There is a very strong American presence in the Women’s Singles at the 2020 US Open. But one quarter of the draw stands out above all others due to the calibre of home players within it.
When the tournament, eight of the 32 players involved in this particular quarter were American. Even more remarkably, four seeds – Serena Williams, Madison Keys, Amanda Anisimova and Sloane Stephens – were among the number.
All four won their first-round matches. And three of them have already booked their places in the third round.
The first lady through was Anisimova. She beat wildcard Kristen Scott 4-6 6-4 6-1 to set up an intriguing encounter with Maria Sakkari.
Stephens cruises through
Sloane Stephens soon joined Anisimova in round three. She notched her second consecutive straight-set win by defeating Olga Govortsova 6-2 6-2. And the American managed this even though she has not really enjoyed a consistent run of form since the 2019 French Open.
“I thought I played well today,” Stephens said in her press conference. “Obviously, I’m getting into a little bit of a better rhythm, kind of feeling my game out a little bit more, getting that confidence back.”
She continued, “I built on my first match. And then obviously (there will be) another good opportunity to get out there on Saturday to play against Serena possibly. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s another chance to play obviously without having played that much this year. It’s just another amazing opportunity to get out there.”
It is good to hear Stephens sounding relaxed. She could be dangerous in that kind of mood, particularly as there is not really any kind of pressure on her due to her lack of recent form.
As the American mentioned, she will play Serena Williams in the last 32 if the 23-time Grand Slam champion overcomes Margarita Gasparyan. Given the great American’s struggles in her most recent tournaments, it could be a good time for Stephens to play her. If it happens, it certainly promises to be an intriguing clash.
Keys continues her charge
Madison Keys is perhaps the strongest title contender in this quarter. She has an excellent record at Grand Slams. She is also extremely consistent at the US Open, where she has reached at least the fourth round in each of the last five seasons.
Considering the way Keys is playing this week, that streak looks set to continue. The American has absolutely obliterated both her opponents so far. She beat Timea Babos 6-1 6-1 in just 55 minutes. Then she beat Aliona Bolsova 6-2 6-1 in 54 minutes today. It does not get much more emphatic than that.
Keys will be a little bit more apprehensive about her third-round match against Alize Cornet. The Frenchwoman defeated Ysaline Bonaventure 7-6(4) 6-3 to make it through and she has been in good form in recent times.
She has also caused trouble for the American before. She pushed her all the way during a Fed Cup clash in 2014 and also took a set off her at Wimbledon in 2016.
Despite this, Keys should still be supremely confident about her chances. In fact, there is no reason for her to fear anyone at this year’s US Open. She has the game to go all the way to the final again, as she did in 2017.
