Peng hands Radwanska more US Open woe
August 28, 2014
Poland´s Radwanska, a former Wimbledon finalist who counts this year´s Australian Open among two other Grand Slam semi-final appearances, had hoped to make it past the fourth round at Flushing Meadows in her ninth attempt. But the 39th-ranked Peng had other ideas, breaking Radwanska three times en route to a victory sealed with a backhand winner on her third match point -- her 28th winner of the contest.
"She´s tough to play," said Peng, who beat Radwanska at the same stage of the US Open in 2010. Peng thought that coincidence might be a lucky talisman, but her biggest memory of playing Radwanska was a 2011 Australian Open loss in which she squandered two match points.
With two-time defending champion Serena Williams taking the day off, French Open finalists Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep, and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams headlined women´s second-round action.
Fifth-seeded Sharapova, who lifted a fifth career Grand Slam trophy at Roland Garros, was to take on Alexandra Dulgheru, the Romanian world number 95.
World number two Halep, seeded second behind two-time defending champion Serena Williams, needed less than an hour to advance with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Slovakian Jana Cepelova.Halep was broken early to trail 0-2, but won 12 of the next 13 games to secure the win.
Sweden´s Johanna Larsson and Swiss teen Belinda Bencic sprung minor upsets. Larsson rallied to beat 21st-seeded American Sloane Stephens 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 while 17-year-old Bencic, ranked 58th in the world, joined the youth movement spearheaded by 15-year-old CiCi Bellis by ousting Japanese 31 seed Kurumi Nara 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.
Sixth-seeded German Angelique Kerber advanced on cue, downing Russian Alla Kudryavtseva 6-2, 6-4 in a match that saw seven breaks of serve, and French 22nd seed Alize Cornet defeated Slovakia´s Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-3, The biggest names of the men´s field -- Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray also had Wednesday off.
Australian Open winner Stan Wawrinka, the third seed from Switzerland, headlined the night session, taking on Brazil´s Thomaz Bellucci in one of two men´s second-round matches on the slate. Wawrinka´s triumph in Melbourne broke a streak of 16 straight Grand Slam titles won by tennis´ Big Four of Rafael Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and Murray. (AFP)
