US Open

@NAOMI_OSAKA_, @DIESCHWARTZMAN EARN 2019 @USOPEN SPORTSMANSHIP AWARDS

Posted by Admin on September 5, 2019
Posted in: ATP, US Open, USTA, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

<strunnamed (5)@NAOMI_OSAKA, @DIESCHWARTZMAN EARN 2019 @USOPEN SPORTSMANSHIP AWARDS

FLUSHING, N.Y., September 5, 2019 – World No. 1 and 2018 US Open champion Naomi Osaka and 2019 US Open quarterfinalist Diego Schwartzman were awarded the women’s and men’s 2019 US Open Sportsmanship Award, respectively, on Thursday. The award is presented to the professional tennis players who best demonstrate excellence in sportsmanship throughout the US Open Series and the US Open.

“Naomi and Diego are both tremendous competitors and athletes, but at this year’s US Open, and throughout the entire summer, they have demonstrated a level of sportsmanship that is even more impressive than their play on the court,” said Todd Martin, co-chair of the US Open Sportsmanship Award Selection Committee. “We are incredibly pleased to present them with this year’s US Open Sportsmanship Awards, and thank them for being true role models and inspirations for all those that play the game.”

Diego Schwartzman (L) defeated Alexander Zverev (R) in the fourth round (Peter Staples/USTA).

Diego Schwartzman (L) defeated Alexander Zverev (R) in the fourth round (Peter Staples/USTA).

Eligibility requirements for winners include participating in at least two Series tournaments, as well as the 2019 US Open. Each US Open Sportsmanship Award winner receives a trophy and a $5,000 donation to the charity of his or her choice.

The USTA started a Sportsmanship Committee in 2011. Its charge is to “educate and inspire youngsters and their parents to develop and exhibit a high degree of sportsmanship and an attitude of fair play and mutual respect on and off the tennis court. Underlying the charge is the ethical imperative that fairness is more important than winning.”

The USTA Sportsmanship Award Selection Committee is comprised of USTA representatives, former players and journalists, including Co-Chairs Todd Martin and Lars Rosene, Jon Vegosen, Mary Carillo, Mary Joe Fernandez, Chanda Rubin, Joel Drucker, Steve Flink and Matt Cronin.

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Dangerous @DenisKudla Advances to First @USOpen R3, Set to Face @DjokerNole Tomorrow

Posted by Admin on August 29, 2019
Posted in: ATP, New York, US Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Denis Kudla, 2019 US Open (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Denis Kudla, 2019 US Open (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Dangerous @DenisKudla Advances to First @USOpen R3, Set to Face @DjokerNole Tomorrow
Steve Fogleman in Flushing Meadows

American Denis Kudla took a giant step forward in his tennis career on Thursday at the US Open in New York, advancing to the 3rd round of America’s Open in four sets against the red hot Dusan Lajovic, 7-5, 7-5, 0-6, 6-3. The win earns Kudla a date with Novak Djokovic on a stadium court tomorrow and questions have arisen about the Serb’s shoulder after last night’s match.

This match was all Kudla in the first and second sets, but Lajovic dug deep and won the third set at love. Kudla did a hard reset and erased memories of the third set to win an extremely competitive fourth set and final game at 5-3 as Kudla needed five match points to close it out.

Denis Kudla, 2019 US Open (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Denis Kudla, 2019 US Open (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

“I mean the first two sets, I played really solid and had a lot of opportunities maybe to win those at 3 and 3,” Kudla said. “It was there I knew he was still trying to find his game. He’s beaten me three times before so I know his level wasn’t it’s highest and I needed to take advantage, but out of 3 out of 5 sets you have a chance to find your game.”

Denis Kudla, 2019 US Open (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Denis Kudla, 2019 US Open (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Kudla admitted he played “a little sloppy” in the third and Lajovic ran away with the set.

“I was like, O.K., I’ve got to dig in,” Kudla said of the fourth set. “It was 5-3, 40-love and then I just got super tight” before winning the match on his fifth match point.

Kudla said he watched the Djokovic match yesterday, and he’s not too worried about any weakness on the part of the world #1. “Even if he’s on one leg, he’s still tough.”

Kudla also spoke of the desire to play the best players early. “You want to play the top guys early,” he said. “That’s when they’re the most vulnerable. You play them in the quarters and semis, that’s when these guys are five matches deep playing some unreal tennis and it almost feels like it’s impossible.”

Impossible is not the word I’m thinking when assessing Kudla’s chances tomorrow.

It’s a First @USOpen Round 3 for @Ons_Jabeur After Comeback Win Against Sasnovich

Posted by Admin on August 29, 2019
Posted in: New York, US Open, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Ons Jabeur, 2019 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

Ons Jabeur, 2019 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

It’s a First @USOpen Round 3 for @Ons_Jabeur After Comeback Win Against Sasnovich
Steve Fogleman in Flushing Meadows

Ons Jabeur said that today is her birthday, even though yesterday was the official date. Jabeur was all smiles as she told press that she didn’t like yesterday, so she “changed” her birthday to today and promptly presented herself with a 25th birthday gift in the form of a Round 3 US Open appearance after a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Aliaksandra Sasnovich in New York.

“It’s amazing, I mean, I love it in here. I love a city that is busy, noisy, I love the City that doesn’t sleep. I love playing on these courts.”

Ons Jabeur, 2019 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

Ons Jabeur, 2019 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

I’m glad that I stayed focused and got the energy to move better in the second and third set and I’m happy to be in the third round.”

Though she appeared in the third round at Roland Garros in 2017, Jabeur said she’s a more mature player now. “I couldn’t realize how I made it to the third round with less experience than now. Now I feel like I know what I’m doing on the courts. I have a great team behind me now.”

Part of that team includes Karim Kammoun, her fitness coach and husband. He planted a very romantic courtside kiss on Jabeur after the win.

“It was a long day yesterday, so it was kind of tough to wake up this morning to get in good shape on the court,” she said. Sasnovich “has a tricky game, she doesn’t give you the same, so I had to adjust my movements,” she continued. “I tried to not play her game, hit, hit, like she likes. Of course, mixing is my specialty so I try to put more pressure on her, and not giving up any points. That helped me when I was down 15-40. It helped me win more games, especially in the second set.”

Ons Jabeur, 2019 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

Ons Jabeur, 2019 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)


The Tunisian took up tennis at 3, and she reflected on her beginnings. “My mother (Samira) wanted to play tennis from a long time ago, and when she became a mom, I was the youngest one, and she took me with her to the club. I started to play a little bit with the small racket.”

“Her love for tennis gave me the opportunity to be here today,” she reflected. Mom’s not in NYC, but could be there on a moment’s notice but there’s one problem: she’s worried about being a jinx for her daughter since Ons has already won twice this week without her.

A more mature Jabeur faces #3 seed Karolina Pliskova in Round 3. The two have never met. An upset could be in the making.

First On at @USOpen, @KeiNishikori Punches Ticket to Third Round

Posted by Admin on August 28, 2019
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First on @USOpen, @KeiNishikori Punches Ticket to Third Round
Steve Fogleman in Queens

Morning rain delayed outdoor courts to a late start at the US Open in New York today, so Kei Nishikori and Bradley Klahn found themselves the center of all attention for an hour on Louis Armstrong Stadium at 11:00 a.m. It was a first meeting for both players, both 29 years old. Nishikori’s US Open main draw record improved to 25-9. Coming into the match, Klahn’s US Open record resembled the record of a rebuilding NFL franchise at 4-12.

Nishikori made the quarterfinals of every grand slam in 2019 and he’s halfway to that mark after the win today.

Kei cruised in the first set but his play was marred with errors in the second, giving up a pair of breaks to the American. He found comfortable form in the third but gave up two breaks of serve in the fourth to give a little false hope to Klahn. In the end, Klahn’s 18 aces could only keep him in the match for so long as Nishikori prevailed, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Kei will play either Alex de Minaur or Cristian Garin on Friday.

First @USOpen Win in 6 Years for @Riske4Rewards; DiLorenzo, @JuliaGoerges Advance to Second Round Clash

Posted by Admin on August 27, 2019
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Alison Riske, 2019 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

First @USOpen Win in 6 Years for @Riske4Rewards; DiLorenzo, @JuliaGoerges Advance to Second Round Clash
Steve Fogleman in Queens

Pittsburgh’s Alison Riske has seen a lot over the course of her eleven year pro career: marriage, a WTA title, Wimbledon quarterfinals, competition on six continents, Fed Cup glory. But wins at her home grand slam haven’t come easy. Today, for just the first time since 2013, Riske prevailed in a three set comeback win over Garbine Muguruza of Spain by a final of 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 in two hours and three minutes.

Muguruza looked comfortable in the first set and you sensed it would be another first round letdown for the American. Riske battled back with a sizzling net game, winning 83% of net points in the match. Muguruza hit only 24 winners in the match. Riske, who is through to the second round for the second time in her career, faces Latvian Jelena Ostapenko on Thursday.

Julia Goerges, 2019 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

American Francesca DiLorenzo won her second straight first round US Open match, this year upending Veronika Kudermetova, 7-6, 6-2. She gets Julia Goerges for her trouble: The German had a nasty three set battle against Natalia Vikhlyantseva which was decided by a final tiebreak.

Belinda Bencic, 2019 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

Other winners included Belinda Bencic, Petra Kvitova and Andrea Petkovic in early women’s action on Tuesday.

Petra Kvitova 2019 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

It’s a Day of Dreams at Friday’s @USOpen

Posted by Admin on August 23, 2019
Posted in: ATP, New York, US Open, US Open Qualifying, WTA. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

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It’s a Day of Dreams at Friday’s US Open
Steve Fogleman in New York

Friday qualifying has always been my favorite day of the year, and it’s finally upon us. When some people think about dreams coming true, they think of someone like Naomi Osaka winning a grand slam final in her first attempt. I don’t completely agree. Osaka’s run to the 2019 US Open title was indeed an incredible feat, but it’s likely to happen to less than 1% of pro players in their entire careers. For the rest of them, the dream isn’t winning the US Open, it’s playing in it. These athletes spend enormous amounts of cash to come to New York with their team and it’s a gamble unless you make it to the third round. A win in the third round, though, and it’s all gravy and glory: a $90,000 check awaits today’s main draw qualifiers.

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These athletes won’t be talking about the money today, though. They’ll be talking about how they’ve watched the US Open since they were kids and always wanted to play here. They’ll be talking about their success stories in the past in juniors here and how they always wanted to compete with the grown-ups in the main draw.

Today’s qualifiers, by and large, harbor no delusions of grandeur. They’d love to win majors, but they know you’ve got to play in the main draw to reach the next career goal. Yes, dreaming of winning the US Open final may tantalize them, but in the end they can achieve a manageable goal of playing in the US Open main draw and come in here next week with house money looking to knock out a top seed. Today could also be a pinnacle career highlight for some qualifiers, the greatest memory they ever have when they finally put the racquet down for the last time.

Either way, it’s a day of dreams come true for the best 32 players on an uncharacteristically cool August day in New York. You must be dreaming if you think I’d miss it for anything.

11 Americans on 4 Courts Looking for a Ticket to a @USOpen Qualifying Final Today

Posted by Admin on August 22, 2019
Posted in: ATP, New York, US Open, US Open Qualifying, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Asia Muhammad, 2019 US Open (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

11 Americans on 4 Courts Looking for a Ticket to a @USOpen Qualifying Final Today
Steve Fogleman in Queens

It’s last call to be a part of a dream-making Friday at the US Open where 16 men and 16 women will emerge from the hundreds of competitors who came for the very same thing. 11 Americans play on Thursday to attempt to join Taylor Townsend and one Jenson Brooksby as qualifying finalists.

Court 4 features Asia Muhammad against Bulgaria’s Isabella Shinkova. American Asia Muhammad faces #16 seed Barbara Krejcikova in the third and final match.

Caroline Dolehide takes on Australian Zoe Hives in the opener on Court 7 and 15-year-old Katrina Scott tries to stun the Russian Anna Kalinskaya in the third match.

Courts 11 and 12 boast an American player for every match. In one case, two compatriots will clash. Robin Anderson and Nicole Gibbs go head to head for the third time and Anderson holds the 2-1 head to head edge. Before the all-American match on Court 11, fans will look forward to perennial American qualifier Mitchell Krueger battle Egor Gerasimov followed by a bout between Hailey Baptiste and British talent Harriet Dart.

Home-grown pros Noah Rubin and Christina McHale are showcased on Court 12 today, after the opening match pitting American Varvara Lepchenko against Georgina Garcia Perez.