Backspin Sites

Saturday, September 3, 2022

US.5- And the Curtain Comes Down


The End.




In many corners, this U.S. Open has seemingly been built around (if not limited to) the preparation for, analysis of and post-match discussion about Serena Williams' step-by-step movement through her likely final U.S. Open and farewell from professional tennis after over two decades, 23 major titles and far too many accomplishments to list.

Cooler heads and emotions, as well as the non-"casual" fans who don't just pay attention when a tennis event becomes a *news* story of note, knew it was likely only a temporary distraction, but the memories of slams past have always tended to nibble at the base of everyone's brain when Serena has been involved over the years, not so gently reminding them about all the *other* times that Williams had arrived at a major with little match play and managed to play her way into deep second week contention, as well as quite a few title runs under such trying (for pretty much anyone other than Williams) circumstances.

As always, nothing was ever *totally* out of the question, even with a 40-year old Serena wielding a racket and retirement (by her own admission and announcement) not just knocking on the door but seemingly having taken a comfortable seat in the living room.

But on Night 5, in a 3rd Round match against Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic, the current reality set in and the curtain finally came down.



From the start of the week, the thoughts about how long this Flushing Meadows "farewell" would last were always a fluid, round-by-round thing. Danka Kovinic would have a shot vs. Williams in the 1st Round if Serena wasn't prepared. She was. Moving on. A 2nd Round match-up with #2 Anett Kontaveit always felt like it would tilt Serena's way, as the Estonian is generally (but not always) a slam disappointment, and that was *before* Covid and a step-back '22 season managed to tie a rope around Kontaveit's ankle well before being reflected in her actual singles ranking. Williams started to look like Williams against Kontaveit, winning in three sets as she picked up her 48th career victory over a Top 2 opponent.

29-year old Aussie Tomljanovic, though, presented a different measuring stick. While she's yet to win a tour title (0-4 in finals), she's played some of her best tennis in recent majors, including back-to-back Wimbledon QF runs, as well as a QF in Cincinnati last month (with a win over #4 Paula Badosa) and a Top 5 victory at Roland Garros this spring over (wouldn't you know it) Kontaveit.

Williams' form would be tested on this night and, while she once again proved her formidability even in something far less than her *top* form, she tired down the stretch of what turned out to be (at 3:05) her longest career U.S. Open match. One couldn't help but get the feeling that if she'd had a few more pre-Open tournaments under her belt that Williams would still be playing in this event. But she didn't, and she isn't, and probably (maybe) never will again. Of course, even Williams wouldn't be totally definitive about *that* in the aftermath, even after a week-long public celebration and commemoration (if not memorialization) of her tennis career and cultural impact.

It didn't take long for the clues to be seen about how this match might be different from the previous two under the lights on Ashe. In the 1st set, Tomljanovic rallied from 5-3 down to win 7-5. In the 2nd, Williams built up a 4-0 lead, but ended up needing the cushion to survive. Tomljanovic won 5 of 6 games and took the set to a TB. Williams won it 7-4, but expended enough energy to hamper her chances in the decider.

Tomljanovic got the early 3rd set lead and didn't stop pulling ahead. She soon led 5-1 and served for the match, and to end Williams' career. Serena didn't have any miracles left in her tennis bag, but she didn't go out without one last fight, saving five MP in an eight-deuce game in which she held three BP but could never cut the double-break lead in half. Finally, on Tomljanovic's sixth MP, Williams netted a forehand to end the 7-5/6-7(4)/6-1 contest, as well as her unmatched career. (Probably.)



"It's been a fun ride," Serena said during her on-court interview after the match, even if not quite being able to bring herself to utter a true "goodbye," thanking everyone for being there tonight and over the course of her part in The Greatest Tennis Story Ever Told, as well as tipping a proverbial (and little sisterly) cap to the other side of that fabled sibling tale. "I wouldn't be Serena if there wasn't Venus," she stated, paying perhaps one final on-court homage to the player, friend, opponent, and big sister who put down the footsteps that she would soon follow (and eventually overtake).



If we truly never do see Serena on court, be it in singles or doubles, ever again there is one thing that we can probably be fairly sure of. We won't see her kind come this way again. Or at least, if anyone *ever* even comes close, we'll all be long gone before she gets here.






=DAY 5 NOTES=
...early in the day, the women's 3rd Round was a virtual live-action award ceremony as multiple players notched wins to achieve not only career-best U.S. Open results but also to complete their career set of Round of 16 journeys at all four majors during their time on tour.

#5 Ons Jabeur was the first to knock down the door, coming from a set down to defeat #31 Shelby Rogers 4-6/6-4/6-3 to reach her first 4th Round at Flushing Meadows in her seventh try (after going 0-3 in 3rd Round matches the last three years). It took Jabeur 22 major MD appearances to reach the Round of 16 in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York.



Zhang Shuai, 33, completed *her* Career Round of 16 Slam in her 41st career major MD today, defeating Rebecca Marino 2 & 4. Later, 18-year old #12 Coco Gauff took care of things on the other end of the age spectrium, completing her career major 4th Round collection in just her 13th MD (of course, she has nothing on Venus -- who did it in six!) via a fairly routine 2 & 3 win over #20-seeded countrywoman Madison Keys.



For the record, the quickest path to a Career Round of 16 Slam by any active player belongs to Genie Bouchard, who did it in just five, completing the cycle at the U.S. Open in 2014.

Ah, but that wasn't the end. In the night session, on Armstrong, #17 Caroline Garcia maintained her great momentum by taking out '19 Open champ Bianca Andreescu 6-3/6-2, completing her own Round of 16 slam in her 42nd slam MD opportunity. Garcia is the second Pastry to accomplish the feat at Flushing Meadows in the last three years, as Alize Cornet did it in 2020 in her 57th major.

Garcia has now won eleven straight matches, and is 29-4 starting with her Bad Homburg title run earlier this summer.

...of course, not all matches during the day and early evening had such career bookkeeping goals. #18 Veronika Kudermetova allowed just two games to Dalma Galfi, reaching her second slam 4th Round (and second straight, not counting Wimbledon in between) in a major, while also assuring a Hordette will play in the second week at a 77th of the last 87 eligible slams.

It was quite the dominating outing, too.



Of course, with some good comes the bad, as Kudermetova is out of the doubles as she and fellow #1-seeded Elise Mertens withdrew after the Belgian (whose 18 straight slam singles 3rd Rd. streak ended the other day) pulled out with a leg injury.

...#29 Alison Riske-Amritraj played into the evening on Court 17, outlasting China's Wang Xinyu in a 6-4/3-6/6-4 win to reach the 4th Round in New York for the first time since 2013.

...meanwhile, while the roars could be heard emanating from Ashe (and before they died down), Liudmila Samsonova was on Court 5 taking care of business. Of course, after an extremely slow start to this season, that has suddenly become nothing new.



In 2021, Samsonova looked like a potential star, playing brilliantly while winning her maiden tour title on the grass in Berlin, which she followed with a Wimbledon 4th Round run, and later ending her season by leading the Hordettes to the BJK Cup crown in her event debut in the Finals. She seemed poised to truly break away from the pack in '22, but it took until the summer hard court season for Samsonova to truly become the player she'd hinted she may be last year.

Samsonova started '22 at 6-7, showing few signs of recovery. She *did* put on a SF run in Stuttgart, pressuring Iga Swiatek like no one did in her 37-match winning streak. The Pole got win #22 in that run, but the Russian snapped her then 28-set streak. Nothing changed, though, as Samsonova fell into a 1-6 slide afterward. After a 1-3 grass season, including a 2nd Round exit in her Berlin title defense, with Wimbledon not an option because of the LTA ban, Samsonova took a six-week tour break. It may have changed everything.



Samsonova emerged having righted her game and geared up for a summer hard court run. As she arrived in Washington in early August, Samsonova's May ranking of #25 had slipped all the way to #60. But she was different. Or the same (and closer to how she'd been at times in' 21), depending how one looked at it.

Samsonova won her second tour title in Washington, coming from a set down to defeat Ajla Tomljanovic and reach her first QF since April, then handled reigning U.S. Open champ Emma Raducanu in two sets (saving four SP in the 1st) and allowed just two games against Wang Xiyu to reach her first singles final since winning in Berlin. Just as she had in the final in Germany against Belinda Bencic, the Russian rallied from a set down to defeat Kaia Kanepi for the crown. Two weeks later she touched down in Cleveland and claimed her third tour title, not dropping a set (including a dominating victory over Bernarda Pera in which she lost just four points on serve vs. a player who'd gone 19-1 in her previous 20 matches) and failing to her hold her serve just twice all week.

So far, nothing has stopped Samsonova at Flushing Meadows, either. And now Serena Williams (& all her friends and acquaintances on Ashe) won't be getting in her way to relegate the Hordette's possible star turn into something this side of a supporting role, unless she played "the villain" (in the round).

But Ajla did the dirty work for her tonight.

After handing "the future" in the 1st Round, in the form of 16-year old Czech Sara Bejlek, Samsonova then took down the other half of the Open's all-teen '21 final in #14 Leylah Fernandez, outdueling her a straight sets win, failing on five MP before being forced into a 2nd set TB, but not allowing the Canadian to morph into the showstopping comeback artist of a year ago.

Tonight's 3rd Round match was against Aleksandra Krunic. Nearly all of The Bracelet's best slam moments had all come in NYC, with three of her four career major 3rd Round runs (and her only 4r, in 2014) happening at Flushing Meadows. A finalist in Budapest in July, the Serb upset #23 Barbora Krejcikova in the 2nd Round two days ago as she returned to the Open for the first time since 2019.

While Krunic had chances to make a match of things vs. Samsonova, the Hordette always found a way to swat them away. Coming into the match on a 12-match, 16-set winning streak, with 25 consecutive holds of serve over the past two weeks, the Russian continued to have her "serious face" on. Samsonova never faced a BP in the 1st, holding in all four attempts en route to a 6-3 win.

Krunic carved out opportunities in the 2nd, but Samsonova saved three BP chances in her second service game of the set, getting the hold and then breaking the Serb for a 3-1 lead a game later. Samsonova fell behind love/40 in game #5. She saved two BP, but a forehand error ended her string of service holds at 32. The Russian immediately broke back, and used her "boom-boom" game on the Open's fast courts to put away the 6-3/6-3 win.

The new numbers: 13 wins. 18 sets. 62 holds in 65 service games (including 26 of 27 in this event).

Going into the night, the question that was lingering around Samsonova was after last year's BJK Cup Finals event hadn't been too big for her to handle, and neither had her important rebound attempt on hard courts this summer, would the pressure of facing Serena on Ashe under the light be her breaking point? An in-form Samsonova against Williams would have had possible earthquake potential, with the Hordette having to prove that she could remain unphased by the opponent, occasion, stage and noise (both literal and figurative).

But now it'll be Tomljanovic on the other side of the net instead, the same Aussie that Samsonova defeated near the start of this summer run. It'll be a match that will likely take place in the daylight on an outside court, or at least in the evening on something other than a big stage. Tomljanovic, for her part, didn't blink under the same circumstances under which Samsonova will now *not* be tested.

Whether all that ends up working for or against Samsonova, who surely had her eyes on the draw and her sights focused on what *might* be coming at her in the next round (and will now be either relieved or disappointed), is a question to be answered on Sunday.




*WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
Zhang Shuai/CHN vs. #12 Coco Gauff/USA
#17 Caroline Garcia/FRA vs. #29 Alison Riske-Amritraj/USA
#5 Ons Jabeur/TUN vs. #18 Veronika Kudermetova/RUS
Liudmila Samsonova/RUS vs. Ajla Tomljanovic/AUS







...ABOUT THURSDAY NIGHT (also)... ON DAY 5:




...THURSDAY'S (SOMEWHAT UNEXPECTED) CONTINUED QUEEN OF THE NIGHT NOMINEE... ON DAY 5:



You know, maybe I should go with "Queen of the Night" instead of "Lady of the Evening" on the award. Hmmm.



...DID SOMEONE SAY "DERELICTION OF DUTY" AGAIN?... ON DAY 5:

During the late college football games on ESPN on Friday night, the bottom-of-the-screen ticker's "LEAD" section described the Williams/Tomljanovic match as such: "Serena fights off five match points in over three-hour long match"

I mean, really, ESPN?


...HEY, NOW MAYBE THE FOUR-LEGGED MAMMALS CAN FINALLY GET THEIR NAME BACK... ON DAY 5:














Some of Sheryl Crow’s biggest hits arrived during the summer months. From one of the initial breakout hits from her 1994 monster debut album in “All I Wanna Do,” to 2002’s “Soak Up the Sun.”

Looking at her here, in her debut "Tonight Show" appearance, I thought she had to be in her early 20's. But she was actually 32.



"The Tonight Show" was in May. By December of '94, Crow was already looking for ways to slightly change up her performance of a song that had to get a bit repetitive if you had to perform it as many times as she did that year.



Eight years later in 2002, "Soak up the Sun" showed a different side of Crow's voice. This performance, though, is a pandemic-era appearance from home in 2020 that shows just how much seasoning her voice had undergone over 26 years.










kosova-font







kosova-font

**WTA "CAREER ROUND OF 16 SLAM" - active**
[with slam at which completed]
Victoria Azarenka - 2009 Wimbledon (15th)
Genie Bouchard - 2014 US Open (5th)
Caroline Garcia - 2022 US Open (42nd)
Alize Cornet - 2020 US Open (57th)
Coco Gauff - 2022 US Open (13th)
Simona Halep - 2014 Wimbledon (17th)
Ons Jabeur - 2022 US Open (22nd)
Kaia Kanepi - 2022 Australian (53rd)
Angelique Kerber - 2013 Australian (21st)
Madison Keys - 2016 Roland Garros (16th)
Barbora Krejcikova - 2022 Australian (8th)
Petra Kvitova - 2011 Australian (11th)
Svetlana Kuznetsova - 2005 Australian (11th)
Petra Martic - 2019 US Open (32nd)
Elise Mertens - 2019 Wimbledon (12th)
Garbine Muguruza - 2017 US Open (20th)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova - 2017 Australian (37th)
Karolina Pliskova - 2018 Wimbledon (25th)
Sloane Stephens - 2013 US Open (10th)
Iga Swiatek - 2021 US Open (11th)
Elina Svitolina - 2018 Australian (22nd)
Donna Vekic - 2021 Australian (29th)
Serena Williams - 2000 Wimbledon (8th)
Venus Williams - 1998 Wimbledon (6th)
Zhang Shuai - 2022 US Open (41st)
Vera Zvonareva - 2004 US Open (11th)

**"CAREER SLAM" FEATS IN 2020s**
=ROUND OF 16=
2020 US - Alize Cornet, FRA (57th)
2021 AO - Donna Vekic, CRO (29th)
2021 US - Iga Swiatek, POL (11th)
2022 AO - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (8th)
2022 AO - Kaia Kanepi, EST (53rd)
2022 US - Caroline Garcia, FRA (42nd)
2022 US - Ons Jabeur, TUN (22nd)
2022 US - Zhang Shuai, CHN (41st)
=QF=
2021 WI - Karolina Pliskova, CZE (36th)
2022 AO - Kaia Kanepi, EST (53rd)
=SF=
2021 WI - Karolina Pliskova, CZE (36th)
=F=
-

**U.S. OPEN "LADY OF THE EVENING" WINNERS**
2010 Venus Williams, USA
2011 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2012 Serena Williams, USA
2013 Serena Williams, USA
2014 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2015 Serena Williams, USA & Venus Williams, USA
2016 Madison Keys, USA
2017 "The Late Show starring Madison Keys"
2018 Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP
2019 Serena Williams, USA
2020 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2021 Maria Sakkari, GRE
2022 Serena Williams: The End
[2022]
AO: Ash Barty, AUS
RG: Cornet vs. Ostapenko
US: Serena Williams: The End

**BACKSPIN 2022 VETERAN-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Simona Halep, ROU
AO: Alize Cornet, FRA
FEB: Sloane Stephens, USA
MAR: Simona Halep, ROU
1Q...HALEP, ROU
APR: Simona Halep, ROU
MAY: Angelique Kerber, GER
RG: Martina Trevisan, ITA
2Q Clay Court...KERBER, GER
JUN: Petra Kvitova, CZE
WI: Tatjana Maria, GER
2Q Grass Court...MARIA, GER
JUL: Petra Martic, CRO
AUG (pre-U.S.): Simona Halep, ROU
[2022 Multiple Weekly VETERAN Award Wins]
7 - Simona Halep, ROU
5 - Alize Cornet, FRA
4 - Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU
3 - Sorana Cirstea, ROU
3 - Kaia Kanepi, EST
3 - Petra Kvitova, CZE
3 - Alison Riske-Amritraj, USA
3 - Zhang Shuai, CHN
2 - Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2 - Aleksandra Krunic, SRB
2 - Magda Linette, POL
2 - Tatjana Maria, GER
2 - Nuria Parrizas Diaz, ESP
2 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE
2 - Wang Qiang, CHN
2 - Heather Watson, GBR

**BACKSPIN 2022 COMEBACK-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Amanda Anisimova, USA
AO: Madison Keys, USA
FEB: Alona Ostapenko, LAT
MAR: Dasha Saville, AUS
1Q...SAVILLE, AUS
APR: Bianca Andreescu, CAN
MAY: Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA
RG: Sloane Stephens, USA
2Q Clay Court...KASATKINA, RUS
JUN: Caroline Garcia, FRA
WI: Katie Boulter, GBR
2Q Grass Court...GARCIA, FRA
JUL: Anastasia Potapova, RUS
AUG (pre-U.S.): Dasha Saville, AUS
[2022 Multiple Weekly COMEBACK Award Wins]
6 - Dasha Saville, AUS
5 - Bianca Andreescu, CAN
3 - Amanda Anisimova, USA
3 - Caroline Garcia, FRA
2 - Katie Boulter, GBR
2 - Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA
2 - Sofia Kenin, USA
2 - Madison Keys, USA
2 - Alona Ostapenko, LAT
2 - CoCo Vandeweghe, USA




kosova-font

Somehow I overlooked Diane's tweet about her lovely poetic tribute to Olivia Newton John. So...



Not a Jukebox summer selection, but a combination I hadn't seen before...




kosova-font


kosova-font


kosova-font











TOP QUALIFIER: Sara Bejlek/CZE (16; youngest in MD)
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): Serena Williams/USA (PR/#413; def. #2 Kontaveit; into 3rd Rd. at age 40) and Liudmila Samsonova/RUS (off back-to-back titles; def. '21 RU Fernandez 2r; 12 con. wins/14 con. sets)
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): 1st Rd. - (Q) Daria Snigur/UKR def. #7 Simona Halep/ROU 6-2/0-6/6-4 (#124-ranked qualifier gets upset in slam debut)
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: Evgeniya Rodina/RUS (2r), Serena Williams/USA (3r)
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: #7 Simona Halep/ROU (1r- lost to #124-ranked qualifier Snigur/UKR in slam MD debut)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: Nominees: Sabalenka (2r- trailed Kanepi 6-2/5-1, Kanepi twice for match and 2 MP in 2nd set TB; 2r- down break in 3rd set vs. Van Uytvanck); 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.); Riske-A. (2r- down 4-1 in 3rd vs. Osorio)
IT ("??"): x
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: x
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: in 3r: Burel, Yuan
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Elli Mandlik/USA (2nd Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: in 3r: Collins, Davis, Gauff(W), Keys(L), Pegula, Riske-A.(W), Rogers(L), S.Williams(L)
COMEBACK: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
DOUBLES STAR: x
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Nominees: Davis, Mandlik
BROADWAY-BOUND: x
LADY OF THE EVENING: Serena Williams: The End
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x







All for Day 5. More tomorrow.
Posted by at