Down to eight--and one of them is Pironkova

Notched her 9⃣th consecutive win! 💪@vika7 fended off Czech youngster Muchova to reach her first #USOpen quarterfinal since 2015 --> https://t.co/MZ3KqW0WrS pic.twitter.com/Izh7CuUTga

— wta (@WTA) September 8, 2020

Yesterday at the U.S. Open, we saw Shelby Rogers win a three-set-thriller against 6th seed Petra Kvitova, Jen Brady make fast work of 2016 champion Angie Kerber, and Naomi Osaka defeat Anett Kontaveit in straight sets. We also saw Yulia Putintseva, in all her animated glory, win a tough, three-set match against 8th seed Petra Martic.

Shelby Rogers has always been a big-stage player (as was Martic, until recently, when she became more consistent). Also, though it pains me to say it, it's no secret that pushing Kvitova to three sets is a good strategy, especially in a place like New York, where the humidity doesn't agree with her. Kvitova hit 58 winners and wound up winning twelve more points than Rogers, but Rogers held fast in a tense, third-set tiebreak and walked away, after two hours and forty minutes, having saved three match points, with a 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 victory. She will next face 4th seed and 2018 champion Osaka.

Kerber was looking under-the-radar sharp until she had to deal with Brady. Brady has yet to drop a set, and she has lost nineteen games in eight sets. The 25-year-old began the year in a strong position, and picked right up where she left off when she was the MVP at the Charleston exhibition event. She has looked very strong ever since.

Today, six-time champion Serena Williams (who has now won 100 matches on Arthur Ashe) played a red-hot Maria Sakkari, who defeated Williams at the Western & Southenrn Open. Today, Williams prevailed, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 in a two-and-a-half hour match. Sakkari's serve was really on today, but some of her shot selections were questionable.

Also today, Elise Mertens handily defeated Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, who was all over the place, obviously unsettled and out of sorts. And Vika Azarenka defeated Karolina Muchova in a highly entertaining match that, unfortunately, included a medical timeout for the Czech player. They went three   sets, there was some great shot-making, and an obviously confident Azarenka emerged the winner, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4. The two-time Australian Open champion had a lot of good things to say about her opponent.   

The magical run continues!

Playing her first pro tournament in three years, Tsvetana Pironkova reaches the QFs at the #USOpen pic.twitter.com/nfHRo23wTD

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2020

Finally, Tsvetana Pironkova did it yet again. In a match that I found highly entertaining, the Bulgarian Woman of Mystery defeated Alize Cornet 6-4, 6-7, 6-3. Pironkova held a match point in the second set. In the past, she would likely have faded after that, but she came back strong in the third set. I'm especially fond of watching both of these players, and I have always enjoyed their personalities. It was tough to see one of them lose.

In doubles, the unseeded team of Asia Muhammed and Taylor Townsend advanced to the semifinals, as did 3rd seeds Nichol Melichar and Xu Yifan,

As always, commentating for this major has been a mixed bag. Commentators continue to mispronounce players' names, and ESPN continues to interview celebrities while there's action taking place on the court. The biggest disappointment for me (so far) is Alexandra Stevenson's response to Novak Djokovic's work toward forming a new player association (or, as some commentator said today, a "new tour"). Stevenson was filled with praise for Djokovic because "he's decided to add women!" She then gushed over how great he was because of that. And at that point, I switched channels.

Here is the singles quarterfinal draw:

Jennifer Brady (28) vs. Yulia Putintseva (23)
Naomi Osaka (4) vs. Shelby Rogers
Tsvetana Pironkova vs. Serena Williams (3)
Victoria Azarenka vs. Elise Mertens (16)

The Bulgarian Woman of Mystery strikes again

Playing her first tournament in three years, Tsvetana Pironkova has beaten AO finalist Garbine Mugurza and USO quarter-finalist Donna Vekic back to back in straight sets.

I guess that qualifies as as solid comeback.. pic.twitter.com/9kLcyVJYgI

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) September 5, 2020

She did it again. Tsvetana Pironkova, returning to the tour after a three-year absence, took care of 18th seed Donna Vekic today, defeating the talented Croatian player in a little over an hour. Pironkova's 6-4, 6-1 victory moves her to the U.S. Open round of 16, in which she'll face off against Alize Cornet.

The bad news is that Pironkova's thigh, which is wrapped, is now obviously hindering her. Her tricky serve, which was splendid in the second round, was considerably off in today's match, and she limped around the court during changeovers and at the conclusion of the match. Here's hoping that some massage and some physio magic will have her in top form again by Monday. 

In other Saturday news, Maria Sakkari all but blew away Amanda Anisimova, 6-3, 6-1, in just under an hour. Six-time champion Serena Williams needed three sets, but she defeated countrywoman and 2017 champion Sloane Stephens, and Elise Mertens defeated Caty McNally in straight sets. And Muchova and Karolina Muchova and Sorana Cirstea took it all the way to a third set tiebreak, in which Muchova saved three set points and emerged the winner, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7).

Vika Azarenka continued her excellent form with a straight-set victory over Iga Swiatek, and 2017 runner-up Madison Keys was forced to retired against Alize Cornet. Keys struggled with a neck/shoulder issue throughout the first set and for half of the second set, when she had to stop playing. Cornet, for her part, had 71/54 first and second serve win percentages.

Finally, in singles competition, 2nd seed Sofia Kenin defeated Ons Jabeur 7-6, 6-3 in a tough competition that was especially tight in the first set. The Australian Open champion was dealing with cramps during the match, she said afterwards in an interview. (Her father/coach appeared to be suffering with a near-nervous collapse.)

In doubles, 2nd seeds Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka won their match, as did 4th seeds Kveta Peschke and Demi Schuurs. (Mertens and Schuurs ended their partnership so that Mertens could concentrate on singles, but Mertens apparently had a change of heart about doubles competition.)

Top seeds Timea Babos and Kiki Mladenovic were disqualified from competition because of Mladenovic's "bubble within the bubble" confinement (brought about by her contact with Benoit Paire, who tested positive for Covid-19).  Mladenovic hasn't exactly made new fans by her reference to herself as a virtual prisoner in her hotel, but--since bubble-within-the-bubble player Adrian Mannarino was allowed to compete yesterday--the Frenchwoman's plight has advanced to another level. Nassau County officials made the call, and it has to be a really bitter pill for both Babos and Mladenovic to swallow. As of this writing, it's still unknown how long Mladenovic will have to remain in her hotel room.

Perhaps there's a moral to this story, like "Don't play cards with Benoit Paire." But I suspect it's more like "Don't hold a major tournament during a pandemic."

Here is the round of 16 singles draw:

Jennifer Brady (28) vs. Angie Kerber (17)
Yulia Putintseva (23( vs. Petra Martic (8)
Naomi Osaka (4) vs. Anett Kontaveit (14)
Shelby Rogers vs. Petra Kvitova (6)
Alize Cornet vs Tsvetana Pironkova
Maria Sakkari (15) vs. Serena Williams (3)
Vika Azarenka vs. Karolina Muchova (20)
Elise Mertens (16) vs. Sofia Kenin (2)

Pironkova travels to New York, and--surprise!--does what she does best

"Once you become a mother you don't magically lose your ability to play."

🇧🇬 Tsvetana Pironkova is back on the Tour and she has not lost a step --> https://t.co/05rgsSOWUe pic.twitter.com/PkWDRk1JtI

— wta (@WTA) September 3, 2020

This morning, I had a dental appointment and had to miss several matches I wanted to see, including the one featuring 10th seed Garbine Muguruza and Tsvetana Pironkova. (I like to see any match featuring either Muguruza or Pironkova). The Bulgarian Woman of Mystery hasn't been on the tour for three years-she sustained a serious injury and had to take time off, then she had a baby and took a lot of time off, and--let's face it--she wasn't always around that much before she took the long break.

As I left my house, I was thinking, "wouldn't it be just like Pironkova to upset Mugu?"--and, of course, that's exactly what she did. Both players pack unpredictability in their tennis bags, though the Spaniard's is more deadly, given that she's an elite player. It didn't help that Muguruza was also just coming off an injury break.

Pironkova has some specialities--a very tricky serve, generous use of the forehand slice, and an appetite for taking out highly-ranked players. I always like watching her walk around the court, with her loose gait and her pensive expression. This morning, she had first and second serve win percentages of 93 and 58, and that says it all. Pironkova and Muguruza each hit only five winners, and they made only three unforced errors between them. I wish I could have seen the match.

Of course, Muguruza isn't alone. Yesterday, top seed Karolina (or, according to the commentator, "Katarina") Pliskova was upset in straight sets by Caroline Garcia, whose slump has been such that she isn't even seeded. Also out are:

Aryna Sabalenka (5)
Johanna Konta (9)
Elena Rybakina (11)
Marketa Vondrousova (12)
Alison Riske (13)
Dayana Yastremska (19)
Zhang Shuai (25)
Veronika Kudermetova (29)
Kiki Mladenovic (30)
Rebecca Peterson (32)
Anastaija Sevastova (31)

The one that surprised me the most was Rybakina, who was upset by Shelby Rogers. (That part isn't surprising; Rogers is somewhat of a "big stage" player.) Next for Rogers is countrywoman Madison Brengle (who has already given us an excellent off-court Suzanne Lenglen move at this tournament).

Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters, two- and three-time U.S. Open champions, respectively, are also out of the tournament, defeated in the first round. 

 Most of this evening's matches were rained out, so they will be played or completed tomorrow. 

Six-time champion Serena Williams won her match on Arthur Ashe Stadium tonight, and 2017 champion Sloane Stephens also won today. They will meet in the third round, which should generate a good deal of excitement. 

Also still in contention is 2020 Australian Open (remember the Australian Open?) champion Sofia Kenin, who will next face the tricky and inventive Ons Jabeur. I'm especially looking forward to that match. 

The match I'm most looking forward to tomorrow will be contested by Caroline Garcia and 28th seed Jennifer Brady.

Just here for the racket tap

Yesterday, I saw a photo of a group of WTA players celebrating a recent event (I don't recall which event), and the caption made a point of declaring how safe the event was for the players. I'm sure it was, but--in the photo--the players were all standing very, very close to one another, and none of them was wearing a mask. They were standing outside, so that certainly made the situation safer, but it was still a bad look, and it also represented a potential problem.

I've enjoyed watching tennis again, especially the Charleston event and the Lexington tournament (and Prague, when I could watch). I also really like the Cincinnati tournament and am sad that we won't be in Mason this year. And I have to wonder--as players gather in New York to play both the Western & Southern Open and the U.S. Open--how safe is it? And how manageable is it?

There are so many contingencies--quarantine considerations, testing accuracy, safety rules, travel issues. The draws have already been affected, both by intention and by withdrawals. It overwhelms me just to think about it. And then there's the raw issue of player compliance, especially regarding the ATP, whose players have apparently had a difficult time comprehending social distancing, mask-wearing and the meaning of the word "pandemic."

Both the Western & Southern Open and the U.S, Open are well-run tournaments. If anyone can pull off back-to-back safe events, they can. But can any entity really be expected to maintain total control over multiple players and their support staffs over a three-week-long period?

Then there's the issue of the asterisk. Already, fans are arguing on social media about whether the 2020 U.S. Open champions will forever have asterisks after their names. I understand the argument that--if you show up and you win, you're the champion, period. But consider that, in the WTA, world number 1 Ash Barty has withdrawn, defending champion (and world number 6) Bianca Andreescu has withdrawn, and world number 2 Simona Halep has withdrawn. World number 5 Elina Svitolina, world number 7 Kiki Bertens, and world number 8 Belinda Bencic have also withdrawn. 

That leaves the 2020 U.S. Open draw with only 4 members of the top 10--Karolina Pliskova, Sofia Kenin, six-time champion Serena Williams, and 2018 champion Naomi Osaka.

Additionally, doubles world number 2 (and fan favorite in singles) Barbora Strycova has withdrawn from the tournament.

These withdrawals also apply to the Western & Southern Open, though that tournament has retained defending champion Madison Keys. However, the 2019 runner-up, Svetlana Kuznetsova, has also withdrawn.

I'm looking forward to watching both tournaments, but I can't consider them as "regular" events because they aren't. It's one thing to have no fans and no physical contact; it's quite another to have 60% of the top 10--including the world number 1 and the defending champion--missing from the draw.

Peace overcomes Kindness

No, it isn't the title of an article in a trendy Internet health journal--it's the result of the Credit One Bank Invitational, played this week in Charleston at the Volvo Car Open site on Daniel Island. Team Peace, under the leadership of Bethanie Mattek-Sands, was the first to reach 25 points, defeating Team Kindness, whose captain was Madison Keys.

The largest tennis event organized since professional play was halted, the Credit One Bank Invitational also served as a fundraiser for the Medical University of South Carolina frontline workers.

There is no MVP award, but if there were, it would surely go to Jennifer Brady, who--playing for Team Peace--went 4-0, defeating Vika Azarenka and Sloane Stephens, and winning both of her doubles matches.

There was a lot of rain, and during one really intense storm, the court was flooded with purple light, "Purple Rain" was blasted out of the sound system, and the players sang the song. And until Moran confiscated it, Mattek-Sands possessed a pillow with tournament director Bob Moran's likeness on it. The players made public their current playlists, and the entire event had that good-hearted Charleston feel to it. All the matches were shown on Tennis Channel, and the commentators were obviously happy to be able to call a tennis event.

It was so eerie, looking at the empty stands in the Volvo Car Stadium, a venue I equate with crowd humor and enthusiasm. It's also a venue that represents comfort and support for the players, so it was a really good place to hold a team competition. And it was a model for how to hold a tournament during a pandemic--individual "pods" for the players, a no-touch process for ballkids, no handshakes, no hand-slaps.

(I do wonder, though, about the inevitable physical proximity that doubles partners have to have with one another, regardless of precautions.)

I was sorry that Bianca Andreescu withdrew, but her withdrawal didn't take away from the success of the event. It was a pleasure to see such spirited action on the green clay.

The final score:
Team Peace---26
Team Kindness--22

Keys and Mattek-Sands shine at Credit One Bank Invitational press conference

Today, Steve Weissman of Tennis Channel  moderated a press conference featuring a few of the principals of the upcoming Credit One Bank Invitational, which will be held at the Volvo Car Open site on Daniel Island in Charleston, June 23-28. Weissman was joined by Charleston Tennis LLC president Bob Moran and tournament team captains Madison Keys and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

Moran explained the health measures that will be taken. About a hundred people will be on site—the players, their guests, the event staff, and the Tennis Channel broadcast staff (Weissman, Lindsay Davenport and Chanda Rubin). The Medical University of South Carolina’s back-to-work team has served in an advisory capacity for the tournament. Everyone who enters will be tested for the virus, there will be strict distancing, no handshakes or high fives, and tennis balls will be numbered.

Moran also announced that each player will have her own pod, with a couch, a lounge, and a workout area. He added: “You know, I’ve got to check on these two captains and make sure they’re not going out everywhere in Charleston every night.”

That was just a taste of the humor that wound through much of the press conference. Keys and Mattek-Sands reminisced about the one time they played doubles together, in Rome. They lost, but, Keys said, “The whole time, you would have thought that we were absolutely steamrolling it, and was 6-2, 4-0."

“I’m a little worried about doubles,” Keys added: “I might have to like go watch some of Bethanie’s matches.”

The captains talked about the special emotion that comes with playing tennis as a member of a team. “We’re used to going on stadium courts,” Mattek-Sands said. “We’re used to being set points down and coming back. We’re used to being up and having our opponents come back. But then, when you’re playing for someone else or you’re watching someone else and wanting her to win—it’s like a whole new set of nerves, but I think it’s great.”

The tournament format will include two sets and a third set tiebreak of ten points in both singles and doubles. The matches played on Tuesday and Wednesday are worth one point, the matches played on Thursday and Friday are worth two points, and the matches played on Saturday and Sunday are worth three points. Sunday’s lineup will feature all sixteen players competing in doubles.

Keys said that “…from the day that Bob told me that I was…in charge of creating a team, I’ve been thinking about it and stressing about it and trying—like, I've got pretty much every scenario that you could have.”  The draft will be held Monday, and will be shown on Tennis Channel at 8 p.m. EST. Mattek-Sands won the coin toss which occurred at the end of the press conference, and will get first pick.

In addition to awarding prize money to players, the event will serve as a fundraiser for the Medical University of South Carolna’s frontline workers. Credit One Bank is a NASCAR sponsor, but this will be the company’s first participation in professional tennis.

Besides Keys (who is the defending Volvo Car Open champion) and Mattek-Sands, the Credit One Bank Invitational participants are:

2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu
2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin
2016 Volvo Car Open champion Sloane Stephens
2012 and 2013 Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka
2016 Olympic gold medal winner Monica Puig
Amanda Anisimova
Jennifer Brady
Ajla Tomljanovic
Danielle Collins
Alison Riske
Shelby Rogers
Genie Bouchard
Leylah Fernandez
Emma Navarro

Jennifer Brady finds new motivation in preparing for Charleston event

photo courtesy of WTA

A fascinating field of sixteen—including 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu and 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin—will participate later this month in the Credit One Bank Invitational, a team competition that will be held at the Volvo Car Open site on Daniel Island in Charleston June 23-28.

One of the event’s participants is world number 48 Jennifer Brady, the 25-year-old who— earlier this year—logged victories over Maria Sharapova, world number 1 Ash Barty, Elina Svitolina, and former world number 1 Garbine Muguruza.

Brady spoke with me last week from Orlando, Florida, where she lives. Like everyone else, she has had to make life adjustments because of the COVID-19 partial shutdown of the country, and the pause placed on professional sports.

She may be a bit luckier than some other players, though, because, she said, several other WTA tour members lives very close to her home, and others live only about ten minutes away. Also, a new tennis academy has opened in Orlando, so the group has a place to hit and practice. Brady described her recent training period as “sort of” normal.

Before everything came to a halt, Jenn Brady had been playing a lot of tennis. Then, when Indian Wells was canceled, she said that she lost a bit of motivation.

“I didn’t know when the next tournament was going to be. That was pretty hard, so then I took a little bit of time off from my tennis. And then Eleanor [Adams] reached out about the Charleston event, and then I was super-excited about that, and happy that they decided to do something, so then I got the motivation back and was able to come back and train and have something to play for.”

Brady’s down time was put to good use, however. “I did a lot of cleaning and organizing my home. I finally unpacked all of my suitcases and sorted through some old clothes, and stuff like that.” Brady describes herself as not much of a TV watcher, so—unlike many of us—her binge-watching, she said, has been limited to one show, Madame Secretary.

So many people have re-considered their priorities during the lockdown, and Brady is no exception:

“I think, you know, to appreciate the job that I have…,” she explained, “that privilege that we’re able to travel and see so many different countries and cultures and being able to compete every week and have a new opportunity every week, regardless of what the result is….I think that sometimes we take for granted being able to see so much.”

She was philosophical about the loss of tour momentum, and when I asked her if she has any specific goals for 2021, her reply was: “No, not exactly—just to kind of see where it takes me,” a decision prompted by a desire not to put too much pressure on herself.

Brady played in Charleston in 2018, and said that she’s looking forward to returning, even though there will be no fans. She also said that she, like so many other WTA players, has very positive feelings about the Volvo Car Open and those who make it possible.

The green clay suits Brady's game, which she employs most comfortably on hard courts. In 2017, Brady reached the round of 16 in singles at both the Australian Open and the U.S. Open, and she reached the semifinals in doubles (with Alison Riske) at the 2019 Australian Open.

The Credit One Bank Invitational will consist of sixteen singles matches and eight doubles matches, and will receive forty hours of coverage on Tennis Channel. 2019 Volvo Car Open champion Madison Keys and Bethanie Mattek-Sands will serve as team captains. The largest tennis event confirmed since professional tennis came to a halt, the tournament will also serve as a fund-raiser for Medical University of South Carolina’s frontline healthcare workers.

“Ever since the unfortunate cancellation of this year’s Volvo Car Open due to the Coronavirus, we have been working tirelessly to figure out how and when to appropriately bring a world class event back to Charleston as quickly and safely as possible,” said Bob Moran, President of Charleston Tennis LLC, in announcing the event. “This tournament will have two equal beneficiaries—traditional prize money for the athletes, and a large fundraising structure to support frontline healthcare workers at MUSC.”

The following players will be joining Brady, Keys, Mattek-Sands, Andreescu, and Kenin: 2016 Volvo Car Open champion Sloane Stephens, Victoria Azarenka, Amanda Anisimova, Monica Puig, Ajla Tomljanovic, Danielle Collins, Alison Riske, Shelby Rogers, Eugenie Bouchard, Leylah Fernandez, and Emma Navarro.