British Women's Charge At The US Open Falters As Konta And Watson Fall At The First Hurdle - UBITENNIS
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British Women’s Charge At The US Open Falters As Konta And Watson Fall At The First Hurdle

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Johanna Konta

British number one Johanna Konta became the heaviest casualty on day one at the US Open as she was outclassed by Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic.

 

The world number 78 recovered from two breaks down in the opening set to give world number seven Konta a scare before the Brit managed to edge over the line in set number one. The level of tennis which the Serb had produced in flashes midway through the first set resurfaced in the final three games of the second and through much of the decider as one break in each set was enough to get Krunic over the line.

This win marks just the second top 10 win of her career and afterwards the Serb was delighted with the level of tennis she had produced. She said: “I feel amazing obviously. I’m happy with the way I played and with the way I fought. She’s an awesome player so I had to be at my best from the first point.”

Meanwhile, Heather Watson also left Flushing Meadows much earlier than she would have liked after losing in the first round at the US Open for the seventh year in a row. The British number two succumbed to world number 46 Alize Cornet this time around in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.

Konta’s collapse paves the way for Krunic’s headline making win

Konta asserted her dominance early on in the contest, breaking her opponent in the third game with a backhand return of serve winner up the line following a double fault and forehand unforced error from her Serbian opponent.

The British number one was seemingly cruising towards taking the opening set after securing a double break to take a 4-1 lead, but Krunic began to raise her level. The Serb secured one of the breaks back with some brave hitting, taking on a backhand down the line to leave Konta flat footed as it clipped the top of the tape on its way to being a winner. With Konta’s lead now reduced to just one game nerves got the better of the Brit as a couple of double faults and rushed points left the Brit facing two more break points. The recent Wimbledon semi-finalist saved the first with a trademark backhand down the line winner, but that weapon let her down on the following point as the Serb levelled the score at four games all.

With momentum on her side it came as a big surprise that Krunic’s level suddenly dropped dramatically, with a double fault and poor unforced errors leaving her 0-40 down. Konta took full advantage and broke her opponent to love before closing out the set in a far more comfortable service game than her two prior ones to take the first set 6-4.

Konta had opportunities to stamp her authority on the match early in the second set but was unable to capitalise on two break point chances in Krunic’s opening service game, or another chance in the third game. Those missed opportunities came back to bite the Brit and helped the Serb grow in confidence with her game.

The seventh seed came through a marathon game on serve to level up at 3-3 but only won one point thereafter as Krunic took complete control. Konta’s groundstrokes became erratic and she failed to make returns of serve back onto court as two holds to love helped the Serb take the set 6-3 to force a decider out on Grandstand.

Having played one of her worst sets of tennis in her year to date Konta struggled to regroup early in the final set as a double fault left her down a break at 2-1. With the prospect of securing the biggest win in her career since defeating then world number four Petra Kvitova in New York in 2014, the moment looked to get a bit too much for the Serb. Krunic was brave and did well to stave off three break points, but her opponent was not to be denied at the fourth time of asking as the seventh seed ripped a cross court backhand winner to get back on even terms.

The Serb did not fade away despite losing her advantage and broke once more to pile the pressure on Konta, who had reached the fourth round here the past two years. There was to be no comeback from the world number seven this time around as Krunic wrapped up victory in two hours and 16 minutes 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Watson’s woes in New York continue

Watson was always going to be facing a stern test against an opponent ranked 28 places above her in the WTA World Rankings and could not have got off to worse start, dropping serve in the opening game of the match.

The Brit had half a chance to break back in the sixth game up 0-30 and at deuce on her opponent’s serve, but Cornet, once ranked as high as 11 in the world, dug deep and kept Watson frustrated as she clung on to her break advantage.

Serving to stay in the match, Watson saved three set points in the ninth game with a couple of unreturned serves and a backhand down the line winner. The Brit then had half a chance to break back at 15-30, but the Frenchwoman hung tough as she had done throughout the match so far to seal the set 6-4.

There was to be no Big Apple dreaming for the Brit as Watson found no great joy in the second set either. Despite hanging in with her opponent up to four games all, the Brit’s game collapsed at a crucial time. The British number two squandered several game points, hitting a double fault to let one slip by before a few errors resulted in her serve being broken leaving Cornet to serve for the match.

The Frenchwoman looked solid from the baseline throughout the match and used that to full advantage, closing out the set and the match to complete a 6-4, 6-4 victory after one hour and 36 minutes of match play out on Court 4.

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Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova Hires Ex-Wimbledon Champion As Coach

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Image via https://twitter.com/AustralianOpen/

Marie Bouzkova has enlisted the help of Gabine Muguruza’s former coach to help her crack the top 20 in the new year. 

 

The 25-year-old Czech has appointed Conchita Martinez as her new coach for the upcoming season. A former world No.2 player who won 33 WTA titles during her career, including the 1994 Wimbledon championships. After retirement, Martinez ventured into coaching with her most notable success being with Garbine Muguruza which earned her the honor of being named WTA Coach of The Year in 2021. She has also previously mentored Karoline Pliskova, captained her country’s Billie Jean King Cup team and most recently served as tournament director of the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

“Since February I have taken advantage of the time to rest, after some intense years of travelling. Now I have the energy to train again and enjoy my work. I am very happy to be able to contribute my experience again,” Martinez said during an interview with Eurosport Spain.
“Her (Bouzkova’s) agent contacted me to inquire about my availability and to ask if I wanted to train again. And now that we are at the end of the year and after evaluating everything, I have decided that it was a good time to return because I am excited about the project.”

Buzkova is a former US Open junior champion who is currently ranked 34th in the world. She has won one WTA title so far in her career which was at the 2022 Prague Open. She also reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2022 which is her best Grand Slam run to date. This season, Bouzkova was runner-up at a WTA 250 event in Nanchang, China and produced an overall win-loss record of 27-23.

Despite her success, Martinez believes Bouzkova has plenty of room for improvement in her game. 

“I love her because she is a very feisty and competitive player. She has many to continue growing and improving as a tennis player. She is very professional and is focused on her work 100%,” she commented.
“Honestly, I think it has a lot of room for improvement in many aspects. It is true that she is quite complete, but I would like to focus on her gradually playing more aggressively without losing her essence as a great fighter. I definitely think she has the potential to be high in the rankings, but it takes time to work on.”

Bouzkova is also an accomplished doubles player who is currently ranked in the world’s top 30. She has won five WTA doubles trophies with two of those triumphs occuring during 2023. 

The new tennis season begins in less than a month. 

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Emma Raducanu To Begin Comeback In Auckland

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Emma Raducanu - Cincinnati 2022 (foto Twitter @cincytennis)

Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu will end her eight-month absence from tennis at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, at the start of next year. 

 

The 21-year-old has been sidelined from the Tour since April after undergoing surgery to treat issues with both of her wrists, as well as one ankle. Raducanu hasn’t played a Tour-level match since the Porsche Open in Germany where she was beaten 6-2, 6-1, by Jelena Ostapenko in the first round. This year she has only managed to play in four tournaments with her best performance occurring at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells where she reached the fourth round. 

It will be the second year in a row that the Brit has opted to start her season in New Zealand. At the start of 2023, she won her opening match at the event but rolled her ankle in the process which forced her to withdraw from the tournament. 

Raducanu’s decision to play in Auckland comes as she faces the prospect of having to go through qualifying at the Australian Open. She has a protected ranking of 103 which is significantly higher than her current position of 296. However, she has not made the cut-off to play in the main draw. The only way she can enter the main draw will be with the help of a series of withdrawals, receiving a wildcard or playing three rounds of qualifying. 

Should she have to play qualifying at Melbourne Park, the event will follow immediately after the ASB Classic. The last time she took part in a Grand Slam qualifying draw was at the 2021 US Open where she stunned the field by going on to win the title in what remains her only WTA trophy to date. 

Raducanu, who has been ranked as high as 13th in the world, is understood to have been training at the National Tennis Center in recent weeks leading up to her return. It is still not known who will be coaching her in 2024 with the tennis player yet to comment on the topic.

The ASB Classic will begin on January 1st. 

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Iga Swiatek Criticises WTA’s Reform Of 2024 Calendar

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Iga Swiatek has hit out at the WTA by claiming that only a handful of players were made aware of changes being made to the Tour calendar before they came into effect.

 

In recent weeks there has been an increase in frustration among players on the women’s Tour with letters being sent to the head of the WTA, Steve Simon, about their concerns. Swiatek has also sent her own letter to the governing body. According to The Athletic, some of the concerns that have been raised relates to higher pay on the Tour, adjustments to scheduling to help support players, expanded childcare and calls for a member of the PTPA to be present on the WTA Player’s Council.

The WTA has also been in the firing line concerning their management of the Tour finals which took place in Cancun last month and was won by Switek. Some of those who took part complained about the court conditions and lack of preparation they had. The stadium court wasn’t fully constructed until the same weekend the tournament began. 

Although, for the world No.1 her principle criticism concerns the 2024 calendar and the rules in place reagrding playing in mandatory events. Swiatek says some of the decisions have been made following discussions with ‘third parties’ and believes players are not being listened to. 

“There is room for improvement,” she said during an interview with newspaper Rzeczpospolita.
“As players, we are dissatisfied with the calendar for next year and the increase in the number of mandatory tournaments and restrictions related to withdrawing from them.’
“We want to change this. We need more balance and time to get back home. Sometimes, however, we beat our heads against the wall. Some decisions seem to be the result of promises made to third parties, federations and tournament organizers.’
“We find out about them after the fact. This causes frustration. Only a handful of players were aware of the calendar reform and the WTA cannot lead to such a situation again, since it considers itself an organization created for tennis players.”

The 22-year-old argues that these changes would give players more time to rest and see their families. Although Swiatek admits that she is in a more fortunate situation than some of her peers from a financial perspective. This season the Pole has earned $9,857,686 in prize money this year which is more than any other female player. 

“I hope that we will be able to change something – for example in the rules regarding withdrawing from tournaments,” she continued.
“Fortunately, I am in a situation where I can afford for my family to go on a trip with me, but not everyone can afford it. Many players rather save all their money to pay their coaches.’
“However, there is a difference between taking your family with you and returning home, when you can wash your clothes and spend time in the place where you grew up. I often miss Warsaw.”

Swiatek has won 68 out of 79 matches played this season, claiming six titles on the Tour. In the Grand Slams, she won the French Open, and reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and the fourth round at the other two. She currently has a 245-point lead over second-place Aryna Sabalenka in the WTA standings. 

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