Crazy from the heat--week 1 of the U.S. Open not yet over

.@AngeliqueKerber survives a thriller against Larsson 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 at the @usopen --> https://t.co/SFZSemPFQA pic.twitter.com/OuuSzELZUR

— WTA (@WTA) August 30, 2018

It's been quite a week at the U.S. Open, what with the extreme heat and humidity, the exit of the top two seeds in the first two rounds, and the 30th meeting on court of the Williams sisters. There was plenty of the usual uninformed bashing of Maria Sharapova, and a sudden onslaught of nastiness directed at Chris Evert, whose "sin" has been to make sense all week (except for tonight's assertion about Patrick Mouratoglou's having "introduced strategy" to Serena). All the while, people were tearfully lamenting the U.S. Open exit of a man who considers all females stupid, and defending a "nice" umpire who violated any reasonable definition of umpire boundaries.

In other words, everything was normal.

What wasn't "normal" was--as The Backspinner has pointed out--Katerina Siniakova's digging in to an odd groove if ever there were one. At both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, Siniakova won her first two rounds against opponents who had served for the match against her. I don't know if something like that has ever happened before.

With not only world number 1 Simona Halep and world number 2 Caroline Wozniacki out, but also two-time major champion Garbine Muguruza, the draw has, as they say, opened. Still with us, at this writing, are Wimbledon champion Angie Kerber, Alona Ostapenko, Madison Keys, defending champion Sloane Stephens (who is looking very much like a champion), Elina Svitolina, Caroline Garcia, Petra Kvitova, Karolina Pliskova--and yes, Kiki Bertens and Elise Mertens.

Svitolina has reached the round of 16 at the U.S. before--last year, in fact. The Ukrainian star has begun to lift her performance at majors, and such a move couldn't come too soon for her, given the remarkable success she's had in other events. Next for her is Anastasija Sevastova, who defeated Ekaterina Makatova today. Sevastova can be tricky; the match could be interesting.

.@serenawilliams downs Venus, 6-1, 6-2 in #VenusSerena30 to advance to the @usopen round of 16!

Will face Kanepi for quarterfinal berth--> https://t.co/d6MRJJDhvf pic.twitter.com/cxSWCaCvKk

— WTA (@WTA) September 1, 2018

Also still around is Kaia Kanepi, who began her campaign by upsetting the world's number 1 player, and has survived to reach the round of 16. Her reward? She plays six-time champion Serena Williams, who defeated Venus Williams in straight sets tonight.

Coming up tomorrow (and being played at approximately the same time!) are two don't-miss matches. Two French Open champions, Alona Ostapenko and Maria Sharapova, will face off to see who goes to the quarterfinals.

Neither of them is playing her best tennis. Ostapenko is still the untamed big hitter who hasn't yet learned, as Petra Kvitova did, to try a few safer tactics. On the other hand, her "unsafe" tactics can be deadly. Sharapova looked terrible in her second round match against Sorna Cirstea. The 2006 champion double-faulted ten times (back to that) and made 33 unforced errors in two sets. She also looked really uncomfortable out there--and yet, she wound up keeping her perfect record in playing U.S. Open night matches.

The other match will feature 5th seed Petra Kvitova and upstart Arnya Sabalenka. Lucky for Kvitova, the weather is expected to stay mild all weekend, which--combined with the fast court--could make Sabalenka's life miserable. But, one way or the other, there is going to be some big geometrical hitting!

Another match of great interest should be the one played by Angie Kerber and Dominika Cibulkova. Kerber is 7-5 against Cibulkova, and is 6-3 against her on hard courts. These two have had some knock-down-drag-out contests, and--if fans are lucky--they'll have another one tomorrow. I always enjoy watching them play each other. Kerber will have to move into her best offensive mode against Cibulkova, who can be just as much of a wall as Kerber.

If Karolina Muchova were a more mature player, the match she played tonight against Ash Barty would have been a beautiful thing. Even as it was--with Muchova just not ready to go toe-to-toe with someone like Barty (and their games are quite similar)--it was a thing of interest and much beauty. (Also, Muchova's going from 1-5 to 4-5 in the second set wasn't too trashy). This is the kind of tennis I like to watch, with both players bringing a great variety of guile and a lot of different shots. It was interesting that the commentators were comparing the players with such stylistic and strategic greats as Rosie Casals (Barty) and--one of my all-time favorites--Hana Mandlikova (Muchova).

A shout-out here to Johanna Larsson, who gave Angie Kerber a real run in their second round match. It was a beautifully played thriller.

Seems like old times--Schnyder and Sharapova meet again

Just like old times, staying up for hours
Making dreams come true, doing things we used to do
Seems like old times being here with you

"Seems Like Old Times"--Carmen Lombardo & John Jacob Loeb

photo by Diane Elayne Dees

The sight of Patty Schnyder, one of my favorite players of all time, whipping that loopy forehand on the Louis Armstrong Stadium Court tonight would have been an emotional occasion for me under any circumstance. But to see Maria Sharapova on the other side of the net really made me think that I was back in 2008, the last time Schnyder and Sharapova played each other.

There was a sadness for me, seeing these two, neither of whom is the player she used to be. But it also made me happy to see them together.

Schnyder let a sub-par Sharapova run away with the first set and a half of their first-round U.S. Open match. Then the former Swiss star woke up and started taking advantage of Sharapova's error-filled game. She took that set all the way to a tiebreak, but then her own errors did her in. Sharapova won, 6-2, 7-6, and advanced to the second round.

But the 2006  champion will have to clean up her game considerably if she expects to keep advancing. Her next opponent is the mercurial Sorana Cirstea, who--from time to time--has served as a giant-killer in majors. It's been a while since Cirstea has done that, however, and Sharapova isn't looking like a giant. Still, the Russian has been known to turn the switch on when we least expect it.

The very entertaining match of the day was played between Andrea Petkovic and 10th seed Alona Ostapenko. It was a bit of a roller coaster affair, with Petkovic coming back and coming back, just when Ostapenko appeared to have the match clinched. In the end, after two hours and 18 minutes, Ostapenko won, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. She hit 38 winners and made 60 unforced errors, but that isn't an unusual statistic for the "swing like there's no tomorrow" Latvian.

Not surprisingly, Timea Babos gave Daria Kasatkina a hard time. After playing three sets, Kasatkina advanced, as did Petra Kvitova, Madison Keys, Angie Kerber, Kiki Bertens, Caroline Wozniacki--and 2010 runner-up Vera Zvonareva.

Also taken out today were Jo Konta, 24th seed CoCo Vandeweghe, and 28th seed Anett Kontaveit. Seeds and other notables who made an exit yesterday were 2004 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, Aga Radwanska, 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 31st seed Magdalena Rybarikova--and, of course, top seed Simona Halep.

U.S. Open first rounds to watch

Patty Schnyder (photo by Diane Elayne Dees)

I'm always intrigued by some of the first rounds the draws provide us at majors (and anxious about whether I'll get to see the more interesting ones). Here the ones I hope to watch this week:

Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Venus Williams
The 2004 champion meets the 2000 and 2001 champion, and it's anyone's guess who will prevail. It isn't that often that two champions face off, and it's really unusual for it to happen in the first round.

Caroline Garcia vs. Jo Konta
Both the 6th seed and the British number 1 have had a lot of ups and downs lately, so I don't have a clear sense of who will prevail. Konta may have a bit of an edge on a hard court, but I don't really think that will matter.

Maria Sharapova vs. Patty Schnyder
Who would have thought? At 39, Schnyder is the oldest player to successfully go through qualifying at a major in the Open Era. I remember their round of 16 match at the 2007 French Open, in which Schnyder came so very close to taking Sharapova out (Sharapova won the 3rd set tiebreak 9-7). It was a thrilling match. Sharapova has a 7-1 record against Schnyder.

Andrea Petkovic vs. Alona Ostapenko
We occasionally see flashes of a former Petko, and if Ostapenko goes on an unforced error spree, we might see get one of those flashes. Ostapenko should be a contender for the title, but her game is still too undisciplined for us to have those expectations. I wonder how long we'll have to wait.

Sam Stosur vs. Caroline Wozniacki
This first-round meeting between the 2010 champion and the two-time finalist is a veterans' special. Wozniacki, who launched somewhat of a "new" career when she won the Australian Open this year and temporarily regained her number 1 ranking, is the clear favorite. However, the Dane had to retire in the first round because of a left knee injury (just weeks before, she had sustained a right leg injury). If she's healthy, she should advance.

What we can learn from Kiki Bertens

all photos by Daniel Ward

I recently wrote about Kiki Bertens' simple, but often difficult to accomplish, strategy for turning her career around. While we were in Cincinnati, the world number 13 (and Cincinnati champion) talked about what she had to do to even want to keep playing professional tennis after her 2017 season.

"I really needed a break," she said, "needed the holiday, to determine how I wanted to continue. I think, if I were feeling the same now as I was feeling last year, it was better for me to stop.

"I had some great results, but still I could not really enjoy it. So it always like, if I won, okay, it was more like kind of a relief, and not like, happiness. And like, already, it seemed like 'but tomorrow, I have to go again.' And everything was more like 'okay, I have to do this,' and not like, 'okay, it’s another opportunity to play some great tennis.

"From then on, I...just made some rules for myself: 'Okay, how do you want to play, how do you want to feel on court?'

Bertens also talked about the importance of just relaxing, which she does by watching movies, doing yoga, reading, or just "going to get a coffee."

photo by Daniel Ward

Bertens wasn't exactly a slouch before this season. A ferocious Fed Cup competitor, she led her team to victory over and over, and she was highly respected for her clay court skills. But this year, Bertens showed us what she can really do, winning her first premier tournament in Charleston, reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, and winning her first hard court tournament--which just happened to be a premier 5 event--in Cincinnati.

Add to that the Dutch star's recent defeat of ten top 10 players, including world number 1 Simona Halep in the Cincinnati final.

What Kiki Bertens did was to realize that she no longer liked her job, and that she had to decide whether to quit that job or find a way to like it. Sometimes, when we reach such a crossroad, we're in the best position to make a difficult decision.

For Bertens, the decision was to find a way to like her job, and she did that by making a conscious decision to enjoy and appreciate her victories instead of dreading what came next. She decided to keep herself in the present and clear her head of distractions. How easy it sounds--but how difficult it can be to accomplish, especially when one's job involves always having to be the best; after all, only one player or one team emerges as the winner of a tennis tournament.

Was Bertens' mental shift a key to her 2018 success? Absolutely. She also trained hard and practiced a lot. But it was quieting the noise in her head and letting herself appreciate her success that gave her the freedom to believe she could do even more.

See other posts about players from whom we can learn:

How to Siegemund--a brief guide for dealing with life's more difficult stuff

The lesson of Martina Hingis

Schmiedlova plays winning tennis and teaches a worthwhile lesson

Hradecka and Makarova win Cincinnati doubles championship

Lucie Hradecka and Ekaterina Makarova are your 2018 @CincyTennis doubles champions.

Playing together for the first time in seven years, they defeated Elise Mertens and Demi Schuurs--> https://t.co/AUiEhKwNaK pic.twitter.com/gPVkFjGpYm

— WTA (@WTA) August 19, 2018

Lucie Hradecka and Ekaterina Makarova are the 2018 Cincinnati doubles champions. Hradecka and Makarova, seeded 7th, defeated 6th seeds Elise Mertens and Demi Schuurs 6-2, 7-5 in the final on Saturday. Hradecka and Makarova had not played as a team in seven years, and this is their first title as a team.

Hradecka and Makarova upset 2nd seeds Timea Babos and Kiki Mladenovic in the quarterfinals. Mertens and Schuurs upset the top seeds, Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova, also in the quarterfinals.

Makarova was in Cincinnati without her usual partner, Elena Vesnina, who is injured.

Kiki "Top 10 Killer" Bertens defeats world number 1 Halep to win Cincinnati title

photo by Daniel Ward

Today in Cincinnati, Kiki Bertens saved a match point in the second set tiebreak of the championship singles match, then went on to defeat world number 1 Simona Halep in three sets, 2-6, 7-6 (6), 6-2. Bertens emerged with first and second serve win percentages of 72 and 54, and she hit 34 winners.

Simona Halep (photo by Daniel Ward)

Halep got off to a strong start, breaking her opponent twice and taking the first set easily. The second set was more competitive, and it was thrilling toward the end when Bertens took it to a tiebreak. Halep held a match point at 6-5, but Bertens--going for everything--hit a stunning crosscourt forehand that Halep hit wide. It was the only match point that Halep would see.

By the third set, the world number 1--who had arrived in Cincinnati immediately after winning the Rogers Cup in Montreal--was just about out of fuel. The match was physically draining, and Bertens was able to move her around and sap the last drops of energy from her.

Kiki Bertens (photo by Daniel Ward)

Afterwards, Bertens said that, at 2-1 in the third set, she felt like she had run out of energy. "I was, like, 'I'm dead.' Then I said to myself, 'No, I can do this. Let's go for it.'"

photo by Daniel Ward

Bertens, for some time, has been known as a clay court specialist, but that designation has gone out the window this year. She did win on the clay in Charleston, which was her first premier tournament victory. Then she went all the way to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. And now, she has won her first hard court tournament ever--a premier 5 event.

Medical science may have to come up with a vaccine to inoculate the WTA's top 10 players because Kiki Bertens is coming to get them. She had already beaten nine of them this season when she arrived in Cincinnati, and now she's beaten the world number 1.

On Monday, Bertens will rise to a career-high ranking of number 13 in the world.

Halep and Bertens to play for Cincinnati title

photos by Daniel Ward

Tomorrow at 2 p.m., world number 1 Simona Halep will try for the third time to win the singles title at the Western and Southern Open. Standing in her way is Kiki Bertens, whose game has been on fire on every surface all season.

Halep holds a 3-1 record against the Dutchwoman, but the Kiki Bertens of 2018 is not the Kiki Bertens of even a year ago. Always a fierce competitor on clay, Bertens has turned into an exceptionally fierce competitor on all surfaces. By the same token, Halep, the 2018 French Open champion, has now fully embraced her number 1 status, and is playing superior tennis.

Bertens has been knocking off top 10 players left and right. Can she knock off the top one, or will Halep be too much for her?

Here are the players' paths to the final:

SIMONA HALEP (1)
round 1--bye
round 2--def. Ajla Tomljanovic
round 3--def. Ashleigh Barty (16)
quarterfinals--def. Lesia Tsurenko
semifinals--def. Aryna Sabalenka

KIKI BERTENS
round 1--def. CoCo Vandeweghe
round 2--def. Caroline Wozniacki (2)
round 23-def. Anett Kontaveit
quarterfinals--def. Elina Svitolina (5)
semifinals--def. Petra Kvitova (8)