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 third day of the 2015 US Open.
Serena Williams still going for the calendar Grand Slam
Serena Williams versus Kiki Bertens
Head-to-head: First meeting
Including her first round victory on Monday, world No.1 Serena Williams is on a 29-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.
Who else have won the calendar Grand Slam?
Only three women have managed to get calendar Grand Slam before Serena Williams:
Maureen Connolly (1953)
Margaret Smith Court (1970)
Steffi Graf (1988)
Kiki Bertens quick facts
- Making fourth main draw appearance at US Open; through to 2r for the second time – on main draw debut in 2012, d. McHale in
1r, l. Puchkova. Fell 1r in 2012-13 and in qualifying in 2011. Playing main draw as a qualifier here for the first time - Including 2015 US Open is through to 2r at a Slam for fifth time in 14 starts. Achieved best Grand Slam result to date at 2014
Roland Garros, where she advanced to R16 as a qualifier (l. Petkovic); this is the only time she has advanced past 2r at a major - Has never beaten a Top 10 player – faces No.1 S.Williams today – but owns two wins vs. Top 20 opponents: d. No.14 Cibulkova
and No.18 Safarova at 2013 Paris [Indoors], where she advanced to SF (first Premier-level SF; ret. vs. Errani w/low back injury) - Highest ranked opponent beaten so far in 2015 is No.34 Vandeweghe at ‘s-Hertogenbosch
- Did not play any US Open Series events this summer; sole event in North America was $100k ITF/Vancouver-CAN, where she
reached QF (l. Flipkens)
Belinda Bencic versus Misaki Doi (Bencic is TSF’s player to watch)
Head-to-head: Belinda Bencic leads 1-0
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)
- Bidding to reach 3r at a Slam for the fourth time from eight showings
- Is the second-highest seed remaining in the top half of the draw (after No.1 S.Williams)
- Is one of six teens through to the 2r in New York (oldest to youngest): Kontaveit, Dodin, Bencic, Kasatkina, Ostapenko, Konjuh
- 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)
Misaki Doi quick facts
- Making fifth main draw appearance at US Open; through to 2r for the first time – pushed both Kvitova and Azarenka to three sets in openers the past two years. Fell in qualifying in 2010
- Bidding to reach 3r at a Slam for the second time – as qualifier, advanced to 3r at 2011 Wimbledon, which was just her second Grand Slam main draw (l. Lisicki)
- Played four events during the recent US Open Series, winning her way through qualifying at Stanford (l. A.Radwanska in 2r) and Toronto (l. Kerber in 1r); fell in qualifying at Cincinnati and New Haven
- At other Slams in 2015, advanced to 2r at Roland Garros (l. Ivanovic in 3s), 1r exit at Wimbledon (l. Svitolina in 3s) and fell in qualifying at Australian Open
- Best results on tour this year are two QF efforts, at Pattaya City (l. Puig) and Nürnberg (as qualifier, l. Kerber)
Magda Linette versus Agnieszka Radwanska
Head-to-head: First time
Agnieszka Radwanska quick facts
- Making 10th appearance at US Open; best result is reaching R16 on four occasions – 2007-08, 2012-13 (has reached at least QF at other three Slams)
- Made Grand Slam main draw debut at 2006 Wimbledon and has not missed a major since – 2015 US Open marks 38th consecutive appearance at a Slam
- This is one of four all-country second round match-ups in the top half of the draw; Radwanska will be seeking revenge on her countrywoman who defeated her sister, Urszula, in the first round
- Reached three QF during the 2015 US Open Series – at Stanford (l. eventual champion Kerber in 3s), Toronto (as defending champion, l. Halep in 3s) and New Haven (l. eventual champion Kvitova); also fell 1r at Cincinnati (l. Schmiedlova)
- Season rejuvenated by strong results on grass, highlighted by a run to the final at Eastbourne (l. Bencic), a third Wimbledon SF in four years (l. Muguruza), and SF at Nottingham (l. Niculescu)
Magda Linette quick facts
- Making main draw debut at US Open; fell in qualifying on three previous occasions (2011, 2013-14). Through to 2r at a Slam for the first time, after defeating fellow Pole Urszula Radwanska in 1r – faces Agnieszka Radwanska today
- The last player to defeat both Radwanska sisters in same tournament was Cibulkova at 2013 Stanford
- The last player to defeat both Radwanska sisters at the US Open was Vinci in 2012
- Playing third Grand Slam main draw of career, having also made debut at Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year (fell 1r at both, to Pennetta and Nara respectively)
- Enjoying a new career-high ranking of No.91 here at US Open – Poland’s No.3 behind the Radwanska sisters
- No.15 A.Radwanska presents as the first Top 20 opponent Linette has faced in her career; she has nine wins over Top 100 opponents and is 3-6 in 2015, including 1r win over No.83 U.Radwanska at US Open
- Heading into US Open, fell 1r at Washington DC (l. eventual champion Stephens) and in qualifying at Toronto and New Haven
- Through to 2r at tour level for the fourth time this season, but is yet to go further – fell 2r at Kuala Lumpur (l. Nara), Katowice (l. Giorgi) and Nottingham (l. Davis)
Bethanie Mattek-Sands versus Coco Vandeweghe
Head-to-head: Coco Vandeweghe leads 1-0
Bethanie Mattek-Sands quick facts
- Making 13th main draw appearance at US Open (debut in 2001); through to 2r for sixth time and bidding to reach 3r for the first time. Missed event last year w/left hip injury (was off tour for six months)
- Looking to reach 3r at a Slam for the third time this year, after 3r efforts at Australian Open (l. Halep) and Wimbledon (l.Bencic); is 5-9 in Grand Slam 2r 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
- Did not win back-to-back main draw matches between Australian Open (3r) and Wimbledon (3r) but after Wimbledon reached SF on clay at Florianopolis, Brazil (l. Beck)
- Sole US Open Series singles result saw her fall in 1r of qualifying at Toronto (l. Goerges); also fell 1r at $100k ITF/Vancouver-CAN, so arrived in New York with a 0-2 record on hardcourts this summer
Coco Vandeweghe quick facts
- Playing fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands today; one of four same-country second round match-ups in the top half of the draw
- This is her second successive American opponent, having defeated Sloane Stephens on Monday. Awaiting in the 3r will be the winner of S.Williams and Bertens
- Making seventh main draw appearance at US Open. Has previously reached 2r on three occasions: 2011 (l. Stosur), 2013 (as qualifier, l. Suarez Navarro) and 2014 (l. Suarez Navarro)
- Bidding to achieve best result at the US Open by reaching the 3r. This would be only the third time she has reached the 3r at a major from 19 showings
- Results during the US Open Series were: 1r exits at Washington DC (l. McHale) and Toronto (l. Witthoeft), reached 2r at Cincinnati (l. Safarova), and 1r exit at New Haven (l. A.Radwanska)
The complete list of match ups on Day 3 of the 2015 US Open include
[1] SERENA WILLIAMS (USA #1) vs. [Q] KIKI BERTENS (NED #110) – First meeting
[12] BELINDA BENCIC (SUI #12) vs. MISAKI DOI (JPN #88) – Bencic leads 1-0
LAUREN DAVIS (USA #84) vs. [13] EKATERINA MAKAROVA (RUS #13) – Makarova leads 1-0
MAGDA LINETTE (POL #91) vs. [15] AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA (POL #15) – First meeting
[19] MADISON KEYS (USA #19) vs. TEREZA SMITKOVA (CZE #100) – First meeting
IRINA FALCONI (USA #73) vs. [23] VENUS WILLIAMS (USA #23) – First meeting
[25] EUGENIE BOUCHARD (CAN #25) vs. POLONA HERCOG (SLO #64) – First meeting
BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS (USA #101) vs. COCO VANDEWEGHE (USA #45) – Vandeweghe leads 1-0
MADISON BRENGLE (USA #47) vs. [Q] ANNA TATISHVILI (USA #121) – Tatishvili leads 4-2
[Q] JESSICA PEGULA (USA #260) vs. DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA (SVK #50) – First meeting
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