Estonia

Another Case of the Mondays for @Simona_Halep as @KanepiKaia Sends World #1 Home Early From @USOpen
Steve Fogleman from New York

I hate Mondays. But not as much as Simona Halep hates Mondays in New York. On Monday, August 28, 2017 she was sent packing from the US Open after an opening-round loss to Maria Sharapova. Today, on Monday, August 27, 2018, the now-World #1 got an even bigger shocker, being dominated by world #44 Kaia Kanepi, a player who had to qualify for this main draw just a year ago. Halep became infamous today as the first top female player in the world to lose a first round match at the US Open.

The Estonian came out early and dominated Halep in every statistic, breaking the favorite five times en route to the victory. After she was down two breaks and a set, it was clear that Simona was trying to surge, but Kanepi kept playing aggressively and pusing Halep behind the baseline. The crowd was in Halep’s favor all the way down to 4-4 all in the second set, but when Kanepi broke her to set up the final game of the match, she got a standing ovation from the crowd. Kanepi becomes the first player, man or woman, to win a match on the newly-constructed Louis Armstrong Stadium.

“I love playing here in New York,” she said after the match. “I have always loved it. So maybe the court also suits my game.” She wasn’t thrilled about the fact that the fans seemed to be cheering for Halep until the end ” Yeah, I was thinking about that, why they cheer for the underdog. Now they cheer for her. It was a bit annoying for some time, but I got over it.”

Kanepi can advance to the third round on Wednesday when she faces qualifier Jil Teichmann.

Kaia Kanepi, 2017 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

After Qualifying, Kaia Kanepi Could be Dangerous at US Open
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

Kaia Kanepi is lurking to bust your bracket. After dispatching Hsieh Su-wei, the #1 qualifying seed in New York last Friday in straight sets, Kanepi is ready for a run. Tennis Atlantic spoke with Kanepi after the 6-2, 6-4 qualifying final on Friday. She’d previously beaten Nina Stojanović 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday and went three sets with Louisa Chirico, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 on Thursday.

“It’s a really amazing feeling, really. I have never done it at the US Open, made it through qualification, so it’s great,” she said. “It suits my game really well,” Kanepi said of the courts and conditions in New York. “I get a lot of support here and the Estonians love New York like I do,” she added.

Despite numerous injuries throughout her career and even a case of mononucleosis, her four tour titles and five Grand Slam quarterfinals, including the 2010 US Open, render her a serious threat. She won two tournaments this summer in Essen, Germany and Parnu, Estonia. Though those titles might not put the fear of god in her opponents, her resolve through qualifying at 11368–the zip code for the US Open–should.

She draws Francesca Schiavone on Tuesday in Round 1. Schiavone at #77 and Kanepi at #418 may look like a mismatch on paper but it’s not that simple. Though the two haven’t played in 5 years, the Estonian took the last two, with the last match a 6-3, 6-0 runaway by Kanepi in 2012. The winner of Tuesday’s first round match gets Lesia Tsurenko or Yanina Wickmayer. A Round 3 matchup could be against 6 seed Angelique Kerber, if either Kanepi or Kerber make it that far. And they’ve split their four tour head-to-heads.

You heard it here first. Kanepi could spell big trouble in this part of the draw.