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Tuesday, September 7, 2021

US.8- Swiss (on a) Roll

For a U.S. Open complete with so much first week drama, it was almost odd how little of it had involved the participants in the first women's Round of 16 match of this Labor Day. No matter, Olympic champ Belinda Bencic and former Roland Garros winner Iga Swiatek simply went out and played a nip-and-tuck opening set that came down to a few spare points and ultimately decided the course of the entire match.



While Swiatek hasn't produced the sort of star-turn in the '21 slam season that she did in Paris last fall, the 20-year old Pole *has* been a model of consistency. Though not advancing to a second career major semi in any of this year's majors (and only one QF, in her return to Paris), she came into the day as the only player on tour to reach at least the Round of 16 at all four.

Bencic has been consistent in the '21 slams, too, but not in a good way. Her disappointing 3r-2r-1r results this year have left a lot to be desired. But the 24-year old Swiss added a golden glow to her season with her Gold medal run in Tokyo last month, (so far) the shining light of what has been a good summer for the former junior champ who has often flashed big-time results in the past only to see her momentum thwarted by a string of injuries. While Bencic hadn't produced a single *huge* result before the Olympics, she hadn't exactly been "slumping," either, during what has been a rare healthy stretch. She'd managed to reach two finals, losing both, including in Adelaide to Swiatek.

#11 seeded Bencic came into the match having not lost a set last week at Flushing Meadows, while #7 Swiatek's pair of three-setters (vs. Ferro and Kontaveit) had seen her pull away with relative ease in the deciding stanza, avoiding the sort of late-stage blown leads and upsets that have caused many top seeds to struggle or outright lose.

Bencic grabbed a break lead in the opening game today, then battled to no avail for the rest of the set to take a commanding double-break edge. Swiatek, her back against the wall, managed to hold serve on multiple occasions in a slew of long service games, including in a five-deuce, nine-minute game #3, then two games later while recovering from a love/40 deficit, having saved five of six BP in the set. But Bencic kept her lead, erasing a love/30 Swiatek lead to hold for 5-3.

As Swiatek closed to 5-4, Bencic seemed to tweak her back a bit in the game, and it seemed to impact her serve immediately afterward. Serving for the set, a double-fault gave Swiatek a break to level the score as the set suddenly took on a "tortoise and the hare vibe." The Pole then held to take her first lead in the set at 6-5. Another Bencic DF knotted game #12 at 30-all, and Swiatek's backhand winner down the line gave her a SP. But Bencic held to force a tie-break, where (finally) the real drama began.

The two ultimately played a 26-point affair. Swiatek took a 5-2 lead with another Bencic DF, only to then drop both her service points. From there, the two traded off SP on an every other point basis, with Swiatek holding three in the TB and Bencic five. Finally, Bencic prevailed 14-12 when Swiatek netted a forehand.



The confidence carry-over into the 2nd served Bencic well, as she took another early break at 3-1 and never relinquished her edge. Swiatek held to keep the pressure to hold on the Swiss in her own service games, but she never once blinked. Bencic served out the 7-6(12)/6-3 victory to reach her third career slam QF, with all three coming in New York ('14 QF in her debut, '19 SF in her most recent appearance).



The win gives Bencic her first Top 10 victory since 2019 (she only played one match after last year's shutdown, so factor that in), and improves her record to 13-1 since her 1st Round loss to Kaja Juvan at Wimbledon. Her only defeat came at the hands of compatriot Jil Teichmann during her electric run to the Cincinnati final.

Three times in the past -- '88 Steffi Graf, '00 Venus Williams, '12 Serena Williams -- the Olympic winner has won the U.S. Open in the same season, but it's never come about in the way in which Bencic is trying to complete the two-fer. In '88 and '00 the Olympics *followed* the Open in Seoul and Sydney, respectively, while in '12 the Games were played on the grass of the AELTC rather than being a hard court precursor that might better predict -- and be connected to -- the happenings in New York.

The summer, even with a few notable absences, has been very good to Swiss tennis. Viktorija Golubic was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon. In Tokyo, Swiss women -- including Bencic *twice* -- found their way to the medal stand. Teichmann then wove a brilliant little tale of her own in Ohio. Now Bencic finds herself within reach of a similar -- or better -- scenario at Flushing Meadows.




=DAY 8 NOTES=
...meanwhile, Emma Raducanu's debut on Ashe Stadium court went about like many of the things she's been doing lately.



With the other teen sensations at this U.S. Open -- Leylah Fernandez (def. #1's and former champs) and Carlos Alcaraz (has anyone noted that he resembles Nadal and Djokovic if their faces were morphed into one?) -- pulling so much weight, the 18-year old British qualifier had gone about on an almost "quiet" path into the second week, at least compared to her headline-grabbing run in her home slam earlier this summer.

Raducanu still hasn't faced a seed at this major, but she did face the last remaining Bannerette in the Round of 16 today. She had a nervous start, dropping serve in game #1 and nearly going down a double-break. But once the Brit found her footing, Rogers was toast. After falling behind 2-0, Raducanu ran off a streak of eleven straight games, leading 6-2/5-0. Serving for the match at 5-1 in the 2nd, Raducanu brushed off a few break points and held to win in straights, extending her Q/MD winning streak at this event to seven matches and fourteen sets. She's allowed four total games in the last two rounds.

Raducanu is the youngest Brit in a slam QF since Sue Barker, also 18, at the Australian Open in 1975.



...in a match-up of veterans, as well as '21 slam runners-up, #4 Karolina Pliskova took care of #14 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5/6-4 to reach her fourth U.S. Open quarterfinal in the last six years. Of note, while Pavlyuchenkova had visas issues before the tournament that put her status in doubt before she managed to get through to the U.S., Pliskova coach Sascha Bajin didn't have the same luck and is spending this slam watching from Europe. Still, if the Czech were to come through and win this title, after such a slow start to the year -- during which he often seemed a loss away from being pink-slipped -- Bajin might actually be a legit threat to win *another* Coach of the Year honor.

...in the nightcap, #6 Bianca Andreescu looked to keep her perfect U.S. Open mark intact against #17-seeded Maria Sakkari.

The 1st set began inauspiciously for the Greek, as she DF'd three times in her opening service game and soon fell behind 4-1. But she rallied to get back on serve at 5-5 and saved SP to force a TB. There the Canadian again led 4-1, but chose to forgo an open down the line forehand and instead attempted a drop shot that Sakkari reached and put back for a winner. But Andreescu got the shot selection mistake back in immediate fashion, stealing the very next point with a net cord plopper to go up 5-2. She then served out the set, ending with an ace to win the breaker 7-2.



The intensity picked up throughout the 2nd as Sakkari fought to extend the match, while Andreescu tried to avoid the pitfalls (especially for her) of having to go three sets if there is any possibility of getting off the court in two.

This time it was the Greek who jumped ahead early, then has to hold back the Canadian in her attempt to keep a half step in front. Twice Sakkari took break leads early in the 2nd, only to see Andreescu break back a game later. 2-0 became 2-1, then 3-1 became 3-2 as Andreescu put things back on serve. Sakkari saved a BP to hold for 5-4, then two games later saved two more in an 18-point game to lead 6-5.



With Andreescu having already gone to the court in splits, she then fell over while going backwards deep in the backcourt and landed hard on her hip in game #12, but still held to force another TB, the fourth in five sets (the previous two coming in Andreescu's three-set win earlier this year in the Miami SF) in the series between the two. Sakkari led 6-3, only to see Andreescu gave three SP, but converted on her fourth attempt when the Canadian netted a backhand, giving the Greek an 8-6 win as things went to a 3rd set in front of an excited crowd at a quarter past one in the New York morning.



Andreescu moved forward in the court to put away a volley for a 2-0 lead in the 3rd, but Sakkari swept the next eight points to knot the score at 2-2. The Canadian, who'd been seen stretching her leg in the backcourt earlier, held for 3-2 but called for a trainer mid-way through the game and soon left the court. She returned with a wrap on her left thigh -- her landing leg on serve, it should be noted -- and was never the same when she returned. The fight was there, as usual, but once more (also as has often been the norm) her body wasn't willing to allow her to play at anywhere near the top of her game. Serving in game #7, Andreescu struggled to make it through. She fell behind love/30, often had to bend over, seemed about to fall, and went to a knee on multiple occasions (or was clearly hurting after landing on her bad leg on a serve).

Forlorn and often walking slowly, looking at her box and shaking her head, it's a scenario Andreescu has already had to experience far too often in her young career. Even while the instinct to fight remains, with thoughts popping up of the '19 WTAF in which she played on and injured herself to a point of eventually missing all of the '20 season, there were moments where a quick end almost seemed preferred in order to avoid a bad fall or something else that might cause her to injure herself even worse.

Andreescu managed to get her service game to deuce, but Sakkari got the break of serve, then saved a BP and held for 5-3. Serving to stay in the match, or maybe to just finish without endangering herself more, Andreescu still saved three MP in game #9, even as she seemed on the verge of falling, or worse. Finally, maybe mercifully, as whatever it would have taken for Andreescu to stage a comeback likely would have taken a physical toll far worse than the elation that would have come from the triumph, the match officially fell Sakkari's way.



The 6-7(2)/7-6(6)/6-3 win, a 3:30 battle that ended at 2:14 a.m., the latest-ending women's match in tournament history, ends Andreescu's 10-0 start to her U.S. Open career while sending the Greek into her second slam QF of the season (after Roland Garros, where she held a MP vs. eventual champ Barbora Krejcikova in the semis).



Hopefully Andreescu's latest dramatic match won't lead to another long absence of the Canadian from the court, but history has taught us that one should be careful what one wishes for when it comes to the former champ's health.



And, thus, with Andreescu's exit we'll have another first-time U.S. Open champ, and quite possibly yet another first-time slam winner, as only Krejcikova has reached the winner's circle of the eight remaining women.



Hmmm, what was it that some people were saying a week ago about ignoring this Open because of all the big name absences? Yeah, how's that attitude worked out so far?




*WOMEN'S SINGLES QF*
(Q) Emma Raducanu/GBR vs. #11 Belinda Bencic/SUI
#4 Karolina Pliskova/CZE vs. #17 Maria Sakkari/GRE
#5 Elina Svitolina/UKR vs. Leylah Fernandez/CAN
#8 Barbora Krejcikova/CZE vs. #2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES QF*
#1 Hsieh/Mertens (TPE/BEL) vs. #11 Gauff/McNally (USA/USA)
#15 Bouzkova/Hradecka (CZE/CZE) vs. #5 Dabrowski/Stefani (CAN/BRA)
#10 Dolehide/Sanders (USA/USA) vs. #14 Stosur/Zhang (AUS/CHN)
#7 Guarachi/Krawczyk (CHI/USA) vs. Niculescu/Ruse (ROU/ROU)

*MIXED DOUBLES QF*
Olmos/Arevalo (MEX/ELS) vs. (Alt.) Perez/Demoliner (AUS/BRA)
(Alt.) Yastremska/Purcell (UKR/AUS) def. (PR) Shvedova/Martin (KAZ/FRA)
Pegula/Krajicek (USA/USA) vs. #3 Guarachi/N.Skupski (CHI/GBR)
#8 Schuurs/Gille (NED/BEL) vs. #2 Krawczyk/Salisburg (USA/GBR)



*2021 US OPEN FINAL 8*
[by career slam QF]
9 - Karolina Pliskova
8 - Elina Svitolina
3 - Belinda Bencic
2 - Barbora Krejcikova
2 - Aryna Sabalenka
2 - Maria Sakkari
1 - Leylah Fernandez
1 - Emma Raducanu
[by career US QF]
4 - Ka.Pliskova
3 - Bencic
2 - Svitolina
1 - Fernandez
1 - Krejcikova
1 - Raducanu
1 - Sabalenka
1 - Sakkari
[w/ consecutive slam QF]
2 - Ka.Pliskova
2 - Sabalenka
[w/ consecutive US QF]
none
--
NOTE: Svitolina in last 2 US Opens (DNP 2020)
NOTE: Bencic in last 2 US Opens (DNP 2020)
[2021 slam QF - unseeded]
AO - Hsieh Su-wei/TPE, Jessica Pegula/USA
RG - Barbora Krejcikova/CZE, Tamara Zidansek/SLO
WI - Viktorija Golubic/SUI, Ajla Tomljanovic/AUS
US - Leylah Fernandez/CAN, Emma Raducanu/GBR
[2021 1st-time GS QF]
AO - Hsieh Su-wei
AO - Jessica Pegula
RG - Paula Badosa
RG - Coco Gauff
RG - Barbora Krejcikova
RG - Elena Rybakina
RG - Maria Sakkari
RG - Tamara Zidansek
WI - Viktorija Golubic
WI - Aryna Sabalenka
WI - Ajla Tomljanovic
US - Leylah Fernandez
US - Emma Raducanu
[2021 slam QF]
2 - Ash Barty (AO/WI)
2 - Barbora Krejcikova (RG/US)
2 - Karolina Muchova (AO/WI)
2 - Karolina Pliskova (WI/US)
2 - Aryna Sabalenka (WI/US)
2 - Maria Sakkari (RG/US)
1 - 20 players
[2021 slam QF - by nation]
6...CZE (1/1/2/2) - Krejcikova, Ka.Pliskova
4...USA (1/1/0/0)
3...AUS (1/0/2/0)
2...BLR (0/0/1/1) - Sabalenka
2...GRE (0/1/0/1) - Sakkari
2...SUI (0/0/1/1) - Bencic
1...CAN (0/0/0/1) - Fernandez
1...ESP (0/1/0/0)
1...GBR (0/0/0/1) - Raducanu
1...GER (0/0/1/0)
1...JPN (1/0/0/0)
1...KAZ (0/1/0/0)
1...POL (0/1/0/0)
1...ROU (1/0/0/0)
1...RUS (0/1/0/0)
1...SLO (0/1/0/0)
1...TPE (1/0/0/0)
1...TUN (0/0/1/0)
1...UKR (0/0/0/1) - Svitolina
[WTA career slam QF - active]
54...Serena Williams, USA
39...Venus Williams, USA
19...Kim Clijsters, BEL
17...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
16...Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
15...Simona Halep, ROU
13...Petra Kvitova, CZE
11...Angelique Kerber, GER
9...Karolina Pliskova, CZE
8...Garbine Muguruza, ESP
8...Elina Svitolina, UKR
7...Sara Errani, ITA
7...Madison Keys, USA
7...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
7...Samantha Stosur, AUS
7...Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP
6...Kaia Kanepi, EST
6...Johanna Konta, GBR
6...Sloane Stephens, USA
6...Vera Zvonareva, RUS
5...Ash Barty, AUS
5...Sabine Lisicki, GER
[WTA slam QF & W/L in 2020's - 7 events]
3 - Barty (2-1)
2 - Brady (2-0)
2 - Halep (1-1)
2 - Jabeur (0-2)
2 - Kenin (2-0)
2 - Krejcikova (1-0) *
2 - Kvitova (1-1)
2 - Muchova (1-1)
2 - Osaka (2-0)
2 - Pavlyuchenkova (1-1)
2 - Ka.Pliskova (1-0) *
2 - Sabalenka (1-0) *
2 - Sakkari (1-0) *
2 - Svitolina (0-1) *
2 - Swiatek (1-1)
2 - S.Williams (2-0)
1 - Azarenka (1-0)
1 - Badosa (0-1)
1 - Bencic (0-0) *
1 - Collins (0-1)
1 - Fernandez (0-0) *
1 - Gauff (0-1)
1 - Golubic (0-1)
1 - Hsieh (0-1)
1 - Kerber (1-0)
1 - Kontaveit (0-1)
1 - Mertens (0-1)
1 - Muguruza (1-0)
1 - Pegula (0-1)
1 - Pironkova (0-1)
1 - Podoroska (1-0)
1 - Putintseva (0-1)
1 - Raducanu (0-0) *
1 - Rogers (0-1)
1 - Rybakina (0-1)
1 - Siegemund (0-1)
1 - Tomljanovic (0-1)
1 - Trevisan (0-1)
1 - Zidansek (1-0)
--
* - to play QF
[WTA slam QF by nation in 2020's - 7 slams/56]
10 - USA
8 - CZE (2)
4 - AUS
3 - BLR (1)
2 - ESP
2 - GER
2 - GRE (1)
2 - JPN
2 - KAZ
2 - POL
2 - ROU
2 - RUS
2 - SUI (1)
2 - TUN
2 - UKR (1)
1 - ARG,BEL,BUL,CAN(1),EST,GBR(1),ITA,SLO,TPE







...LEYLAH TWEET OF THE DAY ON DAY 8:




...Hmmm, WHAT GIFT TO GET HER?... ON DAY 8:




...UMMM... ON DAY 8:








FADE IN:




”Old Time Rock and Roll”

EXT. TENNIS COURT - DAY
Elena Rybakina fires a forehand down the line.

BRITISH TV ANNOUNCER (voice)
And Rybakina wins the title!
She has to be thrilled with this one!

Rybakina walks to the net and shakes the hand of her opponent, barely showing a noticeable change of expression on her face. Moments later, she’s handed the tournament trophy and raises it above her head. Again, the calm look on her face betrays very little emotion. A bank of photographers snap loads of photos.

BRITISH TV ANNOUNCER (voice)
And there you have it...
her greatest moment ever.
(breathless)
Remarkable.

EXT. HOUSE - NEARLY SUNSET
Later in the day, with the sun nearly set and the sky darkening, Rybakina emerges from a taxi parked alongside the curb. With her tennis bag slung over her shoulder, she slowly and silently trudges her way up the lane, tired from a hard day’s work. Pulling out a set of keys, she unlocks the front door of the house and enters, closing the door behind her.

Moments later, the illuminated windows show lights to have been turned on inside. The unmistakable silhouette of Rybakina walking past the window and across the room is seen from a vantage point across the street.

Suddenly, the familiar opening beats of the song “Simply Irresistible” are heard emanating from the home. Within seconds, Rybakina’s silhouette is seen in the illuminated window as she dances up a storm, criss-crossing the room to the beat of the music.

ROBERT PALMER VOICE (singing)
You're obliged to conform when there's no other course
She used to look good to me, but now I find her...


As Rybakina’s silhouette continues to spin across the floor, the screen fades to WHITE around her.



Over the words...

PALMER (singing)
Simply irresistible...


END.


To be continued...



















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**Latest Scheduled Night Session Match Conclusion - WOMEN**
2:14am - 2021 4th Rd. - Maria Sakkari d. Bianca Andreescu
1:48am - 2016 1st Rd. - Madison Keys d. Alison Riske
1:45am - 2017 3rd Rd. - Madison Keys d. Elena Vesnina
1:35am - 2010 4th Rd. - Samantha Stosur d. Elena Dementieva
1:30am - 1987 1st Rd. - Gabriela Sabatini d. Beverly Bowes

**BEST STARTS TO SLAM CAREER AT A MAJOR - WOMEN**
33-0 - Monica Seles (Australian Open 1991-96)
10-0 - Evonne Goolagong (Roland Garros 1971-72)
10-0 - Bianca Andreescu (US Open 2019-21)

*U.S. OPEN - RECENT "IT" WINNERS*
2012 [Brit] Laura Robson, GBR
2013 [Bannerette] Vicky Duval, USA
2014 [Girl] CiCi Bellis, USA
2015 [Kiki] Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
2016 [Teen] Ana Konjuh, CRO
2017 [Jr. Wild Card] Coco Gauff, USA
2018 [Court] (new) Louis Armstrong Stadium
2019 [Canadian] Bianca Andreescu, CAN
2020 [Champion Moms] Vera Zvonareva/RUS and Jordanne Whiley/GBR
2021 [Teens] Leylah Fernandez/CAN and Emma Raducanu/GBR
[2021]
AO: [Egyptian] Mayar Sherif, EGY
RG: [Teen] Coco Gauff, USA
WI: [Brit Teen] Emma Raducanu, GBR

**U.S. OPEN UNSEEDED QF**
[since 32-seed draw in 2001]
2001 Daja Bedanova, CZE
2002 Elena Bovina, RUS
2004 Shinobu Asagoe, JPN
2007 Agnes Szavay, HUN
2009 Kateryna Bondarenko, UKR
2009 Kim Clijsters, BEL (WC) - won title
2009 Melanie Oudin, USA
2009 Yanina Wickmayer, BEL
2010 Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
2011 Angelique Kerber, GER
2013 Daniela Hantuchova, SVK
2013 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
2014 Belinda Bencic, SUI
2014 Peng Shuai, CHN
2015 Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
2015 Roberta Vinci, ITA - reached final
2016 Ana Konjuh, CRO
2016 Anastasija Sevastova, LAT
2016 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2017 Sloane Stephens, USA (PR) - won title
2017 Kaia Kanepi, ESP (Q)
2018 Lesia Tsurenko, UKR
2020 Victoria Azarenka, BLR - reached final
2020 Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL (PR)
2020 Shelby Rogers, USA
2021 Leylah Fernandez, CAN
2021 Emma Raducanu, GBR (Q)

**U.S. OPEN LOWEST-RANKED QF**
[since 1975 rankings]
Unranked - 1977 Billie Jean King
Unranked - 1979 Billie Jean King
Unranked - 1981 Barbara Gerken
Unranked - 1982 Gretchen Rush
Unranked - 2009 Kim Clijsters [W]
Unranked - 2020 Tsvetana Pironkova
#418 - 2017 Kaia Kanepi
#150 - 2021 EMMA RADUCANU
#103 - 1980 Barbara Hallquist
#93 - 2020 Shelby Rogers
#92 - 2016 Ana Konjuh
#92 - 2011 Angelique Kerber

**BACKSPIN 2021 DOWN-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN/FEB: Dayana Yastremska, UKR
AO: Sofia Kenin, USA
FEB: Sofia Kenin, USA
MAR/APR: Karolina Pliskova, CZE
1Q...PLISKOVA
APR: Elena Rybakina, KAZ
MAY: Simona Halep, ROU
RG: Naomi Osaka, JPN
2Q Clay Court...HALEP
JUN: Karolina Pliskova, CZE
WI: Petra Kvitova, CZE
2Q Grass Court...KVITOVA & S.WILLIAMS
JUL: Petra Kvitova, CZE
OLYMPICS: Ash Barty, AUS (s)
AUG: Bianca Andreescu, CAN
[2021 Weekly DOWN Wins]
5 - Sofia Kenin, USA
4 - Naomi Osaka, JPN
3 - Bianca Andreescu, CAN
3 - Ash Barty, AUS
3 - Petra Kvitova, CZE
3 - Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
3 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE
3 - Elena Rybakina, KAZ
3 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
3 - Sloane Stephens, USA
3 - Elina Svitolina, UKR
2 - Amanda Anisimova, USA
2 - Johanna Konta, GBR
2 - Yulia Putintseva, KAZ
2 - Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP









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Amazing actor. Amazing on-screen presence.

Omar Little in "The Wire," for starters, was quite simply one of *the* greatest characters in television history (the city of Baltimore just lost a significant piece of its heart, by the way). "Hap and Leonard" (a personal favorite) was one of the most underappreciated shows ever, as well.

Seeing Williams as himself was always a little strange at first because he was *so* identifiable as the characters he played, but then it immediately became clear that he seemed to be such a good guy (unfortunately, with ongoing addiction issues) and you realized once more just how great an actor he was. Apparently, that ability to lose himself within his complicated (morally and otherwise) characters wasn't necessarily helpful when it came to dealing with those personal issues, though.



When he showed up, ever so briefly, during an Oscars telecast a few years ago, it was like a little gift.



He *belonged* there and anyone who ever saw his work knew it, too. He was known, but much like "The Wire" I suspect his legend will grow exponentially now that he's gone and some people will belatedly realize what they missed in real time. He may finally win his first Emmy in two weeks time (for "Lovecraft County"), but he won't be around to experience just how happy everyone would have been for him to finally receive such overdue recognition.



"Omar's comin'"... "You come at the king, you best not miss." If you saw "The Wire," just those two lines bring back a rush of so many memories and images it's stunning.



Sigh. It's been a while, for me at least, since a celebrity/actor/singer death felt like a gut punch, but this one really does feel like that.








TOP QUALIFIER: Rebecca Marino/CAN (first US MD since '11)
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #9 Garbine Muguruza/ESP
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3: Katie Boulter/GBR def. #8 Kristina Kucova/SVK 7-5/2-6/6-4 (from break down at 4-2, wins final 4 games to reach first U.S. Open MD)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #4 Karolina Pliskova/CZE def. Amanda Anisimova/USA 7-5/6-7(5)/7-6(7) - (Anisimova first on Ashe; Pliskova US reocord 24 aces; Anisimova up 5-2 in 3rd TB, Pliskova saves MP and wins on MP #2 9-7; no Top 20 seed def. in first two round)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Kristina Kucova/SVK (def. Li/USA)
FIRST SEED OUT: #31 Yulia Putintseva/KAZ (1st Rd./lost to Kanepi)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Valentini Grammatikopoulou/GRE, Rebeka Masarova/ESP
UPSET QUEENS: Russia
REVELATION LADIES: Greece
NATION OF POOR SOULS: USA (8-14 in 1st; Keys/Riske out; Serena/Venus/Kenin/Brady DNP; 3/4 '17 all-US SF out)
CRASH & BURN: #2 Naomi Osaka/JPN (3rd Rd. to Fernandez/CAN; served for match in 2nd set) and #1 Ash Barty/AUS (3rd Rd. to Rogers/USA; led 5-2, double-break in 3rd)
ZOMBIE QUEENS OF NEW YORK: Elise Mertens/BEL (1r vs. Peterson; down 6-3/5-3 and RP served twice for match; saved 5 MP in 2nd, 1 MP in 3rd) and Rebeka Masarova/ESP (1r vs. Bogdan; down 7-6/4-1; saved 2 MP in 3rd TB, on own 6th MP; first slam win) - simultaneously-played U.S. Open women's record 3:40 matches
IT ("Teens"): Leylah Fernandez/CAN and Emma Raducanu/GBR
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: xx
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Emma Raducanu/GBR (in QF) (LL 3r: Minnen, Rakhimova)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: none (went 0-8 in 1st Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: Shelby Rogers (4th Rd.)
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Andreescu, Yastremska (MX)
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominee: Ka.Pliskova
DOUBLES STAR: xx
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Nominee: Krueger (youngest in women's MD)
BROADWAY-BOUND: Nominee: Rogers (def. #1 Barty), de Groot (for Golden Slam)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: Sakkari, Canadians (Andreescu/Fernandez)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx







All for Day 8. More tomorrow.
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