Tennis Atlantic

Venus Victory a Bright Spot on Rainy Monday at Western & Southern Open

Here’s the good news if you’re coming to the Western & Southern Open on Tuesday: you have a great chance of seeing your favorite players. With 34 first round matches and 5 second round matches, the energy on and off court will be frenetic. You can thank those of us who slogged it out yesterday. Most day matches were postponed and the entire night session was canceled.

The bright spot on the soggy Monday was Venus Williams’ return to Cincinnati. In her tenth appearance here, she beat the 16 seed Veronika Kudermetova, 6-4, 7-5 to advance to the second round, and she awaits the winner of the Sasnovich/Zheng match to be played today. For Venus, it was her biggest win since defeating world No. 5 and former Western & Southern Open champion Kiki Bertens in Mason in 2019. 

The other four women’s singles winners on Monday were Anastasia Potapova, Anhelina Kalinina, Jasmine Paolini and Sloane Stephens. Paolini, who qualified for the event, was chased off the practice courts by a downpour prior to her match but looked strong in straight sets over a listless Marta Kostyuk by a score of 6-2, 6-1.

Only 5 men’s matches were finished up yesterday, and only one went three sets. The winner of that struggle was Felix Auger-Aliassime, who downed Mateo Berretini, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. It was his first big win since Miami and FAA will need to turn it around quickly as he is scheduled to play tonight against Adrian Mannarino in Round 2.

Nicolas Jarry didn’t let the rain get him down yesterday and was one of the lucky ones to finish a match early in the day. He defeated Roman Safiullin, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and signed a Chilean flag after the match.

Novak Djokovic is scheduled to play his first match in the US in two years today when he and Nikola Cacic face Jamie Murray and Michael Venus in a first-round doubles encounter. Welcome back to the US, oh great one!

And finally, it is always a disappointment when a fan favorite is forced to withdraw from a tournament prior to a first round match. Andy Murray has an abdominal strain and will be replaced by a lucky loser. We look forward to him being ready to go at the US Open.

RESULTS – MONDAY, AUG. 14

Men’s Singles First Round

[12] Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) def. Matteo Berrettini (Italy) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3

[Q] Jordan Thompson (Australia) def. [WC] John Isner (USA) 7-6(5), 7-6(2)

Nicolas Jarry (Chile) def. Roman Safiullin 4-6, 6-3, 6-3

Emil Ruusuvuori (Finland) def. [Q] Corentin Moutet (France) 6-4, 6-2

[Q] Dusan Lajovic (Serbia) def. Francisco Cerundolo (Argentina) 6-3, 6-4

Sebastian Korda (USA) vs [15] Borna Coric (CRO) 6-7(5), 3-4, suspended

[WC] Brandon Nakashima (USA) vs [WC] Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) 3-6, 7-6(5), 2-5, suspended

Men’s Doubles First Round

[WC] Christopher Eubanks (USA) / Ben Shelton (USA) def. Sander Gille (Belgium) / Joran Vliegen (Belgium) 7-5, 6-4

Nikola Mektic (Croatia) / John Peers (Australia) def. Nathaniel Lammons (USA) / Jackson Withrow (USA) 3-6, 7-6(6), [10-3]

Maximo Gonzalez (Argentina) / Andres Molteni (Argentina) def. [WC] Mackenzie McDonald (USA) / Frances Tiafoe (USA) 6-4, 4-1, retired

Women’s Singles First Round

[WC] Venus Williams (USA) def. [16] Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 7-5

Sloane Stephens (USA) def. Elisabetta Cocciaretto (Italy) 7-5, 6-2

[Q] Jasmine Paolini (Italy) def. Marta Kostyuk (Ukraine) 6-2, 6-1

Anastasia Potapova def. [WC] Celine Naef (Switzerland) 1-6, 6-4, 7-5

Anhelina Kalinina (Ukraine) def. Lin Zhu (China) 6-3, 7-5

Karoline Muchova (Czech Republic) vs [12] Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) 2-3, suspended

Women’s Doubles First Round

Tereza Mihalikova (Slovakia) / Yifan Xu (China) def. Anna Danilina (Kazakhstan) / Oksana Kalashnikova (Georgia) 3-6, 6-4 [10-7]

Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) / Donna Vekic (Croatia) def. Caroline Garcia (France) / Marta Kostyuk (Ukraine) 6-4, 2-6 [10-8]

ORDER OF PLAY – TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2023

CENTER COURT start 11:00 am

ATP – Jiri Lehecka (Czech Republic) vs [9] Taylor Fritz (USA) 

Not Before 12:30 pm

ATP – Sebastian Korda (USA) vs [15] Borna Coric (Croatia) to finish 6-7(5), 3-4

ATP – [16] Alexander Zverev (Germany) vs Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) 

Not Before 3:00 pm

WTA – [5] Ons Jabeur (Tunisia) vs Anhelina Kalinina (Ukraine) 

Night Session – Not Before 7:00 pm

WTA – Sloane Stephens (USA) vs [6] Caroline Garcia (France) 

Not Before 8:30 pm

ATP – [1] Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) vs [Q] Jordan Thompson (Australia) 

GRANDSTAND start 11:00 am

WTA – [9] Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) vs Anna Blinkova 

WTA – Victoria Azarenka vs [11] Barbora Krejcikova (Czech Republic) 

WTA – Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic) vs [12] Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) to finish 2-3

ATP – Emil Ruusuvuori (Finland) vs [7] Andrey Rublev

Night Session – Not Before 7:00 pm

ATP – Adrian Mannarino (France) vs [12] Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) 

Not Before 8:30 pm

[15] Madison Keys (USA) vs Elise Mertens (Belgium) 

STADIUM 3 start 11:00 am

ATP – Miomir Kecmanovic (Serbia) vs [14] Tommy Paul (USA) 

Not Before 12:30 pm

ATP – [WC] Brandon Nakashima (USA) vs [WC] Stan Wawrinka (SUI) to finish 3-6, 7-6(5), 2-5

ATP – Nikola Cacic (Serbia) / Novak Djokovic (Serbia) vs Jamie Murray (Great Britain) / Michael Venus (New Zealand) 

ATP – [13] Cameron Norrie (Great Britain) vs Gael Monfils (France) 

Not Before 5:00 pm

WTA – [Q] Cristina Bucsa (Spain) vs [13] Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) 

WTA – [Q] Linda Noskova (Czech Republic) vs Liudmila Samsonova 

WTA – Ons Jabeur (Tunisia) / Petra Martic (Croatia) vs [WC] Jennifer Brady (USA) / Asia Muhammad (USA) 

PORSCHE COURT start 11:00 am

WTA – [14] Daria Kasatkina vs [WC] Peyton Stearns (USA) 

Not Before 12:30 pm

WTA – [LL] Varvara Gracheva (France) vs [WC] Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) 

WTA – Petra Martic (Croatia) vs [Q] Emma Navarro (USA) 

WTA – [10] Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic) vs Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic) 

WTA – Jennifer Brady (USA) vs Donna Vekic (Croatia) 

WTA – [5] Lyudmyla Kichenok (Ukraine) / Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) vs Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic) / Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic) 

COURT 4 start 11:00 am

ATP – [11] Karen Khachanov vs Lucky Loser* 

ATP – Daniel Evans (Great Britain) vs Lorenzo Musetti (Italy)

ATP – Hubert Hurkacz (Poland) vs [Q] Thanasi Kokkinakis (Australia) 

ATP – Alex de Minaur (Australia) vs JJ Wolf (USA) 

ATP – [WC] Mackenzie McDonald (USA) vs Yannick Hanfmann (Germany) 

COURT 7 start 11:00 am

WTA – Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) vs Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) 

Not Before 12:30 pm

WTA – Qinwen Zheng (China) vs [Q] Aliaksandra Sasnovich 

WTA – Irina-Camelia Begu (Romania) vs Marie Bouzkova (Czech Republic) 

WTA – [WC] Danielle Collins (USA) vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 

WTA – Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 

WTA – Elisabetta Cocciaretto (Italy) / Mayar Sherif (Egypt) vs Irina-Camelia Begu (Romania) / Sara Sorribes Tormo (Spain) 

COURT 8 start 11:00 am

ATP – Ugo Humbert (France) vs [Q] Arthur Fils (France) 

ATP – Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (Spain) vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry (Argentina) 

ATP – Lorenzo Sonego (Italy) vs [Q] Alexander Shevchenko 

ATP – Lloyd Harris (South Africa) vs [Q] Max Purcell (AUS) 

WTA – Magda Linette (Poland) / Bernarda Pera (USA) vs [7] Hao-Ching Chan (Chinese Taipei) / Giuliana Olmos (Mexico) 

WTA – Victoria Azarenka / Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) vs [WC] Emma Navarro (USA) / Peyton Stearns (USA) 

COURT 11 start 11:00 am

WTA – Bernarda Pera (USA) vs [Q] Martina Trevisan (Italy) 

WTA – [Q] Xiyu Wang (China) vs Mayar Sherif (Egypt) 

WTA – Magda Linette (Poland) vs [Q] Ann Li (USA) 

ATP – Franciso Cerundolo (Argentina) / Tomas Martin Etcheverry (Argentina) vs [6] Santiago Gonzalez (Mexico) / Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France) 

ATP – Marcelo Arevalo (El Salvador) / Jean-Julien Rojer (Netherlands) vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (Spain) / Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece)

TBA

WTA – [WC] Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) / Anastasia Potapova vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova / Luisa Stefani (Brazil) 

WTA – Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) / Erin Routliffe (New Zealand) vs [8] Shuko Aoyama (Japan) / Ena Shibahara (Japan) 

WTA – Miyu Kato (Japan) / Aldila Sutjiadi (Indonesia) vs Laura Siegemund (Germany) / Vera Zvonareva 

WTA – [6] Su-Wei Hsieh (Chinese Taipei) / Xiyi Wang (China) vs Anna Blinkova / Varvara Gracheva (France)