The past 10-11 days have seen exciting action in the world of tennis. The final Grand Slam of the year has been going on in the United States of America and the U.S Open has obviously served up more than what tennis fans were expecting.
Of course, before the tournament began, it had to make do with the absence of names like Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Serena Williams, amongst others. With all these absentees, one would have thought that the tournament wouldn’t live up to expectations.
But the reverse was the case.
Looking back at how the Women’s Singles played out, Maria Sharapova was the biggest star of the first three rounds, after defeating Simona Halep in her first Grand Slam game since she was suspended for using banned substances, and also conquering S. Kenin in the third round.
The fairytale run came to an end in the Round of 16 when she lost to Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova 7-5, 4-6, 2-6. It was obvious that Sharapova still has plenty to offer the sport and we can wait to see her play even more often.
What of the other surprises?
Venus Williams was able to make her way to the semi-finals of the tournament but couldn’t go any further as she lost to Sloane Stephens 1-6, 6-0, 5-7. But she must have been proud of her performance as it seems she’s still going strong, despite her age. Add to that the fact that she’s now an aunt and you can say this tournament will rank highly on Venus’ list.
The world number one, Karolína Plíšková, got knocked out at the quarter-final stage while Garbiñe Muguruza could only make it to the Round of 16, although she will be crowned the new world number 1 when the new rankings are released.
So who are the two finalists?
Sloane Stephens – who was ranked 934 just a month ago – and Madison Keys will play against each other in the finals of the Women’s Singles category. That these two Americans will be competing with each other in the final of a tournament that is being played on U.S soil is nothing short of amazing.
Which of these ladies do you think will be crowned champion after the all-American U.S Open final?
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Let’s talk about the Men’s Singles category.
With no Djokovic or Murray, all eyes were on Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, easily the biggest names featuring in the Men’s category. But, like in the Women’s category, there were a few surprises too.
Juan Martin del Potro – currently ranked No. 28 – only dropped three sets on his way to the semi-final. The Argentine has been one of the surprise packages of the tournament and his win over Roger Federer will most certainly be the highlight of his tournament so far. He will be looking to get one over Nadal in the second semi-final and hopefully repeat his 2009 feat of winning the U.S Open title.
Which player will qualify for the finals?
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The other surprise package is South Africa’s Kevin Anderson who has only dropped two sets all competition. The player currently ranked No. 32 in the world will be looking to make history when he meets Pablo Carreno-Busta in the first semi-final of the day.
Will it be a win in straight sets or will there be a five-set thriller?
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P.S: If you have been following the tournament since it began, which player has been a standout for you in both the Men’s Singles category and the Women’s Singles category? Share your thoughts with us by leaving your comments. You know we love to hear from you 😉
Tags: tennis, U.S. Open, US Open
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