-0 - KAZ
0-2 - LAT
0-1 - MEX
0-2 - NED
1-0 - PHI
1-3 - POL
1-1 - ROU
5-5 - RUS
0-2 - SLO
0-3 - SUI
2-0 - THA
0-1 - TUR
5-3 - UKR
11-12 - USA
2-0 - UZB

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "UPSET QUEENS" WINNERS**
2016 China
2017 Japan
2018 Sweden
2019 Russia
2020 United States
2021 Russia
2022 China
2023 United States
2024 United States
2025 Asia
2026 Spain
[2026]
AO: Czech Republic
RG: Switzerland
WI: Czech Republic
US: Spain

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "REVELATION LADIES" WINNERS**
2016 Ukraine
2017 Australia
2018 Belarus
2019 United States
2020 Belarus
2021 Greece
2022 Ukraine
2023 China
2024 Italy
2025 Russia
2026 Great Britain
[2026]
AO: Australia
RG: Poland
WI: Southeast Asia
US: Great Britain

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "NATIONS OF POOR SOULS"**
[2020]
AUS (0-5 in 1st Rd.; #1 Barty & ex-champ Stosur DNP)
[2021]
USA (8-14 in 1st; Keys/Riske out; Serena/Venus/Kenin/Brady DNP; 3/4 '17 SF)
[2022]
GER veterans (vets 0-3, pregnant Kerber w/d)
[2023]
FRA (1-6 in 1st Rd; 9/10 FRA Top 10 out Q/1r; #7 Garcia 1r]
[2024]
CAN (0-2 in 1st Rd.; '19 W Andreescu & '21 RU Fernandez)
[2025]
CHN (1-5 in 1st Rd.; 0-5 start; Zheng Qinwen DNP)
[2026]
SUI (0-3 in 1st Rd.; #12 Bencic high seed out 1r; Teichmann w/d)
[2026 slams]
AO: Russia
RG: France
WI: Great Britain
US: Switzerland

**BACKSPIN 2026 VETERAN-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Elina Svitolina, UKR
AO: Elina Svitolina, UKR
FEB: Sorana Cirstea, ROU
MAR: Elina Svitolina, UKR
1Q...SVITOLINA
APR: Elina Svitolina, UKR
MAY: Sorana Cirstea, ROU
RG: Sorana Cirstea, ROU
2Q 1...CIRSTEA
JUN: Donna Vekic, CRO
WI: Elise Mertens, BEL
2Q 2 (grass)...MERTENS
JUL: Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
AUG: Jessie Pegula, USA
[Multiple 2025 Weekly VETERAN Award Wins]
7...Sorana Cirstea, ROU
6...Elina Svitolina, UKR
5...Belinda Bencic, SUI
5...Jessie Pegula, USA
4...Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
4...Tatjana Maria, GER
4...Elise Mertens, BEL
3...Tamara Korpatsch, GER
3...Jessie Pegula, USA
3...Karolina Pliskova, CZE
3...Taylor Townsend, USA
3...Donna Vekic, CRO

**BACKSPIN 2026 COMEBACK-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Elisabetta Cocciaretto, ITA
AO: Diede de Groot, NED (WC)
FEB: Vera Zvonareva, RUS
MAR: Anhelina Kalinina, UKR
1Q...KATIE BOULTER, GBR
APR: Donna Vekic, CRO
MAY: Karolina Pliskova, CZE
RG: Jil Teichmann, SUI
2Q 1...PLISKOVA
JUN: Emma Navarro, USA
WI: Jasmine Paolini, ITA
2Q 2 (grass)...PAOLINI
JUL: Maria Sakkari, GRE
AUG: Ekaterina Alexandrova, RUS
[Multiple 2025 Weekly COMEBACK Award Wins]
5...Maria Sakkari, GRE
4...Ashlyn Krueger, USA
3...Dasha Kasatkina, AUS
3...Karolina Pliskova, CZE
3...Liudmila Samsonova, RUS
2...Ekaterina Alexandrova, RUS
2...Paula Badosa, ESP
2...Elisabetta Cocciaretto, ITA
2...Anhelina Kalinina, UKR
2...Jil Teichmann, SUI





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just weak little shits as far as the eye can see

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— Oliver Willis (@owillis.bsky.social) September 2, 2026 at 9:34 AM

Dems should be clear that there will be consequences when power transfers in DC. Hearings, legislation, investigations, etc.

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— Jen Rubin (@jenrubin.bsky.social) September 2, 2026 at 8:54 AM











TOP QUALIFIER: Lucie Havlickova, CZE
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): x
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): x
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: x
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: Nominees: Pliskova/CZE (1r- trailed Vandewinkel 6-2/5-2; saved MP 5-4); Sakkari/GRE (1r- down 6-2/4-0 vs. Montgomery)
IT ("?"): x
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: in 2r: Dart/GBR, Iatcenko/RUS(L), F.Jones/GBR, Sakatsume/JPN, Zheng/CHN
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: in 2r: Jeanjean/FRA, Kenin/USA(L), T.Preston/AUS(L), Stephens/USA(L)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: in 2r: Anisimova, Gauff, Kenin(L), Keys, Li(W), McNally(L), Navarro(W), Pegula(W), Stephens(L), Townsend(W)
COMEBACK: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
DOUBLES STAR: x
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Nominee: Frodin (17; makes slam debut)
BROADWAY-BOUND: Nominee: Osaka (Best Costume Design)
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 4. More tomorrow.

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posted by Todd.Spiker @ 11:58 PM  1 comments