Inside the Open

Written by: Staff on 1st September 2011

Inside the Open |

On a day the Bryan Twins were shocked with a first-round loss, there were plenty other big wins and scintillating matches during Day 3 at the Open:

UPSET OF THE DAY: It hadn’t happened in the first round of a Grand Slam since 2001, but it just wasn’t the Bryan Twins’ day at the Open as the top-seeded pair fell listlessly to the unseeded Ivo Karlovic and Frank Moser, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

Bob and Mike Bryan had won three of the last four major titles, tying the Open era record with their 11th Grand Slam championship earlier this summer at Wimbledon. But it wasn’t meant to be as the Bryans were only able to convert on two of eight break points.

McHALE UPSETS NO. 8 SEED: Just like young Americans Melanie Oudin’s run in 2009 (quarterfinals) and Beatrice Capra in 2010, Christina McHale now finds herself in the third round of the year’s final Grand Slam following her 7-6 (2), 6-2 upset over No. 8 Marion Bartoli. McHale, who hails from nearby Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and trains at the USTA National Tennis Center the site of the Open, sits at a career-high No. 55 ranking in the world.

It’s an amazing result from a player who just three months ago wasn’t sure if she would turn pro or go the college route. It was also at that same time that you may recall McHale held a 5-0 lead in the final set against in the first round of the French Open against Sara Errani before losing the set and the match, 9-7.

McHale, who beat Caroline Wozniacki just three weeks ago, next faces No. 25 seeded Maria Kirilenko or Russia. There could be an Oudin-like run for McHale in the very near future.

NEW YORKER JOINS McHALE IN THIRD ROUND: After qualifying last year but falling in the first round, former Georgia Tech All-American Irina Falconi won her second-round match and on the big stage, no less. Because of the Venus Williams’ walkover, Falconi was summoned to Arthur Ashe Stadium and didn’t disappoint the US fans who cheered her every point.

She upset No. 14-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, winning the final point on an amazing net-cord shot that took her past the umpires chair and onto the other side of the net.

The 21-year-old Falconi will move up even further than her current world rank of No. 79.

SOCK TO MEET RODDICK NEXT: Ah, the storylines. When young 18-year-old American Jack Sock meets Andy Roddick in the second round, it will be a meeting between the 2000 US Open boys champion against the winner in 2010. Sock earned the right to face the fading Roddick with his victory over Frenchman Marc Gicquel in four sets.

The day before, Sock and his Nebraska buddy Jackson Withrow formed a wild card doubles team and took a set off one of the world’s best teams in Belgium’s Xavier Malisse and Mark Knowles of the Bahamas, falling 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1 in the first round.

KEYS IMPRESSES BUT FALLS TO SAFAROVA: You couldn’t blame the nerves for Madison Keys tough-luck 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 loss against No. 27 seed Lucie Safarova in the second round. The 16-year-old took off in the first set like a seasoned vet quickly taking a 5-0 lead, finally closing it out and then breaking Safarova’s serve to start the second.

But she eventually tired and started missing shots she was making early, piling up 55 unforced errors. Keys is set to play in the US Open junior tournament next week.

“It’s tough for me to say as a player whether someone can make it (on tour), but she’s just 16 years old and already playing at a top-50 level,” Safarova told the press. “She has the potential for sure.”

RE-TWEET OF THE DAY: @jon_wertheim (original tweet by @smk73): “Madison Keys: sounds like a section from the freshman guidebook for the Univ. of Wisconsin.”

VENUS WITHDRAWS: Two-time US Open champion Venus Williams was forced to default her match on Wednesday because of Sjögren’s Syndrome. The unseeded Williams was supposed to have played 22nd-seeded Sabine Lisicki and will now slip out of the Top 100. This was her statement:

“I’m really disappointed to have to withdraw from this year’s US Open. I have been recently diagnosed with Sjögren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disease which is an ongoing medical condition that affects my energy level and causes fatigue and joint pain. I enjoyed playing my first match here and wish I could continue but right now I am unable to. I am thankful I finally have a diagnosis and am now focused on getting better and returning to the court soon,” she said.

PRIZE MONEY: Singles men and women:

Winners (1) $1,800,000

Runners-Up (1) $900,000

Semifinalists (2) $450,000

Quarterfinalists (4) $225,000

Round of 16 (8) $110,000

Third Round (16) $55,000

Second Round (32) $31,000

First Round (64) $19,000

TOTAL (128) $8,468,000 $16,936,000

THURSDAY’S ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM SCHEDULE:

Arthur Ashe Stadium 11 a.m. Start Time