The @CreditOneBank @CharlestonOpen Adds Top 10 Players @JLPegula & @PaulaBadosa for 2023 Edition #CHS #WTA

Posted by Admin on October 18, 2022
Posted in: Charleston, WTA. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment
Jess Pegula, 2019 Citi Open (Photo: Mike Renz)

CHARLESTON, S.C. – World No. 5 Jessica Pegula and World No. 8 Paula Badosa have entered the 2023 Credit One Charleston Open, the largest women’s-only tennis tournament in North America. The WTA 500 tournament, which is the annual clay season kickoff event on the WTA Hologic Tour, is set to return April 1 – 9, 2023 in the renovated and modernized Credit One Stadium on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina. Badosa and Pegula join past Charleston champions Belinda Bencic, Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens in the growing player field for next year’s event.

“Having two top 10 players join our field six months before our tournament showcases our dedication to bringing the world’s best competitors to Charleston,” said Bob Moran, Tournament Director of the Credit One Charleston Open and President of Charleston Tennis LLC. “Jessie and Paula have had exceptional 2022 seasons and both are at the top of their game. We are off to a strong start for our 2023 tournament and have more exciting player announcements on the horizon.”

Pegula is currently the only WTA player ranked in the top 10 for both singles and doubles. She reached three Grand Slam singles quarterfinals this season, in Melbourne, Paris and New York, as well as the doubles final in Roland-Garros. In total, she’s had eight quarterfinal or better finishes throughout her 2022 season. In addition to her Grand Slam appearances, she made the finals in Madrid, the semifinals in Miami, Toronto and San Diego and the quarterfinals in Cincinnati. 

The American recently qualified for the WTA Finals, the season-ending championships, in both singles and doubles, and is the only player presently competing in dual draws. The 2023 Credit One Charleston Open will be her fifth time appearing in the tournament’s main draw. She was a Charleston doubles quarterfinalist in 2022. 

“Charleston is like a second home to me and I can’t wait to be back in April to play the Credit One Charleston Open again,” said Pegula. “I am really proud of the tennis that I’m playing right now and it would be amazing to win a title in a city that holds such a special place in my heart.”

Badosa holds three WTA career singles titles, which includes the 2022 Sydney title and 2021 Belgrade and Indian Wells titles. She was a 2021 Roland-Garros quarterfinalist and has been ranked as high as World No. 2 this season. 

In 2022, she was a semifinalist in Stuttgart, San Jose and Indian Wells and a quarterfinalist in Miami, Charleston and San Diego. In addition, she reached the fourth round of Wimbledon and Roland-Garros. The Spaniard will play Charleston for the third time in 2023, where she holds a 6-2 win-loss record. 

“Reaching the semifinals in Charleston in 2021 really propelled my career forward,” said Badosa. “I’ve had strong back-to-back seasons and have had great results each year in Charleston. After reaching the semis and quarterfinals, I would love to win there in 2023.”

The nine-day Credit One Charleston Open showcases a singles draw of 56 players, a qualifying draw of 32 players and a doubles draw of 16 players. The event traditionally hosts more than 90,000 attendees on Daniel Island. Additional players who have committed to competing in 2023 will be announced in the coming weeks. 

Charleston Tennis, LLC, which manages Credit One Stadium under a lease from the City of Charleston, recently renovated and modernized the 20-year-old facility. The city-owned venue underwent upgrades to enhance the stadium experience for patrons, performers, tennis players and event management, allowing the venue to attract world-class athletes and talent to Daniel Island.

The Credit One Charleston Open celebrated its 50th year in 2022. The tournament has been a pioneer in women’s professional sports since 1973, paving the path for female tennis players to receive equal recognition, respect and pay in the sport. Originally held on Hilton Head Island, the event moved to Charleston in 2001 and is played on Daniel Island at the LTP Daniel Island tennis center, home to the Credit One Stadium.

Tickets for the 2023 tournament will be available on October 27 and can be purchased online at creditonecharlestonopen.com or by calling (843) 856-7900. When purchasing tickets for the 2023 Credit One Charleston Open, patrons will have the option to choose from single session tickets ($25+) and a range of upgraded ticket packages and seat offerings, including the Intro Package ($280), Finale Package ($360), Champions Package ($275) and Tournament Long Package ($600+). Packages provide exclusive and premier views of the court from 100 and 200 level stadium seating, as well as the best value on tickets. In addition, select packages will also offer tennis patrons shaded seating, a new feature as part of the renovated stadium’s Stage House. 

For additional information, please email tickets@charlestontennisllc.com. For more information on the Credit One Charleston Open, visit creditonecharlestonopen.com or call 843-856-7900. 

About the Credit One Charleston Open:
The Credit One Charleston Open is North America’s largest women’s-only tennis tournament. The event, formerly known as the Volvo Car Open, moved to Charleston, S.C., in 2001 from Hilton Head Island, S.C., and celebrated its 50th year in 2022. The Credit One Charleston Open traditionally welcomes more than 90,000 spectators each year. The tournament features a singles draw of 56 players, a qualifying draw of 32 players and a doubles draw of 16 players. In conjunction with Tennis Channel and WTA Media, the Credit One Charleston Open is showcased from the first ball struck in main draw competition to the last ball played in finals, throughout the U.S. and 174 international partners. The tournament receives more than 100 hours of tennis coverage, broadcast live from Charleston across the globe to millions of fans. The tournament is operated by Charleston Tennis, LLC. For more information on the Credit One Charleston Open, visit creditonecharlestonopen.com, call (843) 856-7900, email info@charlestontennisllc.com, Facebook (Credit One Charleston Open), Twitter (@CharlestonOpen) or Instagram (@CreditOneCharlestonOpen).

—A. Alpino

Revolutionary Full Court Tennis App Connects Players With World-Class WTA & ATP Coaches

Posted by Admin on October 10, 2022
Posted in: ATP, Tennis Lessons and Instruction, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Renowned Southern California Tennis Coach and Former Australian Open Winner Brian Teacher Unveils Groundbreaking New Instructional Platform Available NOW!

For More Check Out: www.fullcourttennis.com

PASADENA, Calif. (October 3, 2022) – A groundbreaking new tennis instructional platform may revolutionize the way tennis players learn, and coaches serve athletes. Full Court Tennis, a collaborator of the WTA & ATP Coach Organizations, has launched its new training app, now available through the app store, to all coaches, athletes, and tennis players of all skill levels. The new app allows tennis players to instantly access the worlds’ best coaches for in-app virtual lessons.

Developed by Australian Open Winner, Brian Teacher, with Advisory Board Members John McEnroe, Katrina Adams, and AI scientist Dr. David Fogle, the app provides numerous options for tennis training, including hiring a coach for stroke analysis and a live video consult lesson. Coaches can set their own rates and availability for in-app lessons. Players can also compare their strokes side-by-side to the pros through the app’s stroke library. 

“Growing up playing tennis at a public park, I found it challenging to learn the game without access to world-class coaches,” said Teacher, Founder and CEO of Full Court Tennis. “After winning the Australian Open and becoming an ATP and WTA Coach working with Andre Agassi, Greg Rusedski, and other top pros, I was looking for ways to make world-coaching instantly accessible around the globe – even for children who would not otherwise have access to top coaching talent. After many years of work to streamline the experience, we are excited to make this technology available to all coaches and to all levels of tennis players.”

The app offers its users access to a global community with free tips, drills, and analysis on the Full Court Feed where players can follow, learn, and interact with coaches and players.

Established in January of 2017, the WTA Coach Program has been designed to professionalize, standardize, and recognize the important role of coaching on the WTA Tour. The official collaboration between Full Court Tennis, WTA, and ATP Coach Programs looks to bring even more accessible training opportunities to both coaches and players in the future.

The Full Court Tennis App is a free download on the Full Court Tennis website or the App Store.

—S. Pratt

American Veteran Madison Brengle Top Seed at EPIC Central Coast Tennis Classic

Posted by Admin on September 16, 2022
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Tickets Now on Sale For Women’s USTA Pro Circuit $60,000 Tournament Hosted by Templeton Tennis Ranch Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2022

Madision Brengle

TEMPLETON, Calif. – September 16, 2022 — Four players ranked among the top 115 in the world are among the solid field of WTA players ready to compete in the EPIC Central Coast Tennis Classic set for Sept. 26 through Oct. 2 at the Templeton Tennis Ranch.

Organizers of the Central Coast Tennis Classic – which recently announced new title sponsor EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants – released the names of the players expected to compete in the popular USTA Women’s $60,000 Pro Circuit Tournament, part of the ITF World Tour.

Madison Brengle, 32, from Dover, Del., is currently ranked No. 62 in the WTA World Tour rankings and is the highest seeded player on the entry list. A mainstay on the tour for the past 15 years, Brengle has gotten past the first round at each of the four Grand Slams, including her best showing in 2015 when she reached the Round of 16 at the Australian Open.

At the recent US Open, Brengle fell to No. 5 seed and eventual singles finalst Ons Jabeur, 7-5, 6-3 in the first round.

Right behind Brengle is China’s Lin Zhu, who is No. 69 in the world rankings and coming off a finals run in the Landisville, Pa., $100,000 event. Zhu’s Chinese countrywoman Yue Yuan is ranked No. 107 and will be the No. 3 seed.

Twenty-year-old fourth-year pro Katie Volynets will be seeded No. 4 and is ranked No. 113. Originally from Northern California, Volynets in April won the $100,000 US Pro Women’s Clay Court Championships.

Other Americans who have qualified for the main draw include 2018 Templeton Tennis Classic singles and doubles winner Asia Muhammad, who is currently ranked No. 30 in the world in doubles. Former UCLA All-American Robin Anderson, top-30 doubles player Caroline Dolehide and the event’s first singles winner in 2017 Sachia Vickery.

Templeton Tennis Ranch

Two players with Southern California ties are also into the main draw, including Katrina Scott, an 18-year-old from Woodland Hills who has won three 25Ks this year in Dallas, Columbus, Ohio and Daytona Beach, Fla., and Santa Barbara’s Kayla Day, a former world No. 1 ITF junior. 

Sophie Chang has been named the tournament’s singles wild card. Chang owns 16 career ITF doubles titles, and three in singles. Local Cal Poly doubles team Delanie Dunkle and younger sister Peyton Dunkle are the doubles wild cards.

Qualifying Americans in order of WTA rank include: Danielle Lao, Emina Bektas, Ashlyn Krueger, Grace Min, Whitney Osuigwe, Maria Mateas, Victoria Duval, Robin Montgomery, Alexa Glatch, Dalayna Hewitt, Maegan Manasse and Erica Oosterhout. In addition, recent US Open Girls’ Singles champion Alex Eala from the Philippines has received a wild card into singles qualifying.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at www.centralcoasttennisclassic.com/tickets/. Prices start at $10.

Dreams Made, Tickets Punched as 2022 @USOpen Qualifying Concludes

Posted by Admin on August 26, 2022
Posted in: Arthur Ashe Stadium, ATP, New York, US Open, US Open Qualifying, USTA, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

Dreams Made, Tickets Punched as 2022 US Open Qualifying Concludes

Steve Fogleman in Flushing Meadows

On a cloudy and then rainy day in Queens, players walked away with a memory of a lifetime, and in some cases, the most important wins so far in their young careers. It was last call for main draw in New York as the three match tournament reached the Friday crescendo.

Yue Yuan was your first qualifier of the 2022 US Open. She beat Maddison Inglis 6-1, 6-0, in just 53 minutes. The English was better than the audio as I attempted to interview her inside Grandstand Court as she had to flee from a flock of fans who followed behind.

Linda Noskova has done it again. She needed only 6 sets in 3 matches to make her way into her first “next week” at the US Open. This time, the opponent was Alexandra Zakharova in a 6-2, 7-5 victory for the young Czech. After the match, she shared her moment of joy with us.

Both Noskova and Zakharaova were happy to sign U.S. currency for a fan. I’m not sure if it raised the value of the money in his wallet. but the ladies were happy to oblige. You’ve got to love New York. If you don’t, you just get irritated. So love it. Trust me.

Max Marterer has been here before, having qualified three times before today’s 6-4. 6-3 win over Riccardo Bonadio of Italy in 68 minutes. He told us it doesn’t get any easier just because you know you’ve done it before.

Then came the rains that may have washed this reporter out. We’re currently in a 55 minute rain delay and depending on the time that they resume play, this may be my last post from New York. It’s been a great August for American tennis fans and I expect nothing less than major fireworks as the big dogs start their engines on Monday. Cheers!

2022 @USOpen Qualifying Finalists Emerging in Flushing Meadows

Posted by Admin on August 25, 2022
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2022 US Open Qualifying Finalists Emerging in Flushing Meadows

Steve Fogleman in Flushing Meadows

The weather was as hot as it has been for fan week on Thursday and the action on court was fast and furious at US Open Qualifying in Flushing Meadows. 64 singles matches today will set us up for 32 very consequential matches tomorrow. At stake are 16 main draw spots for both the men and women.

Genie Bouchard made an early exit to Linda Noskova in 56 minutes today as the young Czech dominated and never faced a break point en route to the 6-2, 6-3 drubbing. Noskova faces Anastasia Zakharova tomorrow.

Australia’s Maddison Inglis also got by in a 6-4, 6-3 win over wild card Valerie Glozman in 75 minutes to stay fresh for tomorrow’s final against Yue Yuan. She was in good spirits after a fan asked for her to sign an ink drawing of Ingliss for her. After the win, she told us that “the more time you spend on these courts, the better you feel, so I’m excited about the final round.”

Ukraine’s Daria Snigur had a big victory on Court 13 today against former U.S. Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer and she did not disappoint in a comebacker 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over the Belgian. Wickmayer was upset to see her hopes for a 13th U.S. Open main draw berth dashed, and she kicked the gate and stormed off court after the match.

For her part, Snigur says that she never thinks of the war back home during the match, but that every victory here is for Ukraine.

You live by the tiebreak, you die by the tiebreak and you win by the tiebreak. That’s what American Chris Eubanks did today on Court 17, sneaking past Gregoire Barrere of France by a count of 7-6(6), 6-7(2), 7-6(4). He had to win ten points in that deciding tiebreak per new rules. Raul Brancoccio of Italy is the last man standing in his way to play next week in New York.

France’s Corentin Moutet is playing good tennis at the right time this summer. Today, he handled Filip Misolic of Austria, 6-2, 6-4, and will square off against China’s Yibing Wu.

32 matches are on tap for tomorrow beginning at 11:00 a.m.

Fans Return to @USOpen Qualifying and the World’s Better for It

Posted by Admin on August 24, 2022
Posted in: Arthur Ashe Stadium, ATP, New York, US Open, US Open Qualifying, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Fans Return to US Open Qualifying and the World’s Better for It

Steve Fogleman in Fushing Meadows

We’ve had COVID subvariants. Historical Inflation. Supply Chain Issues. Labor Shortages. War.

We’ve all been through so much that anything and everything is comfort food. The resumption of the US Open Fan Week was the most delicious heaping of banana pudding served up all year.

So it was in the home of the birthplace of modern democracy, the most democratic of events is back on after a two year hiatus. For the price of a subway ride, fans have been treated to courtside seats to watch Serena Williams practice in what very well may be her last days on Ashe.

And there are many more treasures on the field courts, where we’ve whittled the field down to a more manageable 64 men and 64 women for a two day sprint in quest of a trip of a lifetime to the main draw next week.   

It’s a dizzying array of teens, grizzled journeymen and all player types in between grasping for the prize to be a part of the real deal of this greatness, and we always gravitate toward those who are looking for a life-altering first time grand slam entry. We found a few already in the first round.

Ethan Quinn, ranked #506 and only 18, defeated his first top-200 opponent in compatriot Ernesto Escobedo (#175) to advance to a qualifying semifinal tomorrow against Federico Delbonis (#136) with a chance to claim a second straight top 200 opponent. The 2022 Kalamazoo finalist is a University of Georgia redshirt Freshman.

Linda Fruhvirtova may be only 17, but she has already defeated the likes of Elise Mertens and Vika Azarenka. She was cool as a cucumber after her first round straight sets win over Ylena In-Albon of Switzerland, 6-3-, 6-3 in 1:23 yesterday. Next up for the Czech is Carolina Alves of Brazil tomorrow.

16-year-old Czech competitor Sara Bejlek had the toughest feat of the day on Wednesday and walked away a winner, besting six-time grand slam doubles titlist Kiki Mladenovic. Bejlek edged past the Frenchwoman in the first set, 6-4, before Mladenovic seemingly took control of the match after she won the second, 6-1. But the 16-year-old was not to be outdone, having done it too many times to remember in her young career. “Yeah, I’m like this,” she told me moments after the win. “I’m playing often in three sets. I mean, I’m strong in the head so that’s probably most important why I’m winning three set matches right now,”she said. She definitely took advantage of Mladenovic’s serve in the third and celebrated as her opponent double-faulted the match away. Final Score: 4-6. 6-1, 6-4. Bejlek will meet Australian Priscilla Hon on Court 9 tomorrow around 1pm.

Kateryna Baindl (nee Kozlova) is no Spring Chicken here. At 28, she’s trying to find her way in to a seventh US Open main draw, having reached the second round twice in her career. The Ukrainian spoke to me about the situation in Ukraine after her win over Jesika Maleckova yesterday. Next up for Baindl is Tamara Korpatsch of Germany.

Two matches, two days. Let’s do this!

On a Soggy Sunday at @CincyTennis, Qualifiers Advance and Main Draw Play Begins

Posted by Admin on August 15, 2022
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On a Soggy Sunday at @CincyTennis, Qualifiers Advance and Main Draw Play Begins

Steve Fogleman in Cincinnati

Rain put a damper on the day in Cincinnati, but patient fans and players saw the conclusion of qualifying and two mediocre first round matches. I don’t know why they bother with these Sunday first round matches anyway. The selected matches never feature marquee players and feel like an unnecessary add-on to what is already an exciting product: qualifying for a master’s event.

The exciting production was in full force. Caroline Garcia is back in the main draw here after a gutsy three set win over Andrea Petkovic on center court, 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-2. For her efforts, she’ll play lucky loser Petra Martic this evening. Taylor Townsend knocked out local favorite Peyton Stearns, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 and will meet fellow qualifier Alja Tomljanovic this evening.

David Goffin may have underestimated Taiwan’s Chun-Hsin Tseng and the crowd got behind the world #85 after shocking Goffin in the first set. Goffin composed himself and rode out a 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 win to qualify. He’ll have the day off today before opposing fellow qualifier Marcos Giron on Tuesday.

Marie Bouzkova is into her first main draw at the Western & Southern Open after an impressive weekend, including yesterday’s domination of Donna Vekic, 6-1, 6-4. With the win comes a match against #11 seed Coco Gauff tomorrow.

Jaume Munar also had a great weekend, heading off to the main draw after surviving Stevie Johnson yesterday, 3-6, 5-3, 5-4. The Spaniard will next battle veteran Marin Cilic for a spot in the second round.

For the record and the trivia, your first main draw winner in Cincinnati was Botic Van de Zandschulp, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 over France’s Maxime Cressy. Later, Mackenzie McDonald made it look easy on court against Nikoloz Basilashvili, 6-0, 6-1. Van de Zandschulp moves on to face the winner of Tommy Paul and Jenson Brooksby, while McDonald booked a date with Carlos Alcaraz.

While Qualifiers Battle, It’s @RafaelNadal Madness at @CincyTennis Opening Day

Posted by Admin on August 14, 2022
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While Qualifiers Battle, It’s Rafael Nadal Madness at Cincy Tennis Opening Day

Steve Fogleman in Cincinnati

The fans were parked at the gate for an hour or more before the 9:00 a.m. opening of the 2022 Western & Southern Open in Mason, Ohio yesterday. When they arrived, they were treated to an epic practice session between Rafael Nadal and Matteo Berrettini on Stadium Court 3 for over two hours. The practice was so intense and the fans so tantalized by every shot, it dawned on me that Rafael Nadal never practices, but rather competes. No ball is ever safe from being pummeled back over the net by the King, and Berrettini held up well to Nadal’s challenge. I worry for Frances Tiafoe, who Berrettini faces in the first round after watching the Italian grind it out with Nadal.

I’m not terribly worried for Nadal, even though security was also in warm-up mode after the player’s practice. Everyone knew that there would be a scrum for the Spaniard after the hit and staff had two hours to get a plan together. Instead, someone tried to place a rope through the crowd after it had already assembled and there was a delay in procuring a second rope to create space for the player. As a result, Nadal was stuck in a standstill traffic jam immediately before the above video was captured. It’s a good thing the man loves his fans, because there were a lot of them in close range today. That brings me to an important detail I should share: Cincinnati fans and Marshalls are exceptionally friendly, so Nadal was never ever in danger. Many fans responded to our twitter account that security had badly failed Nadal yesterday. I don’t believe he felt that way about the interaction. In fact, I posit to you that he enjoyed every minute of that brief fan fest. It’s also worth noting that qualifying weekend is always a chance to work out the wrinkles in every tournament. Look at the photo below. That’s definitely not Mertens nor is it Rybakina out there. It’s Shapolov, and no one complained to the sign board operators. The whole weekend is PRACTICE, unless of course your name is Rafael Nadal.

The fans weren’t the only ones going bananas yesterday in Ohio. American Bradley Klahn buried his face in a towel for several minutes and seemed to bawl after his three set win over Alexei Popyrin , 7-5, 7-6(3). Klahn has been beset by injuries in recent years and was so excited after the win he started handing out his banana allotment, which was quickly accepted by a young fan. I have photographed so many autographs in my life that I was hoping he’d sign the bananas. Luckily, he did not.

Marie Bouzkova was the first winner of the tournament as she breezed past Aleks Krunic yesterday, 6-1, 6-2, and will face Donna Vekic later today. Other WTA qualifying finals set for today are Garcia/Petkovic, Potapova/Kalinskaya, Tomljanovic/Parrizas Diaz, Kalinina/Martic, Kostyuk/Frech and the All-American match up between Taylor Townsend and local talent Peyton Stearns (#364).

Qualifying men’s finals today include Musetti/Lajovic, Laaksonen/Monteiro, Ivashka/Kokkinakis, Tseng/Goffin, Sonego/Klahn, Munar/Johnson and Giron/Fognini.

Finalists Reaching for Greatness at Sunday @CitiOpen Finale

Posted by Admin on August 7, 2022
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Finalists Reaching for Greatness at Sunday Citi Open Finale

Steve Fogleman in Washington

Three finals are on tap at Citi Open in Washington today after somewhat surprising Saturday action brought us to this conclusion. Wild card Nick Kyrgios advanced to today’s final with a 7-6(4), 6-3 takedown of Mikael Ymer of Sweden.

He’s had a good run in Washington but didn’t want to get ahead of himself contemplating a title or two as he and partner Jack Sock advanced to the doubles final.

“Regardless of how tomorrow goes in both finals, I think it’s a hell of an achievement,” he said. “In one week I think to make both finals is pretty special. You know, I’m super excited. It’s been a minute since I have played in a final, Wimbledon final, so, you know, I’m gonna just try and turn it around and get a win tomorrow. I’m just super proud of the work I have put in.”

The Curious Case of Yoshihito Nishioka continues in Washington with consistent deft play. On Saturday night, he came out fast while Rublev was rusty in the first set. The second set saw Rublev give up four breaks of serve to Nishioka and #96 moved on over world #8 Rublev, 6-3, 6-4.

Kaia Kanepi raced out to a 3-0 lead within eight minutes of “Ready, Play!” and she dominated Daria Saville in the first women’s semifinal yesterday, 6-3, 6-1 in 1:13. Saville needed a medical timeout late in the first set and never had a chance to establish any rhythm in the match as Kanepi overpowered her and dominated the pace,

I would expect Kanepi to attempt a similar start today against Liudmila Samsonova. Both of the women’s semifinals were disappointingly uncompetitive yesterday. Samsonova’s semifinal victory was a 6-1, 6-1 exhibition against an out-of-sorts lucky loser Xiyu Wang in 1:07. Wang was the only women’s semifinalist who had not yet played a match on Stadium court and it showed. Still, it was a very good week for Wang, and for Daria Saville as well.

Here’s to today’s Citi Open champions and I’ll see you in Cincinnati.

Survival of the Fittest at @CitiOpen as Semifinals Set

Posted by Admin on August 6, 2022
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Survival of the Fittest at Citi Open as Semifinals Set

Steve Fogleman in Washington

It’s been a tortuous few days for players and fans as scorching heat and torrential downpours hit the venue in Rock Creek Park, but the survivors have emerged from the wreckage and they are ready to collect their hardware. On Friday, some of these athletes played twice to book their ticket to the weekend action. Victoria Azarenka opened the day with straight sets win over Tereza Martincova, 7-6(7), 6-2 but that win came at a high price: 2 hours and 10 minutes on court. Hours later, she struggled throughout against the rested lucky loser Xiyu Wang as Azarenka fell 6-1, 6-3.

NO PIC NICK: KYRGIOS HURRIES OFF COURT AFTER FIRST FRIDAY WIN

Nick Kyrgios started the day up a set over Reilly Opelka and got out of the match after a solo set on court Friday afternoon, 7-6(1), By contrast, Frances Tiafoe walked on court yesterday down a set before pulling off the comeback win against Botic Va de Zandschulp, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. That extra effort for the win may have been the difference as Kyrgios prevailed in the evening quarterfinal match in three sets, 6-7(5), 7-6(12), 6-2.

Andrey Rublev played his cards right on Friday by spending only 1:42 on court in a straight sets win over Maxime Cressy, 6-4, 7-6(8) and was more than ready for wild card J.J. Wolf, who needed 2:36 to beat Holger Rune, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 earlier in the the day. The result? Rublev cruised to the semifinals with a convincing 6-2, 6-3 drubbing of the Buckeye.

Kaia Kanepi and Daria Saville only had to play one match yesterday and it showed. Saville made mincemeat out of qualifier Rebecca Marino’s game, 6-1, 7-5. The second set was closer as the rain delay required Saville to re-adjust her game. Kanepi’s opponent, Anna Kalinskaya, seemed to wither in the hot conditions and it felt like Kanepi grew stronger with each passing game as the Estonian advanced to the quarterfinals, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-3. Saville and Kanepi face off this afternoon and the winner will be the odds-on favorite to lift the trophy tomorrow.