Tennis Acumen

9 Men Erase 2 Sets to Love Deficits to Win 1st Round Matches at US Open

PETE ZIEBRON

Ernests Gulbis upset Tommy Haas and was one of nine men to come back from two sets down in 1st round action at the 2012 US Open.            Pete Ziebron Images

Grand Slam tennis on the men's side features best-of-five matches in each and every one of the seven rounds.  As a result, fitness, stamina and endurance all play a role in one's ability to persevere and win a long match.

A few weeks ago in Cincinnati, several players were asked if they would prefer the best-of-three format that was featured during the London Olympics.  Nearly all of the ATP players that were asked stated that they like the best-of-five just the way it stands.

Roger Federer: "We shouldn't make it a two‑week event then, I don't think, because then it's like a holiday." 

Andy Murray:  "I like the best‑of‑five format in the slams.  I think, you know, that extra, I don't know, mental effort and physical effort, you see the rewards that you put in off the court in the slams really.  I think that is one of the added benefits of the best‑of‑five set matches.  You get to see that from the players, and you get to see how much work they put in in the gym, as well."

Novak Djokovic: "It's been a tradition of this sport for many years, and we all try to respect the tradition.  I think that is why tennis is so global and respected throughout the world, because we keep our tradition, keep our tournaments.

Through the first three days of the 2012 US Open, nine men rallied from two sets down to win the next three sets in their 1st round match to advance to the 2nd round.  The ability to exhibit the extra effort that Andy Murray referenced throughout the course of the match was on display for the following players:

• Philipp Petzschner GER d. Nicolas Mahut FRA  

          1-6  4-6  6-4  7-5  7-6(3)

• Paul-Henri Mathieu FRA d. Igor Andreev RUS  

          2-6  4-6  7-6(1)  7-6(4)  6-1

• Marin Cilic (12) CRO d. Marinko Matosevic AUS      

          5-7  2-6  6-4  6-2  6-4

• Janko Tipsarevic (8) SRB d. Guillaume Rufin FRA

          4-6  3-6  6-2  6-3  6-2

• Ernests Gulbis LAT d. Tommy Haas (21) GER

          3-6  4-6  6-4  7-5  6-3

• Gilles Muller LUX d. Mikhail Youzhny (28) RUS

          2-6  3-6  7-5  7-6(6)  7-6(6)

• Fabio Fognini ITA d. Edouard Roger-Vasselin FRA

         3-6  5-7  6-4   6-4   7-5

• Guillermo Garcia-Lopez ESP d. Juan Monaco (10) ARG

         3-6  1-6  6-4  7-6(6)  7-6(3)

• Alexandr Dolgopolov (14) UKR d. Jesse Levine USA

         3-6  4-6  6-4  6-1  6-2

Despite all of this excitement at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, each of these matches has taken place on the outer courts.  Inside of Arthur Ashe Stadium the victors have tallied 36 sets won compared to only 1 set won by the losing player.  Opting to purchase a Grounds Pass rather than spending the extra money to see the top players in the sport on Ashe is the logical choice for tennis aficionados.

 

STANISLAS WAWRINKA in Fine Form Heading into 2012 US Open

PETE ZIEBRON

2012 Cincinnati semifinalist Stanislas Wawrinka             Charles Gabrean Photography

Swiss #2 and world #19 Stanislas Wawrinka heads to New York with solid confidence as a result of stellar play last week at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.  Wawrinka reached the semifinals before falling to countryman and eventual Champion Roger Federer.

Wawrinka entered Cincinnati having not played a match on the hard courts since March in Miami.  In addition, he would have a difficult 1st round match, facing resurgent Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu, who already had 2 matches under his belt in Cincinnati as a result of advancing through qualifying.  

Mathieu impressed me with his fight and determination as I saw most of both of his qualifying matches.  Meanwhile, a few colleagues shared with me that Wawrinka did not look sharp during his practice session earlier in the day.  To make matters even more complicated for Wawrinka, he lost to Mathieu less than a month ago in Switzerland on clay.

However, Wawrinka would save 8 of 10 break points and survive a tough 3-set encounter with Mathieu, setting up a showdown with #4 seed David Ferrer of Spain in the 2nd round.  Stan would need only 73 minutes to shock Ferrer 6-4 6-1 on the Grandstand Court.  Ferrer came into the match with 5 titles on the year, winning on all 3 surfaces, making the end result and scoreline that much more impressive for Wawrinka.

Confidence brimming, Wawrinka defeated Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-3 6-3 in the 3rd round to advance to play hard hitting Canadian Milos Raonic who blasted 20 aces en route to defeating Tomas Berdych.  Wawrinka dropped the first set to Raonic 2-6 and found himself three points from the exit as Raonic took a 4-2 lead in the 2nd set tiebreaker.  At this moment, Wawrinka steadied his game and won 5 of the next 6 points to steal the set.  Shortly after breaking Raonic midway through the 3rd set, Wawrinka crushed a 140 mph ace and would ultimately prevail 6-4 in the final set to advance to the semifinals against Federer.

The other semifinal featured Novak Djokovic against Juan Martin del Potro and I got the sense that Stan Wawrinka would have a better opportunity for victory against either of those players rather than Federer, especially since Federer owned a 10-1 lifetime record against Wawrinka heading into their semifinal match.

Each player held serve throughout the first set and Federer would take the tiebreaker 7-4.  Early in the second set, Wawrinka uncorked yet another 140 mph ace as the ball flew past Federer on the baseline.  With Wawrinka serving at 3-3 in the pivotal seventh game of the set, Federer would break on his second opportunity, hold serve and then break Wawrinka yet again to close out the match and advance to the final.

Following the match, I asked Federer to assess Wawrinka's game and where it stands at the moment:

 "I saw another improvement from his side, physically and mentally and then also in his game.  

I thought he played really well today for at least one and a half sets over one and a half hours.  At the end he let go maybe a little bit after he got broken.  But those are just little things he might still be able to improve.

 Overall I thought he served well and gets a lot of returns back and exchanges off his forehand and backhand, too.  He's always had a big first serve.  Then the question is just how good is your second serve, how consistent are you, and for how long.  You know, not just in the match, but throughout the year. I think he's got more consistent as time goes by for him."

Despite the loss, Wawrinka was upbeat and in good spirits in his press conference and I asked him how his solid week of play and blazing serves prepared him for the US Open:

"Yeah, for sure I'm really happy.  I think was a great week and I beat some great player, like Ferrer, Raonic.  Yesterday was some great match (Raonic).  Even today was a good match for me.  I think was playing good.  It's never easy to lose, but Roger is the No. 1.  For me it was really good week.

Yeah, this week was serving pretty well.  Since the match against Ferrer I think I was starting to serve really well, really strong.  That's something good for my game.  When the serve is there I'm really strong and I can play really aggressive after." 

Wawrinka finds himself in a tricky quarter of the US Open draw.  At the top of his section is #7 seed and 2009 US Open Champion Juan Martin del Potro and at the bottom is last year's Champion Novak Djokovic.  Wawrinka opens play against Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine and he hopes that his powerful serve will help him advance to play Djokovic in the 4th round.

 

 

 

The Top Men of the ATP Continue to Dominate the Field in the Biggest Tournaments in Tennis

PETE ZIEBRON in CINCINNATI

World #1 Roger Federer in action in Cincinnati                  Pete Ziebron Images

Two weeks ago at the London Olympic Games, Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Juan Martin del Potro and Novak Djokovic advanced to the semifinals, with Murray winning the Gold Medal on the lawn of the All England Club.  Today, three of same four players are in the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open on the hard courts in Cincinnati.

Different continents, different surfaces and different conditions, yet the top players are usually right there, playing for the titles of the Grand Slams as well as the Masters 1000 tournaments.  In fact, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have combined to win 29 of the last 30 majors, with Juan Martin del Potro being the lone player to snag a major when he narrowly defeated Federer at the 2009 US Open.

Heading into today's semifinals in Cincinnati, the top 4 men have won each of the last 15 Masters 1000 tournaments.  Novak Djokovic leads the way with 7, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have 3 and Andy Murray won 2.

Hard hitting world #19 and Canadian #1 Milos Raonic acknowledges and respects the results of the top players, yet concurrently believes that opportunities exist for future stars to breakthrough:

"There is, I think, let's say, always a window.  It's just a matter of exercising it.   I have had the issue that I have seen sort of openings in let's say the window, but I have sort of just been like sliding it open slowly.  

 I just need to sort of kick through and go for it and just try to make the most of it.  I think there will be opportunities.  You never know.  Obviously lately it's been pretty predictable within the top 3 and top 4 pretty much.  It's tennis; it's sport; you never know."

The next wave of younger players expected to compete for major titles includes: Raonic, Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, Bernard Tomic of Australia and possibly American Ryan Harrison.  Yesterday, I asked Federer about Raonic's game at this time and he also made reference to the group that is beginning to show signs of their talent:

"Yeah, obviously he's (Raonic) in an interesting phase of his career really.  There's so much to look forward to, I would think, not just for him but that generation of players.

  Obviously there is a big focus and a little bit of pressure at the same time.  I think these guys sort of improve every week, every month.  They discover something else in their character potentially and their playing styles and the way they approach the game, try out different things.  If it works, great; if it doesn't, it was good experience.

  So I think it's very interesting.  It can be stressful at times, but overall I look back at those times with great reflection, I think.  I hope that they do the same as well."

2012 London Bronze Medalist Juan Martin del Potro  Pete Ziebron Images

World #9 Juan Martin del Potro, who defeated Djokovic to win the Bronze Medal in London, still feels that also he needs to improve his game to challenge for Masters 1000 titles and Grand Slams:

"I think I'm in good level at the moment after the Olympics.  I get confidence to play against all the players. But anyway I'm still feeling a little difference between the top players and me.  But I know I'm getting closer very slowly, so that's important.  I'm working for that."

del Potro added that additional matches against the world's best is a good barometer for him going forward:  

"Keep playing against them, you know.  Sometimes I will win, and then I will lose, but keep playing.  I will take good things to improve my game and also see how I'm going against them. But this take time, and I'm very calm to do it." 

This afternoon, del Potro will have the opportunity to play the best as he gets a rematch with Djokovic in the first semifinal at the Western & Southern Open.  The winner will play the victor of the Roger Federer-Stanislaus Wawrinka match in the Final on Sunday.

VENUS WILLIAMS Battles Defending US Open Champ Sam Stosur in Cincy Quarters

PETE ZIEBRON in CINCINNATI

Harold, Venus Williams' dog, attended her 3rd round match against Sara Errani.                                                   Pete Ziebron Images

Wild card Venus Williams continues to play inspired tennis and advance at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.  Yesterday, Williams defeated 7th seed and Roland Garros Finalist Sara Errani of Italy 6-3 6-0 to set up a quarterfinal match against #3 seed Samantha Stosur of Australia.

Today's match up against Stosur is the only match on the women's and men's side featuring a battle of Grand Slam Champions.  Venus owns 7 major titles, 5 at Wimbledon and 2 at the US Open and Stosur is the defending US Open Champion.

Venus enjoys a 5-1 head-to-head record against Stosur and the players split their respective matches this year with Stosur winning in Charleston 6-3 4-6 6-3 and Williams winning in Rome 6-4 6-3.  Venus elaborated on today's match:  

"In Charleston I just felt like she played amazing.  She ripped every ball and served so well.  I don't think she could have done any more in that match, and it was actually still pretty close.

 In Rome, I was able to win that match, and that was huge for me, because that like basically qualified me for the Olympics.  So like I needed that match.  I was so glad I got that one.

So this match is totally different circumstances from both of those.  I like to think I'm playing better than I was at that time."

Venus opened play in Cincinnati with a difficult match against 14th seed Maria Kirilenko of Russia and won a tough 3-set encounter.  Next, Williams rallied after dropping the 1st set to defeat Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa before beating Errani yesterday.  I asked Venus if she felt that progressing through a tournament is easier for her when she has a difficult match in the initial round:

"That was good for me.  The first two matches helped me find my range.  You have to hit a lot of balls.  Kirilenko is tenacious.  You have to be mentally prepared to play against someone like her.  I think that was an advantage for me."

Venus and Stosur are the second match on the Grandstand Court at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.  Williams is seeking to defeat her 3rd seeded opponent in 4 matches for a spot in Saturday's semifinals.  

For Venus, winning another title would be thrilling:  

"I would love to have a trophy, but I have to earn it.  I have had some good results this year, actually.  That's been the icing on the cake.  You know, I already got what I wanted at the Olympics this year, so everything else for me is like just amazing."

Venus Williams leaps for joy after defeating Sam Stosur on Court 2.   Pete Ziebron Images

 

Support, Not Criticism, Helps Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro Win Medals at the London Olympics

PETE ZIEBRON in CINCINNATI

Andy Murray explains his success at the London Olympic Games.   Pete Ziebron Images

Gold medalist Andy Murray and Bronze medalist Juan Martin del Potro both cited that the support of family, friends, fans and even the press helped lift them to earn medals at the London Olympics.

For Andy Murray, playing for the Gold Medal required a rematch of the Wimbeldon Final with Roger Federer, whom he lost to only a few weeks prior.  Murray knew that this rematch could be possibility and it was noted that he returned to Centre Court at Wimbledon a few days after the loss to reflect.  I asked him to elaborate on his return visit to Centre Court:  

"After going back to Centre Court, seeing it, yeah, I don't know if I just kind of moved on a bit after that or whatever.  But it seemed to help.

I got on the practice court a few days afterwards.  Before, when I lost in slam finals, I struggled for, you know, a few weeks, sometimes months afterwards.  I went back on the practice court five days afterwards and felt pretty good mentally, which is often the most important thing."

That was after Wimbledon but still a few weeks before the Olympic Games.  In addition to putting closure on the loss in the Wimbledon Final, Murray noted that it seemed that everyone around him encouraged him going forward, a drastic change from the harsh criticism he has received over the last few years:

"When people that you see and in the streets are positive, you know, the people that are around you, and then also, you know, when the press are behind you as well, it helped lift me when I was, you know, in quite a tough spot for a few days.

 It made me want to get back on the court and I start training much earlier than I ever have after losing in a slam final.  My head was right much, much quicker.  I think if people are being negative or criticizing you, you know, as a sportsman, it's hard to block it out all of the time. Sometimes it can take a little while before you start to feel better.

 But after Wimbledon, I felt much better much quicker, and, you know, a combination of having that support and also having a tournament like the Olympics coming up so soon after obviously helped give me a boost."

The end result for Andy Murray was a Gold Medal at the London Games, defeating world #2 Novak Djokovic in the Olympic semifinal match and world #1 Roger Federer in the Gold Medal match.

Juan Martin del Potro lost a heartbreaking semifinal match to Roger Federer, dropping the final set 19-17.  The loss was extremely difficult for del Potro to accept as he was visibly upset as he shook hands with Federer at net at the conclusin of the match.  On Tuesday, I asked del Potro how he was able to rebound so quickly mentally and defeat Novak Djokovic to win the Bronze Medal:

"Yeah, I don't know how I did that." he told me as he was smiling.

"I was really, really sad after loss against Roger, but my parents, friends, and my team helped me a lot to open my eyes, you know, and to fight in the last match against Djokovic.

  I really feel the support from my country.  All the people was behind me and help me to get the energy to best I can against Djokovic."

Both Murray and del Potro hope to be able to capitalize on the momentum they gained at the London Olympics going forward.  Yesterday Murray defeated American Sam Querrey 6-2 6-4 and del Potro took out a resurgent German Tommy Haas 7-5 6-2 at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

 

VENUS WILLIAMS Looks Ahead to Rio Olympics in 2016, Defeats Maria Kirilenko

PETE ZIEBRON in CINCINNATI

Venus Williams Plans to Play in the Rio 2016 Games              Pete Ziebron Images

Venus Williams certainly enjoyed her experience at the London Olympics, winning the Gold Medal in Women's Doubles for the 3rd time with her sister Serena.  "To win it again, I really feel like it was the best moment in my career.  Just felt amazing.  Still very giddy about it."

Roger Federer recently expressed his desire to play the Rio Olympics in 2016, so I asked Venus if the Rio Games were also on her radar: "Absolutely.  I love the Olympics.  The last day when it was over, I'm like, I can't wait until Rio.  I'm very excited about Rio."

Yesterday, wildcard Venus Williams and 12th seeded Maria Kirilenko opened play on Center Court at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.  Kirilenko dug out of a 0-40 hole in the 4th game of the set, winning the next 5 consecutive points to keep the match on serve.  Venus the broke with Kirilenlo serving at 3-4 and then closed out the 1st set comfortably to win the opening stanza.

Just as in the opening set, the 2nd set got underway with each player holding serve in their initial 3 service games.  Venus broke in the 7th game of the set, then hit 3 consecutive aces to open her next service game and held with ease, taking a 5-3 lead and getting within 1 game of winning the match in straight sets.  However, despite 3 double faults while serving to stay in the match, Kirilenko was able to hold her serve to stay alive.  Then, Venus had difficulty attempting to close out the match as Kirlilenko broke her twice as she served for the match and then the 2nd set went to a tiebreaker, which Kirilenko took 7-5.

Following the inability of Venus to hold serve to win the match, doubts immediately crept in among the large Center Court crowd as many departed to watch one of the other 7 concurrent matches on the grounds of the Lindner Family Tennis Center following the 2nd set.

Venus was able to break in the 4th game of the 3rd set and then held to take a 4-1 lead.  It appeared that Venus would then cruise to the win when Kirilenko got down 0-40 in her next service game.  However, just as she did in the 1st set, Kirilenko won the next 5 consecutive points to win the game.  This time, with the victory within reach, Venus held serve, hitting her 10th and 11th aces in the process.  Next, despite Kirilenko jumping to a 40-0 lead as she served to stay in the match, Venus would win the next 4 points before Kirilenko got the game to deuce before double faulting to end the match.  The end result was a 6-3 6-7(5) 6-2 victory for Venus Williams in 2 hours and 23 minutes.

Following the match, Venus expressed her inability to close out the match when she served for it twice in the 2nd set: "I think I was putting to much emphasis on the serve.  I just wasn't patient enough and that doesn't work, especially against a player like her.  I changed my ways in the third."

During Serena's pre-tournament press conference, I asked her about Venus' game at this time.  

"Venus is doing excellent.  I mean, gosh, she played so well at the Olympics.  I think the fact that she didn't play enough matches was the only reason she lost.  But she played unbelievable.  She totally motivated me when I saw her play.  So I think she's playing great."

If Venus Williams does play tennis for the United States at the Rio Olympics, it would mean that she will have played professional tennis for tennis for 22 years.  Venus stated yesterday that playing in Rio is in her plans:

"That's an awesome career.  I figure I'm going to spend more time retired than pro, so while I'm here I'm going to go for it.  If I'm on one leg and I get to Rio, that's great, too.

That's my whole goal:  continue to work on my health and stay healthy as much as I can.  I think if that happens, I can get to Rio."

Where's Rafa? Even Roger Federer Doesn't Know as Nadal is Still Out of Action

PETE ZIEBRON in CINCINNATI

World #3 Rafael Nadal has not played tennis since late June at Wimbledon.  Pete Ziebron Images

Early in the career of Andre Agassi, he elected not to play Wimbledon three years in a row prompting fans in the UK to don "Where's Andre?" t-shirts.  It was certainly a curious decision on Agassi's part, especially since he would win his lone Wimbledon crown in 1992,  2 years after he finally showed up to compete at the All England Club.

Wimbledon was also the site where 11-time Grand Slam Champion Rafael Nadal has last played tennis in 2012 - in late June - where he was stunned by 100th ranked Lukas Rosol in the 2nd round of The Championships.

This week at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Nadal's absence in the field is glaring and is felt by fans, Nadal himself and even Roger Federer.  Prior to the release of the main draw, Nadal announced on Facebook that he would not be able to play in Cincinnati:

• "Hi all, another message to announce something that definitely doesn't make me happy but unfortunately I won't be competing at the tournamet in Cincinnati next week.  I am still not ready to play.  I have many fans in Cincy and unforgettable moments such as 2008.  I am continuing with my recup and practice.  Thanks."

World #1 Roger Federer in his pre-tournament press conference on Monday in Cincinnati.  Pete Ziebron Images

In yesterday's press conference with Roger Federer, I noted that Nadal is still out of action and asked Federer if he has had any correspondence with Rafa since the injury at Wimbledon.

"No. No, but I was going to write him and check on him because I can't believe he's been out that long.  I thought the Olympics, okay, okay, that's fine.  That's a personal choice.

  I thought for sure we would see him in Toronto, but now he missed Toronto and Cincinnati.  It's very surprising, because it was nothing that we heard of prior to the injury.  He played so well on clay, and then actually seemed fine at Wimbledon.  He had more time by losing earlier at Wimbledon.  

So it came as a big surprise now, these two pullouts for me.  Even the Olympics, too.  So I'm sad for him.  I hope he'll be back for the Open."  

Unlike Agassi, Rafael Nadal would prefer to play each and every Grand Slam as well as the Masters 1000 tournaments.  Ironically, Cincinnati is the the only Masters 1000 where Rafael Nadal has not advanced past the semifinals.  However, in addition to its prestige, the Western & Southern Open provides imperative match play for the ATP field heading into the US Open.  Should Nadal determine that he will play the US Open, he would enter the field with little preparation on the North American hard courts.      

 

Camila Giorgi Continues to Stun Top Opponents, Beats Schiavone in Cincinnnati

PETE ZIEBRON in CINCINNATI

Camila Giorgi following her win over Francesca Schiavone on Court 2.    Pete Ziebron Images

Twenty year-old Italian wildcard Camila Giorgi defeated countrywoman and heavy favorite Francesca Schiavone 6-1 6-3 in 64 minutes at the Western & Southern Open this afternoon.  

After each player held serve to open the match, Giorgi won the next 7 games to take the opening set and stake herself to a 2-0 lead in the 2nd set.  Ten double faults on the day by the 14th seeded Schiavone contributed to her demise.  In fact, Schiavone hit 3 consecutive double faults to open the 6th game of the match as well as double faulting on match point.

For the 92nd ranked Giorgi, today's win on the Grandstand court at the Lindner Family Tennis Center marked her 4th significant victory of the year over a highly ranked opponent.  Two of those victories came at Wimbledon, where she was able to reach the 4th round after getting through the qualifying rounds.

Camila Giorgi's Milestone victories in 2012 include:

• Memphis 1st rd 6-4 6-2 v. #32 Nadia Petrova 
• Wimbledon 1st round  6-4 6-3 v. #17 Flavia Pennetta
• Wimbledon 3rd round 6-3 7-6(6) v. #20 Nadia Petrova
• Cincinnati 1st round  6-1 6-3 v. #21 Francesca Schiavone

Next up for Giorgi in Cincinnati is the winner of the Sloane Stephens-Tsvetana Pironkova match

 

 

Red Hot Jerzy Janowicz Rolls in Cincinnati Qualies; Sesil Karatantcheva Wins Last 11 Consecutive Games to Advance

PETE ZIEBRON in CINCINNATI

Polish #2 Jerzy Janowicz at the W&S Open in Cincinnati.  Pete Ziebron Images

Jerzy Janowicz of Poland defeated 12th seeded Belgian Steve Darcis 6-3 6-1 in 61 minutes to advance to the 2nd round of the qualifiction round on an unseasonably cool day at the Western & Southern Open today in Cincinnati.  Janowicz pounded 12 aces and converted 5 of 6 break point opportunities to easily beat Darcis, who recently upset world #7 Tomas Berdych in the 1st round of The Olympic Games.

Today's win was Janowicz' 11th consecutive victory and his 16th in his last 17 matches.  Last month, Janowicz won 2 Challenger clay-court tournaments in consecutive weeks in Scheveningen, The Netherlands and in Poznan, Poland.  Prior to these titles, Janowicz advanced through all 3 rounds of qualifying at Wimbledon, defeated Ernests Gulbis in the 2nd round and held a 2 sets to 1 lead on Florian Mayer in the 3rd round before running out of gas, losing the 5th set 5-7.

Jerzy Janowicz opens play on the Grandstand Court at 10 AM on Sunday, facing 63rd ranked Marinko Matosevic of Australia.  Earlier today, Matosevic came from a set down to defeat German Benjamin Becker.

Meanwhile, world #105 Sesil Karatantcheva of Kazakhstan continues to win consecutive games in double digit fashion against significantly higher ranked opponents.  Today, Karatantcheva was down 3-6 2-5 against world #64 Arantxa Rus of The Netherlands before she surged to win the last 11 games of the match to stun Rus and the crowd watching on Court 6 in the mid-afternoon.  Rus served for the match, up a double break at 5-2 in the 2nd set and would be broken in this game as well as the next 5 times she served.

Last week in Montreal, Karatantcheva dropped only 14 games in 3 qualifying matches before destroying world #38 Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-0 6-0 in her opening main draw match.  In her next contest, Karatantcheva dropped a 6-4 6-4 decision to 16th seeded Lucie Safarova, who is still alive in Montreal and faces Li Na in the semifinals on Sunday.

Karatantcheva, a former quarterfinalist at Roland Garros, faces Olga Govortsova of Belarus at 10 AM on Sunday on Court 9 in the 2nd round of qualification for a spot in the Western & Southern Open main draw.

After winning 11 of the first 16 games of the match, Arantxa Rus drops the final 11 consecutive games.                Pete Ziebron Images