2010 US Open – Nick’s Picks – Women’s Singles 2nd Round
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) vs. Vania King (USA)
Hantuchova defeated former world #1 Dinara Safina in the opening round 6-3, 6-4 to advance. She’s a former quarterfinalist at the US Open and she reached the fourth round last year. She is playing excellent tennis right now and is someone to definitely keep your eye on throughout the tournament.
King up-and-down in her first round win over fellow American Christina McHale. She won the first set 6-3, lost the second set 0-6 and then won the third set 6-1. She cannot afford to have sets like that against the better players because she will not be able to recover so easily.
Match-Up:
Hantuchova is 4-0 against King and has beaten her already twice this year (Monterrey and Wimbledon). In both of those wins this year, Hantuchova has dropped the first set and then had to rally and come back to beat the American. Hantuchova was a student at the Academy in her early teens, and she still comes back for a week or two every now and then. I just worked with her a couple of weeks ago and she was hitting the ball very well. She has impeccable groundstrokes, a good serve, she’s an excellent doubles player and isn’t afraid to come in and volley. Hantuchova must have a solid base and she will also need to throw in some high rollers every now and then to keep King pinned back. King is a scrapper and will not back down at all against Hantuchova. She has come close to beating her in the past so she knows what it will take to win. Her problem is consistency. I believe Hantuchova is more consistent from both wings and therefore I give her the edge in three.
Nick’s Pick – Hantuchova in 3 sets
Kim Clijsters (BEL) vs. Sally Peers (AUS)
Clijsters made quick work of Greta Arn in the opening round, taking her out in just over an hour (which included an 18 minute first set!). With Serena out of the tournament, many are picking Clijsters as the favorite and I would have to say she probably is. The crowd loves her energy and she really feeds off of them too.
Peers is a 19-year old Australian who came through qualifying to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career. She is currently ranked #201 in the world and now has a chance to pick up the biggest victory in her career if she can take out the defending champion.
Match-Up:
This is the first career match between Clijsters and Peers. The young Australian blew by Aleksandra Wozniak in the opening round 6-0, 6-1 which is an excellent win. She stands only 5’4” but she packs a lot of punch. She has had more success in doubles than singles which means she is comfortable at the net. With that being said, if Clijsters is healthy from the waist down she is going to be extremely tough to beat on the hard court. Nobody slides on the hard courts like her and with her energy and zest for the game, the fans really get behind her. She turns defense into offense so quickly and really has all the weapons to win another US Open title. I am interested in seeing Peers play, but you have to give Clijsters the advantage.
Nick’s Pick – Clijsters in 2 sets
Maria Sharapova (RUS) vs. Iveta Benesova (CZE)
Sharapova dropped the opening set against Jarmila Groth in the first round, but then bounced back and won the next two sets while dropping only four games. She just spent some time at the Academy before the Open and I feel she is playing some very high-level tennis right now. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her around next weekend!
Benesova took down Nuria Llagostera Vives in straight sets to advance to the second round for the third time in her career. A win here would put her into the third round of the US Open for the first time ever.
Match-Up:
Sharapova is 2-0 against Benesova, which includes a win over her on a hard court last year. Benesova is a steady lefty who covers the court extremely well. She is solid from both wings, but doesn’t have a big weapon like Sharapova does. Her biggest asset is her consistency and that she is a lefty and can mix things up. If Maria is able to control play with her serve and keep the points short than the advantage goes to her. She also needs to stay close to the baseline and don’t back up behind because that’s when Benesova can take advantage. She must have a good serving day and keep the errors to a minimum. I look for Sharapova to advance, but this could be a tough two sets.
Nick’s Pick – Sharapova in 2 sets
Caroline Wozniacki (RUS) vs. Kai-Chen Chang (TPE)
Wozniacki opened up the tournament with a 61 minute victory over Chelsey Gullickson, beating the American 6-1, 6-1. She comes into the tournament playing fantastic tennis as she won the last two events she has played and is currently ranked #2 in the world. The pressure is now on her to perform at a high level throughout the two weeks.
Chang is a 19-year old up-and-comer from Chinese Taipei who is currently ranked #84 in the world. This is her second appearance at the US Open and a win here would put her into the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.
Match-Up:
Wozniacki and Chang met in the second round of Wimbledon earlier this year and Wozniacki won easily 6-4, 6-3. I watched Wozniacki’s opening round win and she looked fantastic! She moves so well, in fact, she probably wears out a pair of sneakers every time she plays. She works on her movement by doing plenty of quick reaction and soccer drills and there is no better way to improve your game than to improve your movement and footwork. She is also playing more aggressively and she is really striking the ball well. Her one weakness is her second serve. If Chang can pounce on that she will have a chance. I give the edge here to Wozniacki and I expect to see her playing late next week.
Nick’s Pick – Wozniacki in 2 sets
