If you are not sure what match at the to watch at the 2015 US Open, today on TV or if you are lucky enough to attend the tournament, then we at Tennis Served Fresh can help you a hand. We have handpicked the best matches to keep an eye on for you on the fifth day of the 2015 US Open.
Serena Williams still on course for calendar Grand Slam
Serena Williams is still on course for her calendar Grand Slam and knows she should do better compared to her match versus Kiki Bertens (7-6, 6-2). Williams is ready to take on fellow countrywoman Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Including her second round victory on Wednesday, world No.1 Serena Williams is on a 30-match winning streak at Grand Slam level having won the 2014 US Open, 2015 Australian Open, 2015 Roland Garros and 2015 Wimbledon – her second non-calendar year Grand Slam. In New York she is bidding to win the calendar year Grand Slam, a feat not accomplished since Steffi Graf in 1988. Graf went on to also capture the 1989 Australian Open – making it five Slams in a row for the German great. In the Open Era, Margaret Court and Martina Navratilova both won a record six majors in a row.
[1] SERENA WILLIAMS (USA #1) vs. [WC] BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS (USA #101)
Head-to-head: Serena leads 2-0
Serena Wiliams age stats
- Serena is the oldest woman to win a major in the Open Era (33y & 289d at 2015 Wimbledon)
- Serena is the oldest No.1 in WTA history (set record when returned to No.1 on February 18, 2013)
- Serena has the longest winning span between majors of any woman Open Era at 15 years and 10 months between 1999 US Open and 2015 Wimbledon (Evert, Navratilova and Graf had 12-year spans)
- Serena has won eight majors since turning 30, the most after 30 by far in the Open Era (Court and Navratilova won three each, King and Evert won two each and Jones, Wade and Li won one each)
Miscellaneous Serena Williams Stats
- Serena, No.1, has more than twice as many ranking points as No.2 (first time in WTA history)
- Serena is spending her 133rd & 134th straight weeks at No.1 during the US Open fortnight (third-longest streak at No.1 in WTA history after Graf’s 186 and Navratilova’s 156)
- Serena is spending her 256th & 257th career weeks at No.1 during the US Open fortnight (fourth-most weeks at
- No.1 in WTA history after Graf’s 377, Navratilova’s 332 and Evert’s 260)
- Serena has the most career prize money in WTA history ($73.3M – next-most is Sharapova’s $35.8M)
- Serena has the fifth-most WTA titles in Open Era with 69 (after Navratilova, Evert, Graf, Court)
- Serena is the only player to qualify so far this year to qualify for the eight-woman singles event at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global (Halep and Sharapova next in line)
Bethanie Mattek-Sands quick facts
- Making 13th main draw appearance at US Open (debut in 2001); through to 3r for first time following win over Vandeweghe.
- Missed event last year w/left hip injury (was off tour for six months)
- Is through to 3r at a Slam for the third time this year, after 3r efforts at Australian Open (l. Halep) and Wimbledon (l. Bencic); is 2-3 in Grand Slam 3r matches to date
- Best Grand Slam result to date is reaching R16 at 2008 Wimbledon (l. S.Williams) and 2013 Roland Garros (d. Li Na en route, l. Kirilenko)
- Began season ranked No.177; returned to just inside Top 100 in August and is No.101 this week at US Open
Belinda Bencic takes on Venus Williams (TSF’s player-to-watch: Belinda Bencic)
Head-to-head: Venus Williams leads 3-0
[12] BELINDA BENCIC (SUI #12) vs. [23] VENUS WILLIAMS (USA #23)
Venus Williams quick facts
- Making 17th appearance at the US Open, the most of any players in the draw
- Won back-to-back US Open titles in 2000 (d. Davenport in F) and 2001 (d. S.Williams in F). Runner-up in 1997 on debut appearance (unseeded and ranked No.66, l. Hingis in F)
- One of three former US Open champions through to the 3r (also S.Williams and Stosur)
- Is 42-10 in 3r matches at Grand Slams. One of these defeats came at last year’s US Open, when she led 5-3 in the final set against Errani before losing 60 06 76(5)
- This is her 68th Grand Slam main draw appearance, second-most in the Open Era (behind Amy Frazier with 71)
- Bidding for her 67th match win at the US Open, the second-most among active players (after S.Williams with 81)
- Is one of only two active players to have achieved more than 200 Grand Slam main draw match wins – after 2r win over Falconi now has 229-59 record (after S.Williams on 282-39)
- At 35 years of age is the oldest player in this year’s US Open field and today faces 18-year-old Bencic, the second youngest player remaining in the draw
- Played two events during the US Open Series, falling 1r at Toronto (l. Lisicki) and withdrawing prior to her 2r match at Cincinnati (w/viral illness)
Belinda Bencic quick facts
- Making second appearance at US Open. On event debut in 2014 advanced to QF, defeating No.6 seed Kerber and No.9 seed
- Jankovic en route (l. Peng); became youngest player to reach QF at US Open since 1997, when fellow Swiss Martina Hingis won the title
- 2015 US Open represents eighth main draw appearance at a Slam; best result so far this year at majors was R16 run at Wimbledon (l. Azarenka)
- Appearing in 3r at a Slam for the fourth time from eight showings; is 2-1 in Grand Slam 3r matches to date
- Played today’s opponent – V.Williams – in her career-first WTA main draw match as a 15-year-old at 2012 Luxembourg
- Is the second-highest seed remaining in the top half of the draw (after No.1 S.Williams)
- Is one of three teens through to the 3r in New York (oldest to youngest): Kontaveit, Bencic, Kasatkina
- US Open Series highlighted by second (and biggest) career singles title won at Premier 5 Toronto; became first teenager to win an event at Premier 5 level or higher since Azarenka at 2009 Miami. All of her wins during the Toronto week were over former Grand Slam champions or finalists (in order: Bouchard, Wozniacki, Lisicki, Ivanovic, S.Williams, Halep (ret. in third set w/heat illness); now 2-2 in WTA singles finals
- Posted first win over a reigning world No.1 with defeat of S.Williams in SF at Toronto (Serena’s only hardcourt loss of the year so far); at 18 years of age became youngest player to defeat S.Williams in a completed match since 2004 WTA Finals, when 17-year-old Maria Sharapova d. Serena in F (Serena also lost at 2007 Charleston to then 17-year-old Chan Yung-Jan via first set retirement at 5-3)
Eugenie Bouchard versus Dominika Cibulkova
Head-to-head: First time
[25] EUGENIE BOUCHARD (CAN #25) vs. DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA (SVK #50)
Eugenie Bouchard quick facts
- Making third appearance at US Open. Reached 2r on debut in 2013 (l. Kerber) and advanced to R16 in 2014 (l. Makarova)
- Victory over Riske in 1r of US Open was first Grand Slam win since 2015 Australian Open
- Following win over Hercog in 2r here improves to 11-17 for the year and has won back-to-back matches for the third time this season (also Australian Open-QF, Indian Wells-R16)
- Bidding to equal her best performance at the US Open, having reached R16 last year. Is 5-1 in 3r matches at Grand Slams; lost her first such match at 2013 Wimbledon, but owns a perfect 5-0 record since
- Playing doubles at the US Open with Russian Elena Vesnina. This is the third time she has competed in doubles during 2015 (also ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Birmingham; 0-2 entering US Open).
- Playing mixed doubles at the US Open with Nick Kyrgios
- Went 1-3 during the US Open Series: withdrew from event in Washington DC (w/abdominal injury), reached 2r at Cincinnati (d. K.Bondarenko, l. Svitolina) and made 1r exits at Toronto (l. eventual champion Bencic) and New Haven (l. Vinci)
- Owns 8-18 career record vs. Top 10 opponents (0-2 in 2015). Most recent Top 10 win came over No.7 Wozniacki at 2014 Wuhan
- Owns a 13-26 career record vs Top 20 opponents, and is 0-4 so far in 2015
- First round exit at 2015 Roland Garros saw her drop out of the Top 10 for the first time since July 2014; first round exit at 2015 Wimbledon saw her drop out of the Top 20 after run to final the year prior; currently ranked No.25
More Day 5 matches at the 2015 US Open
[1] SERENA WILLIAMS (USA #1) vs. BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS (USA #101) – Williams leads 2-0
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