American Men Advance in French Qualifying
Dangerous Denis Kudla
Denis Kudla, Michael Russell, Jesse Levine, Bobby Reynolds and Alex Kuznetsov advanced to the second round of qualifying at Roland Garros today. Kudla needed three sets to dispatch 29 seed James Ward of Great Britain, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Reynolds also won a three-setter in convincing fashion over KazakhYuri Schukin, 6-0, 6-7 (1), 6-2. Levine won 2 and 2 against France’s Julien Obry. Michael Russell perservered in a very tight 4, 6 and 7 win from German Simon Greul, while Kuznetsov eked it out over fellow American Michael Yani, 7-6(3), 7-5.
The American men will mostly have an off day tomorrow. The exception is Michael Russell, who will take the court for a second round match not before 3:00 p.m.
Eight American women are scheduled for tomorrow’s first round qualifying. Coco Vandeweghe, Madison Brengle, Alexa Glatch, Alison Riske, Lauren Davis, Julia Cohen, Jill Craybas and Gail Brodsky will begin their quest for main draw berths tomorrow. Craybas and Brodsky will meet on Court 16, where only one American will advance from the match.
Memory Lane: Rando Photos from Racquet Club of the South #USTA
Here’s ten more shots from this month’s Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs in Norcross, Georgia. Until a Tumblr account is opened, there is where the photos will come to rest. And Happy New Year, y’all. Thanks for visiting the site in 2011, and special thanks to experienced bloggers and USTA reps for offering advice. Let’s bump into each other next year. See you in Charleston, Newport, DC, Atlanta, NYC, Charlottesville and Knoxville?
Nobody is more comfortable on a court than Rhyno.
Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs: Semifinal Super Saturday
Sorry 'bout knocking off 2 RCS favorites
With the local women out of the event, it’s up to Robby Ginepri to keep the hometown mesmerized. Alison Riske and Madison Keys kick it off at 1:00 pm today at Racquet Club of the South. Riske didn’t have much competition yesterday while Keys dug down in three grueling sets for her victory. Today, we’ll know if Riske’s game is that good, since Keys will hardly be a walkover. These matches are difficult to predict. The easy way out is Vandeweghe and Keys. So let’s go for broke, take the points and look for Riske and Brodsky in the final.
We’ll also know if yesterday was a fluke for Rhyne Williams and Jesse Levine, who greatly outperformed their quarterfinal competitors. But Denis Kudla advanced the hard way, and in reality, he was not on top form. Jack Sock had beaten him in the previous four matches. Even so, he tenaciously battled Sock in the 2nd set and blew him out in the tiebreak. Kudla knows he is lucky to be in the semifinals of this event, and it would be surprising if he were to let down today.
Georgia's last hope?
As far as Robby Ginepri, you’ve got to love his chances even more. His fitness level is extraordinarily high, and he said yesterday that he knows “the window is closing”. This might be the beginning of the exciting conclusion to his pro playing career.
Against all odds, look for Kudla to advance in three. Not surprisingly, expect Ginepri in straight sets.
Friday’s Quarterfinal Scores
MEN
No. 8 Rhyne Williams (Knoxville, Tenn.) def.No. 1 Bobby Reynolds (Acworth, Ga.), 4-6, 6-4, 10-8
No. 2 Jesse Levine (Boca Raton, Fla.) def. No. 7 Daniel Kosakowski (Downey, Calif.), 6-2, 6-4
No. 3 Denis Kudla (Arlington,Va.) def. No. 6 Jack Sock (Lincoln, Neb.),3-6, 7-6 (4), 5-4, ret.
No. 4 Robby Ginepri (Kennesaw, Ga.) def. No. 5Steve Johnson (Orange, Calif.), 7-6 (4), 6-0
WOMEN
No. 1 Coco Vandeweghe (Newport Beach, Calif.)def. No. 8 Taylor Townsend (Stockbridge, Ga.),6-4, 6-4
No. 5 Gail Brodsky (Brooklyn,N.Y.) def. No. 4 Melanie Oudin (Marietta, Ga.),6-4, 4-6, 6-4
No. 6 MadisonKeys (Boca Raton, Fla.)def. No. 3 Jamie Hampton (Auburn, Ala.), 3-6, 6-4, 9-7
No. 2 Alison Riske (McMurray,Pa.) def. No. 7 Grace Min (Duluth, Ga.),6-0, 6-0
Saturday’s Semifinal schedule
Beginning at 1p.m. on Court 2
Alison Riske vs. Madison Keys
Followed by Denis Kudla vs. Jesse Levine
Beginning at 2p.m. on Stadium Court
Coco Vandeweghe vs. Gail Brodsky
Followed by Robby Ginepri vs. Rhyne Williams
Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs: Day 1 Women’s Recap
Top seeds Coco Vandeweghe and Alison Riske won with relative ease today, while Madison Keys upset world #141 Jamie Hampton and Gail Brodsky knocked out local favorite Melanie Oudin at the Racquet Club of the South in Norcross, Georgia in Australian Open Wild Card Playoff Quarterfinals matches.
She's back!
Keys, who was also the #6 seed en route to winning the US Open Wild Card Playoffs in College Park, Maryland over the summer, struggled in the first before edging Hampton 3-6, 6-4, 9-7. That’s 9 games to 7, as no tiebreak is played and the matches are considered Grand Slam qualifiers. Vandeweghe recorded 5 aces in a row en route to a 6-4, 6-4 win over upstart Taylor Townsend. Brooklyn’s Gail Brodsky outlasted Melanie Oudin 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, finishing Oudin’s mediocre season on a sour note. Second seeded Alison Riske had the easiest match of the day by far in double bageling Grace Min.
Taylor Townsend was gracious in defeat and her attitude will win her support going forward. She claimed that she had not even read the USA Today article about her.
Attendance was impressive, especially for an opening round. The sea of fans was in stark contrast to the College Park event, making one wonder if Atlanta might indeed be America’s tennis town. There were unconfirmed reports that tickets are almost sold out for the remainder of the weekend. With the exit of Oudin, Hampton, Townsend and Min, no women with connections to Georgia or Racquet Club of the South are left in the event. Speaking of Georgia connections, Irina Falconi was everywhere today. She stayed for every match and must have posed for 500 photographs with fans. She took a little time to hit when there was a break in the action. It was a perfect chance to test the slow motion video option on the camera. It’s dark. Not Edgar Allen Poe or Morrissey dark, but it should be more interesting during outdoor court season.
Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs: OOP Saturday, December 17, 2011
Stadium (7) |
Court 2 |
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1st Match |
2:00 PMVANDEWEGHE, CoCo (1)vs. BRODSKY, Gail (5) |
1:00 PMRISKE, Alison (2) vs. KEYS, Madison (6) |
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2nd Match |
Not Before 3:00 PMGINEPRI, Robby (4) vs. Williams, Rhyne (8) |
Not Before 2:00 PMKUDLA, Dennis (3) vs. LEVINE, Jesse (2) |
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Australian Open Wild Card Draw (Norcross, GA December 16-18, 2011)
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| 8. Rhyne Williams (511) | | |
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| 4. Robby Ginepri (318) | | |
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| 5. Steve Johnson (369) | | |
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| 3. Denis Kudla (275) | | |
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| 6. Jack Sock (380) | | |
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| 2. Jesse Levine (164) | | |
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| 7. Daniel Kosakowski (410) | | |
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| 1. CoCo Vandeweghe (127) | ||||||||
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| 8. Taylor Townsend (432) | | |
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| 4. Melanie Oudin (164) | | |
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| 5. Gail Brodsky (227) | | |
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| 3. Jamie Hampton (141) | | |
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| 6. Madison Keys (270) | | |
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| 2. Alison Riske (135) | | |
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| 7. Grace Min (352) | | |
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Yes, but can you tweet? @USTA @AustralianOpen #WildCard @Twitter #PlayerField
We’ll be rapid-fire tweeting at the Racquet Club of the South in just four days time, so we thought we’d give you some other important handles to follow on The Twitters. And we’re doing it in the form of an awards ceremony:
BEST FEMALE:
No other women wild card contenders seem to have a twitter account, although someone obviously beat @MadisonKeys to the name.
The winner is easily @CoCoVandey by default. This is top-notch twitter. Even if she had competition in the medium, she could probably fend off any serious challenger.
BEST MALE:
The field is much more competitive here. Four players actually tweet.
@JackSock has 257 tweets and over 5,000 followers. Let’s say he’s more of a re-tweeter. The following retweets all occurred in the same day:
jesselevine7 First day in bahamas and played some tennis while shania twain was watching 
ha…she liked my senators hat!!!! Go sens!
@DenisKudla has the highest total of tweets of all Wild Card contenders (416) and 1,300 followers. His twitter feed is managed like a presidential candidate’s in that he hasn’t let his guard down or tweeted anything too personal. Perhaps the most embarrassing information we found was his prediction that the Philadelphia Eagles would win the Super Bowl this year.
Don’t forget to follow them if you haven’t already and remember to follow @TennisMaryland for constant updates of the ‘Plunder for Down Under’ starting this Friday.
Kangaroos and Didgeridoos: Pat Jensen Prepares to take Atlanta Tennis Down Under
On Thursday, we had a great conversation with the First Mother of American Tennis, Patricia Jensen, who is also serving as Director of tournament operations for the Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs in Norcross, Georgia next weekend. When we learned that Jensen raised four children who played professional tennis at some point in their lives, doubling our guess, it became clear that she is easily up to the task of organizing a national event with international implications.
Jensen confirmed that USTA Director of Player Development Patrick McEnroe will once again be playing in the WTT Exhibition match on Friday night, and although Courier is not 100% confirmed to play as of the date of the interview, the tournament will set up separate cheering sections for each player. They’re even bringing in the Master of Ceremonies from the Kansas City Explorers and a US Marines Color Guard with US and Australian flags. Finally, there will be the singing of both national anthems to open the ceremonies on Saturday night.
The Player party on Friday night is sponsored and inspired by Outback Steakhouse, and will include decorating the entire banquet room in Aussie flair complete with didgeridoos. Only Australian wines will be served at the event. Unfortunately, Foster’s and Cooper’s will not be served due to other brewer commitments.
Woz is cuckoo for Kangaroo (stories)
The Australian theme is pervasive, and could include kangaroos again on display during kid’s day activities on Saturday. Kid’s day activities are Jensen’s personal favorites. “Last year, we did as much as we could to create a virtual experience in Australia”. An entire ‘Down Under Village’ is once again under construction, and consultation and items will again be provided by the Australian Embassy in Washington and the Australian Business Consulate in Atlanta to authenticize the event.
The Racquet Club of the South will also be the first location outside of Australia to purchase official 2012 Australian Open commemorative posters, It’s a great gift for a tennis fan.
Jensen readily made her case when asked if Atlanta was the “best tennis town” in the United States. “We are the world capital of tennis”, she declared, and noting that Atlanta didn’t even enter itself into the 2010 nationwide contest. Without campaigning, it came in second to Charleston, S.C. “Atlanta has 12 different competitive leagues, 125,000 recreational players and a magazine distribution of 87,000. ALTA is very competitive with the USTA.” It appears the USTA also knows there’s tennis gold in those Georgia hills.
Jensen was diplomatic when asked who would get the biggest cheers at Racquet Club of the South next weekend. Jamie Hampton used to drive from Birmingham, Alabama every day to train at RCS. Although Melanie Oudin may train in Boca Raton as of late, “she will always be from Marietta”. On the men’s side, she expects crowd support for Bobby Reynolds, but notes that “Atlanta loves Jesse Levine and fell in love with Robby Ginepri”.
Though Tennis Maryland won’t be in Norcross until Thursday, there will be interview opportunities with Irina Falconi and Donald Young on Wednesday, with a possible hit with Young and the press. We are truly crushed. If you’re weren’t already, we bet you wish you were going to the Wild Card Playoffs now.
Who will make ‘Main Draw Roll Call’ Down Under?: USTA Australian Open Women’s Wild Card Playoffs
Ten days from today, one lucky American woman in Norcross, Georgia will land herself a trip down under. The USTA Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs features up-and-comers on both the men’s and women’s sides at the Racquet Club of the South outside Atlanta from December 16-18. We’ll break down the women’s field today and feature the men next week. All seeds are based upon the current field and their USTA ranking of November 28.
PLAYERS
Vandeweghe has beaten many names you know, including Zvonareva
#1 Coco Vandeweghe: The twenty year old Vandeweghe, ranked #122 internationally, has played in 25 events this year and reached her career high of World #89 in April. Even with an 18-25 singles record, she was able to appear at all 4 Grand Slam main draws and reach the second round at Flushing Meadows. She is an AO Wild Card former finalist and champion. Last year, as a quarterfinalist at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, she knocked off Julia Georges, Tathiana Garbin, Jarmilla Gajdosova, Klara Zakopalova, and Aravane Rezai IN THE SAME WEEK! Vandeweghe, the 2008 US Open girls’ singles champion, is definitely a strong favorite. Her expected first round opponent would be Taylor Townsend. And yes, we believe Vandeweghe will the tallest competitor in the field at 6’1″.
Alison ready for Riske vs. Reward at the Wild Cards
#2 Alison Riske, a Tennis Maryland favorite, has had a very busy 2011 with a respectable 35-27 singles in 29 events. She is tied with Oudin for the most 2011 appearances of any player in the field and showed up at the main draw of every Grand Slam except Roland Garros this year. Currently the world #135, her expected first round opponent would be Grace Min.
Hampton is one of the more accessible players on the tour
#3 Jamie Hampton: Currently the world #141, Hampton has a middling 26-24 singles record this year, having played in the main draw of the Australian and US Opens this year. She could face Madison Keys in the first round. Unbelievably, Hampton is the ‘oldest’ player in the field, meaning that she will turn the ungodly age of 22 between the Playoffs and the Australian Open. She also trains in Marietta and can be considered a local at the event.
If there's a home-court advantage, Melanie's got it
#4 The Melanie Oudin: Marietta native Oudin is clearly going to be a crowd favorite as the darling of the host facility where she trains and former darling of the entire nation in 2009. At #164, she probably wishes she didn’t have to pull a play-in to the Australian Open after sitting pretty at #31 less than 18 months ago. Though she’s composed a 10-33 singles record in 2011, she has played a lot of tennis in 29 events. She may face Gail Brodsky in the first round quarterfinals.
Brodsky is very intimidating on-court, very friendly off-court
#5 Gail Brodsky: Brooklyn’s Brodsky brings an impressive 42-22 year-to-date singles record to the Playoffs. Her world ranking of #227 may be deceptive given her run this year. She would likely face Melanie Oudin in the opener, which could be the best Friday match-up on the women’s side.
Madison made a nice drive to Flushing Meadows. Could she get the Keys to go to Melbourne?
#6 Madison Keys (#270): With only 9 events behind her in 2011, the 16 year old excited tennis fandom with a first round victory at the US Open while being ranked #455. She is the current defending Wild Card Champion, having plowed through the field at the US Open Playoffs in College Park, Maryland in August. Keys is likely to face Jamie Hampton in the opener.
#7 Grace Min (#352): At 17, Atlanta native and local fave Grace Min would like to be the next Madison Keys in terms of a run into the main draw. She boasts a 2-1 record over Keys in 2011 and has competed in 9 events this year. She won the US Open Girl’s singles championship in September after taking the Wimbledon Girl’s Doubles title earlier this year. Min would probably take on the #2 seed Alison Riske.
#8 Taylor Townsend: 16 year old Stockbridge, GA resident Townsend is the only southpaw in the field. At #432, we admit that this is all we know about her: 1) she will likely face #1 seed Vandeweghe, 2) she was coached by Donald Young, Sr. and 3) Richard Williams thinks “she’ll be beating a hell of a lot of people.” She is currently competing in the third round at Orange Bowl 18s as the #16 seed.
ANALYSIS
Like the top 30, the Women’s Wild Card field is equally competitive and probably just as topsy-turvy. The players in this field haven’t met as often as one might initially surmise. While Grace Min and Madison Keys have played each other three times this year (with Min winning twice), no other players have that much head-to-head experience in 2011. Melanie Oudin, although posting only 10 wins in 43 singles matches this year, is 4-0 against the field, having defeated Hampton twice and Riske and Brodsky once.
Min, Townsend, Oudin and even locally-trained Hampton will have large local cheering contingents, but no one will get more crowd support than Melanie. Madison Keys recent emergence makes her a very strong threat to the five higher-ranked players above her. And Vandeweghe, Riske and Hampton could be considered #1 co-seeds.
Tennis Maryland is going to go with Oudin or Vandeweghe based on expreience to win for the automatic main draw berth but a team effort by Riske, Brodsky, Hampton and Keys will force it to stay intensely interesting. We’re predicting close matches, especially Hampton/Keys and Oudin/Brodsky in the Friday openers.
Tennis Maryland is thrilled to be able to be on location during the Playoffs to provide you with live twitter coverage of all matches of the USTA Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs, all well as press conference video and interviews with key players throughout the event. Live coverage will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, December 16. If you can make it to Racquet Club of the South, tickets are reasonably priced, available at australianwildcard.com and linked here. There’s a reason they call it wild, because anything can happen.
Most recent case and point: #6 seed Madison Keys, with the same seeding at Racquet Club of the South and at the Tennis Center at College Park in August.
