Teenagers spring surprises at US open
August 27, 2014
Bellis, just 15, caused the biggest upset when she knocked out Australian Open runner-up, Dominika Cibulkova, the 12th seed, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to become the youngest player to win a match at the US Open since Anna Kournikova in 1996.
Playing just her 13th pro-level match, the American teenager won a wildcard into the US Open by winning the US under-18 championships.
The home-schooled teenager from the wine-growing Napa Valley in northern California was making her WTA Tour debut and before Tuesday had never met a player ranked inside the top 100.
Coric, 17, who was the junior champion in 2013 and came through qualifying this year, celebrated his first Grand Slam match with a convincing 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 win over 29th-seeded Czech Lukas Rosol, the man who dumped Rafael Nadal out of Wimbledon two years ago.
The upset put Coric into a second-round clash with history-making Victor Estrella Burgos, the Dominican Republic´s first Grand Slam participant who is making his US Open debut at 34. "It´s an amazing feeling," said Coric, who arrived in New York with the goal of making it into the main draw. "I said to myself, ´If I achieve that, that´s going to be perfect´."
Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova breezed into the second round with a 6-1, 6-0 rout of French number 73 Kristina Mladenovic.
The third-seeded Czech didn´t surrender a service break in the 54-minute contest, breaking Mladenovic five times.
Canadian seventh seed Eugenie Bouchard, the Wimbledon runner-up, eased past Olga Govortsova of Belarus 6-2, 6-1, slamming the brakes on her post-All England Club final slump which had brought her just one win coming into New York.
Former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, the eighth seed, eased past Alison Riske of the United States, 6-3, 6-0 in a tie which featured eight breaks of serve.
It was a performance which suggested the Serb is getting back close to her best in a year which has seen her beat Serena Williams in the Australian Open fourth round, claim three titles and return to the world´s top 10 for the first time in five years. (AFP)
