When you mix stripes and Czechs at the U.S. Open

“It’s amazing to beat a player like this. I don’t believe it.” -  @KaPliskova #usopenhttps://t.co/p8tBQpMzR1 pic.twitter.com/jWtSRcx4YE

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2016

Karolina Pliskova's run at the 2016 U.S. Open has been quite impressive, though--if you just listened to commentators--you'd scarcely know that the rangy Czech star was even in the mix. Pliskova won her first big event, in Cincinnati, just a couple of weeks before the start of the Open. To get that win, she had to beat a red-hot Angelique Kerber in the final. All the same, the Czech's poor showing in majors (never getting beyond the third round) led many to believe she would ride her Cincinnati wave for a while and then crash in the early stages or the tournament.

Only she didn't. She made it to the round of 16, and then--before you could say "Ana Konjuh is the breakout player at the U.S. Open"--Pliskova had knocked out an extremely nervous Konjuh and reached the semifinals.

Pliskova, with her Kvitova-like English syntax, mellow demeanor, and intricate arm and leg body art, has become a Fed Cup beast. And while that doesn't always translate into domination at other events (here we are, right back to the subject of Kvitova), it certainly helps. Already having defeated Venus Williams in the round of 16, the Czech star's job tonight was to defeat Serena Williams. Serena was injured--she later said she hurt her knee in the second or third round--which made Pliskova's job easier.

We've all seen Serena play through various injuries, but tonight, she said, having an injury caused her to think about her knee rather than to focus solely on her game.

But this isn't to take anything away from Karolina Pliskova, who kept her cool throughout what had to be the most emotionally charged match of her career. Pliskova won 84% of her first serve points, which is a huge statistic. She also hit seven aces. Her 6-2, 7-6 victory made her the eighth woman to defeat both Williams sisters in one tournament, and the fourth woman to do so at a major.

While the television commentators rightfully heaped praise on the Czech player for her serve, it should be noted that Pliskova's return game was huge. She not only handled some of Williams's biggest serves, but steadily worked her way into rallies until she had the confidence that she could take control of the points. Her timing was that of a mature and elite player.

It should also be noted that Williams' quarterfinal match was a very tough one. Taken to three thrilling sets by Simona Halep, the world number 1 had to work very hard for a long time to get to the semifinals. Pliskova, for her part, had an easy time dispatching the suddenly very nervous Ana Konjuh, who had performed so brilliantly against Aga Radwanska.

The 18-year-old Konjuh, by the way, will be seen on a big stage again. She has a huge game, and her mental collapse in the quarterfinals is likely to be a "never again" moment for her.

Meanwhile, Caroline Wozniacki easily won her quarterfinal when her opponent, Anastaija Sevastova, sustained an injury early in the match. Sevastova (who took out 3rd seed Garbine Muguruza in the second round), played on, but she was clearly hurt and unable to move very much.

That put world number 74 (and former world number 1) Wozniacki into a semifinal contest against world number 2 Angie Kerber. Kerber defeated Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals, and their first set was a thing of beauty, which the German won 7-5. But Vinci was done, and didn't win a game in the second set.

Before Kerber even stepped on to Arthur Ashe Stadium, she had a victory. Serena's loss meant that Kerber will be number 1 in the world when the new rankings are published on Monday. She would have become number 1 a couple of weeks ago had she defeated Karolina Pliskova in the Cincinnati final. So Pliskova kept her from getting the top ranking then, but tonight, was responsible for Kerber's rise to number 1. Funny.

Kerber defeated Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3. The German soon-to-be-number-1 hit 19 winners and made 16 unforced errors.

There was also exciting doubles semifinal action. Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova defeated Olympic gold medal winners Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 6-2, 7-6, and top seeds Caroline Garcia and Kiki Mladenovic defeated Martina Hingis and CoCo Vandeweghe 6-3, 6-4.

Vandeweghe is still around, however. She and partner Rajeev Ram have made it to the mixed doubles final. Their opponents will be Laura Siegemund and Mate Pavic.

Karolina Pliskova refuses to leave Flushing Meadows

.@KaPliskova makes first Grand Slam Quarterfinal!

Saves a match point to beat Venus 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(3)! #USOpen pic.twitter.com/y7m31R6Iwe

— WTA (@WTA) September 5, 2016

For a while, you could just copy and paste "never gotten beyond the third round of a major" when you were writing about Karolina Pliskova, the non-Barking Czech and Fed Cup super-player. And this week, she not only made it to the round of 16 of the U.S. Open, she entered the quarterfinals today by defeating 6th seed Venus Williams.

It was a very good match, filled with momentum swings. Pliskova saved a match point, and then saw three of her own match points disappear after she reached 40-0. She was able to take care of things on her fifth match point. The fact that she saved a match point and then recovered from seeing three of them evaporate on failed big serves says a great deal about the current Pliskova mentality.

She'll have her hands full when she plays Ana Konjuh. The 18-year-old dispatched of 4th seed Aga Radwanska in masterful fashion, playing a very "big" game and flummoxing the Polish star in straight sets. But Pliskova has to be breathing a sigh of relief because she stood very little chance of defeating The Ninja. She's 0-6 against Radwanska, who knows how to take the Czech player's legs away from her and make her head spin.

It had to be a special feeling for Konjuh, beating Radwanska, after the bizarre turn their Wimbledon match took. At 7-all in the third-set tiebreak, Konjuh attempted to retrieve a wicked Radwanska drop shot, stepped on the ball, and turned her ankle. She stayed on the court but lost the tiebreak--and the match.

The Pliskova-Konjuh match has the potential to be very, very good. Unless Konjuh gets too nervous. Or Plishy goes to that "Czech place."

Serena Williams easily defeated Yaroslava Shvedova and will face 5th seed Simona Halep in the quarterfinals. Halep (and her evil twin) defeated Carla Suarez Navarro today in the round of 16. It wasn't pretty some of the time, and if Halep can get that frustrated over the Spaniard, I can only imagine what might happen when she faces Serena.

In tomorrow's quarterfinal contests, 2015 runner-up Roberta Vinci will play 2nd seed Angelique Kerber. It's hard to imagine that this won't be the end of Vinci's run, but no matter--she has handled the 2016 U.S. Open like the Fighting Italian that she is. Also--you never know.

The other match will feature "surprise" quarterfinalist Caroline Wozniacki against surprise quarterfinalist Anastasija Sevastova. This was "supposed" to have been a Keys vs. Konta quarterfinal, and I was expecting Konta to serve her way to the semifinals. But in the "who knows which chapter?" of What Do I Know?, Sunshine took down Keys, and Sevastova beat a totally lackluster Konta.

But it wasn't all about Konta's oddly detached performance: Sevastova played really well and has had quite a run at this event. She first took out Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (I know, but honestly, Schmiedy has been doing better lately), then efficiently sent Garbine Muguruza packing, and followed that with a defeat of Kateryna Bondarenko. Considering her ranking, her circumstances and her draw, Sevastova could arguably be called the biggest achiever so far at the tournament.

Quarterfinals are also set for doubles competition, and top seeds Caroline Garcia and Kiki Mladenovic will face Cincinnati champions Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova in a "don't miss" match tomorrow morning.

Plishy breaks the curse, Keys gets mentally tough, Vinci stays alive

First Grand Slam Round of 16 for @KaPliskova!

Powers past Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 6-4! #USOpen pic.twitter.com/ghpqkeXOYb

— WTA (@WTA) September 3, 2016

The third round of singles at the U.S. Open has contained a lot of thrills, though they may not have been the type fans were expecting. Most thrilling was Madison Keys' comeback from 1-5 down in the third set to defeat star-in-the-making Naomi Osaka. In the end, Keys found her champion mode, while Osaka blinked rather heavily.

Simona Halep cruised through her first set against Timea Babos, but Babos found her rhythm (not surprisingly--she's getting increasingly dangerous) and took the second set from a somewhat slumping Halep. It was obvious that Babos, who was on quite a streak in the second set, got into Halep's head, and we all know what that can mean. But the 5th seed calmed herself and slowed herself down in the final set to walk away with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 victory.

Former finalist Caroline Wozniacki surprised many by getting through the third round, Petra Kvitova probably surprised many, too (not a nice thing to have to write), when she prevailed over Elina Svitolina. Kvitova has cut her practice time drastically, which may be just the right move for the physically fragile Barking Czech.

Anastajia Sevastova, who retired from the sport and came back, has also survived three rounds, as has Ana Konjuh. Sevastova, in fact, played the now-recurring role of "the sweeper" who brushes away Garbine Muguruza in the early days of a major. And Cincinnati champion Karolina Pliskova, who had never before gotten beyond the third round of a major, put a stop to that nonsense today with a straight sets win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

And look which fighting Italian is still in the draw! 2015 finalist Roberta Vinci is still around and still fighting. Vinci has taken out Anna-Lena Friedsam, Christina McHale and Carina Witthoeft (who impressively took out both 30th seed Misaki Doi and Yulia Putintseva).

Here is the round of 16 singles draw:

Serena Williams (1) vs. Yaroslava Shvedova
Carla Suarez Navarro (11) vs. Simona Halep (5)
Agnieszka Radwanska (4) vs. Ana Konjuh
Karolina Pliskova (10) vs. Venus Williams (6)
Madison Keys (8) vs. Caroline Wozniacki
Johanna Konta (13) vs. Anastajia Sevastova
Roberta Vinci (7) vs. Lesia Tsurenko
Petra Kvitova (14) vs. Angelique Kerber (2)

Notes on the draw:

Johanna Konta is now my write-in dark horse for every major but the French. The Brit is not only talented, but mentally steady and a terrific server. She is not to be under-estimated in any circumstance.

The absolute "must watch" match is Kvitova vs. Kerber. They are 4-4 against each other and have never played one another in a major. Given Petra's "problem," the odds favor Kerber. But if Scary Petra should show up, things could get very, very interesting. Listen for the barks.

The U.S. Open is not generally a happy event for Radwanska, but she now has a pretty good chance of advancing to the quarterfinals. As always, it's been a joy to watch her so far.

Madison Keys needs to keep the errors down. Wozniacki has endurance from hell, and doesn't care how long the rallies last. When she's playing well, she can keep a point going on and on, waiting for her opponent's error. And while her defensive play has also been her downfall, Keys is prone to making quite a few errors and could fall into Woz's "I'll wait you out" trap.

Pliskova and Venus might just hit each other off the court. The Czech player has a wonderful serve and a lot of confidence concerning that serve. If she doesn't go to whatever planet Czech players sometimes visit, she'll do whatever she can to out-serve Williams and break down her forehand.

Tsurenko, who has had a poor season, seems to have found her game again, but she'll have to stay very pumped up againt the Fighting Italian.

I think Halep will prevail over Suarez-Navarro, but these days, you never know.

And then there's Serena. She shouldn't have any trouble getting past Shvedova, though--if Shvedova should bring her big serve--she could win more games that some may expect.

In doubles, top seeds Caroline Garcia and Kiki Mladenovic have made it through to the third round. In mixed doubles. defending champions Martina Hingis and Leander Paes were defeated in the second round tonight when they both fell apart during the super-tiebreak (they had an 8-4 lead before they were destroyed by nerves). Hingis and Paes lost to CoCo Vandeweghe and Rajeev Ram.

Hingis and Vandeweghe are doubles partners, and have advanced to the third round in women's doubles.

Trashy is as trashy does--USTA takes a cheap shot at Bouchard

Not that long ago, former WTA chair"man" Stacey Allaster was so enthusiastic about Genie Bouchard and her Army that she offered to pay the Genie Army's expenses as they traveled in support of the WTA's Golden Girl. It took people like us on the Internet to point out the obvious to Allaster (the same person who wanted to create a body-invasive grunt-o-meter to further abuse female athletes)--that such a move was unethical.

Oh, how times have changed. Last week, the USTA decided to comment--right before the U.S. Open began--on the lawsuit Bouchard filed against them following last year's Open. With no settlement in sight, the USTA's managing director of corporate communications, Chris Widmaier, issued this statement: "It is truly unfortunate that a year after her accident, Genie’s focus is on matters other than playing to her best ability."

How low can you go?

Bouchard's 2015 season was already at a low point. She was already dealing with injuries, and perhaps greatest of all, the injury inflicted on her in the 2014 Wimbledon final by the "Lethal Petra" version of Petra Kvitova. Following that final, the Canadian star went into a steep decline, but had begun to find herself again in the summer of 2015.

Then, one night during the U.S. Open, Bouchard stepped into the locker room, which had been mopped and not dried, and was left unattended with the lights off. She slipped and fell, causing her to sustain a concussion whose symptoms affected her for months. She filed a lawsuit against the USTA for negligence, and--in a ploy to assure everyone that the Canadian player would get "fair" treatment at the 2016 Open--the official statement contained Widmaier's blatant insult.

This brings me to the people posting on various parts of the Internet who are blaming Bouchard because she had a "bad" season, because she has been engaged in off-court activities, and because "no one else fell and slipped."

It doesn't matter whether you "like" (have you even met her?) Bouchard. It doesn't matter that Bouchard has more money than you do. It doesn't matter what her other activities are--when you can't play tennis, you'd better have some other activities, and anyway--the WTA loved it when Bouchard was doing interviews and photoshoots in her "stardom" days. And those activities are part of a professional tennis player's career, anyway. And no, no one else slipped and fell because no one else entered the locker room that night--duh.

Negligence is negligence. There are several things the USTA could have done. They could have posted signs warning players that the locker room floor was wet. They could have locked the door. They could have, at the very least, turned on the lights. But they did none of those things.

In the United States, we are pretty dedicated to blaming the victim, and this is a prime example of just that. All Bouchard was doing was her job. It's especially unfortunate that a player already dealing with so much disappointment and stress had to slip and fall and sustain a concussion because of someone else's negligence. And the USTA, eager to display its "fairness" toward her, still found a way to blame her for her misfortune.

Genie Bouchard lost in the first round today. That should give the USTA plenty of ammunition against her, should the organization choose to continue to blame her for its own negligence. The USTA's statement about youth says: "Players learn responsibility and sportsmanship from a young age." Want to teach kids about responsibility? Then take some.

Williams, Radwanska, Muguruza, Kerber--The Four Horsewomen of the Tennis Apocalypse

The end times are near.

Well that is, in terms of the 2016 season. The last major of the season, the U.S. Open, begins Monday, and the women's draw is anchored by four formidable--yet also vulnerable--"horsewomen."

1. Serena Williams ("Death"): Williams, despite her losses in the Australian Open and the French Open, can still be lethal, as she showed at Wimbledon; hence, she's still the player most likely to issue death to the hopes of others who would hold the trophy at the end of the two-week battle in Flushing Meadows.

But Williams remains vulnerable. She's been dealing with a shoulder injury that forced her to withdraw from the Cincinnati event. Of course, the world number 1 has shown up bandaged like a mummy at major events before, and gone on to win them. But she's older now, and even greatly-feared warriors have to deal with what advancing age does to them.

Williams' other problem is that the tennis gods have denied her the right to "play into" the tournament. Her first-round opponent is Ekaterina Makarova, a powerful Russian with a strange, "big stage" career who brings her best game to the majors. Makarova, who is currently ranked number 36 in the world, reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open in 2014. She combines a very keen lefty serve with powerful groundstrokes on both sides and--on a good day--she can find Kvitova-like angles. Makarova is also an elite doubles player (she just won gold at the Olympics) who has elite doubles skills at her disposal. She's dangerous at every major but the French. The Williams-Makarova match is one of three (I'll get to the others later) "must watch" matches.

Also lurking in Williams' quarter of the draw are up-and-coming Russian Daria Kasatkina, sometime-upsetter Yarslava Shvedova, hard-hitting Camila Giorgi and 2011 U.S. Open conqueror Sam Stosur (Giorgi and Stosur play each other in the first round). Also, Carla Suarez Navarro, the increasingly dangerous Timea Babos, Daria Gavrilova, and the again-resurgent Kirsten Flipkens.

But--most significant of all--5th seed Simona Halep is positioned at the bottom end of that quarter. The way she's been playing, it seems odd that Halep isn't a Horsewoman, but there you are. She'll have her work cut out for her, what with playing Flipkens in the opening round, and then having to face either Gavrilova or Lucie Safarova, and then possibly Babos. If the draw proceeds as it "should" (fat chance), Halep and Williams will collide in the quarterfinals.

2. Agnieszka Radwanska ("Famine"): Radwanska must surely be hungry. Ever since her run to the 2012 Wimbledon final, the tour's greatest shot-maker (of all time, in my opinion) has failed to reach a major final. She's been playing very well lately, and yesterday, allowed Petra Kvitova to win only two games in their New Haven semifinal. Today, Radwanska won the New Haven tournament by beating Elina Svitolina in straight sets.

The running theory is that Radwanska is brilliant until she comes up against a "power player," but I don't totally buy into that, since I've seen her dismantle the games of power players. The other theory is that she runs out of physical (and perhaps mental) steam, partly because her own game is so physical, and that theory seems more solid to me. Nevertheless, the Polish star with the magic hands and legs is an elite player who has a chance in Flushing Meadows.

The Radwanska quarter presents its own challenges. Caroline Garcia is there, as well as Timea Bacsinszky and Kristina Mladenovic, but all of these players run hot and cold, and all have been running rather cold lately. However, two players in Radwanska's draw are real dangers--Karolina Pliskova and Venus Williams, and especially the latter.

Pliskova has two things going for her: She skipped the Olympics, and she just won her first big title, the Western & Southern Open. The Czech Fed Cup star doesn't have a very good record at majors--she's never gotten beyond a third round--but this time, her fortunes could be different. As for Williams, she's playing quite well this year, and can definitely be seen as a threat to anyone in the Radwanska quarter.

3. Garbine Muguruza ("Conquest"): Muguruza has done what few others have been able to do--beat Serena Williams in a major final. The Spaniard won the French Open by doing just that, and then--just a few weeks later--reached the final at Wimbledon, where Williams got the better of her. Obviously, court surface isn't an issue for her, but Muguruza appears to have other issues. She can be brilliant and make her brilliance look effortless, and then, suddenly, she can just go away. In the Cincinnati semifinals, Pliskova practically ran over Muguruza.

It may (or may not) help Muguruza that she has a pretty nice draw at the U.S. Open, though Stanford champion Johanna Konta is in Mugu's quarter and is no longer a "potential" threat. Madison Keys, CoCo Vandeweghe and Barbora Strycova are also in that quarter, and any of them could make a deep run. Add to that the presence of the perennially dangerous Svetlana Kuznetsova and the Bulgarian Woman Of Mystery, Tsvetana Pironkova, who loves to pull off a big upset at a major tournament. And--just to spice things up--Olympic gold medal winner Monica Puig just sneaked in as the 32nd seed, and is in the Muguruza quarter.

4. Angelique Kerber ("War"): Kerber could just as well have been "Conquest." She, too, has defeated Serena Williams in a major final (2016 Australian Open). And also lost to her in another (2016 Wimbledon). But at this point in the 2016 season, no one represents "War" better than our KareBear. After winning the Australian, she defended her Stuttgart title, got the runner-up trophy at Wimbledon, then won a silver medal in the Olympic Games.

Kerber, like Muguruza, isn't that fussy about which surface she plays on, and has added heavy offense to what used to be a mostly defensive game. There are some worthy opponents in her quarter--Dominika Cibulkova, Petra Kvitova and Elina Svitolina. Oh, and Alize Cornet, who--when she has a big moment--tends to have a very big one, and who thoroughly enjoys a big stage.

One is always at least slightly tempted to say that Kvitova herself is a title contender (as well she should be), but--to paraphrase Lucinda Wiliams:

If we lived in a world without tears...

...How would Petra flop again?

Any of those four able horsewomen could walk away with the trophy, but I tend to think that the most likely candidates are Williams, Kerber and Halep. Never an "easy" tournament for Williams on an emotional level, the U.S. Open this year brings it own dramatic backstory. Had she won it last year, Williams would have achieved the Grand Slam. But it was not to be, as she was defeated in the semifinals by Roberta Vinci. Vinci's countrywoman, Flavia Pennetta, would go on to win the title, and to create an endearing U.S. Open story for tennis history. It was the only time that two Italians played each other in the final, and Pennetta pretty much dropped by Flushing Meadows to win it on her way out the professional tennis door.

Kerber is on a hot streak and could win anything, at this point. And Rogers Cup champion Halep is back from wherever she was, and, despite her recent Cincinnati loss to Kerber, is in a better position to win something big than she's been in for a while. But of course. we can't t count Radwanska out, and the same can be said of Muguruza, Kvitova, and Pliskova. Some might add Madison Keys to that list.

First round matches to watch:

Serena Williams vs. Ekaterina Makarova: If ever there were a "dangerous floater," it's Makarova. Unless the occasion gets the best of her, Makarova will do her best to take it to Williams.

Camila Giorgi vs. Samantha Stosur: Giorgi, the hard-hitting Fighting Italian, fears no one--but herself. Stosur has won the U.S. Open, which should give her a bit of an edge, but this is Stosur we're talking about, and the outcome of this match is a mystery.

Lucie Safarova vs. Daria Gavrilova: Safarova still hasn't returned to the glory days she had before becoming very ill, but she's still Lucie, and she's still crafty and tough. Gavrilova is quite a fighter, but can go "off" pretty quickly. This match could be very good, or it could be over quickly.

Kirsten Flipkens vs. Simona Halep: Flipkens knows how to "pull a Halep," and is a player who can frustrate the Romanian with her own tricky volleys and angles. The Belgian is having yet another resurgence and could make this a very entertaining match.

Julia Goerges vs. Yanina Wickmayer: The Belgian is having her best season in ages. If the right Goerges happens to show up, this might be good.

Naomi Osaka vs. CoCo Vandeweghe: Boom boom!

Barbora Strycova vs. Monica Niculescu: Oh, the possibilities! This could well be the most watchable of all the first round matches, as the all-court, all-in Strycova faces off against trickster Niculescu. Strycova has a good service game on her side.

Francesca Schiavone vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova: At least there's a third set tiebreak at the U.S. Open, or spectators might have to bring survival supplies from home. In the third round of the 2011 Australian Open, the pair played an extremely high quality match for four hours and 44 minutes. In round of 2015 French Open, they played for three hours and 50 minutes. The first was the longest women's match ever played in a major; the second, the longest French Open match played in the Open Era. Schiavone won both of them. The sight of these two on opposite sides of the net is thrilling. Another "must watch."

Petra Kvitova vs. Jelena Ostapenko: This isn't the kind of easy start the Barking Czech would like to have, I don't imagine. Ostapenko can give headaches to her opponents, and especially to Kvitova, whom she has twice defeated. And Kvitova has enough issues without having to deal with another headache.

CiCi Bellis vs. Victoija Golubic: Two possibly rising stars could give us an entertaining match. 

Alize Cornet vs. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni: Lucic-Baroni hasn't been pulling her signature upsets of late, but these two could nevertheless provide us with a match worth watching.

Some final thoughts on Cincinnati

Photo by Frank Oplanic

First, it was about time Karolina Pliskova won a big title. The rangy Czech has the talent, but so far, her victories have all been at less prestigious events than the one in Cincinnati. I can't help but wonder whether this victory will help her get past her "never beyond the third round of a major" obstacle when she competes at the U.S. Open.

Though Angelique Kerber was somewhat favored to win the tournament, so was Simona Halep. And both played really well--until they didn't. In their defense, they (and Aga Radwanska) went from Rio to Cincinnati, and it wasn't an easy journey. (For Radwanska, it was a bit of hell on Earth). Pliskova, on the other hand, didn't attend the Olympic Games and wasn't suffering from the physical and mental fatigue that the other three were.

But there was more to it than that. Pliskova played better and better in each round at the Western & Southern Open. By the time she reached the final, she was in high gear. (And just for the record--the champion hit 47 aces while she was in Cincinnati.) Anyone who was watching would have noticed that the Czech player was on her way to a possible breakthrough. Pliskova, by the way, is the first Czech player to win the Cincinnati title.

Much has been made of Kerber's lost chance to take over the number 1 ranking. As I wrote earlier, exhaustion appeared to play a more important role in the world number 2's loss than any pressure that she may have felt. Karolina Pliskova played an important role, too.

With both number 1 rankings on the line, it seemed only fitting that the two faces of Santina would survive until the final day of play. With their new partners, Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis faced each other in a match that contained much more drama than the singles final. Mirza, the first Indian woman to ever become world number 1 in doubles, has now returned to that spot. She and Barbora Strycova, playing together for the first time, are to be commended. And then there was this, from their press conference:

Strycova: "I think we have similar personality traits. She's calmer on the court.." 

Mirza: "That's not tough to do."

It rained every day of play in Cincinnati, and parking lots became lakes of mud that sucked cars down, making it necessary for tow trucks to pull out a number of vehicles. Mulch was added to the parking lots daily. Matches were postponed, and also constantly interrupted, sometimes more than once. Somehow, everyone got caught up, though some players had to play two matches in one day. Between the Olympics and the rain, this year's Cincinnati tournament was a special
challenge for many players.

Pliskova, Mirza and Strycova win in Cincinnati

.@KaPliskova captures @CincyTennis title!

Defeats Kerber 6-3, 6-1! #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/g2Qd1y6ghU

— WTA (@WTA) August 21, 2016

From the Olympics to Cincinnati, Czech players have dominated WTA competition for the last few weeks. Today, world number 17 Karolina Pliskova won her biggest title to date when she upset world number 2 Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-1 in just over an hour at the Western & Southern Open. And while much has been made of the pressure that Kerber must have felt over playing for the world number 1 ranking, the reality is that the German star was more likely just exhausted. Also, Pliskova played a superb and fluid match against her.

'I just tried everything today," Kerber said in her post-match press conference. "I had great three weeks, with a lot of emotion." Kerber won the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Rio.

Pliskova had a lot of praise for Kerber's stamina, remarking that her opponent had played all the way to the final in Rio, then all the way to the final in Cincinnati, which was a testament to her fitness and endurance.

The tall Czech player took charge of the match immediately, getting to 4-0 before Kerber (or anyone) even had a chance to settle in. "I was still expecting during the match some complication as always it is in tennis...," the champion said later. She didn't get that complication, though. Pliskova hit seven aces and wound up with a first serve win percentage of 86. She also had an impressive winner-to-unforced error ratio of 24/16.

To get the trophy, Pliskova had to beat a two-time major champion (Svetlana Kuznetsova), the current French Open champion (Garbine Muguruza) and the current Australian Open champion (Kerber). She also beat Jelena Ostapenko and Misaki Doi.

Had Kerber won in Cincinnati, she would have taken over the world number 1 spot from Serena Williams.

🙋🏽🙋🏽🙆🏻🙆🏻👯👯🏆🏆🏆 we did itttttt @BaraStrycova @CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/tclNZERKQ2

— Sania Mirza (@MirzaSania) August 21, 2016

Prior to the Kerber-Pliskova match, there was more Czech action on the doubles court. Santina, broken in half, nevertheless made an appearance, as Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza became opponents in the Cincinnati final. Hingis and her partner, CoCo Vandeweghe, had played just one match prior to the final: They had a bye in the first round, then were the recipients of two successive walkovers.

Mirza's teammate was Barbora Strycova, the Czech player who--with Lucie Safarova--won the bronze medal for doubles in Rio. Strycova, in fact, had played very well against Kerber during the third round of singles competition.

The pair fell behind quickly as Hingis and Vandeweghe rushed to a 5-1 lead in the first set. But Mirza Strycova and the Forehand of Fire got themselves back into the set and wound up winning it 7-5. They went up a break in the second set, but were broken when they served for the championship at 5-3. Their opponents then held, and a momentum change looked quite possible, but Strycova served it out for a 7-5, 6-4 victory.

In what may be a unique situation, the number 1 spot in doubles was also up for grabs, and Mirza has now claimed it; she and Hingis held it in tandem before. In another odd twist, the pair had to meet as opponents right after they split as a team. "It was going to happen eventually," Mirza said. "We had to play against each other at some point. I think it's better that it happened earlier, as soon as we came out, because next time it's obviously less difficult to play."