Women's Tennis Association 2016

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more pics on my blog: Madison Keys Advances On Upset Filled First Day Of Women’s Singles At Rio Olympics 2016

Madison Keys


Before I get to the actual play, some friends have asked how I watched full matches live and on-demand replays when they couldn’t find them on television. Download the NBC Sports App. The Olympic section will guide you to whatever sport you would like. So long as your internet service provider is on board (most major ones are), you can watch live action or replays in their entirety. I watched the Madison Keys v Danka Kovinic match on-demand as a replay. And it’s a good thing I did because that was the only singles match an American won on day one of women’s singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Maddie powered her way through Danka, 6-3 6-3. Facing a break point on serve at 2-3 30-40 down in the first set, Keys could have dug herself an early hole, but an ace and 2 more powerful serves kept things even at 3-3. She then broke Kovinic at love in the next game. From there, Maddie never looked back.

Venus Williams


As the 7th seed, Madison Keys was the highest seed to actually survive day one. #4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska lost to Zheng Saisai. #6 seed Roberta Vinci fell to Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. #12 seed Timea Bacsinszky was dismissed by Zhang Shuai. You might remember her as the Chinese player who had never won a singles match at a Major in a billion tries (ok, maybe not that many) but then went on a nice run of wins at the Australian Open this year. Although she wasn’t seeded, seeing American Sloane Stephens go down on day one was a bit of a bummer, although I do take some solace in the fact that it was Eugenie Bouchard who ousted her. I like Genie, so that stings a little less. The match of the day was Kirsten Flipkens upsetting #5 seed Venus Williams, 4-6 6-3 7-6 (5). The match had great hitting, some nice shotmaking and dramatic swings of momentum. Fittingly, it was decided in a tiebreak 7-5 before a very raucous crowd (at times, a bit overly raucous…particularly when Venus was trying to serve). Venus is the 2000 Olympics women’s gold medalist and has 3 gold medals in women’s doubles. It would have been exciting to see the 36-year old Williams make a deep run here, but it was not meant to be. She still has greatness in her, as evidenced by continuing to be a top 10 ranked player, but she also has more days here and there when she is isn’t in top form. This match was so tight that a point swing at a few critical moments would have produced a different outcome. But all credit to Flipkens. She won the points she had to when she needed.

ZHENG SAISAI (CHN) d. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska (POL), 6-4 7-5


KIRSTEN FLIPKENS (BEL) d. 5 Venus Williams (USA), 4-6 6-3 7-6 (5)


ZHANG SHUAI (CHN) d. 12 Timea Bacsinszky (SUI), 6-7 (4) 6-4 7-6 (7)


EUGENIE BOUCHARD (CAN) d. Sloane Stephens (USA), 6-3 6-3


7 MADISON KEYS (USA) d. Danka Kovinic (MNE), 6-3 6-3

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more pics on my blog: Caroline Wozniacki, Garbine Muguruza Advance In First Round Of 2016 Rio Olympics

Caroline Wozniacki


Two players that could use a deep run at the 2016 Rio Olympics to boost their confidence are Caroline Wozniacki and Garbine Muguruza. Both won their opening round matches, and with seeds falling on the women’s side (and men’s for that matter…just ask Novak Djokovic) there is an opportunity to finish with a medal. For Caroline, it’s been a long fall from when she was world #1. She’s only 26 years old, but having fallen to #48 in the rankings, it will be a tough climb back to glory. Draws will be very difficult until she raises her ranking, but raising her ranking will be difficult because of tough draws. After defeating Lucie Hradecka 6-2 6-2 in round 1, Caroline gets #11 seed and 2-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova next. One of my faves, Petra is unpredictable. She can be a world beater or very ordinary, depending on the day. We’ll see which Kvitova shows up in round 2.

Garbine Muguruza


Since winning Roland Garros 2016, Garbine Muguruza has been struggling to find her game. This sometimes happens after a maiden Major win. I’ve often compared Garbi slumping to Li Na slumping after her Roland Garros win. If there were a time for Mugu to get things back on track, it would be at the Rio Olympics. The Spaniard has familial ties to Venezuela and should be a crowd favorite. She has a favorable draw. There is nobody in her quarter of the draw, except possibly Lucie Safarova, that should pose a threat to Garbine. She wouldn’t face Safarova until the quarters…and despite a great doubles win over the Williams sisters in Rio, Lucie still isn’t quite the player she was before her illness. Reaching the semis is completely in Muguruza’s hands. If she plays even 85% of her capability, she makes it to the semis. If not, the slump continues.

3 GARBINE MUGURUZA d. Andreea Mitu, 6-2 6-2


CAROLINE WOZNIACKI d. Lucie Hradecka, 6-2 6-2

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more pics on my blog: Madison Keys Wins Marathon Match To Advance In Round 2 Of 2016 Rio Olympics; Petra Kvitova Ousts Caroline Wozniacki

Madison Keys


One of the biggest reasons to watch an entire tennis tournament rather than just the semifinals and/or championship match is that you never know when the best match will occur. This is especially true in the WTA where there have been dominant champions over the years like Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Monica Seles and others blowing out overmatched opponents in a final. I don’t know how the final of the 2016 Rio Olympics will play out, but whichever two players are in it will be hard-pressed to exceed the drama and high level of play demonstrated by Madison Keys and Kristina Mladenovic in round 2. In a 3-hour marathon of scintillating drama and first class skill, Maddie outlasted Kiki 7-5 6-7 (4) 7-6 (5), coming back from being down 3-5 in the final set tiebreak. Both players were winners on this day, although only Keys will advance. The question is how much will Maddie have in her legs going against Carla Suarez Navarro, a player that doesn’t blow opponents off the court with power but can run them around the court until they wilt. Keys leads the head to head 2-0 over Suarez Navarro but both matches went 3 sets, including a few months ago in Birmingham when Maddie won a third set tiebreak. Does Maddie have enough energy left to potentially go 3 sets with Carla right after an extended battle with Mladenovic?

Petra Kvitova


While every tournament seems headed to an inevitable Serena Williams coronation, one of the few players that can legitimately challenge her on pure ability is Petra Kvitova. The problem is you never know what Petra is going to show up from match to match…heck, sometimes from set to set or game to game. When she brings her A game, she can beat anybody. She was on her game in dismissing Caroline Wozniacki 6-2 6-4. If she wins her next match against Ekaterina Makarova, Kvitova would potentially face Serena in the quarterfinals. That is the quarterfinal match I would like to see. The hitch in that scenario is that Petra is as likely to beat Serena as she is to get blown out by Makarova. So with all due respect to Ekaterina and Serena’s 3rd round opponent Elina Svitolina, I hope both Serena and Petra make it through. If they do, we could get a match to rival the show put on by Keys and Mladenovic.

11 PETRA KVITOVA (CZE) d. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN), 6-2 6-4


2 ANGELIQUE KERBER (GER) d. Eugenie Bouchard (CAN), 6-4 6-2


10 JOHANNA KONTA (GBR) d. Caroline Garcia (FRA), 6-2 6-3


7 MADISON KEYS (USA) d. Kristina Mladenovic (FRA), 7-5 6-7 (4) 7-6 (5)

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more pics on my blog: Madison Keys Last American Woman Standing At 2016 Rio Olympics; Monica Puig Upsets Garbine Muguruza

Madison Keys


I had high hopes for the American women in tennis at the 2016 Rio Olympics. It was a great team with future Hall of Famers Serena Williams and Venus Williams leading the singles participants with rising stars Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens threats to medal. In doubles, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Coco Vandeweghe had potential with Coco’s power mixed with Bethanie’s doubles expertise as part of Team Bucie (Bethanie and regular doubles partner, Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic). With Serena being upset by Elina Svitolina in an error-strewn 3rd round performance, along with early exits by Venus, Sloane, Coco and Bethanie, the last American woman standing is 7th seed Madison Keys, who won her second straight 3 setter, this time against 9th seed Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-3 3-6 6-3. In the quarterfinals, Maddie will face another player spoken of as a future Major champion, 19-year old Russian Daria Kasatkina. Keys is my fave, so naturally I want her to win. But if I had to lay odds on this match, it would be razor-thin for the 21-year old American. They’ve never played an official match so I don’t know stylistically if Maddie can unlock the code to beat Dasha. If she does, Keys would advance to the semifinals and have a great shot at a gold, silver or bronze since 3 of the 4 semifinalists are guaranteed a medal.

Monica Puig


Giving all due respect to Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig, who earned her way into the 2016 Rio Olympics quarterfinals, her 6-1 6-1 dismissal of 3rd seed Garbine Muguruza is yet another sign that the Spaniard’s slump after winning Roland Garros earlier this year is not yet over. The draw was wide open for Mugu to reach at least the semifinal round. If she had played even 85% of her capability there was nobody in her quarter that could beat her. Not only did Monica emphatically defeat Garbi, she only dropped 2 games doing so. I have compared Muguruza’s slump to that of Li Na after she won Roland Garros. However, Garbine was losing a lot of matches this year that on paper she shouldn’t have even before she won Roland Garros. I’ve looked at the post-Paris slump as a blip on the radar…maybe winning a Major was actually the blip. Honestly, I have no idea what’s going on with her, but I do know that her ability is far greater than the results she’s had, save for winning Roland Garros. If the Roland Garros championship match version of Garbine reemerges on a consistent basis, it’s possible nobody could touch her.

11 PETRA KVITOVA (CZE) d. Ekaterina Makarova, 4-6 6-4 6-4


LAURA SIEGEMUND (GER) d. Kirsten Flipkens (BEL), 6-4 6-3


MONICA PUIG (PUR) d. 3 Garbine Muguruza (ESP), 6-1 6-1


10 JOHANNA KONTA (GBR) d. 8 Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS), 3-6 7-5 7-5


2 ANGELIQUE KERBER (GER) d. Samantha Stosur (AUS), 6-0 7-5


15 ELINA SVITOLINA (UKR) d. 1 Serena Williams (USA), 6-4 6-3


DARIA KASATKINA (RUS) d. Sara Errani (ITA), 7-5 6-2


7 MADISON KEYS (USA) d. 9 Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP), 6-3 3-6 6-3

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more pics and video on my blog: Madison Keys, Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber and Monica Puig Advance To Semifinals At 2016 Rio Olympics

Kerber v Keys H2H


As an avid Madison Keys fan, I am beyond ecstatic that she has advanced to the women’s singles tennis semifinal round of the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, of the three other players that join her in trying to earn an Olympic medal (3 of the 4 will, 1 will not), the worst stylistic match-up for Maddie is the player she will face, Angelique Kerber. In addition to winning the Australian Open (beating Serena Williams) and finishing runner-up (losing to Serena Williams) at Wimbledon, Angie has a 4-1 head to head advantage over Keys, including never losing a set to Maddie in 3 hard court victories. The 28-year old German draws errors from power hitters like Madison by running down shots and making opponents try too hard to force the issue. Everything points to an Angelique Kerber triumph. And yet, Madison Keys is still developing as a player. Her play has matured vastly even over the last couple of months. If she can be patient and deal with Kerber making her hit extra shot after extra shot without making a lot of unforced errors, maybe this can be a transformative win for the young American rising star.

Kvitova v Puig H2H


On paper, it seems 2-time Wimbledon champion and 17-time WTA singles titleist Petra Kvitova will simply be too much for unseeded Monica Puig. But don’t forget that Kvitova can be wildly inconsistent, so the fate of this match could be in which version of Petra shows up. Also, Puig is on a roll in Rio. She has not been remotely challenged in any of her matches, including lopsided wins over 3rd seed Garbine Muguruza and 14th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Sleeping on Monica might not be the best idea. These two have never had an official WTA level match against each other, so how well Monica can deal with Petra’s lefty serve and spin remains to be seen. Every time I think Kvitova will never fulfill her vast potential, she does something to pull me back in. Lately, I’ve moved a little away from focusing on her results…which, of course, probably means she’ll easily win the Gold in Rio!



11 PETRA KVITOVA (CZE) d. 15 Elina Svitolina (UKR), 6-2 6-0




MONICA PUIG (PUR) d. Laura Siegemund (GER), 6-1 6-1




2 ANGELIQUE KERBER (GER) d. 10 Johanna Konta (GBR), 6-1 6-2




7 MADISON KEYS (USA) d. Daria Kasatkina (RUS), 6-3 6-1

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more pics on my blog: Monica Puig, Angelique Kerber Advance To Gold Medal Match At 2016 Rio Olympics

Monica Puig


This is more of a dropshot post. Late night on Friday, didn’t get around to these matches. So let me congratulate Monica Puig and Angelique Kerber on reaching the Gold Medal match at the 2016 Rio Olympics. It was a devastating day for me as a fan watching Petra Kvitova lose a tough, heartbreaking match to Puig and Madison Keys having chance after chance after chance to break Kerber but being undone by a truck load of unforced errors. But more on that after the Bronze Medal match between Keys and Kvitova. For now, all praise to Monica and Angie for doing what was necessary to win, for having the will and the skill to be one step away from a Gold Medal. I particularly would love to see Puig capture the highest prize for Puerto Rico. Germany, represented by Kerber, has had historic success at multiple Olympics. It would be nice for Puerto Rico to have a moment to shine.

MONICA PUIG d. 11 Petra Kvitova, 6-4 1-6 6-3



2 ANGELIQUE KERBER d. 7 Madison Keys, 6-4 7-5

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more pics and video on my blog: Monica Puig Wins Gold At 2016 Rio Olympics, First Ever For Puerto Rico

Monica Puig


Pica Power! Playing the best tennis of her life this week in Rio, Monica Puig delivered Puerto Rico its first ever Olympic Gold Medal in any sport. In the process, she beat a 2-time Wimbledon champion (Petra Kvitova), the reigning Roland Garros champion (Garbine Muguruza) and the reigning Australian Open champion (Angelique Kerber). Her wins over Muguruza (ranked #4) and Kerber (ranked #2) represent 2 of her 3 career wins over a player in the top 10 when she played them. Named by her mother after tennis legend Monica Seles, Puig is the lowest ranked player (#34) to ever win gold in Olympic singles. Born in Hato Rey, San Juan, Puerto Rico to a Cuban-American father and Puerto Rican mother, her 6-4 4-6 6-1 victory over Kerber was cheered in both communities.

Monica Puig


Anybody who says the Olympics don’t matter to tennis players clearly doesn’t follow the sport closely. Maybe these are the same people who only watch when A) the Williams sisters, particularly Serena, play, B) during Majors or C) A & B. Even on ESPN I kept hearing on Mike & Mike how “golf and tennis” players don’t care about the Olympics. Don’t lump tennis players, and for that matter female LPGA players, in with male PGA pros. Novak Djokovic was absolutely crushed losing to Juan Martin Del Potro in Rio. That’s just one reaction. If you watch match by match, there were so many players in tears over wins and losses here. Honestly, I’ve never said the Olympics were equal to Majors but I haven’t seen this much emotion from so many players outside of the Majors. Monica Puig was on an absolute emotional, dare I say spiritual, quest to not only medal but bring home the Gold. She didn’t try to hide it. She was completely open about what a Gold Medal meant to her, a player who had “only” 1 WTA level singles title to her name. I don’t want to say this will propel to the young 22-year old to great heights, because A) you never know how these things will turn out and B) just let her enjoy the greatest moment to date of her tennis career. But I will say that if you followed her throughout this tournament and you still think tennis players don’t cherish the Olympic experience, win or lose, then there is nothing I can say to combat obstinance.

Petra Kvitova


Another example of what the Olympics mean to tennis players, note the tears of joy shed by Petra Kvitova who captured the Bronze Medal match by taking down Madison Keys, 7-5 2-6 6-2. Not a Gold or Silver, she was emotional over 3rd place…which tennis players rarely are. But to leave Rio with any form of medal was cause for celebration. It’s a tough loss for my favorite player Keys. On the surface, she earns a SF finish at the Olympics, a better result than her #7 ranking. But because of the Bronze Medal match, which you don’t have at any other tournament that she plays, she ends a great Olympics with 2 heartbreaking losses. There was a time when the both players who lost in the semis where awarded Bronze Medals, but I am okay with this format even though I admit I hurt for Maddie watching her go down twice. The only consolation was that in her second loss it was to Petra, who is a real sweetheart, one of the friendliest and most liked players on tour since Kim Clijsters. Kvitova was a great friend to one of my past faves, Li Na. So while I never want to see Maddie lose, if she must then I take some solace in it being to Petra.





BRONZE MEDALIST: PETRA KVITOVA (CZECH REPUBLIC)






SILVER MEDALIST: ANGELIQUE KERBER (GERMANY)






GOLD MEDALIST: MONICA PUIG (PUERTO RICO)

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more pics on my blog: Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina Win Women’s Double Gold At 2016 Rio Olympics; Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock Bring Mixed Doubles Gold Home To America

Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina


Just a quick dropshot post giving congratulations to the ladies taking doubles and mixed doubles Gold Medals home from the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. Elena Vesnina continued a resurgent year by pairing with longtime doubles partner Ekaterina Makarova to bring Golden glory to Russia in women’s doubles. Elena won mixed doubles with Bruno Soares at the 2016 Australian Open, was runner-up in women’s doubles at Roland Garros and Rome with Makarova, won in Montreal with Makarova and had her best ever Major performance in singles, a semifinal at Wimbledon. She and Kate took out Timea Bacsinszky and Hall of Fame legend Martina Hingis in the Rio final, 6-4 6-4.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock


It was an all American affair in the Rio 2016 mixed doubles final as Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock outlasted Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram in a super-tiebreak 6-7 (3) 6-1 [10-7]. While it’s tough to see another Hall of Fame legend like Venus Williams go down in what is likely to be her last Olympics (although you never know), I am thrilled to see what Bethanie Mattek-Sands has become. I remember when Bethanie was equally, if not moreso, known for her…curious…fashion choices on court than her results. She has turned herself into a 2-time women’s doubles Major champion, a 2-time mixed doubles Major champion and now, an Olympic Gold Medalist. And great credit to Jack Sock. An aspiring singles player for the United States, he too has become an amazing doubles champion. He won the 2011 US Open mixed doubles with Melanie Oudin and teamed up with Vasek Pospisil of Canada to upset the Bryan Brothers and win the men’s doubles crown at Wimbledon 2014. All congratulations to Bethanie and Jack (dubbed the team of “Socks and Sock”) on a terrific performance bringing home the Gold.



MIXED DOUBLES
GOLD MEDALISTS: BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS/JACK SOCK (UNITED STATES)












WOMEN'S DOUBLES
GOLD MEDALISTS: EKATERINA MAKAROVA/ELENA VESNINA (RUSSIA)










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more pics and video on my blog: Angelique Kerber Reaches Final Of 2016 Western & Southern Open With Chance At #1 Ranking

Angelique Kerber


Earlier this week I mentioned to a friend of mine who claims to be a tennis fan that the women’s singles #1 ranking could change hands at the 2016 Western & Southern Open. He was incredulous. Who could possibly supplant Serena Williams at the top of the WTA mountain? Ah…I should be familiar by now with “tennis fans” who really only follow one or two players or just watch finals at Majors. Even so, if they were paying attention to big time finals, Majors and Olympics, they would have noticed that Angelique Kerber won the 2016 Australian Open, was runner-up at Wimbledon 2016 and was the Silver Medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics. After defeating Simona Halep 6-3 6-4 in the Cincinnati semifinals the world #2 from Germany has a chance to reach a ranking once held for many years by her idol, Steffi Graf. Angie will need to get by the hard-serving Karolina Pliskova, who powered past Garbine Muguruza, 6-1 6-3. I’ve been looking for more consistency from Pliskova. She has great tools that few players can stand up to…when she’s on. But Kerber loves power players. Karolina would be well served to mixed in some of her slices, at which she’s adept, to keep Angie off-balance or there will be a new world #1 at the end of the final.



15 KAROLINA PLISKOVA d. 4 Garbine Muguruza, 6-1 6-3




2 ANGELIQUE KERBER d. 3 Simona Halep, 6-3 6-4

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more pics and video on my blog: Karolina Pliskova Wins 2016 Western & Southern Open

Karolina Pliskova


Denied! Angelique Kerber’s chance to supplant Serena Williams as the #1 ranked women’s tennis singles player in the world was emphatically turned away by an inspired effort from Karolina Pliskova. The 24-year old Czech blew away the reigning Australian Open champion and Olympic Silver Medalist, 6-3 6-1. Honestly, it didn’t even feel that close. The higher ranked of the tennis playing identical twin Pliskova sisters (although I must say Kristyna is showing great improvement) raced out to a 4-0 lead, lost her way for a few games, then hit her stride again after an on-court visit from her coach. Was Angie a bit lethargic and error-prone (32 unforced errors in only 16 games)? Yes. But did Karolina also play very well, smacking clean winners and dominating rallies? Also, yes. Plus, there are no excuses at this level. Everybody is responsible for making their own schedule and getting sufficient rest. All credit to Karolina. Keep in mind that not only did Pliskova beat three top 10 seeds this week (Svetlana Kuznetsova [7], Garbine Muguruza [4] and Angelique Kerber [2]), they are also all Major winners. Two of them (Kerber, Muguruza) won a Major this year. This title was legitimately earned by Karolina.


Barbora Strycova/Sania Mirrza


I have to admit to feeling a bit happier than usual to see what happened in doubles, as Sania Mirza won a head-to-head (sort of) showdown between her and recently separated former doubles partner Martina Hingis. Mirza teamed up with Barbora Strycova to defeat Hingis and Coco Vandeweghe, 7-5 6-4. Martina is a legend, but I just thought she should have stuck it out a little longer with Sania instead of dumping her when they had some trouble. Maybe (probably) Hingis was miles ahead of other doubles partners she has had in the past so I don’t blame her for looking to better her situation. However, Sania Mirza is an ace doubles player, a world #1. She deserved better.

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15 KAROLINA PLISKOVA d. 2 Angelique Kerber, 6-3 6-1

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more pics and video on my blog: Agnieszka Radwanska Wins 2016 Connecticut Open

Agnieszka Radwanska


With the US Open about to get underway, Agnieszka Radwanska comes in with a flying start after capturing the 2016 Connecticut Open. Her 6-1 7-6 (3) victory over Elina Svitolina marks the 19th WTA singles title for the Polish star. I sometimes worry about top players that go deep in tournament the week before a Major, particular somebody like Aga who depends on movement. Two weeks and 7 matches is a lot to win a Major. But that’s something to worry about tomorrow. Today is for celebrating Radwanska’s second WTA singles title of 2016, following her win in January at the Shenzhen Open.



1 AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA d. 10 Elina Svitolina, 6-1 7-6 (3)

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more pics on my blog: 2016 US Open Day 3: Naomi Osaka Advances, Sets Up Showdown With Madison Keys; Garbine Muguruza Bows Out

Naomi Osaka


Ah, the luck of the draw. It affects the players the most, obviously. But it also affects the fans. With each passing tournament, Naomi Osaka of Japan is quickly becoming one of my favorite players. As much as I am a fan of American Coco Vandeweghe, I was very happy to see Naomi upset the 28th seed in round 1 of the 2016 US Open. I was even happier to see Osaka take out Yingying Duan of China on day 3 in round 2. There are only two or three players in the women’s singles draw for whom I would root against Naomi in round 3. Unfortunately, not only does she face one of those select few, she faces my favorite active player, the 8th seeded American Madison Keys. Maddie blew through 16-year old Kayla Day 6-1 6-1 in impressive fashion. Don’t feel too badly for Kayla. She won the 18 and under Nationals. As a 16-year old, this was a learning experience. She looks to have the power and variety of shot to be another great young American player in a few years. Right now, she just isn’t a match for Keys. We will see if Naomi Osaka is or not.



Garbine Muguruza


The post-Roland Garros 2016 slump continues for Garbine Muguruza of Spain. With all due respect to Anastasija Sevastova, giving her full credit for her 7-5 6-4 win, Mugu didn’t look good early on in the 2016 US Open first round against Belgium’s Elise Mertens. Garbi pulled away in the second and third sets. Against the Latvian Sevastova in round 2, it was like watching a completely different player than the one who reigned in Paris. Again, she seems to be channeling her inner Li Na (or maybe Ana Ivanovic) at the moment. Like those two, I hope Garbi eventually pulls herself out of this tailspin. She has the total package on and off the court to be a superstar in the sport.

8 MADISON KEYS d. Kayla Day, 6-1 6-1


3 GARBINE MUGURUZA lost to Anastasija Sevastova, 5-7 4-6


CAROLINE WOZNIACKI d. 9 Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-4 6-4


NAOMI OSAKA d. Yingying Duan, 6-4 7-6 (3)

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more pics on my blog: 2016 US Open Day 4: Shuai Zhang Takes Down Former Champion Samantha Stosur; Simona Halep Advances


Shuai Zhang


Coming into 2016, China’s Shuai Zhang, 0-14 in main draw Major singles matches, was contemplating giving up her pro tennis career and opening a coffee shop. After a quarterfinal run at the 2016 Australian Open and now moving into the 2016 US Open third round with a 6-3 6-3 win over former singles champion Samantha Stosur, Zhang’s career is starting to percolate. A tough match awaits in round 3 against Yaroslava Shvedova, but it is winnable for the top ranked active singles player from China.

Simona Halep


I was a little concerned for Simona Halep coming into Flushing Meadow. Her first two matches, against Kirsten Flipkens and potentially Lucie Safarova, spelled a possible upset in either match. The Romanian star was able to get by both in straight sets. It gets no easier for the 5th seed as she gets 31st seed Timea Babos next and, should Simona triumph, the winner of the Carla Suarez Navarro v Elena Vesnina match. Suarez Navarro is the 11th seed and Elena Vesnina is coming off a semifinal run at Wimbledon in the previous Major. Halep is often spoken of as a future Major winner. If that happens at this tournament, she will have truly earned it.



5 SIMONA HALEP d. Lucie Safarova 6-3 6-4


10 KAROLINA PLISKOVA d. Montserrat Gonzalez, 6-1 7-5


6 VENUS WILLIAMS d. Julia Goerges, 6-2 6-3


26 LAURA SIEGEMUND d. Nicole Gibbs, 6-3 7-5


SHUAI ZHANG d. 16 Samantha Stosur, 6-3 6-3

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more pics on my blog: 2016 US Open Day 5: Madison Keys Comes Back From 1-5 Down In Final Set To Win Third Round Match Against Naomi Osaka

Madison Keys


Oh. My. Goodness. In her young career Madison Keys has shown power, skill and athleticism. On day 5, in her third round match at the 2016 US Open, the 8th seed escaped a spirited upset bid from another up and coming player, Naomi Osaka, by showing tremendous heart. Maddie appeared down and out at 1-5 down in the final set but instead stormed back to win 5 games in a row to get to 6-5. She would eventually complete the comeback in a tiebreak, finally getting by Osaka, 7-5 4-6 7-6 (3). After spending much of the match spraying too many unforced errors, Keys locked in when it counted the most, especially in the 2-5 8th game with a spectacular volley to win the opening point against Naomi’s serve. Like many hardcore tennis fans, I’ve learned a lot about Maddie over the past few years. Today I learned to never count her until the last point is played.



Naomi Osaka


With her father looking on from the stands, Naomi shed tears on court as victory was slipping away. I imagine there might have been more tears shed after she left the court in defeat. However, Osaka should stand tall after the effort she gave on this day. More than that, the 18-year old’s game is starting to come together. There were times today…a lot of times, really…that Naomi was overpowering Keys, herself known for her strength of shot. If she continues to grow as a player, her future will be bright. I would love to see repeats of this match-up over the next 10 years.

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI d. Monica Niculescu, 6-3 6-1


13 JOHANNA KONTA d. 24 Belinda Bencic, 6-2 6-1


14 PETRA KVITOVA d. 22 Elina Svitolina


8 MADISON KEYS d. Naomi Osaka, 7-5 4-6 7-6 (3)

[bangkokbobby]

more pics and video on my blog: 2016 US Open Day 6: Simona Halep Survives Upset Bid; Agnieszka Radwanska Advances



After her 6-1 2-6 6-4 third round victory over Timea Babos at the 2016 US Open, there was a look on the faces of Simona Halep and her coach, Darren Cahill. I don’t know what they were thinking, but it sure seemed neither was pleased. Was it relief? Concern? Whatever it was, the #5 seed spent much of this match getting pushed around by the 31st seeded Babos. In the end, the Romanian star did what was needed to pull out the victory. However, up next is Carla Suarez Navarro, the 11th seed. I wouldn’t recommend Halepeno duplicate this performance against Carla if she wants to advance. As a fan, my dream final would be Madison Keys vs Simona Halep. However, both will need to improve on what they did in round 3 to have any chance of reaching the championship match.

Agnieszka Radwanska


I worried about 4th seed Agnieszka Radwanska playing a full week of matches at the 2016 Connecticut Open right before the 2016 US Open. So far, she hasn’t seemed tired as the Polish star took out 25th seed Caroline Garcia, 6-2 6-3. I have not heard a lot of buzz around Aga and perhaps that makes sense. The US Open is the only Major where the former Wimbledon finalist has not at least reached the quarterfinals. Her 4th round match with Ana Konjuh might be Radwanska’s best chance yet to reach the quarters at Flushing Meadow.

4 AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA d. Caroline Garcia, 6-2 6-3


11 CARLA SUAREZ NAVARRO d. 19 Elena Vesnina, 6-4 6-3


1 SERENA WILLIAMS d. Johanna Larsson, 6-2 6-1


YAROSLAVA SHVEDOVA d. Shuai Zhang, 6-2 7-5


ANA KONJUH d. Varvara Lepchenko, 6-3 3-6 6-2


10 KAROLINA PLISKOVA d. 17 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-2 6-4


6 VENUS WILLIAMS d. 26 Laura Siegemund, 6-1 6-2


5 SIMONA HALEP d. 31 Timea Babos, 6-1 2-6 6-4