Sunday, September 7, 2025

My U.S. Open top 10

 My top 10 U.S. Open occurrences, in ascending order:

10. The power of a bad memory: “I just tried to not focus on the fact that I'm 2-4 or 0-2 down. I just tried to focus on every point, every shot that I make, on my plan, and my tasks on court. Then, yeah, I kind of forgot the score.” Those are the words of  new U.S. Open junior champion Jeline Vandromme of Belgium. The 14th seed, she won the title when she defeated qualifier Lea Nilsson 7-6(2), 6-2. And Nilsson's run was impressive. She had to win two qualifying rounds before knocking out three seeded players on her way to the final.

9. If you can make it here...: Until this year's U.S. Open, people who aren't serious tennis fans had probably never heard of Ann Li. However, on her way to the round of 16, the Pennsylvania native  took out 16th seed Belinda Bencic. She lost to 4th seed Jessica Pegula, but it was a very good run.

8, Twirling into the future: 45-year-old Venus Williams, a two-time U.S. Open singles champion and two-time U.S. Open doubles champion, entered the doubles competition with new partner Leylah Fernandez, and the pair took out two seeded teams on their way to the round of 16. They fell to top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, but it was fun to watch them, and to watch Fernandez make a point of getting her partner to do her famous twirl.

7. Hard (court) times:  6th seed and Australian Open champion Madison Keys lost a close first round match to Mexico's Renata Zarazua, who needed three hours and ten minutes to defeat her, 7-6(10), 6-7(3), 7-5. 

6. Yui makes it three: Top seed Yui Kamiji won her third U.S. Open wheelchair singles title at this year's tournament. Having already defeated six-time U.S. Open champion Diede de Groot in the quarterfinals, she defeated 3rd seed Li Xiaohui 0-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the final. Li and her partner, Wang Ziying--the 2nd seeds--won the doubles title, defeating the unseeded team of de Groot and Zhu Zhenzhen 6-4, 7-6(4).

5. Point made--I hope: The U.S. Open's ridiculous mixed doubles "competition"--a glorified exhibition event, paired all manner of players with each other, while omitting most actual mixed doubles and doubles specialists. Fortunately, a couple of those specialists--Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, the defending champions--won the event. This is the pair's second U.S. Open mixed doubles title, and their third title overall.

4. Hard to say goodbye: Both Petra Kvitova and Caroline Garcia retired from professional tennis at this year's U.S. Open. The two-time Wimbledon champion and the flying Frenchwoman--a two-time French Open doubles champion (with an outstanding singles record)--will be missed by fans and peers alike.

3. The hottest show in town: In 2009, Flavia Pennetta lit up the U.S. Open when she saved six match points with winners in her round of 16 match against Vera Zvonareva. In 2025, for Barbora Krejcikova, this became a "hold my Pilsner Urquell" moment: The Czech star, also in the round of 16, saved eight match points with winners in her match against Taylor Townsend. In the previous round, she had defeated Emma Navarro after going down 0-3 in the third set. Because of injury and rehab, Krejcikova had played only twelve matches during the season at this point, and she had saved match points in three of them.

2. Sweet repeat: 3rd seeds Gaby Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe, who won the U.S. Open doubles title in 2023, did it again this year, defeating top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend in an extremely well-played and exciting match. The pair also won the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati right before coming to New York. Their recent success is especially poignant, considering that Dabrowski was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.

1. Roar!: She took the scenic route, but world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka won her major in 2025. A finalist at both the Australian Open and the French Open, and a semifinalist at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open was Sabalenka's final chance to get a big trophy this year. She was also the defending champion, which probably created even more pressure, but the Tiger was up to the task. 

In an interesting twist to the story, at each of the other majors, her defeat came from a player from the USA--Madison Keys, Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova. And wouldn't you know it? In the final of the U.S. Open, there was Anisimova, the Wimbledon finalist--and a woman with a 6-3 record against Sabalenka--again. The two hard hitters played for an hour and a half, and there was a moment in the second set when it appeared that Anisimova had a chance to extend the match, but Sabalenka was too focused, and too good at winning the big points. 

This is Sabalenka's fourth major title; she won the U.S. Open last year, of course, and she won the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024.

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Saturday, September 6, 2025

Always in the New York groove

Today, world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka did something that no woman had done since 2013 and 2014--she won back-to-back U.S. Open singles titles. The last player to do that was Serena Williams, who did it twice in a row. Sabalenka defeated 8th seed Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6(3) in the final, and in doing so, created some unusual stats.

I"m not a big statistics person--I find that so many of the stats that are presented regarding professional tennis are obscure and irrelevant. But this one, in my opinion, is worth mentioning: In winning the U.S. Open, Sabalemka won her 100th major match. When she won Wimbledon a bit earlier in the summer, Iga Swiatek won her 100th major match. That's worth noting on its own, but here's the twist: They both defeated Anisimova in their respective finals.

Anisimova's story is a familiar one in the tennis world. It was a milestone for her to get to the final at Wimbledon, and a huge milestone for her to defeat Swiatek in the U.S. Open quarterfinals. And then, suddenly, she was in the final. And even though she came in with a 6-3 record against the world number 1 (and a 2-1 record on hard courts), she faced an uphill battle. Not only had Sabalenka already won three major titles, including a U.S. Open title, but--after losing both the Australian Open and the French Open finals this year--she was a Tiger on a mission.

Sabalenka may not be known for nuance, but the fact is, she and her team don't miss much. Anisimova defeated her in the Wimbledon semifinals, so she had very recent history upon which to draw. And--while Sabalenka can hit most opponents off the court--that isn't the case with Anisimova. In fact, if push came to shove, it would probably be the other way around. So The Tiger had to be ready.

 One thing that she did was to fine-tune her second serve. In New York, she had a second serve win percentage of 63, as opposed to 44 in London. She was also quite strategic in her serving, which helped her to take control of rallies. Sabalenka and Anisimova have long shared a trait--they have let their emotions get the better of them. And while both of them have pretty much overcome that problem, it was Sabalenka who was calmer and more in control today.

The match did become tense in the second set, when Sabalenka served for it at 5-4. She missed an overhead, and then she was broken. Anisimova then held, and the match went to a tiebreak. Sabalenka went up 4-1, then Anisimova double-faulted. Shortly thereafter, Sabalenka held five match points, and on her third, she won the championship.

Aryna Sabalenka has now won four majors---two Australian Open titles, and two U.S. Open titles. 

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Friday, September 5, 2025

Dabrowski and Routliffe win U.S. Open doubles title

3rd seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe won the 2025 U.S. Open doubles title today, defeating top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-4 in the final. And while a score of 6-4, 6-4 may not look that exciting, the match was thrilling to watch, and was accompanied by some excellent commentary by five-time U.S. Open doubles champion Pam Shriver (with Rennae Stubbs courtside). 

This is the team's second major title; they won the U.S. Open in 2023. In 2024, Dabrowski was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer and had two surgeries. After a three-month break, she returned to the tour. Dabrowski won a bronze medal for Canada in mixed doubles with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Paris Olympics last summer, and she and Routliffe aso won the WTA Finals last year. While she was competing in these events, the Canadian star was still receiving treatment for cancer.

This year, she and Routliffe won the Cincinnati Open, a WTA 1000 event, and the final lead-up tour to the U.S. Open.

Yesterday, there was big, though not exactly unexpected, news in the wheelchair division. Diede de Groot, still finding her way back after she took a break for surgery and rehab, lost her quarterfinal to Yui Kamiji, who has now won four matches against the woman known as Diede the Great. and the woman who has been Kamiji's professional nemesis for some time. Top seed Kamiji also won her semifinal against 4th seed Wang Ziying. She will face 3rd seed Li Xiaohui in the final. 

The doubles will feature the unseeded team of de Groot and Zhu Zhenzhen and 2nd seeds Li and Wang.  

In juniors, Lea Nilsson of Sweden, who is unseeded will compete for the title against 14th seed Jeline Vandromme of Belgium.

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Amanda Anisimova--I want what she's having

We often look to sports figures for inspiration for obvious reasons--(some of) their struggles are on public display, and their bodies are at risk much of the time. They get injured, and they come back. They get injured repeatedly and they keep coming back. They lose heartbreaking matches, then we see them on the court again. The discipline of sport can indeed be inspirational.

Amanda Anisimova's story is not only one involving the mental/emotional part of an athlete's struggle, but--to make it more intense--the effects of a recent loss that most people would probably refer to as "humiliating." 

There was never any doubt that Anisimova was talented, yet--prior to this year--she had won only two tournaments, both at the 250 level. In May of 2023, Anisimova took a break from the tour to deal with burnout and mental health issues. She returned eight months later, and--that summer--she reached her first WTA 1000 final, in Toronto. This year, she won her first 1000 event, in Doha. 

That was the beginning of what has become Anisimova's banner year. Earlier this summer, she reached the final at Wimbledon, having upset world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals. In the final, she faced world number 2 Iga Swiatek, who was on a mission to win her first Wimbledon title. Swiatek defeated Anisimova 6-0, 6-0. And, while a beat-down is a beat-down, a beat-down in the final of a major (even if delivered by the woman known as the Bagel Queen) is another matter altogether.

Anisimova responded by reaching the final of the U.S. Open. She didn't "need" to: reaching the second week of the tournament would have looked very impressive to those in the tennis world. And, to add considerably to the drama, Anisimova had to play Swiatek in the quarterfinals. She beat her, too--in straight sets, and called it "the most meaningful victory I've had in my life."

Anisimova's next task was to take on two-time champion Naomi Osaka in the semifinals. A year ago, that might not have seemed like an especially big obstacle, but Osaka is obviously "back," with her big, deadly game. The Japanese star did get a bit of a break in her quarterfinal match because her very talented opponent, Karolina Muchova, sustained an injury and had some problems with movement. But even so, Osaka looked as good as she has ever looked.

It was a tense match, and it lasted almost three hours. Anisimova played her big game, which included 50 winners and 45 unforced errors, but--other than those numbers (Osaka hit 32 winners and made 27 unforced errors)--the stats for the two players were very similar. And while she played very well, Osaka did display some vulnerabilities, and her opponent took advantage of them. Anisimova won the match 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-3. She is the first player to defeat Osaka in a major semifinal.

The other semifinal was just as competitive. Defending champion and world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka competed against 4th seed and 2024 finalist Jessica Pegula. There they were again, facing each other, just one rung beneath last year's contest, in which Sabalenka defeated Pegula 7-5, 7-6. 

It was a match of momentum swings, with Pegula taking the first set, 6-4. Sabalenka became more consistent in the second set, and won it with a 6-3 score. The final set was as dramatic as one would have hoped it to be. In this set, Pegula had four break points, but was not able to convert any of them, and Sabalenka took the set, 6-4. The world number 1 hit 43 winners to Pegula's 21. She also hit eight aces, putting some emphasis on how much her service game has improved.

This is the third time in a row that Sabalenka has reached the U.S. Open finals. She was, of course, the winner last year, and in 2023, she was defeated by Coco Gauff. 

Anisimova is 6-3 against Sabalenka, and she is 2-1 against her on hard courts.

Paths to the final:

ARYNA SABALENKA (1)

round 1--def. Rebeka Masarova
round 2--def. Polina Kudermetova
round 3--def. Leylah Fernandez (31)
round of 16--def. Cristina Bucsa
quarterfinals--def. Marketa Vondrousova (walkover)
semifinals--def. Jessica Pegula (4)

AMANDA ANISIIMOVA (8)

round 1--def. Kimberly Birrell
round 2--def. Maya Joint
round 3--def. Jaqueline Cristian
round of 16--def. Beatriz Haddad Maia (18)
quarterfinals--def. Iga Swiatek (2)
semifinals--def. Naomi Osaka (23)

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Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Lesson of the day: Don't mess with Amanda

When it comes to the two very gifted Czech players, Marketa Vondrousova and Karolina Muchova, fans have to enjoy the good times while they can. Both players have sustained multiple injuries, and--in Vondrousova's case--multiple surgeries (and Muchova had wrist surgery last year). Vondrousova has missed so much tour time because of injury, surgery and rehab that it's nothing short of a wonder that she has still somehow managed to win Wimbledon, become a finalist at the French Open, and win an Olympic silver medal. 

Vondrousova has looked scary-good at the U.S. Open, and she impressively upset both Jasmine Paolini and Elena Rybakina on her way to the quarterfinals. But then something else happened on the way to the quarterfinals: Dealing with an already fragile knee, Vondrousova felt pain during her quarterfinal match warm-up and decided that going forward could aggravate the injury. She withdrew from the U.S. Open, giving her opponent, defending champion and top seed Aryna Sabalenka, a walkover into the semifinals.

Earlier in the day, another very gifted Czech, Barbora Krejcikova, was defeated in straight sets by 4th seed and 2024 runner-up Jessica Pegula. Pegula played superbly, but it was also obvious that Krejckova--whose dramatic eight-match point save the day before became an instant classic--had run out of fuel, as I suspected she might.

When they last met, in the final at Wimbledon, Amanda Anisimova and Iga Swiatek were on the court for less than an hour; Swiatek won her first Wimbledon title after defeating first-time finalist Anisimova 6-0, 6-0. After winning her U.S. Open round of 16 match, Anisimova told an interviewer: “Who would’ve thought we’d meet again so soon? I’m super excited. It’s gonna be a great match--I hope--this time”

Late this afternoon, it looked as though Anisimova had locked her evil twin in a basement in London, as she went after Swiatek from the moment they hit the court. Perhaps she also locked Swiatek's first serve in the basement, too, because Swiatek struggled to find it. The 2nd seed got her first serve in only 50% of the time, and that turned out to be her undoing, given that she won with only 33% of her second serves. Anisimova hit 23 winners, as opposed to Swiatek's 13. Her 6-4, 6-3 victory puts her into the semifinals.

In the evening match, Karolina Muchova faced off against Naomi Osaka, lost the firs set 4-6, and--she sustained an injury. I'm tempted to say "of course she did," though serious tennis fans were undoubtedly thinking it. This time, it was her thigh. She returned to the court after taking a medical time out, but her movement wasn't the same as it had been. The Czech player had already injured her hip in the round of 16, so this injury was undoubtedly an extension of that one. 

Despite her movement issues, Muchova served very well. Against another opponent, that might have been enough to compensate, but Osaka also served at a very high level. Muchova did serve for the second set at 5-4, but was broken at love. The second set went to a tiebreak, which Osaka won, 7-3, and thereby advanced to the semifinals.

The match was well-played and very competitive, despite Muchova's injury (her second round to play well, even while hampered). However, it should be noted that Naomi Osaka played like--Naomi Osaka. The woman who won four hard court majors was on the court tonight, doing everything--serving, hitting, moving, reading the court--like the superb athlete that she is.

Here is the semifinal draw:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) v. Jessica Pegula (4)
Naomi Osaka (23) v. Amanda Anisimova (8) 

In the meantime, the doubles semifinals were completed. Top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend defeated 4th seeds Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens 6-3, 7-6(3), and 3rd seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe defeated 2nd seeds Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 6-3.

And defending champion Diede de Groot (from 2023--there were no wheelchair events last year), unseeded at this event, defeated Lucy Shuker 6-3, 6-0 in her first round.  

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Monday, September 1, 2025

A closer look at the U.S. Open quarterfinals--the X factors

For the first time in the Open Era, there are three Czech women in the U.S. Open quarterfinals. That alone makes the draw interesting, especially considering the fact that two of those players, Karolina Muchova and Marketa Vondrousova have spent way too much time off of the tour because of chronic injury problems. Yet even with this misfortune, Vondrousova found a way to win Wimbledon, be a runner-up at the French Open, and win an Olympic silver medal. 

The other Czech player, Barbora Krejcikova, has won both the French Open and Wimbledon, yet--because of a back injury and an illness, she didn't re-enter the tour until May of this year. 

One can't help but believe that if these Czech stars stayed healthy, they would have lifted a lot more trophies. 

A match-up in a major is never as cut-and-dried as it appears on the draw sheet. Here are the stories behind the stories in the 2025 U.S. Open singles draw:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) v. Marketa Vondrousova: World number 1 Sabalenka, the two-time Australian Open defending champion, lost this year's final to Madison Keys. She reached the final of the French Open (perhaps to the surprise of some people) this year, only to lose to Coco Gauff. She is also the defending champion at the U.S. Open, and is undoubtedly very motivated to win a major this year. The good news is that this motivation could make her quite deadly. Standing in her way, though, is the unflappable Vondrousova, who is capable of beating anyone on a given day. If she can get into Sabalenka's head, her chances are good.

Jessica Pegula (4) v. Barbora Krejcikova: Jessica Pegula is a very good hard court player. She was, in fact, last year's runner-up, losing to Sabalenka in a very close match (7-5, 7-5). She, too, will be very motivated. Krejcikova played what may have been one of the matches of her life in the round of 16, and it would be reasonable to expect her to be both mentally and physically drained from the drama alone. But the two-time major champion has extraordinary mental strength, so the usual expectations may not apply to her.

Karolina Muchova (11) v. Naomi Osaka (23): Muchova, who sustained a lower back injury during her round of 16 match, is a question mark. In today's round of 16 match, she was able to defeat Marta Kostyuk, an especially tough cookie, even while she was in pain and her movement was hampered. But the stylish Czech star doesn't get a day off, and if her injury continues to flare in her quarterfinal match against two-time champion Osaka, it could spell trouble; Osaka is playing at a very high level. On the other hand, if she's pain-free, she can give Osaka trouble with her extreme athleticism and her stunning shot-making ability.

Amanda Anisimova (8) v. Iga Swiatek (2): The X factor here is obvious: Swiatek double-bageled Anisimoa in the Wimbledon final, and the desire for redemption has to be very strong. Amanda Anisimova is a very fine player who has takena a long and winding road to get where she is, and all eyes will be on her as she gets another chance to play a big match against 2022 champion Swiatek.

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Czechs STILL bringing the drama at the U.S. Open, part 3: Muchova overcomes both injury and a fierce opponent

Two of my favorite players to watch are Karolina Muchova and Marta Kostyuk--Muchova for her athleticism and artistry, Kostyuk for her athleticism and tenacity. The two met in the U.S. Open round of 16 today, and they didn't disappoint. And in Muchova's case, there was a very familiar feature I was hoping I wouldn't see.

After taking the first set 6-3, partway into the second set, Muchova took a medical time out, presumably for her lower back. The Czech player's career has been so hampered by injury that to see her have a physical problem on the court is nothing short of fear-inducing. Muchova returned to the court, but it was obvious that she was still in pain. However, the quality of the match was not compromised.

Midway through the second set, Muchova, not surprisingly, called for the physio again. She returned to the court to serve, but again, her movement was hampered. She reverted to guile (not a hard thing for her to do), which is needed against Kostyuk, even if everything else is going well. To add to the plot, the two had somehow never played each other before, so there was a bit of mystery about the whole affair.

The second set went to a tiebreak, which Kostyuk won 7-0. Given the Ukrainian player's momentum and her opponent's injury (and long history of injury-ridden back luck), one would think that the stage would have been set for Kostyuk to surge forward. However, perhaps guided (consciously or otherwise) by the Krejcikova Factor, Muchova went up 4-1, then 4-2, but then Kostyuk got break points, and the seventh, rather entertaining, game dragged on for some time. 

Muchova won it, and went up 5-2, after which a determined Kostyuk served a love game. With her opponent leading 40-0 in the next game, Kostyuk saved two match points, but it wasn't enough. After two hours and 53 minutes, the 11th seed got her victory. In the end, it came down not only to Muchova's ability to fight through her discomfort, but also to Kostyuk's failure to convert all but one of ten break opportunities.

Also winning today were 2nd seed and 2022 champion Iga Swiatek, who defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-1, and two-time champion Naomi Osaka, who upset 3rd seed and 2023 champion Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-2. This was Oaska's first time to go past the third round since her 2020 title run.

In the night match, 8th seed and Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova faced off against 18th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia. And while the Brazilian player can wear an opponent down, she didn't get a chance to wear down Anisimova, who defeated her 6-0, 6-3.

Here is the quarterfinal draw:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) v. Marketa Vondrousova
Jessica Pegula (4) v. Barbora Krejcikova
Karolina Muchova (11) vs. Naomi Osaka (23)
Amanda Anisimova (8) v. Iga Swiatek (2)

In doubles, the five top seeds are into the third round. The only unseeded team left is that of Leylah Fernandez and Venus Williams, and they will face top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend in the quarterfinals.

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Czechs still bringing the drama at the U.S. Open--part 2: match point madness

Yesterday, I wrote about Barbora Krejcikova's coming back from 0-3 in the third set to defeat Emma Navarro. It turns out that that was child's play. Yesterday, in her three-hour round of 16 match against Taylor Townsend, the Czech star saved eight match points, six of which she saved in a second-set, 25-minute tiebreak. It was one of those tennis occurrences that--even though you were watching it--you couldn't quite believe it was happening. But then--a Czech player was involved.

Townsend won the first set 6-1, and--not to take anything from away her excellent play--but Krejcikova didn't seem to be wholly "there," and her forehand--usually her main weapon--was a mess. Apparently, getting trounced in the first set was all that she needed to turn on the switch--the second set was a different story, in that it was--whatever is beyond "highly competitive." Krejcikova saved two match points and brought the set to a tiebreak, which spectators will probably continue to think of as a set unto itself.

Townsend, who seemed undeterred by her opponent's resurgence (she saved three set points), created six more match points--and Krejcikova saved all of them, finally winning the tiebreak 15-13. By this time, the Krejcikova forehand had become lethal, especially in its cross-court version--though her down-the-lines-were also stunning. The third set was also competitive: Krejckova immediately went up a break, lost it, won it back, and then won the set 6-4, giving her a dramatic victory.

The Czech star missed the first four months of the season because of a back injury, and she also had to deal with a a foot injury, other assorted injuries, and an illness earlier in the season. Since returning to the tour, she has won twelve matches, and in three of them, she had to save match points.  

Krejcikova's countrywoman (and fellow Wimbledon champion), Marketa Vondrousova--who has experienced some of the most chronic injury woes on the tour (she's had two surgeries in the past three years)--arrived healthy in New York, and last night, played a highly anticipated match against another Wimbledon champion, Elena Rybakina. At her best, Vondrousova makes the toughest shots look "oh, I do this every day" easy, and last night, she was at her best. 

Aside from being Wimbledon champions, Vondrousova and Rybakina have something else in common: They were both cool, collected, no-nonsense players, and it's a pleasure to watch them compete against each other. Their match on Arthur Ashe Stadium last night was a beautiful display of tennis, with Vondrousova emerging as the victor, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. And while there was none of the drama of Krejcikova's match, the last game was pretty dramatic: Vondrousova, down 15-40, closed the match with three aces (she hit thirteen total), and a winner. Cool and collected indeed.

Earlier in the day, Jessica Pegula defeated countrywoman Ann Li 6-1, 6-2, and top seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka defeated Cristina Bucsa 6-1, 6-4. 

Round of 16 play will be completed today. 

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