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Tuesday, September 5, 2023

US.9- Latvian Asunder


Sorry, folks. Park's closed. The moose out front should have told you.




Well, apparently, Alona Ostapenko's work here was done. As seasoned Ostapenko watchers know all too well, it is often the case that the grass is always greener on the other side of Alona. Today, as sometimes plays out on a set-by-set basis with the Latvian, we saw that other side in the #20 seed's quarterfinal match vs. #6 Coco Gauff.

After committing just 20 unforced errors in her upset of #1 seed Iga Swiatek two nights ago in a three-set, 1:48 affair that consisted of 25 total games, Ostapenko fired off 15 in the opening set -- a love set lost -- today. UE #21 game just nine games into this QF match, and Ostapenko ended it with 36 (to just 12 winners) in the 14 games completed over 68 (was it really *that* many?) minutes on Tuesday.

Granted, Gauff had quite a bit to do with today's result (the court in the confusing half-in-shadow, half-in-searing-sunlight probably helped a little, too), a complete flip of Ostapenko's straight sets win over Gauff in the Australian Open 4th Round earlier this year, as she played a tight (14 UE), clutch (6/7 on BP chances) game and relied on her defense. But Ostapenko simply never found her range, and likely no player on tour is more adrift than she in that circumstance.

Gauff opened the match with a break of serve, and the 1st set lasted just 20 minutes, a six-game blink-and-you-missed-it display that likely would have meant little had the Latvian started hitting lines early in the 2nd. But that didn't happen.



Gauff broke to start the 2nd, then weathered the brief uptick in Ostapenko's game that followed. The Latvian saw her first BP in game 2, and got the set back on serve with a Gauff forehand error. But Gauff immediately broke back a game later, then staved off a pair of BP (w/ an ace on the first) to hold for 3-1. After falling behind 15/40 in game 6, Gauff held again for 4-2.

At that point there was no turning back. Ostapenko dropped serve again, then Gauff served out the 6-0/6-2 victory.



With the win, Gauff advances into her second career slam semi, and first at the U.S. Open. On a 10-match winning streak and 16-1 on hard court this summer, she's the first teen Bannerette to reach the SF in New York since Serena Williams in 2001. Gauff wouldn't be born for two and a half years' after what would ultimately be the first of nine slam finals between the Williams sisters. [Footnote, three days after that final came 9/11.]

Afterward, Ostapenko noted her surprise at being scheduled first up today, especially after having played the night match two days ago (she said she got to sleep at 5 a.m.) and lacking energy in its aftermath yesterday, then having to start early today. Ostapenko also said that she'd been led to believe by organizers that this would be a night match (yeah, just like everyone else figured, I think), which would have given her more time to recover. Gauff played a day match on Sunday.

Gauff had no such worries or legitimate scheduling complaints, and instead got in a little side hustle after the match, serving as the pre-match announcer and "hype-woman" for the match to follow on Ashe.



Who knows, she might be just one win away from being able to perform her "second job" all the way through the weekend.




=DAY 9 NOTES=
...well, we're to the point in this slam where the presence of the night session means that it's actually almost a "half-schedule" in the daylight because -- outside of doubles, juniors and wheelchair -- there just aren't that many matches left to play.

So, here's where I drop in the little factoid about how two years after two unseeded players (one a qualifier) met for the women's title no unseeded players reached the QF this year. That's happened at the U.S. Open in recent years before, last in 2019 and before that in 2012. But before this year, the 2019 Open was the only slam in the past 33 in which it'd occurred. The only exception was the 2014 Australian Open.

...in the other draws on this super-hot (temperature-wise) day in New York, after being forced out of the WD draw due to Marketa Vondrousova's ailing shoulder (and singles schedule), Barbora Strycova's career (and she means it this time) came to a close today when she and MX partner Santiago Gonzalez lost to Ena Shibahara and Mate Pavic. Next stop: the Wimbledon Invitational tournament?

...wheelchair play got underway today. #3 Jiske Griffioen advanced, as did Aniek Van Koot, who defeated debuting fellow Dutch player Lizzy de Greef, 19, by a love & three score. #2 Yui Kamiji defeated Dana Mathewson 7-5/6-1, perhaps starting her *next* long winning streak vs. everyone not named Diede de Groot. Kamiji's 74-match run was ended at Wimbledon by Griffioen.

Meanwhile, top seeded de Groot began her quest for a sixth straight Open crown (and 12th straight slam) with 6-2/6-0 win over Pauline Deroulede, her 119th consecutive match victory.

...in junior 2nd Round play, Bannerette Katherine Hui def. #2 Lucciana Perez Alarcon 4 & love, while another U.S. girl, Aspen Schuman, knocked out this weekend's Repentigny champion, Brit Mimi Xu, in three sets. Poland's Zuzanna Pawlikowska def. #13-seeded Crusher Alena Kovackova.

...in the night session, which surprisingly *didn't* feature Gauff/Ostapenko (hey, but maybe the USTA knew something, eh?), #10 Karolina Muchova and #30 Sorana Cirstea face off for a spot in the semis.

For Muchova, it'd be her third career SF at a third different slam, while Cirstea would set the record for the longest trip to a maiden slam semi. This is her 59th career major MD, six more than the current record-holder, Barbora Styrcova for her Wimbledon final four run in MD #53 in 2019. At 33, the Romanian would be one of the oldest first-time slam semifinalists in the Open era, but not *the* oldest -- that'd be 34-year old Tatjana Maria at last year's Wimbledon.




*WOMEN'S SINGLES QF*
#6 Coco Gauff/USA def. #20 Alona Ostapenko/LAT
#30 Sorana Cirstea/ROU vs. #10 Karolina Muchova/CZE
#9 Marketa Vondrousova/CZE vs. #17 Madison Keys/USA
#23 Zheng Qinwen/CHN vs. #2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES QF*
#16 Dabrowski/Routliffe (CAN/NZL ) def. #6 Fernandez/Townsend (CAN/USA)
#3 Gauff/Pegula (USA/USA) vs. #8 Hsieh Su-wei/Wang Xinyu (TPE/CHN)
#12 Siegemund/Zvonareva (GER/RUS) vs. Azarenka/Haddad Maia (BLR/BRA)
Brady/Stefani (USA/BRA) def. Linette/Pera (POL/USA)

*MIXED DOUBLES QF*
#1 Pegula/Krajicek (USA/USA) vs. #5 Perez/Rojer (AUS/NED)
Townsend/Shelton (USA/USA) def. #7 Schuurs/Nys (NED/MON)
Shibahara/Pavic (JPN/CRO) def. Strycova/S.Gonzalez (CZE/MEX)
Danilina/Heliovaara (KAZ/FIN) def. Xu Yifan/Vliegen (CHN/BEL)

*WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S 1st ROUND*
#1 Diede de Groot/NED def. Pauline Deroulede/FRA
Lucy Shuker/GBR vs. Manami Tanaka/JPN
#4 Momoko Ohtani/JPN def. Zhu Zhenzhen/CHN
Kgothatso Montjane/RSA def. Maria Florencia Moreno/ARG
Aniek Van Koot/NED def. Lizzy de Greef/NED
#3 Jiske Griffioen/NED def. Shiori Funamizu/JPN
Angelica Bernal/COL def. Katharina Kruger/GER
#2 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Dana Mathewson/USA








...AND I DON'T LIKE THAT SHIRT ON YOU, EITHER... ON DAY 9:





















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**U.S. OPEN RECENT "BROADWAY-BOUND" WINNERS**
2017 Sharapova vs. Halep ("Opening Night")
2018 Kaia Kanepi, EST
2019 "Call Me Coco" summer preview shows
2020 "Three Moms & the Quarterfinals" (Serena, Vika and Pironkova)
2021 "Oh Canada!" (Fernandez, Andreescu, Dabrowski... +Auger-A. men's SF)
2022 "Danielle After Dark" (Collins)
2023 "Jabeurwocky" (Jabeur)

**U.S. OPEN "KIMIKO CUP" VETERAN WINNERS**
2015 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Venus Williams, USA
2018 Serena Williams, USA
2019 Serena Williams, USA
2020 Serena Williams, USA and Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2021 Samantha Stosur/Zhang Shuai, AUS/CHN
2022 Alize Cornet, FRA
2023 Sorana Cirstea, ROU

*SLAM QF+ - CHINA*
2006 WI - Li Na (QF)
2008 WI - Zheng Jie (QF)
2009 US- Li Na (QF)
2010 AO - Li Na (SF)
2010 AO - Zheng Jie (QF)
2010 WI - Li Na (QF)
2011 AO - Li Na (RU)
2011 RG - Li Na (W)
2013 AO - Li Na (RU)
2013 WI - Li Na (QF)
2013 US - Li Na (SF)
2014 AO - Li Na (W)
2014 US - Peng Shuai (SF)
2016 AO - Zhang Shuai (QF)
2019 WI - Zhang Shuai (QF)
2019 US - Wang Qiang (QF)
2023 US - Zheng Qinwen

*LOWEST-SEEDED WOMEN IN US OPEN SF, since 2000*
Unseeded - 2000 Elena Dementieva, RUS
Unseeded - 2009 Yanina Wickmayer, BEL
Unseeded - 2011 Angelique Kerber, GER
Unseeded - 2013 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
Unseeded - 2014 Peng Shuai, CHN
Unseeded - 2015 Roberta Vinci, ITA (RU)
Unseeded - 2016 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
Unseeded - 2017 Sloane Stephens, USA (W)
Unseeded - 2020 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (RU)
Unseeded - 2021 Leylah Fernandez, CAN (RU)
Wild Card - 2009 Kim Clijsters, BEL (W)
Qualifier - 2021 Emma Raducanu, GBR (W)
#28 - 2020 Jennifer Brady, USA
#28 - 2011 Serena Williams, USA (RU)
#26 - 2015 Flavia Pennetta, ITA (W)
#20 - 2018 Naomi Osaka, JPN (W)
#20 - 2017 CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
#19 - 2018 Anastasija Sevastova, LAT
#19 - 2006 Jelena Jankovic,SRB
#17 - 2022 Caroline Garcia, FRA
#17 - 2021 Maria Sakkari, GRE
#17 - 2018 Serena Williams, USA (RU)
#17 - 2014 Ekaterina Makarova, RUS

**OLDEST FIRST-TIME SLAM SF - OPEN ERA**
34 - Tatjana Maria, GER (2022 WI)
33 - Barbora Strycova, CZE (2019 WI)
32 - Roberta Vinci, ITA (2015 U.S.)

**MOST SLAMS BEFORE FIRST MAJOR SF**
53 - Barbora Strycova, CZE (2019 Wimbledon)
52 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (2021 Roland Garros)
46 - Elena Likhovtseva, RUS (2005 Roland Garros)
44 - Roberta Vinci, ITA (2015 U.S. Open)-RU
42 - Caroline Garcia, FRA (2022 U.S. Open)
42 - Julia Goerges, GER (2018 Wimbledon)
42 - Elena Vesnina, RUS (2016 Wimbledon)
42 - Nathalie Tauziat, FRA (1998 Wimbledon)-RU



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TOP QUALIFIER: #15 Wang Yafan/CHN
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #6 Coco Gauff/USA
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2 - Elsa Jacquemot/FRA def. #2 Diana Shnaider/RUS 6-7(5)/7-5/6-3 - down 7-6/5-3, saved 7 MP in 2nd set (trailed 5-4, 40/love)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - #32 Elise Mertens/BEL def. Mirjam Bjorklund/SWE 3-6/6-3/7-6(10-3) - down 3 MP at 4-5, love/40 in 3rd, won 4 con. pts to hold; wins TB 10-3
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #10 Karolina Muchova/CZE (def. WC Hunter)
FIRST SEED OUT: #8 Maria Sakkari/GRE (1r- lost to Masarova/ESP)
FIRST CAREER SLAM MD WINS: Eva Lys/GER, Lily Miyazaki/GBR
PROTECTED RANKING MD WINS: Jennifer Brady/USA (3rd Rd.); Dasha Saville/AUS (2nd Rd.), Patricia Maria Tig/ROU (2nd Rd.)
LUCKY LOSER MD WINS: Yanina Wickmayer/BEL (2nd Rd.)
UPSET QUEENS: United States
REVELATION LADIES: China
NATION OF POOR SOULS: France (1-6 in 1st; 9 of FRA Top 10 out Q/1r)
CRASH & BURN: #8 Maria Sakkari/GRE (3 consecutive slam 1st Rd. losses)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: #32 Elise Mertens/BEL (5 MP saved 1r/2r; 4-5, love/40 in 3rd vs. Bjorklund/SWE 1r; 2 MP 2nd set TB vs. Collins/USA 2r)
IT ("??"): Nominee: Zheng Q.
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: x
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Kaja Juvan/SLO, Greet Minnen/BEL (3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Caroline Wozniacki/DEN (4r)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: In QF: Gauff(W), Keys
COMEBACK: Caroline Wozniacki/DEN
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Sorana Cirstea/ROU
DOUBLES STAR: x
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Peyton Stearns/USA
BROADWAY-BOUND: "Jabeurwocky"
LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: Gauff, Ostapenko
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x







All for Day 9. More tomorrow.
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