Black Tennis Pros

On Thursday, August 22nd, day four of 2019 U.S. Open Fan Week, the Men's and Women's singles draws were announced. Through commentator and video presentations, each quarter of each draw was reviewed and analyzed.

Much attention was given to the fact that No. 8 seeded Serena Williams will compete against world no. 87 Maria Sharapova in the the first round.

The U.S. Open has broken down both draws completely by quarters.  All player information and related analysis can be read at usopen.org.

WOMEN'S SINGLES

Naomi Osaka, JPN(1) vs. A. Blinkova, RUS
WC Coco Gauff, USA vs. Anastasia Potapova, RUS
Sloane Stephens, USA(11) vs. Qualifier
WC Whitney Osuigwe, USA vs. Elina Svitolina, UKR(5)
Venus Williams, USA vs. Saisai Zheng, CHN
Madison Keys,  USA(10) vs. Misaki Doi, JPN
Serena Williams, USA(8) vs. Maria Sharapova, RUS
Taylor Townsend, USA(Q) vs. Kateryna Kozlova, UKR

MEN'S SINGLES

Christopher Eubanks, USA vs. Cristian Garin, CHI(31)
Gael Monfils, FRA(13) vs. Albert Ramos-Vinolas, ESP
Felix Auger-Aliassime, CAN(18) vs. Dennis Shapovalov, CAN
Frances Tiafoe, USA vs. Ivo Karlovic, CRO
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA vs. Tennys Sandgren, USA

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Your 2019 Women's Singles Champion, @Madison_Keys! 🏆👏#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/DsvRu8WrMC

— Western & Southern Open (@CincyTennis) August 18, 2019

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Americans Venus Williams and Madison Keys in quarterfinals of 2019 Western and Southern Open.

American Madison Keys is into the semifinal round of the 2019 Western and Southern Open after winning the quarterfinal match against fellow American Venus Williams, 6-2, 6-3.

Keys made no changes in her gameplay from last night, remaining focused, hitting powerful precision shots and playing all offense, all the time.

The 'hurry-up' mode that Keys tends to play in has, in the past, often been detrimental to her match survival - not lately.  She appears to have applied new strategy to the process and is making it work.

Post match Keys stated, "I think I knew from the start that Venus was going to bring a lot of power, and I had to be ready for that - and more than that, I think my serve really helped me out at times."

In Saturday's semifinal on Center Court, Keys will go up against another American whose game is also fierce, Sofia Kenin.  Kenin advanced to the semifinals after world #1 Naomi Osaka retired from their quarterfinal match in the third set.

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American Madison Keys takes out Romanian Simona Halep and sets up quarter-final match with fellow American Venus Williams.

WOW!! If you missed American Madison Key's 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 win over Romanian Simona Halep tonight, you truly missed a match!

This evening's round of 16 match featuring Keys and Halep at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio definitely increased the value of every ticket purchased!  It goes without saying that both women are top players, Halep currently ranked at #4 and Keys at #18.  Even though Halep has been having a more progressive year of play than Keys, it was Keys who very confidently entered tonight's match after a 6-4, 6-1 win over Russian Daria Kasatkina.

Though the match entailed ups and downs for both players, Keys never let up - from her 10 aces to some exquisite shot making, she remained focused throughout the match, and pulled out of every tight spot in the final games of the third set.

Madison raised the roof  in the stadium tonight.  During her post-match interview she stated "...Really happy that after losing my lead in the third set, I was able to get it back. I'm incredibly happy to be able to play tomorrow."

When asked, "What does this kind of win remind you about your level of play right now?" Keys responded, "It definitely reminds me that  when I'm in the right mindset and playing some good tennis, I can compete with anyone, and really happy that I was able to play some of my best tennis tonight."

Up next for Keys in the quarterfinals, fellow American Venus Williams!

Madison Keys began delivering balls to fans post-match with a throw instead of her racquet.

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Semis 😀 @VolvoCarOpen pic.twitter.com/inA5wBiPe6

— Madison Keys (@Madison_Keys) April 6, 2019

.@Madison_Keys previews her finals encounter vs. Wozniacki: "I'm going to focus on myself. I'm really proud of what I've done this week and how I've bounced back after some tough losses." #VolvoCarOpen 🎾💪🏽🔑 pic.twitter.com/oUPYeeMUFO

— Volvo Car Open (@VolvoCarOpen) April 6, 2019

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A pair of legends taking in #TeamUSATennis! 📸: @billiejeanking

A post shared by USTA (@usta) on Feb 9, 2019 at 11:56am PST

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🇺🇸🤓 excited to play @fedcuptennis !

A post shared by Madison Keys (@madisonkeys) on Jan 30, 2019 at 11:59am PST

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Excited to rep @teamusatennis this weekend 🇺🇸🎉

A post shared by Madison Keys (@madisonkeys) on Feb 7, 2019 at 2:13pm PST

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Win, lose or draw tonight, Madison Keys has loudly announced to the world that "she got game." It has been a thing a beauty to watch this 19-year-old young woman fearlessly come into her own before our very eyes.  Bravo Madison!!

Now, the reality for most of us was that, no matter how incredible a run Madison has "had," that brick wall otherwise known as World No. 1 Serena Williams, would not be moved. To the tune of 7(7)-6, 6-2, Serena brought Madison's exciting run to a screeching halt.

It was more than evident that Serena is still suffering from what she says is more than likely a virus that has been floating among the players; she was definitely slower than usual, and her serve was not the flawless weapon of destruction that it is typically known to be. But the true grit of the woman that has mesmerized us for so many years now was definitely employed.

Serena has gained a much more serene resolve in the face of these court tests. Where she once would automatically become outwardly frustrated, she very visibly now stills herself and moves forward to the next opportunity to win.

So with a tight first set that ended in a tie-break, to a lot of match points going out the window in the first game of the second set, the Queen has prevailed and positioned herself for a sixth - count 'em - sixth trophy down under.

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World No. 1 Serena Williams hit the ground running at the 2015 Australian Open Quarterfinal, and did not let up until her work was done. Worthy opponent Dominika Cibulkova got in some of the bright and brilliant shot making that she is known for, but at no time was she ever a threat for the World No. 1.

Dominika Cibulkova

The five-time Australian Open Title holder will meet unseeded American Madison Keys, who has played an incredible tournament, and who had to defeat the elder Williams, Venus, to meet Serena. While Keys has shown what she is made of throughout the entirety of the tournament, nothing makes me believe that she will get by Serena.

While there was great hope from of lot of fans, including myself, that there would be an all-Williams semifinal, seeing Madison Keys ascend to this level is just as rewarding.

In her post match interview Serena barely had a voice, she stated, "I have to keep my answers short because I keep coughing. I've been sick the past few days, and it's just getting worse and worse, but hopefully it will get better."

"I heard there's a virus going around with a lot of the players, and I think I caught it."

If we've learned anything about Serena, we know she'll be ready.

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Well, it wasn't the match that I expected, nor was it the outcome I hoped for ~ but it is indeed a good sign.

It is incredible to have watched American Madison Keys grow up and elevate herself and her game to its present position. This 19-year-old young woman came into the 2015 Australian Open Tournament with nothing to lose, and has lost nothing.

Casey Dellacqua, Petra Kvitova, and Madison Brengle all had their Australian Open hopes dashed as Keys continued to mount an offense and defense that would bring her to this point. 

Playing this quarterfinal match against her idol, tennis legend Venus Williams, appears to be the icing on the cake at this tournament for her.

“The moment is definitely sweeter being able to play Venus,” said Keys, who got into the sport after admiring a Williams tennis dress at the age of four. “It’s amazing – you just have to embrace the moment – I did, and I get to enjoy another moment in the next round.”

With a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Venus, Madison is headed to the semifinal round of the 2015 Australian Open ~ what a moment!

Moment killer:  Venus' baby sis' awaits her ~ God bless you.

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The 19-year-old captured the decisive break at 5-5 in the second set and served out the match nervelessly under the lights of Rod Laver Arena, stunning the two-time Wimbledon champion.

Keys' win made it four American women in the last 16 at Melbourne Park, the most since five made it to the fourth round of the 2003 Australian Open.

She will play compatriot Madison Brengle for a place in the quarter-finals.

"I think my hands are still shaking," said Keys, who is coached by former number one Lindsay Davenport.

"I'm excited to play Maddie in the next round."

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Serena Williams blitzed her way into the third round with a display that combined discipline and bravura in equal measure. She saw off the South African journeywoman Chanelle Scheepers 6-1, 6-1 in 49 minutes.

“I’m always the favorite,” acknowledged Serena afterwards. “It’s been that way for the last three years and maybe years before that. So it can create pressure. But it’s OK – I’d rather it was that way.”

“I’m trying to figure out when this [press conference] is going to end,” she said. “I’m really losing focus up here. The longer these interviews go... Maybe that’s why at Wimbledon they have them long. This is getting... The questions change from tennis to Novak and then Rafa. It’s no longer about the match. Is this the last question?”



American Madison Keys, a winner last week in Eastbourne, took her winning streak to seven matches thanks to her 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-2 dismissal of 31st seed Klara Koukalova, the slight Czech who was out-gunned in the power stakes but who kept herself alive in the contest on Court 12 with speed, guile and anticipation.

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Ladies' Doubles - Round 1

Madison Keys, USA and Alison Riske, USA
defeated
Petra Cetkovska, CZE and Vania King, USA
7(7)-6, 5(5)-2



Gentlemen's Doubles - Round 1

Raven Klaasen, RSA (13) and Eric Butorac, USA (13)
defeated
Ryan Harrison, USA and Kevin King, USA
6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4

Dustin Brown, GER and Jan-Lennard Struff, GER
defeated
Ken Skupski, GBR and Neal Skupski, GBR
5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2


Mixed Doubles - Round 1

Raquel-Kops Jones, USA (11) and Juan-Sebastian Cabal, COL (11)
vs.
Bye

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Five-time Wimbledon Champion Serena Williams has her eyes on the prize - as usual. The world no. 1 eased through round one with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Anna Tatishvilli of Georgia. Serena is without a doubt the favorite to win.


'I have nothing to prove, nothing to hide, nothing to lose' ~ Venus Williams. There you go! It's all in the history books at this point and what will be, will be. Ms. Williams etched another win in the books, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 over Teresa Torro-Flor of Spain. WORK IT OUT VENUS!!


Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga wasted little time in securing a place in the second round of Wimbledon when returning to Court One on Tuesday morning.

The 14th seed had been left frustrated by heavy late-evening rain which denied him the chance to serve for the match in an epic clash against Austrian Jurgen Melzer.

Tsonga won the match 6-1, 3-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.


Still buzzing from her first WTA title a few days ago, American teenager Madison Keys showed again why she is being tipped for a big future as she powered into Wimbledon's second round on Tuesday.

Hurling down 25 clean winners, including seven aces, she had too much weaponry for Puerto Rico's Monica Puig in a 6-3 6-3 win.

"It feels really good. There was definitely a moment on Saturday where I was like, this would be awesome if it happened every week," she told reporters after the match, calling the title her "biggest milestone" to date.


His unorthodox approach is well known, yet today he took this to new heights in his 7-6(5), 7-5, 6-4 victory over Tunisian lucky loser Malek Jaziri.

Monfils complained of injury, chatted frequently between points with his supporters and at the change of ends with the umpire, vacillated wildly in his intensity levels – sometimes he wouldn’t even attempt to run for shots, other times he would fling himself about the court in mad pursuit of them – and also produced some jaw-dropping tennis.

“On grass is never easy for me. (So) I'm very relaxed. I'm just the coolest than ever on grass,” he explained. “Then is hard for me to play like solid tennis, I will say, because I can't move. Actually I can't move. I don't feel comfortable. So I try to play just some part of the match. It was fun, so it's good for me.”

Monfils, seeded No.24, recovered from deficits of 1-3 in the first set and 1-4 in the second, finishing the match with a tidy stats sheet reading 50 winners to just 24 errors along with 17 aces. “For me, it's like shot after shot, just focus on my serve. If the ball is very short, I try to hit it and come to the net,” he surmised.


Heather Watson became the third British player to reach round two with an impressive straight-sets win over Ajla Tomljanovic of Croatia at Wimbledon.

Watson came through 6-3, 6-2 on Court Three to follow up Monday's victories by Andy Murray and Naomi Broady.


Victoria Duval’s sugary manner and broad smile was understandable given she had won her debut match at Wimbledon, defeating 29th seed Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

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EASTBOURNE, England -- Madison Keys claimed the first title of her career on Saturday when she defeated Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 to win the Aegon Championships.

Playing in her first final, the unseeded 19-year old is the first American to win the event since Chanda Rubin won back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2003, and she is the youngest American to win a singles title since Vania King (17 yrs, 254 days) triumphed in Bangkok in October 2006.

Keys' triumph also marks the first time that two American women have won titles in the same week since 2002, following Coco Vandeweghe's win, also on Saturday, at the grass-court Topshelf Open in the Netherlands.

It is the second defeat in the final for fifth-seeded Kerber, who fell to Tamira
Paszek in 2012, and the third time she has lost a final this year after defeats in Sydney and Doha. She was seeking her first title came winning Linz in October 2013.

"I'm so incredibly happy," said Keys, who on Monday should be ranked in the top 30 for the first time. "You know, it's one of those things where when you're training and you don't want to be there, you're tired or everything hurts, it's one of those things where you think of this moment, and, you know, it really helps push you through all the hard times.

"My serve was definitely a weapon today, and it really helped me through the entire time."

Keys' win came after she fired 17 aces and struck a serve clocked at 126mph, the fastest this year on the WTA Tour and one that if confirmed would establish her as one of the top five fastest servers since records began in 1989.

Most of the rallies were short and just one break of serve decided the first two sets, with Keys breaking to lead 3-1 in the first and Kerber 2-0 in the second.

"It's always not easy when somebody is serving like she did the whole match," Kerber said. "She played at a really high level."

Kerber fought off two break points as she served out the second set, and games went with serve in the third until the dramatic 12th game. Kerber held two game points to take the set to a tiebreaker before Keys claimed victory on her fourth match point.

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 Men's Singles - Round 4

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) [13]
Novak Djokovic (SRB) [2]


Women's Doubles - Round 3

Madison Keys (USA)
Alison Riske (USA)
Lucie Hradecka (CZE)
Michaella Krajicek (NED)


Mixed Doubles - Round 2

Raquel Kops-Jones (USA)
Raven Klaasen (RSA)
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) [5]
Daniel Nestor (CAN) [5]




 

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Men's Singles - Round 1
Steve Johnson (USA) vs. Laurent Lokoli (FRA)	To Finish 4-6 6-7(7) 7-6(3) 6-3 3-1

 
Women's Singles - Round 2

Serena Williams (USA) [1]
Garbine Muguruza (ESP)


Anna Schmiedlova (SVK)
Venus Williams (USA) [29]

Alize Cornet (FRA) [20]
Taylor Townsend (USA)


Men's Singles - Round 2

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) [13]
Jurgen Melzer (AUT)


Women's Doubles - Round 1

Stephanie Foretz Gacon (FRA)
Laura Thorpe (FRA)
Jana Cepelova (SVK)
Stefanie Voegele (SUI)

Kveta Peschke (CZE) [4]
Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) [4]
Lauren Davis (USA)
Megan Moulton-Levy (USA)

Madison Keys (USA)
Alison Riske (USA)
Irina Ramialison (FRA)
Constance Sibille (FRA)


Men's Doubles - Round 1

Tristan Lamasine (FRA)
Laurent Lokoli (FRA)
David Marrero (ESP) [4]
Fernando Verdasco (ESP) [4]

Eric Butorac (USA) [14]
Raven Klaasen (RSA) [14]
Steve Johnson (USA)
Sam Querrey (USA)

Michael Llodra (FRA) [5]
Nicolas Mahut (FRA) [5]
Gael Monfils (FRA)
Josselin Ouanna (FRA)

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On Day Three of the 2012 US Open, Round One of Men's and Women's Doubles began and were completed as follows:

WOMEN'S DOUBLES

Venus Williams, USA and Serena Williams, USA
Megan Moulton-Levy, USA and Lindsay Lee-Waters
6-4, 6-0

Racquel Kops-Jones, USA and Abigail Spears, USA
Dominika Cibulkova, SVK and Daniela Hantuchova, SVK
4-6, 6-1, 6-2

Madison Keys, USA and Jessica Pegula, USA
Akgul Amanmuradova, UZB and Monica Niculescu, ROU
6-2, 6-2

MEN'S DOUBLES

Nicholas Monroe, USA and Donald Young, USA
Michael Llodra, FRA(7) and Nenad Zimonjic, SRB(7)
5-7, 6-3, 6-4

Raven Klaasen, RSA and Alex Bogomolov, Jr., RUS
Tatsuma Ito, JPN and Go Soeda, JPN
6-1, 6-3

Dustin Brown, GER and Christopher Kas, GER
Leander Paes, IND(5) and Radek Stepanek, CZE(5)
3-6, 3-6

James Blake, USA and Sam Querrey
defeated by
Treat Conrad Huey, PHI and Dominic Inglot, GBR
 6-1, 7(9)-6(7)

MIXED DOUBLES

Sloane Stephens, USA and Rajeev Ram, USA
defeated
Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA and Horia Tecau, ROU
6-2, 5-7, 1(10)-0(8)

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