Tennis Atlantic

Petra Pummeled by Alison Riske @USOpen, Czech Mate Stepanek Lends a Hand

First, congratulations to Pittsburgh native and current Maryland resident Alison Riske, who made short work of 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, 6-3, 6-0. Riske had only 7 unforced errors to Kvitova’s 27.

After the match, an exhausted Kvitova described laying in bed the day before the match with a fever and a virus.

I watched Kvitova arrive at and leave the grounds of the US Open yesterday and her body language indicated she wasn’t exaggerating.

She had a scowl on her face as she entered, probably due to pain or the thought of having to play a match in her condition.

As she departed, she had some difficulty walking and carrying her bag. Czech-mate and travel companion Radek Stepanek was a fine gentleman. He noticed that she was having trouble and promptly grabbed her bag and held her so she didn’t fall over. Afterward, he saw to it that she got in the SUV safely to escape the heat and return to a Manhattan hotel room.

Petra will have to try again in 2014 to win a US Open. In the meantime, Alison Riske is on to her first Sweet 16 in a slam. After surprising many at Wimbledon over the summer by reaching the 3rd round, yesterday wasn’t as big a shocker.

The shocking thing was that Steps seemed so gentle and kind, like a big brother, a departure from the tough-talking reputation that he has gained on the tour.

—S. Fogleman