On a shock infested fourth day on the blue courts of Cincinnati, the old guard of the WTA swatted aside some feisty challenges from the proposed new breed. With Serena Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska all overcoming stern contests, and Svetlana Kuznetsova defeating the WTA poster-girl Eugenie Bouchard, it proved to be a tough day for those on the younger side of the WTA.
She may have found her bustling aggressive game too hot for most of the WTA to handle, but Canada’s shining light has had a tricky time of late against the twice Grand Slam winner, Svetlana Kuznetsova. Having previously lost to the stern Russian in their only previous meeting in Oeiras in Portugal, Bouchard would have been determined to avenge such a defeat. But, in what proved her second defeat to lower ranked opponents in as many weeks, in what will prove an alarming trend for those with their hopes pinned on the beautiful Canadian.
Hitting almost twice the number of unforced errors as the vastly experienced Russian, Bouchard seemed to have no answer for the solid hitting of Kuznetsova, with the Canadian become ever the more reckless as she struggled to find a way past. Defending superbly, especially against the ever increasing tide from Bouchard, Kuznetsova showed just enough to squeeze past the Canadian in the final set.
‘It was a little bit up and down but I think we both played great.’ Said Kuznetsova after the match. ‘…It was just really exciting to be out there.’
Yet, this failed to be the biggest shock of a captivating day of tennis in Ohio, with the Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova falling to the talented Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in straight sets. Having successfully claimed her second Wimbledon crown just over a month ago, Kvitova has struggled to live up to the expectations on her shoulders. Losing to the on-from Ekaterina Makarova in Montreal was a low, but losing to player ranked thirty-five places below her will hurt even more.
In truth, the Czech never truly got going, and after being blown away from the off by the youngster in the first set, despite a slight resurgence in the second, she never really got going as she suffered a straight sets defeat. ‘From the beginning, I didn’t really feel comfortable out there.’ Kvitova mulled after the match, as she looks to get her US Open preparations back on track.
However, it was not only a day for the underdog, with some of the bigger names enjoying easy wins to progress. Serena Williams has not looked her imperious self in the year 2014. With shock defeats at all of the Grand Slams, and her first defeat to Venus Williams in years last week, she is certainly a name many see as there for the taking. However, having got herself back on track somewhat in the last few weeks - not to mention having rescued the situation with her coach, Patrick Mouratogluo - she produced a rugged performance to defeat the big serving Sam Stosur.
In a match full of hustle and bustle, there was not one break of service throughout the entirety of two engaging sets of tennis. With Stosur producing one of her best ever performance against Williams - other than her controversial 2011 US Open final win - it was a match that could have gone either way. But, in two incremental tie breaks, Williams offered just enough class and might to secure her place in the next round.
She will be joined by other star names such as Angelique Kerber, Agnieska Radwanska and Ana Ivanovic, all of whom defeated rising talents within the game to secure their respective places in the next round.
Selected Results
[1] S Williams d. S Stosur 76(7) 76(7)
S Kuznetsova d. [7] E Bouchard 64 36 62
E Svitolina d. [3] P Kvitova 62 76(2)
[8] A Ivanovic d. C McHale 64 60
[4] A Radwanska d. K Nara 62 62