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Wednesday, August 28, 2024

US.2- Strike a Pose


Needless to day, Naomi Osaka and the U.S. Open still have something of an ongoing, attention-grabbing relationship. We'll soon see if it has legs.



Like a model opening a runway show during Fashion Week, Osaka turned heads on Day 2 at Flushing Meadows. First, she arrived at Louis Armstrong Stadium dressed like a gift presented to a sport wishing to get a little traction via media coverage of the biggest event on the calendar.



Then Osaka picked up her racket, and the spectacle was even more pronounced.

A #88-ranked wild card, two-time Open champ Osaka faced off in her opening match against the #10-seeded Alona Ostapenko, a quarterfinalist in New York just last year (as well as last month at Wimbledon). On this day, the Latvian didn't stand much of a chance. Osaka took the 1st set at 6-3, committing *zero* unforced errors. She fell off big-time in the 2nd set, when she committed a "whopping" five UE. Overall in her 6-3/6-2 victory, her first in the event since 2021, Osaka had 19 winners vs. those five unforced errors (Ostapenko was equal-opportunity, with 21/21 numbers).



The win is Osaka's first over a Top 10 player (which Ostapenko was coming in, despite a current 1-5 slump that will see her drop down in the next rankings) since 2020, when she recorded a pre-pandemic victory in Brisbane over Kiki Bertens, the retired Dutch star who hasn't played a match in over three years.

Until recently, Osaka seemed to be gradually gearing up her season for precisely this moment in New York. After a start to her '24 comeback that included some good play but with definite rust when it came to match readiness and the task of closing out wins, Osaka's clay season sparked optimism and even included her holding a MP in the 2nd Round vs. Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros. The effort was there during the grass season, even if she only had a single QF (at Rosmalen) to show for it. She came to NYC with 1r-2r-2r slam results this season, but the hoped for (expected, really) summer hard court spark that would give her momentum heading into the U.S. Open never really happened.

The abrupt transition from grass back to clay for the Olympics, *then* finally back to hard court (for the stretch where her season has always felt as if it would either rise or fall) didn't help. As it was, she lost in the 2nd Round in Toronto, then in qualifying in Cincinnati. Osaka then gave an update on her current state of mind with her tennis, and it was easy to wonder whether she'd be ready for the season's final major (which she began with just a 10-8 record on hard courts in '24).

Osaka posted, "My biggest issue currently isn't losses, though; my biggest issue is that I don't feel like I'm in my body," she stated. "It's a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn't miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to."

"I try and tell myself, 'It's fine, you're doing great, just get through this one and keeping pushing.' Mentally it's really draining, though."

Did this one match help her find the comfort zone that she needs for success, especially at this tournament? She's struck a pose, but can the path to "there's nothing to it" success really be as simple as that?

Now 24-5 in her U.S. Open career, the 2018 and '20 champ suddenly has the beginning of what appears to be something to build on, something that has frustratingly eluded her since balls began waywardly flying off her racket vs. Swiatek in the late stages of the Roland Garros upset that never was. But is that enough on which to construct a two-week run? Can she keep it together? If she gets a head of steam going, maybe so. But doing *just that* is what has been so diffcult for Osaka in her first post-maternity leave season.

Still, great runs at this tournament have started far *less* auspiciously than what Osaka pulled off today, so we'll see what happens.



Up next is Karolina Muchova, a semifinalist a year ago who is *currently* (depending on what time it is when you read this) healthy enough to pull off a behind-the-back shot in the middle of a rally, as she did with relative ease (and effectiveness) today. Should be interesting.

3, 2, 1... go!




=DAY 2 NOTES=
...it's been a long time since Zhang Shuai won a tennis match in singles. As in more than 500 days. As in the last day of January... of 2023.

It looked as if the 35-year old Chinese veteran -- currently ranked #643, but using her protected ranking of #48 from "the before times" to fill a spot in this U.S. Open's MD -- might come out on top in her 1st Round match against Ashlyn Krueger (0-6 in slam MD matches) on Tuesday. But... uh, no. Instead, Zhang fell for the 23rd straight time, extending by one the professional tennis record that she already had all to herself after her most recent defeat had broken a tie with ATP player Vincent Spadea's 21-match slide back in 1999-2000.



Zhang had taken the 1st set at love, and Krueger didn't seem ready to take the next step in her own career. But even a best-of-three set match is a long test, and the 20-year old Bannerette proved resilient. She immediately staked her claim to the 2nd set, going up 4-0 and winning it 6-1. The 3rd proved to be a battle, with the score knotted a 5-5 and the potential for a winner-takes-all match tie-break seemed high.

But Zhang came up more and more short in the final stages (winning can be a habit, but so can losing). Serving down 5-6, she faced a pair of BP/MP at 15/40. A long Krueger return and backand winner down the line from Zhang kept the possibilities alive, but MP #3 soon arrived. Zhang was immediately put on the defensive, as she had been often in the closing moments, and Krueger's put-away ball at the net sealed the 0-6/6-1/7-5 victory, the first in a major MD of her career.



Zhang drops to 0-7 on the season, but as occurred after she lost her 22nd straight match in Cincinnati, Zhang will move *up* considerably in the "live" rankings due to just appearing in the Open 1st Round. She'll nearly be back in the Top 600, She was a #689 at the start of the week of August 5, but has risen nearly 100 spots while, well, just continuing to lose. But also showing up, while her PR allows her to.

(Somewhere, Maria Sakkari is surely blushing.)

...on the other end of the ranking spectrum from Zhang is world #1 Iga Swiatek. The Pole has had many big moments to savor in '24, as she likely leads any race for Player of the Year as we prepare to head into the season's final quarter. But her summer has been a strange one.

Since winning her fourth Roland Garros title in five years, Swiatek has argued against the crowded nature of the WTA schedule, didn't really attempt to change her fortunes on grass (she got her wish, losing in the 3rd Round at SW19 to Putintseva), showed herself to still often be at the mercy of big hitters, failed to win the Gold in Paris on the same courts she's dominated through this decade (then tried to apply glossy lipstick to a 3rd place finish), was called out for perpetual delays between sets and before return serves, has often fallen into UE-heavy stretches, one of which nearly led her to squander a *huge* lead in Cincinnati vs. Gracheva, then was pushed by a 17-year old (Mirra) to the brink of defeat in Cincninati before seeing Sabalenka dominate her on her way to a big title and a return to the #2 ranking, and even (oddly) was accused of faking sincerity over concern for an opponent's injury.

That said, even over that less-than-Iga stretch, Swiatek still went a combined 10-3 over three surfaces, reaching 1000 and Olympic semifinals while improving to 55-7 heading into the major at which she lifted the champion's trophy just two years ago.

Clearly, while all tennis players struggle, some tennis players' "struggles" are just *different* from those of others.

That notion came into play today, as Swiatek at times dominated, but also saw her level of play slip and bring a potential cataclysmic result into play, only to end with a strong flourish and get off the court (Ashe, of course) in straight sets with a win over lucky loser Kamilla Rakhimova. Against the Hordette, Iga was expectedly Iga (i.e. often dominant). Most of the time, at least. Except when she suddenly wasn't.

Swiatek raced off to a 4-0 lead in the 1st, only to see a batch of UE help bring Rakhimova back into the set before Iga won it 6-4. In the 2nd, Swiatek led 4-2 and served for the win at 5-3, but again her UE held her back. Soon Rakhimova was up, on serve, 6-5 on the scoreboard. Things went to a TB, where the Russian led 6-3, seemingly setting the stage for new questions about Swiatek (after a looong between-set break, of course), but then Iga suddenly became Iga again, wiping away the three SP and sweeping the final five points to win the TB at 8-6 to escape even having to play a 3rd set. She's now 22-1 in career 1st Rounds in majors (w/ 20 straight opening wins).



One is tempted to say this sort of start isn't a good sign for Swiatek's chances in New York, but then you remember that in 2022 she won the U.S. Open in "scrambling mode," rarely being at her best but pulling herself together at all the right times to somehow maneuver her way through the much all the way into the winner's circle.

If the rest of the draw cooperates and keeps certain players out of her path, it *could* play out in a similar fashion. Maybe... but who really knows, right?

...we *do* know that Danielle Collins won't be having any sort of fairytale run in her final major, though, as the #11 seed went out 1-6/7-5/6-4 to countrywoman Caroline Dolehide, who picked up her first U.S. Open victory in her fifth MD appearance (she's also failed to qualify four times, with her first attempt dating back to 2016).



Collins had led the match 6-0/2-0, but later temporarily staved off elimination when Dolehide served for the win at 5-3 in the 3rd, holding two MP. After getting the break, Collins dropped serve in the following game, then zoomed past Stacey Allaster and her attempt to bestow her with flowers on her farewell walk. Later, Collins gave a very good response when asked why she skipped any festivities "celebrating" her career.



...the teen six-pack in the women's draw went a combined 3-3 in the 1st Round. Through today was #21 Mirra Andreeva, while Crushers Brenda Fruhvirtova and Monterrey champ Linda Noskova failed to advance. 17-year old Fruhvirtova retired just three games (:18) into her match against 38-year old qualifier Varvara Lepchenko, meaning both the oldest and youngest players (Iva Jovic, 16) in the draw will be playing in the 2nd Round. It's Lepchenko's first U.S. Open victory since 2016.

Meanwhile, joining Lepchenko in the Final 64 will be both the second (Sara Errani, 37) and third-oldest (Tatjana Maria, 36) women in the draw, as the nine oldest singles participants (all 34+) went 5-4, including Caroline Wozniacki, who posted a 6-0/6-1 win today (w/ 6 UE) over Nao Hibino.

Errani's 3-6/6-0/6-4 win on Tuesday over Cristina Bucsa is her first at Flushing Meadows since 2015. Since then, the Italian had posted two Q1 defeats, two in the 1st Round and four DNP in singles. Errani was an Open semifinalist in 2012, and reached the QF in '14.

Of the six who made their slam MD debuts at this slam, four won their maiden matches. Jovic and Maya Joint got the ball rolling on Monday, while Krueger and Ena Shibahara moved through today. Shibahara, until this year pretty much a doubles specialist, won a 10-6 MTB over Dasha Saville to move on.

...once again, Renata Zarazua was busy making some history for Mexican tennis today. Already the first Mexican woman in 29 years (Angelica Gavaldon, 1995) to appear in the MD of all four majors in a season, she notched the biggest win of her career today over #28 seed Caroline Garcia.



Zarazua's 6-1/6-4 upset dropped Garcia to 16-16 on the season (4-6 since her Rouen SF in April), and is the Mexican woman's first slam MD win since the 2020 Roland Garros. Now with two MD wins in majors in her career, Zarazua is the third woman from Mexico to record multiple victories in the Open era (after Elena Subirats and Gavaldon). Already at a career-best #92 heading into the match, Zarazua should be able to crack the Top 90 (at least) and set a new career-best standing after the Open.

...for the third straight slam, #5 Jasmine Paolini faced off with Bianca Andreescu, and for the third time the Italian prevailed. The last time women faced off in three consecutive majors it was 2007 and the players in question were named Justine Henin and Serena Williams (Henin went 3-0 in that series, as La Petit Taureau wasn't afraid of nuthin').

In a nearly 90-minute 1st set, Andreescu had held three SP before Paolini forced a TB, won by the Canadian 7-5. But, as she's done all slam season, the ever-energetic Paolini bounced back and wore down her opponent to get the win, 6-7(3)/6-2/6-4. Afterward, Andreescu humorously begged the smiling Paolini to let her win next time.



So, here we go with the numbers again. Before this season, Paolini was 4-16 in her slam career. With this win, she's 16-3 in 2024 (including 13-3 vs. everyone not named Bianca). So, we'll see just how "funny" the Tennis Gods think they are, since it would have Their fingerprints all over it if Paolini reversed 4-16 into 16-4 with a 2nd Round exit. She'll face Karolina Pliskova.

...Andreescu wasn't the only former Open champ to be taken down on Tuesday, as Emma Raducanu (who'd played just one pre-Open event since Wimbledon, a 2-1 QF run in Washington) was ousted by Sofia Kenin, 6-1/3-6/6-4. Kenin is now 9-20 on the season.

In the final night match on Ashe, #6 Jessie Pegula ended the singles career of Shelby Rogers with a 4 & 3 win. Unlike with Collins, tournament director (and former WTA chief) Allaster was able have her "flower moment" under the lights and Rogers got some time with the microphone.



...so, with the 1st Round complete, the 35 nations that had players in the MD haved moved 64 women into the 2nd Round. The nation with the most survivors (U.S. - 11) had the most in action going in (21), while the same can be the said for the second nation on the list (RUS - 9, from 12 in the MD). Four Czechs and four Italians are the next most common remaining in the field. Three nations are undefeated with multiple players (BEL, DEN and KAZ, all 2-0); while two are on the other end of such a stat (ARG 0-3, CAN 0-2).

Since Argentina's "win" was getting three into the MD to begin with, the 0-2 mark for Canada is enough to garner "Nation of Poor Souls" status, as '19 U.S. Open winner Andreescu and '21 finalist #23 Leylah Fernandez (def. by Anastasia Potapova today) both are out, with no other countrywomen in sight.

The "Revelation Ladies" honors go to the continually evolving threat posed by the Italians, who went a combined 4-1 in the 1st Round as Paolini, Errani, Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Lucia Bronzetti form the quartet (small "q") still alive in the draw.

Also in the running had been Japan's three-strong (Osaka, Shibahara and Moyuka Uchijima) contingent and the large groups of Bannerettes and Hordettes. A small nod, also, to the Pastries with wins from Clara Burel, Diane Parry and Jessika Ponchet.

I'll go with the U.S., as is often the case at the Open, for the "Upset Queens," with big wins from Jovic (def. Linette), Dolehide (def. Collins), Kenin (def. Raducanu) and Townsend (def. Trevisan) leading the way.

The Hordettes' list of *both* Andreeva sisters, Diana Shnaider, Anna Kalinskaya and others is impressive, but really only Potapova's win over Fernandez would rightfully go in the "upset" category.

...the Paralympics draws have been made in Paris, and defending Gold medalist Diede de Groot will open vs. Germany's Katharina Kruger, while #2 Yui Kamiji will face South African Mariska Venter in the 1st Round of the 32-player field. To date, Dutch women have won every Gold handed out in both singles and doubles in WC tennis since 1992.

De Groot & Aniek Van Koot will attempt to defend their doubles Gold win from three years ago in Tokyo.







*PARALYMPICS WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S ROUND OF 16*
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x

*PARALYMPICS WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S DOUBLES QF*
#1 de Groot/Van Koot (NED) vs. x
#3 Li Xiaohui/Zhu Zhenzhen (CHN) vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. #2 Kamiji/Tanaka (JPN)







...LEST WE FORGET, SHE'S ALWAYS HAD A SENSE FOR THE MOMENT AT THIS EVENT... ON DAY 2:





...MUCHOVA DOING MUCHOVA THINGS... ON DAY 2:





...EVERYONE KNOWS HOW TO MARKET THE WTA BETTER THAN THE WTA KNOWS HOW TO MARKET THE WTA... ON DAY 2:




#ForTheGame



...IF SHE WOULD WANT IT, I STILL THINK COLLINS COULD BE A TRULY INTRIGUING, POTENTIALLY-NO-HOLDS-BARRED PERSONALITY ON TV... ON DAY 2:





...PERSONALLY, I'D CONCUR (though I'm fine w/ Springsteen)... ON DAY 2:




Or, as Amanda Anisimova would say, "Who are those dudes? How I am supposed to know that?"






















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**1st ROUND WON/LOST BY NATION**
0-3 - ARG
0-1 - ARM
2-6 - AUS
0-1 - AUT
2-0 - BEL
2-1 - BLR
1-0 - BRA
0-1 - BUL
0-2 - CAN
3-5 - CHN
0-1 - COL
1-1 - CRO
4-3 - CZE
2-0 - DEN
0-1 - EGY
3-2 - ESP
3-4 - FRA
2-1 - GBR
2-3 - GER
0-1 - GRE
1-0 - HUN
4-1 - ITA
3-1 - JPN
2-0 - KAZ
0-1 - LAT
1-0 - MEX
1-0 - NED
0-1 - NZL
1-2 - POL
1-2 - ROU
9-3 - RUS
0-1 - SUI
0-1 - SVK
3-4 - UKR
11-10 - USA

**MEXICAN WOMEN IN SLAM MD, since 2000**
2000 AO - Angelica Gavaldon (2r)
2020 RG - Renata Zarazua (2r)
2022 RG - Fernanda Contreras (2r)
2022 WI - Fernanda Contreras (1r)
2024 AO - Renata Zarazua (1r)
2024 RG - Renata Zarazua (1r)
2024 WI - Renata Zarazua (1r)
2024 US - Renata Zarazua (in 2nd Rd.)
--
2000+ slam MD streak (4): Zarazua ('24 AO/RG/WI/US)
Recent pre-2000 all 4 slam MD: Gavaldon (1993,1994,1995)
Most recent slam MD streak (13): Gavaldon (1993-96)
Best recent slam result: 1995 AO QF - Gavaldon (3r: 1995 WI/US)
[MEX w/ SLAM MD WINS; Open era]
Elena Subirats
Angelica Gavaldon
Renata Zarazua
Fernanda Contreras
[MEX IN SLAM WS FINALS]
1960 Roland Garros WS - Yola Ramirez (RU)
1961 Roland Garros WS - Yola Ramirez (RU)

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "UPSET QUEENS" WINNERS**
2013 United States
2014 United States
2015 United States
2016 China
2017 Japan
2018 Sweden
2019 Russia
2020 United States
2021 Russia
2022 China
2023 United States
2024 United States

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "REVELATION LADIES" WINNERS**
2013 Italy
2014 United States
2015 Japan
2016 Ukraine
2017 Australia
2018 Belarus
2019 United States
2020 Belarus
2021 Greece
2022 Ukraine
2023 China
2024 Italy

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "NATIONS OF POOR SOULS"**
[2016]
2016 BEL (0-4 in 1st Rd.)
[2017]
2017 GER (2-7 1st Rd.; Kerber 2nd U.S. DC out 1st)
[2018]
2018 SUI (1-4 in 1st Rd.; Golubic 0-6/0-6; Bacsinszky love 3rd)
[2019]
2019 ESP (1-4 in 1st Rd.; seeded Muguruza and CSN/ret. out)
[2020]
2020 AUS (0-5 in 1st Rd.; #1 Barty & ex-champ Stosur DNP)
[2021]
2021 USA (8-14 in 1st; Keys/Riske out; Serena/Venus/Kenin/Brady DNP; 3/4 '17 SF)
[2022]
2022 GER veterans (vets 0-3, pregnant Kerber w/d)
[2023]
2023 FRA (1-6 in 1st Rd; 9/10 FRA Top 10 out Q/1r; #7 Garcia 1r)
[2024]
2024 CAN (0-2 in 1st Rd; '19 US W Andreescu, '21 US RU Fernandez)

*2024 FIRST CAREER SLAM MD WINS (w/ career slam MD)
-AUSTRALIAN OPEN (5)-
Brenda Fruhvirtova, CZE (3rd)
McCartney Kessler, USA (1st)
Alina Korneeva, RUS (1st)
Maria Timofeeva, RUS (1st)
Anastasia Zakharova, RUS (1st)
-ROLAND GARROS (1)-
Moyuka Uchijima, JPN (2nd)
-WIMBLEDON (7)-
Erika Andreeva, RUS (4th)
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, ESP (3rd)
Sonay Kartal, GBR (3rd)
Robin Montgomery, USA (3rd)
Yuliia Starodubtseva, UKR (3rd)
Lulu Sun, NZL (2nd)
Anca Todoni, ROU (1st)
-U.S. OPEN (4)-
Maya Joint, AUS (1st)
Iva Jovic, USA (1st)
Ashlyn Krueger, USA (7th)
Ena Shibahara, JPN (1st)

*MAIDEN CAREER SLAM MD WINS - 2020-24*
-U.S. OPEN (18)-
2020 Ysaline Bonaventure, BEL
2020 Leylah Fernandez, CAN
2020 Varvara Gracheva, RUS
2020 Katrina Scott, USA
2020 Patricia Maria Tig, ROU
2021 Valentini Grammatikopoulou, GRE
2021 Rebeka Masarova, ESP
2022 Cristina Bucsa, ESP
2022 Linda Fruhvirtova, CZE
2022 Elli Mandlik, USA
2022 Daria Snigur, UKR
2022 Yuan Yue, CHN
2023 Eva Lys, GER
2023 Lily Miyazaki, GBR
2024 Maya Joint, AUS
2024 Iva Jovic, USA
2024 Ashlyn Krueger, USA
2024 Ena Shibahara, JPN

**BACKSPIN 2024 WTA PERFORMANCE-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN: Aryna Sabalenka (Australian Open)
FEB: Alona Ostapenko (Linz)
MAR: Iga Swiatek (Indian Wells)
1Q...SABALENKA (AUSTRALIAN OPEN)
BJK 1: Romanian BJK Team (Q's: ROU def. UKR)
APR: Danielle Collins (Miami-->Charleston)
MAY: Iga Swiatek (Madrid/Rome)
RG: Iga Swiatek
2Q Clay Court...SWIATEK (MADRID-->ROME-->ROLAND GARROS)
JUN: Jessie Pegula (Berlin)
WI: Barbora Krejcikova
2Q Grass Court...KREJCIKOVA (WIMBLEDON)
JUL: Krejcikova/Siniakova (Prague)
OLY: Zheng Qinwen
AUG (pre-U.S.): Aryna Sabalenka (Cincinnati)

**BACKSPIN 2024 RISER-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Alona Ostapenko, LAT
AO: Zheng Qinwen, CHN
JAN: Elena Rybakina, KAZ
FEB: Alona Ostapenko, LAT
MAR: Elena Rybakina, KAZ
1Q...SABALENKA
APR: Elena Rybakina, KAZ
MAY: Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
RG: Jasmine Paolini, ITA
2Q Clay Court...PAOLINI
JUN: Jessie Pegula, USA
WI: Jasmine Paolini, ITA
2Q Grass Court...PAOLINI
JUL: Mirra Andreeva, RUS
OLY: Donna Vekic, CRO
AUG (pre-U.S.): Zheng Qinwen, CHN
[Multiple 2024 Weekly RISER Award Wins]
5 - Coco Gauff, USA
5 - Elena Rybakina, KAZ
4 - Ekaterina Alexandrova, RUS
4 - Anna Kalinskaya, RUS
4 - Marta Kostyuk, UKR
4 - Jasmine Paolini, ITA
4 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
4 - Liudmila Samsonova, RUS
3 - Anhelina Kalinina, UKR
3 - Donna Vekic, CRO
2 - Mirra Andreeva, RUS
2 - Anna Blinkova, RUS
2 - Ana Bogdan, ROU
2 - Marie Bouzkova, CZE
2 - Leylah Fernandez, CAN
2 - Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA
2 - Dasha Kasatkina, RUS
2 - Emma Navarro, RUS
2 - Anastasia Potapova, RUS
2 - Marketa Vondrousova, CZE






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An interesting read (FREE LINK)...




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TOP QUALIFIER: Yuliia Starodubtseva, UKR (4 con. slam Q-runs)
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): x
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1: Francesca Jones/GBR def. #5 Rebeka Masarova/ESP 6-1/2-6/7-6(6) - Masarova comes back from 5-1 in 3rd to force MTB, and leads 4-2 before Jones rallies for 10-6 win
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): x
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Wang Yafan/CHN (def. #9 Sakkari/GRE, ret. after 1st set)
FIRST SEED OUT: #9 Maria Sakkari/GRE (1r- retired vs. Wang Yafan after losing 1st set)
FIRST CAREER SLAM MD WINS: Maya Joint/AUS, Iva Jovic/USA, Ashlyn Krueger/USA, Ena Shibahara/JPN
PROTECTED RANKING MD WINS: in 2r: Ajla Tomljanovic/AUS
LUCKY LOSER MD WINS: none
UPSET QUEENS: United States
REVELATION LADIES: Italy
NATION OF POOR SOULS: CAN (0-2 1st Rd.; '19 champ Andreescu & '21 finalist Fernandez)
CRASH & BURN: Nominee: #11 Collins (1r exit in final U.S. Open)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: Nominee: Burel (1r- down 6-0/3-0 double-break vs. Stephens, who served for win in 2nd & 3rd sets)
IT ("??"): Nominees: Joint, Andreeva sisters, Zarazua
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: x
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: in 2r: Joint/AUS, Lepchenko/USA, Ponchet/FRA, Ruse/ROU, Shibahara/JPN
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: in 2r: Jovic/USA, Osaka/JPN
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: in 2r: Dolehide, Gauff, Jovic, Kenin, Keys, Krueger, Lepchenko, Navarro, xxxxx, Stearns, Townsend
COMEBACK: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
DOUBLES STAR: x
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Nominees: Jovic, Krueger, Dolehide
BROADWAY-BOUND: x
LADY OF THE EVENING: x
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x







All for Day 2. More tomorrow.
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