Tag: 2015 French Open

I am Serena Williams – What is Your Super Power?

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Given her performance at the 2015 French Open,  the perfect Christmas gift for Serena Williams is a t-shirt that says, “I am Serena Wiilams –  American tennis player. What is your super power?”

She was one of 17 women playing as an American at the 2015 French Open. The event had a lopsided draw for the American Women – 13 were in the upper half and 4 were in the bottom half.

First round losers for the Americans from the upper half of the draw included:
• Alexa Glatch
• Venus Williams
• Shelby Rogers
• Christina McHale
• Alison Riske
• Coco Vandeweghe
• Bethanie Mattek-Sands
• Taylor Townsend
• Varvara Lepchenko

All four of the women from the bottom half of the draw were eliminated in the first round.
• Louisa Chirico
• Nicole Gibbs
• Lauren Davis
• Madison Brengle

After the first round there were only four American women left in the draw and they were all in the upper half. Both Irina Falconi and Madison Keys were 2-1, winning their first two rounds before bowing out in the third round. Sloane Stephens was 3-1 before losing to Serena Williams in the fourth round.

Williams was not particularly dominant  as she captured her 20th Grand Slam (6 Australians, 3 French, 5 Wimbledons, and 6 U.S. Open Championships). She only won 2 of her 7 matches in straight sets.

Overall, the American women were 14-16.

After the first two Grand Slams in 2015, the scorecard reads – two wins for Serena Williams. Historically she has fared well in Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Is a calendar year Grand Slam in the cards for Serena? Will the other American women make a stronger showing at Wimbledon? The former is more likely than the latter.

Stay tuned, the Championships will begin on June 29 and run through July 12th.

American Juniors Dominate French Open

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In the online version of Tennis Briefs Bob Larson recently reported that Patrick McEnroe, former director of player development for USTA, said that he believes the current gang of teenagers is a good reason for optimism.  In other words, McEnroe expects to see American juniors dominate the Grand Slams in the not-to-distant future.

McEnroe was correct, at least as it pertains to the French Open Junior Championships.

Eight of the 64 boys were Americans – of which Tommy Paul and Harry Taylor Fritz met in the finals. Paul was the upset winner.

William Blumberg was ousted in the first round and Alex Rybakov, Ulises Blanch and Nathan Ponwith won their initial matches before losing in the second round.

The remaining four players won their matches in the round of 16. Reilly Opelka was defeated in the quarterfinals and Michael Mmoh was ousted in the semifinals. Three of the four semifinalists were Americans.

Overall the American boys were 21-7.

There were also eight American girls. The following four girls lost in the first round: Raveena Kingsley, Sofia Kenin, Francesca Dilorenzo, and Michaela Gordon. After winning her first match Usue Maltane Arconada was defeated in the second round.

Carolyn Dolehide won two matches before losing in the third round and Katherine Steward was defeated in the fourth round.

The last American girl standing was C.C. Bellis. She won four matches before bowing out in the semifinals.

Overall the American girls were 10-8.

Hats off to the American Juniors. Hopefully Patrick McEnroe is correct and we will see American juniors dominate the Grand Slams for many years to come.

Will the Americans Show up at the 2015 French Open?

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The 2015 French Open is right around the corner and the American men and women hope to erase their abysmal performance in 2014.

Last year Taylor Townsend and Sloane Stephens were the only American women to advance past the second round. Townsend lost in the third round and Stephens lost in the round of 16.

On the men’s side John Isner had the top performance last year. He held his seed by winning three matches before being defeated in the round of 16.

The expectations are low for the seven American men in the 2015 draw. Going into the tournament the following six American men were ranked in the top 100 on the ATP tour:
• 16 John Isner
• 37 Jack Sock
• 38 Sam Querrey
• 52 Donald Young
• 56 Steve Johnson
• 73 Tim Smyczek
Frances Tiafoe was not ranked in the top 100.

Isner is seeded 16th. He is a steady performer who usually holds his seed. With good fortune, he will hold his seed this year.

The outlook for the women is slightly brighter, if for no other reason than 17 American women are in the draw. Unfortunately, 13 of them are in the upper half.

The four players in the lower half will be fortunate to get past the second round (Chirico, Gibbs, Davis, and Brengle).

There are three American women seeded. As expected Serena Williams is first. Her sister, Venus, is seeded 15th, and Madison Keys is seeded 16th. The outlook for these seeds follows:
• Venus will play Sloane Stephens in the first round. That is an intriguing match-up.
• Keys has had a solid year; however, she is in a tough bracket. It is unlikely she will hold her seed.
• Because Serena is so dominant it will be hard to cheer against her to win the tournament, especially since she lost in the first round last year. Unfortunately, the upper half of the draw is clearly more loaded with talent than the lower half.

Going into the French Open the following 13 American women were ranked in the top 100:
• 1 Serena Williams
• 15 Venus Williams
• 16 Madison Keys
• 33 Coco Vandeweghe
• 34 Varvara Lepchenko
• 36 Madison Brengle
• 41 Sloane Stephens
• 46 Alison Riske
• 55 Christina McHale
• 64 Lauren Davis
• 80 Shelby Rogers
• 84 Irina Falconi
• 97 Nicole Gibbs
Alexa Glatch, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Taylor Townsend, and Louisa Chirico were not ranked in the top 100.

Best wishes to the Americans for a strong performance and some upsets at the 2015 French Open.