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Wednesday, August 31, 2022

US.2- Alize in the City


Alize is life. Still, and forever.




Throughout her career, Alize Cornet has hit all the notes.

Highs. Lows. Good. Bad. Great decisions, as well as questionable ones. Needless, and sometimes messy, drama. Required and hard-won maturity. Sometimes too much emotion, but often just the right amount of passion. And, through practice (as well and trial and error), some glory thrown in to make it all worthwhile.

Night 2 at the U.S. Open was another case of the 32-year old French woman stepping onto the big stage and shining brighter than ever on it. Seven months after reaching her first slam QF in Melbourne (her 63-major wait was the longest ever), and two months after knocking off world #1 Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon to end the Pole's 37-match win streak, Cornet played in a 1st Round match at a 63rd consecutive major, an all-time women's tennis record.



Cornet's opponent under the lights on Armstrong was the #11-seeded Emma Raducanu, the 19-year old defending champ who thrilled the crowds (and stunned the sport) last year by becoming the first qualifier to ever win a major singles title. The Brit's last twelve months have been filled with new sponsorships, a whole heap of coaches, questionable health (from minor issues to blisters) and, on occasion, some pretty good tennis as she's attempted to manuever her way through her first full season on tour, mixing in the good with the bad but keeping her head up and her attitude realistic, with a slam crown in her back pocket and (hopefully) a full career in front of her to actually become the sort of player that she hinted she could be last summer at Flushing Meadows.

As she often does under such circumstances, with such a big moment at hand Cornet put on a command performance filled with drop shots and applause-worthy winners, first ending Raducanu's 20-set winning streak in the event, then erasing her perfect 10-0 match record in it, too, winning 6-3/6-3.

Once again, Raducanu was hampered by blisters on her fingers that required medical treatment during the match. Cornet was the dominant figure throughout, but it was *still* Cornet so a little drama -- though on a far smaller scale than used to be the case with her years ago -- had to be inserted for a *little* flavor. With weather becoming an issue in the New York City area in the evening, the roof was closed early in the 2nd set. When Cornet was serving. Having broken Raducanu in the opening game, Cornet was seemingly distracted by the roof's movement. She dropped serve and whacked a ball in frustration which seemed to possibly hit a ball kid in the middle of the court. Nothing was done about it, though, either because the umpire didn't see it or because the ball kid was running across in front of the net when Cornet hit the ball toward it. Either way, one can be certain the Cult of Novak will want to have words with *someone* because of this even though *his* past offense included hitting a linesperson in the throat with a ball in the back of the court.

Cornet's 1-0 lead soon turned into a 3-1 Raducanu edge. But the Pastry quickly turned things back around, winning eight consecutive points (and 12 of 13) as she rallied to break for a 4-3 lead. Two games later another break ended the match.



Cornet has now won seven straight matches over Top 20 players in majors.



At the start of 2022, Cornet had orignially thought that this year would see her name added to the (still) lengthening list of women's players retiring this season. But as her results have popped on big stages and vs. top players, she's rightfully backtracked on that plan. She's currently pushed the "r"-word back to "at least" next year's Roland Garros... but maybe the delay at some point will be put off to an even more "undetermined date" if she continues having nights like the one she had on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Raducanu's ranking will fall from #11 to into the #70's with the loss of her title (and qualifying) points from a year ago. By this time a year from now, with the spotlight turned down at least a bit, we should have a little better idea about what sort of early career the Brit is actually going to have.

Hopefully by then the training will have increased her strength (cutting some of those niggling injuries that have slowed her), she'll have found a remedy (taped fingers or something else -- maybe soaking her hands in vinegar like some boxers do?) to handle those blisters, and she'll have found a *stable* coaching situation.

Once all that happens, the understandable "she's got time" excuse will have transformed into a "how is she going to take advantage of that time" story. The countdown starts now.






=DAY 2 NOTES=
...on a humid and windy day in New York, decidely less hoopla than will be the case for quite a few players at this slam was made as the women's #1 made her first appearance in a match that matters at this U.S. Open on Tuesday.

Iga Swiatek, having reached at least the 3rd Round of ten straight majors (and the 4th Round in 6 of 7), dropped just three games to Jasmine Paolini, winning 6-3/6-0. Her 18th bagel set of the season moves her into a second place tie with Kim Clijsters (2003) for love sets won in a season since 2000. She's currently seven behind chart-topper Serena Williams' 2013 mark.



...while the young Crush of Czechs dominated the storylines in the qualifying, the discussion of Czech women's tennis became a multi-generational topic on Day 2.

Though 16-year old Sara Bejlek was rocked by Liudmila Samsonova on Monday evening (so what else is new? The Hordette now has an 11-match winning streak with 14 con. sets won, and 20 of her last 21.), there were more than enough Czechs to go around today.

Qualifier Linda Noskova, 17, joined Bejlek on the sidelines, but only after pushing countrywoman Marie Bouzkova to a 3rd set by erasing a 6-2/4-1 lead (Bouzkova served at 5-4) and winning a tie-break. The teenager was up on serve at 2-1 in the 3rd, but Bouzkova pushed her way through. She served at 5-2 (Noskova held BPs) and finally won her fifth straight game to take the match, putting away her first career U.S. Open MD win on her fifth try, winning 6-2/6-7(3)/6-2.

Before this season, Bouzkova was just 1-11 in career slam MD matches. So far in '22, she's 7-2 with her first major QF (at Wimbledon).

The one Czech qualifier to post a 1st Round win was 17-year old Linda Fruhvirtova, getting her maiden slam victory over Wang Xinyu by a score of 6-3/6-4. Wang has now dropped seven straight tour-level Q/MD matches.



On the more senior end of the Czech tennis spectrum, #22 Karolina Pliskova and #21 Petra Kvitova both advanced, but had very different experiences.

Pliskova found herself down 4-1 in the 3rd set against Magda Linette, but battled back, breaking the Pole in consecutive service games to lead 6-5. But the Czech wasn't able to serve out the win as the match was decided in a match tie-break. Pliskova led 3-0, 6-1 and 7-2, but then experienced an error-laden stretch (she seemed to be tiring in the heat, and several times bent over at the waist at the end of points) that nearly cost her the match.

Serving at 7-6, she dropped both points and was suddenly behind 8-7. Pliskova nearly missed on a swing volley at the net, just catching the baseline to avoid going down MP. Instead it was an error off Linette's racket a point later that gave Pliskova a MP. Pliskova put in a big serve, then put away a forehand to win 10-8 and survive.



Soon after, Kvitova quickly fell behind in the 1st set against qualifier Erika Andreeva, in her slam MD debut. The Hordette led 5-2 in the 1st, and served at 5-3. But Kvitova turned around not just the match, but the set, getting the 1st to a TB (winning it 7-3) and then dominating the 2nd at love.



...barely holding onto her Top 10 ranking, with her '21 U.S. Open Round of 16 points set to drop and WTAF title load falling off at the end of the season, maybe no player really *needs* a good result at this tournament more than #9 Garbine Muguruza, who has posted just *one* QF or better result (Doha) this season, and coming into today had gone just 9-14 overall after having one of the best, most consistent campaigns of her career last year.

The Spaniard didn't get a gimme in the 1st Round, facing Clara Tauson, but at least not the version of the Dane (who's been battling injury all season) who might have been a bigger issue to deal with. After taking the 1st set 6-3, Muguruza held an early break lead in the 2nd before Tauson immediately recovered to break for 3-3. Muguruza ultimately saved three SP in the 2nd and rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the tie-break to avoid having to go three sets (where she's 1-5 in '22), winning 7-5 to post just her *second* slam win this season after back-to-back one-and-done exits in Paris and London.



...in her first U.S. Open match since 2019, #16 Alona Ostapenko fell in three sets to Chinese riser Zheng Qinwen, who recovered from an early 3rd set break disadvantage to assume control of the match, breaking the Latvian to close out a 6-4 deciding set. The 19-year old, who served 20 aces on the day, has now posted 1st Round victories in all four of her slam MD debuts in '22, and now stands at 7-3 in majors this year. Two of those three losses (Iga at RG, Rybakina at SW19) came against the eventual champion.

...while many of this summer's hard court stars haven't been so lucky at this Open so far -- Halep (Toronto W), Kasatkina (San Jose W/Granby W), and Saville (Granby RU) are all out -- #8 Jessie Pegula, as is her style, continues to put her head down and burrow through.

The New York state native, who reached the Toronto SF and Cincinnati QF in recent weeks, defeated Vikorija Golubic 6-2/6-2 today. She's reached the QF or better in 6 of 10 WTA 1000 or slam events this season, and at 11 over the past two seasons. Pegula has been the #1-ranked Bannerette throughout the entire summer hard season since the end of Wimbledon.

...'17 U.S. Open champ Sloane Stephens opened her 1st Round match against Greet Minnen by falling behind 4-0. Uh-oh. But, as she does, she flipped the switch. Oh. Stephens won 1-6/6-3/6-3. Move along... nothing to see here. As of now.



Fellow Bannerette Bernarda Pera has been on fire since the end of Wimbledon, winning back-to-back clay titles (Budapest/Hamburg) and then switching to hard court and reaching a 125 final and tour-level semi (Cleveland), going into Flushing Meadows having gone 19-2 in her last 21. It may have all finally caught up with her, as her 1 & 2 destruction at the hands of Liudmila Samsonova this weekend was followed up today by a 4 & 4 defeat at the hands of Anhelina Kalinina.

Pera has lost in the 1st Round at 6 of the last 7 slams, and 11 of the last 15. Half of her eight career slam MD wins came in her debut slam year in 2018, when she went a combined 4-4 (she's gone 4-15 since).

...a qualifier won the U.S. Open women's title a year ago. Qualifier Clara Burel won't likely follow suit this time around, but the Pastry surely has *something* working in her favor at this tournament.

In the final round of qualifying, Burel found herself MP down to Misaki Doi when the rains came and gave her a reprieve. She returned to save that MP, and four more in the same game, holding serve and forcing a TB (also delayed mid-way through) that she won to reach the MD. Her reward was a 1st Round match-up with #25-seeded Wimbledon champ Elena Rybakina.

Rybakina has admitted her frustration over a ranking far lower than it *should* be since she was awarded no points for her SW19 win, as well as her less-than-complimentary court assignments since then despite being a reigning major champion. Well, today's result (on Court 12) won't help the Kazakh on that front, as her 6-4/6-4 loss to Burel makes Rybakina the first maiden slam champ to fall in the opening round of her next major since Sloane Stephens exited in the 1st Round of the Australian Open in 2018.



For former junior #1 Burel, the wins stops her string of 1st Round slam defeats at four. The Pastry reached the U.S. Open girls' final in 2018, falling to Wang Xiyu.

...while one Williams took to the court on Night 1, the other did so on Day 2. Only Serena will play on (in singles, anyway), as 42-year old wild card Venus (ranked #1504) fell in straight sets to Alison Van Uytvanck. Thing is, as has been the case since Williams' singles return earlier this hard court summer, there were times (though there were some quite the opposite, too) when she looked pretty good, and one *can* see her being able to put up some (at least) respectable results should she choose to continue to play (and stay healthy) on a regular basis.



Williams quickly fell behind the Belgian in the 1st, trailing 4-0 and dropping the set at 6-1. She was down a break in the 2nd, as well, before rallying to get back into the set and forcing a TB. Van Uytvanck won it 7-5 to avoid a 3rd set. If Williams had forced the decider, it'd been the first time she'd managed to come from behind do so in her four singles outings this summer (her one three-setter came after she'd won the 1st vs. Rebecca Marino in Washington). Progress? Maybe.

There was something to be encouraged by here, even in her 23rd U.S. Open and record 91st slam singles MD appearance. Yes, Williams is now 0-4 this season and has lost six straight dating back to last year (matching the career long losing streak that occurred prior to her most recent singles victory in the 1st Round of last year's Wimbledon), but she's not *that* far away from getting wins in these matches. You can tell that Venus knows it, too... after all these years, there's something refreshing about seeing her lack of a taste for defeat showing on her face as she walks to the net following MP. She'll win some matches again. Whenever and wherever. There is NO WAY she'd ever leave before that.



Racket in hand, you get the feeling Williams will be back for a few more rounds. Maybe more than many might suspect, too. And not just in this Open's doubles draw, either.

...while Venus should be back, Andrea Petkovic won't be. The German announced before the tournament that this U.S. Open would be her final major before retiring this season, though she left open the possibility of a farewell appearance in a European event this fall. Ostrava!! maybe? Or Cluj? She could even borrow Jaqueline Cristian's vampire cape (and maybe throw in some plastic fangs to make the outfit complete?).

Petkovic forced #13 Belinda Bencic to play three sets today, and after the Swiss aced her to end the match the two had a long embrace at the net. Cheers and waves followed (but no final Petko dance), as chants (heard often during the match) of "Petko! Petko! Petko!" rang out before she left the slam stage one final time to a standing ovation (from the crowd and Bencic alike).



With 34-year old Petko's exit, one can't help but feel the true turning of a page in one particular book of tennis history. Specifically, Germany's. Granted, Tatjana Maria had a remarkable run to the Wimbledon semis this summer, but the tour's cadre of German veterans are clearly in the final stages of an underrated era of post-Graf tennis success.

Former Top 10er and slam semifinalist ('14 RG) Petkovic, whether she plays a farewell event in Europe or not, is officially out the door. Angelique Kerber's pre-event announcement of her surprise pregnancy and withdrawal meant that this U.S. Open was her first absence from a major MD since 2009, ending a streak of 51 straight for the former #1, three-time slam champ and future Hall of Famer. If she returns to the sport in any real way, she'll likely do so at a time when she'd be turning 36 early in the '24 season. It's not out of the question that she might be a full-time tour player again, but it could be that we'll only see her in a limited fashion if at all.

Oddly enough, the oft-injured, two-time slam WD/MX champ Laura Siegemund, also 34, *is* still around, though she fell in the 1st Round of this Open just as Petkovic and Maria did. Only one NextGen German -- the promising Julie Niemeier, in her first slam since her SW19 QF -- reached the MD at Flushing Meadows.

Niemeier defeated Sofia Kenin today, winning 7-6(3)/6-4.

...one of the most underrated active slam streaks ended in New York on Tuesday, as #32 seed Elise Mertens saw her run of 18 straight 3rd Round-or-better results in majors come to a close when she lost to Irina Camelia Begu, 3-6/6-2/6-3. Mertens had led 6-3/2-0 in the match, as well as 3-1 in the 3rd, dropping both sets with losing streaks of six and five games.



...meanwhile, one of these sort of situations always happens every once in a while (leading players to be called all sorts of names on social media by people because their bets were voided since the match didn't officially "finish"), and today's version featured Lauren Davis and Lucia Bronzetti.

Playing in the day's humid conditions, Bronzetti already had her right thigh wrapped. In the middle of the 3rd set, after holding to pull within 4-3, the Italian was seen by a physio, had her blood pressure checked, was stretched out on her back on the court and left the court for a moment. Bronzetti broke Davis' serve in the next game, but then dropped serve a game later. With Davis serving up 5-4, 30/15, Bronzetti lunged for a serve up the T and quickly grabbed her left calf and went to the court, seemingly cramping badly.



After being surrounded while she sat on the court, Bronzetti eventually got to her seat. Two points from defeat, she tried to walk back out to return serve, but was limping badly, was clearly was in pain and wouldn't be able to run. Rather than risk it, she tearfully retired.

...elsewhere, Varvara Gracheva's discontented summer continued with a 6-4/7-6(3) loss to Petra Martic, falling in straights despite having held a 5-0 lead in the 2nd (the Hordette lost last week in Cleveland after holding six MP vs. Madison Brengle). Gracheva's losing streak now stands at ten matches, with her last win coming in the first week of June.



Gracheva had gone 3r-3r in her two U.S. Open appearances, and in four of her last seven majors.

...meanwhile...



When the draw was made, everyone's eyes immediately went to a possible 2nd Round match-up between #25 Victoria Azarenka and Marta Kostyuk, as the latter young Ukrainian has seeingly made it her personal mission to attempt to publicly shame every Russian and Belarusian player who hasn't specifically and publicly (and at great risk) condemned Vladimir Putin's invsasion of Ukraine *and* come to her *personally* to talk about the situation. Kostyuk has, at various times, called for all RUS/BLR players to be banned, suggested she wouldn't take the court against a player from either country, refused to participate in last week's Tennis Plays for Peace exhibition (on Ukrainian Independence Day) because of the initial inclusion of RUS/BLR players, and got Azarenka tossed from the event after she'd been announced as being involved. Last week, a round from possibly playing Russian Dasha Kasatkina in the Granby final, Kostyuk pulled out of her SF with Dasha Saville (a Russian turned Aussie who, naturally, is friends will all her former Russian compatriots).

All Kostyuk and Azarenka had to do was win their 1st Round matches for the next move to come. Today they did. Kostyuk handled Mayar Sherif in straight sets, while Azarenka defeated qualifier Ashlyn Krueger in three, though she'd led 6-1/3-0 at one point.



Ah, but *will* they meet? We shall see. Kostyuk would have to show up first.

...in the late night match, #19 Danielle Collins got her first win in four tries against Naomi Osaka, defeating the two-time U.S. Open champ 7-6(5)/6-3. The moment marks a triumphant return to form for Collins, who has had a difficult time with injuries (to go along w/ her other medical conditions) since reaching the AO final in January (before tonight, winning won just six additional matches after winning six in Melbourne alone).



The loss is Osaka's first in her opening round match in New York in seven appearances. She's now 22-5 in her U.S. Open career. The loss also ends her four-season streak with a singles slam crown, having alternated winning U.S. (2018/20) and AO (2019/21) titles the last four years, twice winning back-to-back hard court slams over two seasons.

...normally, the 1st Round would be over. But, of course, it isn't *quite* so. NCAA champ Peyton Stearns forced a 3rd set against #28 Ekaterina Alexandrova in the early evening, but then the rains came with the Hordette up 4-3. Rather than try to squeeze it in under a roof *very* late, it'll be completed along with the bottom half's 2nd Round matches tomorrow.

Of course, that doesn't mean some awards can't be dispensed.

NATION OF POOR SOULS: Germany. But only the veterans who went 0-3 (not Jule), with Kerber absent for the first time since '09.

UPSET QUEENS: China. Two seeds were taken out in the opening round by Chinese players. Zheng Qinwen defeated #16 Alona Ostapenko, while Zhang Shuai knocked out #30 Jil Teichmann. Additionally, Wang Xiyu defeated Granby semifinalist Diane Parry. Qualifier Yuan Yue got her first career slam MD win, as well.

REVELATION LADIES: Even without Elina Svitolina in the draw, three Ukrainians advanced, with Daria Snigur (def. #7 Simona Halep) and Anhelina Kalinina (def. Bernarda Pera) defeating summer tour title winners, while Marta Kostyuk got past Mayer Sherif.

...as expected, more Bannerettes reached the 2nd Round than players from any other nation. The U.S. started with 23 woman in the 128-strong field. 10 are still alive in the 2nd Round, with one (Stearns) still possibly waiting to join them.

Next up on the nation chart is the Czech Republic (6), followed by Russia (5, w/ Alexandrova to finish), China (4) and a slew of three-member contingents (Belarus, Canada, France, Romania and Ukraine).





...ABOUT MONDAY NIGHT ON DAY 2:



I'll leave out the stupid social media attacks on Chris Evert's commentary by the Serena Protectors Brigade, who I'm convinced have never watched or listened to the commentary on any tennis matches other than those featuring Serena (well, maybe Venus) -- if they even listen to those, and instead simply react to what others' *say* was said, giving it their own negative spin -- and who somehow haven't realized to this point that a commentator's job, when a player misses a shot, is to, I don't know, maybe try to explain why it occurred. Such analysis is not a personal attack, the playing out of a decades-long hatred via "microaggressions" or a jealousy-fueled, racist attack on someone who she knows "she never was and never will be as good or great as" (or whatever plotline it is that they've convinced themselves has been playing out over the years).

Evert noted tonight during the Cornet/Raducanu match that Cornet once defeated Serena three times in a single season... and I'm *sure* that will be judged to have crossed some line of etiquette, as well.


...AS THE ANISIMOVA TURNS... ON DAY 2:












Well, if you start with the Beatles, the Stones surely can’t be far behind, right? So, another three-decade, British invasion trip with the Rolling Stones’ hits from U.S. Open summers, including “Honky Tonk Women” (1969), “It’s Only Rock and Roll (but I like it)” (1974; performed in ’75), and “Start Me Up” (1981).














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**U.S. OPEN 1st ROUND BY NATION - alphabetical**
0-1 - ARG
1-2 - AUS
2-2 - BEL
3-0 - BLR
1-0 - BRA
3-0 - CAN
4-1 - CHN
1-0 - COL
1-2 - CRO
6-4 - CZE
0-1 - DEN
0-1 - EGY
3-2 - ESP
2-0 - EST
3-4 - FRA
1-1 - GBR
1-3 - GER
1-0 - GRE
1-1 - HUN
1-4 - ITA
0-1 - JPN
1-1 - KAZ
0-1 - LAT
0-1 - MEX
0-1 - MNE
0-1 - NED
1-2 - POL
3-2 - ROU
5-5 - RUS
0-2 - SLO
1-0 - SRB
1-2 - SUI
2-0 - SVK
0-1 - SWE
1-0 - TUN
3-2 - UKR
10-12 - USA
-
TO FINISH: Alexandrova/RUS vs. Stearns/USA

**RECENT FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS AND NEXT MAJOR RESULT**
2016 Angelique Kerber (AO): Roland Garros 1st
2016 Garbine Muguruza (WI): Wimbledon 2nd
2017 Alona Ostapenko (RG): Wimbledon QF
2017 Sloane Stephens (US): Australian 1st
2018 Caroline Wozniacki (AO): Roland Garros 4th
2018 Simona Halep (RG): Wimbledon 3rd
2018 Naomi Osaka (US): Australian W
2019 Ash Barty (RG): Wimbledon 4th
2019 Bianca Andreescu (US): DNP 2020; Australian 2nd
2020 Sofia Kenin (AO): U.S. 4th
2020 Iga Swiatek (RG): Australian 4th
2021 Barbora Krejcikova (RG): Wimbledon 4th
2021 Emma Raducanu (US): Australian 2nd
2022 Elena Rybakina (WI): U.S. 1st

**U.S. OPEN DEFENDING CHAMPIONS OUT 1st RD.**
2005 Svetlana Kuznetsova
2017 Angelique Kerber
2022 Emma Raducanu

*2022 FIRST CAREER SLAM MD WINS
-AUSTRALIAN OPEN (9)-
Lucia Bronzetti, ITA
Jaqueline Cristian, ROU
Maddison Inglis, AUS
Nuria Parrizas Diaz, ESP
Gabriela Ruse, ROU
Wang Xinyu, CHN
Maryna Zanevska, BEL
Zheng Qinwen, CHN
-ROLAND GARROS (4)-
Fernanda Contreras, MEX
Elsa Jacquemot, FRA
Leolia Jeanjean, FRA
Katie Volynets, USA
-WIMBLEDON (8)-
Maja Chwalinska, POL
Elisabetta Cocciaretto, ITA
Dalma Galfi, HUN
Catherine Harrison, USA
Mai Hontama, JPN
Kararzyna Kawa, POL
Jule Niemeier, GER
Panna Udvardy, HUN
-U.S. OPEN (5)-
Cristina Bucsa, ESP
Linda Fruhvirtova, CZE
Elli Mandlik, USA
Daria Snigur, UKR
Yuan Yue, CHN
--
NOTE: Stearns to finish 1st Rd.

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "CRASH & BURN"**
2015 Karolina Pliskova, CZE (1st Rd.)
2016 Monica Puig, PUR (1st Rd.)
2017 Angelique Kerber, GER (1st Rd.)
2018 Simona Halep, ROU (1st Rd.)
2019 Sloane Stephens, USA (1st Rd.)
2020 Karolina Pliskova, CZE (2nd Rd.)
2021 A.Barty, AUS and N.Osaka, JPN (3rd Rd.)
2022 Simona Halep, ROU (1st Rd.)
[2022]
AO: #17 E.Raducanu/GBR (2r) and #23 L.Fernandez/CAN (1r)
RG: #6 O.Jabeur/TUN (1r) and #2 B.Krejcikova/CZE (1r)
WI: #23 B.Haddad Maia/BRA (1r) and #9 G.Muguruza/ESP (1r)
US: #7 Simona Halep/ROU (1r)

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "UPSET QUEENS" WINNERS**
2015 United States
2016 China
2017 Japan
2018 Sweden
2019 Russia
2020 United States
2021 Russia
2022 China
[2022]
AO: Romania
RG: France
WI: France
US: China

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "REVELATION LADIES" WINNERS**
2015 Japan
2016 Ukraine
2017 Australia
2018 Belarus
2019 United States
2020 Belarus
2021 Greece
2022 Ukraine
[2022]
AO: China
RG: Czech Republic
WI: Poland
US: Ukraine

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "NATIONS OF POOR SOULS"**
2016 BEL (0-4 in 1st Rd.)
2017 GER (2-7 1st Rd.; Kerber 2nd U.S. DC out 1st)
2018 SUI (1-4 in 1st Rd.; Golubic 0-6/0-6; Bacsinszky love 3rd)
2019 ESP (1-4 in 1st Rd.; seeded Muguruza and CSN/ret. out)
2020 AUS (0-5 in 1st Rd.; #1 Barty & ex-champ Stosur DNP)
2021 USA (8-14 in 1st; Keys/Riske out; Serena/Venus/Kenin/Brady DNP; 3/4 '17 SF)
2022 GER veterans (vets 0-3, pregnant Kerber w/d)
[2022]
AO: CAN (0-2; Fernandez loses 1r post-US; Andreescu/Bouchard DNP)
RG: HUN (0-4; Galfi held 2 MP in loss)
WI: AUS (1-5; #1 Barty DNP - retired in March)
US: GER veterans (vets 0-3, pregnant Kerber DNP)

**BACKSPIN 2022 WTA PERFORMANCE-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN/FEB: Ash Barty (Adelaide/Australian Open)
FEB: Alona Ostapenko (def. 6 former slam champs in Dubai/Doha)
MAR: Iga Swiatek (Sunshine Double - Ind.Wells/Miami)
1Q...SWIATEK (I.W./MIA)
APR: Ons Jabeur (Madrid W, Rome RU)
MAY: Iga Swiatek (Rome)
JUN: Iga Swiatek (Roland Garros)
2Q Clay Court...SWIATEK (16-0 on clay, w/ 3 titles)
JUN: Ekaterina Alexandrova (Rosmalen)
JUL: Elena Rybakina (Wimbledon)
2Q Grass Court...RYBAKINA (WIMBLEDON)
JUL: Petra Martic (Lausanne)
AUG: Caroline Garcia (Cincinnati)






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TOP QUALIFIER: Sara Bejlek/CZE (16; youngest in MD)
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3 - #28 Clara Burel/FRA def. #7 Misaki Doi/JPN 2-6/6-4/7-6(10) - Doi led 6-2/3-1, Burel up 4-2 in 3rd; Burel saves 4 MP at 5-6 down in 3rd (rain before MP #1) and 5th in TB before winning 12-10
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Anna Kalinskaya/RUS (def. Peterson/SWE)
FIRST SEED OUT: #7 Simona Halep/ROU (1st Rd./lost to qualifier Snigur/UKR in slam MD debut; 3rd 1r U.S. exit in last five app.)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Cristina Bucsa/ESP, Linda Fruhvirtova/CZE, Elli Mandlik/USA, Daria Snigur/UKR, Yuan Yue/CHN
PROTECTED RANKING MD WINS: 1r: Rodina, S.Williams
UPSET QUEENS: China
REVELATION LADIES: Ukraine
NATION OF POOR SOULS: GER veterans (Maria/Petkovic/Siegemund 0-3, pregnant Kerber DNP; Petkovic to retire)
CRASH & BURN: Nominee: #7 Halep (1r)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: Nominees: Ka.Pliskova (1r- trailed Linette 4-1 3rd; 7-2 MTB lead to 7-8 down, wins 10-8); Burel (saved by rain when MP down in Q3 vs. Doi, saved 5 MP; upsets Wimbledon champ Rybakina in 1st Rd.)
IT ("??"): x
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: x
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: 1r wins: Bucsa, Burel, L.Fruhvirtova, Kuzmova, Snigur, Yuan
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: 1r wins: Mandlik
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: 1r wins: Collins, Davis, Gauff, Keys, Mandlik, Pegula, Riske-A., Rogers, Stephens, S.Williams
COMEBACK: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
DOUBLES STAR: x
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Nominee: Mandlik
BROADWAY-BOUND: x
LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: S.Williams, Cornet, Collins
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x







All for Day 2. More tomorrow.
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