Viktoriya Tomova

DANIEL ISLAND, SC–Just four weeks ago, Ambassador Nikki Haley came to Daniel Island to end her presidential campaign. Like political races, tennis tournaments are cruel because only one of the 64 talented professional athletes will find unmitigated success by Sunday afternoon in the singles final. A few of the players took strides to muster on for the top prize after the first day of main draw play here and a few of them packed their bags.

Caroline Wozniacki, a 2011 Charleston champion, summoned some of the form that made her #1 in a 6-0, 6-1 win over McCartney Kessler. She played loose and in-form in the match. Seeded Anhelina Kalinina should be nervous about facing the Great Dane tomorrow in the round of 32.

Viktoriya Tomova, in her tournament debut, gutted out a three set win over Mayer Sherif, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 on Court 3 yesterday. Today, she’ll look for her first ever top 10 victory when she meets Maria Sakkari.

Daria Saville keeps on churning out wins in Charleston and she let out a primal roar on Althea Gibson court as she concluded the campaign of Tamara Korpatsch in a see-saw match with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 result. Elina Svitolina should have her hands full with this one tomorrow..

And congratulations to American Katie Volynets on winning the longest match of the WTA tour so far in this year’s campaign. It took her only three hours and forty-three minutes to overcome Arantxa Rus, 6-2, 6-7(6), 7-6(6). The match was so long it forced organizers to move the doubles match scheduled later on the court to the stadium. Her reward is ignominious with a second round match-up against 10 seed Emma Navarro.

The day session features Danielle Collins, fresh off her Miami title, squaring off against the dangerous Paula Badosa. If Tomova has anything left in the tank from yesterday, her match with Sakkari could be a gem. The night session opens with Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova, followed by Madison Keys and what could be a tough out against Jaqueline Cristian Who’s dropping out today?

—S. Fogleman

Qualifying Finals Set at 2016 US Open
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

Pegula

This is my favorite part of qualifying, when one match now stands between these players basking in the glory of participating in a grand slam main draw and getting a $43,300 check just for showing up at that match. In the past, a loss in qualifying meant very little in compensation. This year, the USTA increased the prize money so that qualifiers who make it to the third round receive over $10,000. Trust me, that money barely covers their expenses. To make for a very profitable trip to New York, you’ve got to qualify. And we’ve got 32 final money matches on tap today after we sorted the second round on Thursday in Flushing Meadows.

Court 5 was loaded with Americans on Thursday, but only one of them pulled through to the big money round. 14-year-old Amanda Anisimova showed poise in winning the second set against Japan’s Eri Hozumi, but the young American got a taste of future heartbreak when she set up a third set tiebreak only to lose it at 1. After the Anisimova match, Jesse Pegula took the court, and few would have guessed that her straight sets win over An-Sophie Mestach would be the sole American victory on that court. Ilya Ivashka bested Ryan Shane, France’s Myrtille Georges shocked Melanie Oudin in a rain-punctuated affair and Reilly Opelka was forced to retire in the third set against Santiago Giraldo.

Pegula was satisfied with her win today, after losing to Mestach recently. “I’m feeling really good. I thought today was a really good win. I knew I was going to have to be mentally tough today, given the conditions and because I lost to her a few weeks ago,” she said. After a rough start to the year, she made the semis at Citi Open last month. “I don’t know what it is, maybe I just warm up by this time of year”, she joked. “I’m excited and have a lot more tournaments after this too, and excited to end this year with some good momentum.”

Today, she’ll try to qualify for the event for the second consecutive year. “Qualifying, I would say, is so tough. I almost think it’s tougher than if you were playing in the main draw because obviously everyone is so hungry. Everyone wants to do well and it’s such a big stage”, she said.

Asia Muhammad also had a statement win to stay alive for Friday’s big money round with a 6-2, 6-2 knockout of Cindy Burger.

Muhammad

There’s no exhaustion on her part during this qualifying marathon. “I actually feel better than I did after the first (qualifying) match”, she told us. On the rigors and advantages of qualifying, she agreed with Pegula. “If you can qualify, I think it’s nice getting into the main draw having some matches under your belt, getting used to the court, so I actually think it can you help you sometimes when you’re playing someone who hasn’t even played a match yet”.

By my count, there are only two players staying at my hotel, Myrtille Georges and Viktoriya Tomova. Both players are little known in these parts, and both of them are still standing. If they both win today, I’m crediting it to the legit massage parlor downstairs and the fabulous breakfast on the rooftop and inviting Melanie Oudin to stay here next year.