US Open Happenings

Here are some of the highlights from early round US Open play.

Djokovic wins, but…

            Novak beat Jersey Janowicz, the 6-8 Polish player who has a world of talent, but hasn’t won an important match in quite a long time.  But… - Djokovic did look very good.  He dropped a set, played poorly, and looked physically uncomfortable.  Djokovic got a free pass through the second round when Jiri Vesely, who beat him earlier this year on clay, withdrew.  Djokovic fans should watch him closely as things progress, because he didn’t play title tennis in the first round.

Bouchard loses, but…

            Eugenie Bouchard lost her first round match to 72- ranked Katerina Sinikova by 6-2 in the third set.  This may seem like a terrible loss, but… Bouchard fans should actually feel some encouragement from this one.  Not only did Siniakova play a very good match, but Bouchard played hard until the last point.  In some matches earlier this year Bouchard collapsed emotionally and simply hit balls out to get the match over with as quickly as possible.  Not as bad a loss here as it looks on paper.

Donaldson the giant killer

            Jared Donaldson, a 19-year-old American ranked 122, defeated David Goffin by 6-0 in the fourth set.  The diminutive Goffin has flirted with the top 10 in rankings during this year, apparently succumbed to heat-related fatigue.  Donaldson also began cramping late in the match but pulled through.

Harrison the giant killer. 

Ryan Harrison, playing the best tennis I’ve ever seen from him, took Milos Raonic out of the US Open in a huge upset.  The real winner in this match was the oppressive weather, which caused Raonic to cramp in his right arm and both thighs.  Late in the match, Raonic, who has one of the biggest serves in tennis, hit a serve at 78 mph!   Credit to Raonic for not retiring. 

Muguruza loses. 

After successfully dealing with severe heat and humidity in the first round, Garbine Muguruza lost a night match in the second round to Anastasija Sevastova, ranked 48.  Muguruza has a pattern of going away in matches, and that occurred here, where she gave up a first set lead, got down 4-0 in the second set, then got broken to lose 6-4 in the second.  It’s not clear what Muguruza’s career ambitions are, but if she wants to become a legendary player she will have to address this problem.  She will be missed not only for her great play, but for her post match press conferences.  She gave one of the most delightful conferences I’ve ever seen after the first round.

A spirited match

            In one of the better matches thus far on the women’s side, Caroline Wozniaki rebounded from a 0-4 start in the first set to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova.  Wozniaki, whose ranking has suffered from injury-related interruptions of play and from issues with confidence, did something that I’ve always felt she must do to break through in a slam: she flattened out her inside-out forehand and penetrated the court with it far better than in the past.  Historically she has used the forehand to keep rallies going with cross court topspin shots, and has ended points with her backhand.  Players got on to this pattern, timed that forehand, and began pummeling it to take over rallies.  Wozniaki is often maligned for not winning a major, but it’s worth keeping in mind that she finished at #1 in the world for two consecutive years, and that she is still only 26 years old.  She is also one of the four best defenders in women’s tennis, the other three being Radwanska, Halep and Kerber.  A good win here.