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 … Continue reading
2015 US Open Champion Flavia Pennetta (accompanied by fellow tennis pro and fiancé Fabio Fognini) took a victory lap to the Top of the Rock observation deck at Rockefeller Center in New York City. If this proves to be her final year as a WTA pro, what a way to go out in her last … Continue reading
The first time they played against each other, Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci were 9 years old. Both were raised in the same region of Italy and have been close friends for the majority of their lives. They’ve won as an amateur and professional doubles team, including the 1999 Junior Girls Doubles title at Roland … Continue reading
Veni. Vidi. Vici. Vinci! I don’t know if Roberta Vinci told herself “I came. I saw. I conquered.” when the final point of her 2015 US Open Women’s Semifinal triumph over the massively favored Serena Williams was won, but she certainly could have. Who would begrudge her that moment? Instead, it was tears that flowed … Continue reading
With perhaps the most famous athlete in her country’s history, gymnast Nadia Comaneci, in the stands rooting her on, Romania’s Simona Halep punched her ticket to the 2015 US Open Women’s Singles Semifinals with a 6-3 4-6 6-4 victory over 2-time Major winner and 2-time US Open runner-up Victoria Azarenka in a tightly contested quarterfinal. … Continue reading
Buster Douglas did what was previously seemingly impossible against Mike Tyson. Rulon Gardner stopped the 13 year unbeaten streak of Aleksandr Karelin. They made a major motion picture about the Miracle On Ice USA hockey win over the USSR in 1980. After Serena Williams marched past sister Venus Williams 6-2 1-6 6-3 in their 2015 … Continue reading
Fighting physical ailments and a feisty opponent, Simona Halep won her round of 16 match against Sabine Lisicki at the 2015 US Open on guts and heart, 6-7 (6) 7-5 6-2, to advance to her first ever quarterfinal at Flushing Meadows. The play on the court wasn’t always pretty or artful, but these two Major … Continue reading
Victoria Azarenka and Angelique Kerber combined in the third round of the 2015 US Open to give fans the best women’s match so far of the tournament. It was a high quality, high drama face-off between two women fully capable of going a long way at this Major. If there is one stat that illustrates … Continue reading
Be careful what you wish for. That’s how the saying goes. I wanted to see how far Madison Keys could go at the 2015 US Open. I hoped she would make it to a potential fourth round showdown with Serena Williams. What I wished for has happened. Now we’ll see if Maddie can give Serena … Continue reading
Here I go again. I’ve been so enamored with the overflowing talent oozing from Petra Kvitova that I often fall into thinking that she’s about to take that next step into being the best player in the world. She will flash that brilliance and then…come crashing back to earth. I’ll admit, as she’s worked her … Continue reading
Fairways and Forehands 