After a wild day at the UST Billy Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, Serena Williams seemed determined from her first point on Thursday night that Seed would not join the growing list of players sent home on an early basis from the US Open.
Despite heavy rain just moments before his match against Margarita Gasparion and a temporary delay in closing the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Williams could not be stopped. The 23-time main champion won every point of the first game. When Gasparian found his rhythm in the second set, Williams was heard screaming, “Come on, Serena, come on!” Prepare yourself to close the match 6-2, 6-4.
“The tournament has already had a lot of women’s hits, which would have been devastating for the gravity of the draw if Serena hadn’t won in terms of keeping the level of interest high,” said 21-time Major Pam Schreier. Doubles champion and ESPN analyst. “Obviously, all of these players left have great stories and talents, but as far as just keeping the women’s draw in the news, she’s still a star.”
After a fairly regular opening round, the second round was nothing more than expected. The top seed of the tournament, Carolina Pilskova, was knocked out in a straight set by Caroline Garcia on Wednesday afternoon. The next 36 hours were filled with more. Ariana Sabalenka, Johanna Conta, Garbine Muguruza, Elena Rybekina, Marketa Vondrosova, Alison Risk and Dayana Yastromska – who is ranked in the top 20 – joined Pilskova.
The other three rounds are still pending in three of the 32 second round matches after being suspended from the rain.
With 6 out of the top 10 players in the world choosing to play this year due to various concerns related to the coronavirus epidemic, the draw was probably more open than before. And with 11 different big champions since the start of the 2017 season, that’s definitely saying something. Now, with so many contenders out of the picture, the US Open could really be anyone to win.
“It’s an unpredictable time era for women’s tennis, and now with COVID-19 and the long layoffs, you bring a whole new level of surprise,” Sreeveer said. “So you have an unpredictable tournament at an unpredictable time in history, and who knows how the athlete will come out to play. So you put all this together and, you know, God knows anyone who can sort it out or predict Could happen next. “
Sophia Canin, the reigning Australian Australian Open champion and No. 2 seed, won 6-6, 6-3 against Canadian teenager Laila Fernandez on Thursday. Sloane Stephens, the 2017 champion who faced Williams on Saturday, won 6-2, 6-2 against Olga Govartosova. Two-time Australian Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka made the statement with the Western and Southern Open titles in New York on Thursday and was upset with fifth-ranked Sabalenka on Thursday. Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber are both multiple-time Grand Slam winners, and several Americans, including Madison Keys, Amanda Anisimova and Jennifer Brady, are looking for their first big win.
There is also an opportunity for those mentioned earlier. Unranked Bulgarian Tswana Pironkova, who defeated previous Wimbledon and French Open champion and finalist of the 2020 Australian Australian Open Muguruza, did not play in a competitive match earlier this week after Wimbledon in 2017.
“I always knew I had it in me because it wasn’t the first time [won against] Top player, “Pironkova said.” I [have] Has been on this tour for almost 15 years, and I have had many occasions where I play against the best players.
“I think I was mentally prepared. It’s not something new. [At] At the same time, I was feeling good, I was moving well, I was hitting the ball well. Why not win “
Despite more than a dozen women being able to win their next five matches, Williams, who continues to try to tie Margaret Court with 24 slam titles, is becoming the tournament’s choice with Naomi Osaka. The two could meet again in the final of the US Open, as they did during the memorable 2018 championship that Osaka won.
Struggling after winning a back-to-back major at the 2018 US Open and the 2019 Australian Open, Osaka said she would not let herself think ahead of her next match against 18-year-old Marta Kostuk on Friday.
“I stopped thinking about winning,” he said. “I think I’ve put more pressure on myself. I’m just thinking about putting myself in a better position to win. But I’m taking it match by match.”
1:06
Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic are in action, as well as the US Open Canada 5 on US Open Day 5.
In a year full of uncertainty, speculation was rife that players accustomed to feeding the crowds could struggle. Pilskova doesn’t think any of them thought about her loss.
“I think there are some girls here who are playing good tennis,” Pilskova said after her defeat on Wednesday. “I think Garcia is one of them.”
For his part, Williams said there was something quiet about the environment during his on-court interview on Thursday. All of this raises the question: Can the lack of fans really give her an extra edge when she’s been missing during her four final appearances when she’s back from offspring? She lost in the finals of the 2018 and 2019 Wimbledon and the US Open.
“We all know how well Serena can play and how tough she is mentally,” said Alexandra Stevenson, a former Wimbledon semifinalist and ESPN analyst. “I think not keeping the crowd helps her because something happens when she comes to the finals with the crowd and she just doesn’t play her game. It can bring internal fire, so it can be a really interesting run for her. .
“I wouldn’t say exactly that it would be easy, and she would have a lot of mind mines along the way because everyone is going for her. If he could pull her along and let me know how she could serve and bring the fight. Full time and not back, and if he can just stay quiet and create a zone for it [five] More matches, then I think it will match the record. But she won’t face the girls at any stage where she can only go through them. These young players are not intimidated just by him, or by anyone, as others do, and Each Believe that they can win. “
Williams did not talk about what needs to be done to cement his place in history after his match on Thursday, but he would still look optimistic to play in the draw.
“Every day I feel like, I’m on a new journey, and especially and it’s just a new journey in this tournament this year.” “So I feel really good. I think I’m on that journey and I’m going in the right direction.”
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