Team USA in Review: August 2017

The US Open Series has proven, over its 14 years of cohesive, summer hard-court tennis in North America, that the stage it offers in the weeks leading up to the US Open are likely to yield performances that truly preview what’s to come in the final Grand Slam of the year.

Before Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys played a historic US Open women’s final, both showcased their form at US Open Series events in August, earning Team USA women’s Player of the Month honors.

Keys defeated CoCo Vandeweghe in the all-American Bank of the West Classic final in Stanford, Calif., to win her third career WTA title, and her first on American soil. Stephens then made runs to the semifinals of the Rogers Cup (Toronto) and Western & Southern Open (Cincinnati), both WTA Premier 5 events, in her comeback from injury prior to winning her inaugural Grand Slam title in New York.

Querrey (pictured above) – the Team USA men’s Player of the Month for August – won his 10th ATP 250 title in Los Cabos, Mexico, to accompany his ATP 500 championship won earlier in the year, in Acapulco – the “Mexican Double,” as it is called.

More August highlights at the WTA and ATP World Tour level:

• The Bank of the West Classic produced a number of American superlatives:
  • Eighteen-year old CiCi Bellis defeated Petra Kvitova to join Keys and Vandeweghe in the semifinals, becoming the first teenager to reach the Stanford semis since 2006.
  • It was also the first time three Americans reached the semis in Stanford since 2004, when Davenport won the last of her three singles titles there.
• John Isner defeated Jared Donaldson in an all-American quarterfinal to reach the semifinals in Cincinnati.
• Taylor Fritz joined Querrey as a quarterfinalist in Los Cabos.
   

ATP Challenger, USTA and ITF Pro Circuit level:
 

• Michael Mmoh and Grace Min – who defeated Sofia Kenin in an all-American final – won the men’s and women’s singles titles at the $60,000 events in Lexington, Ky.
• Katerina Stewart won the singles title at the $25,000 event in Fort Worth, Texas.
• Ulises Blanch won the singles title at the $25,000 event in Calgary.
• Hanna Chang won the singles title at the $15,000 event in Yeongwol, Korea.
• Players to win $25,000 doubles titles: Quinn Gleason (Espinar, Spain); Hunter Callahan (Edwardsville, Ill.); Sophie Chang and Alexandra Mueller (Landisville, Pa.)
• Players to win $15,000 doubles titles: Colin Sinclair (Eupen, Belgium); Chiara Scholl (Oldenzaal, Netherlands; Schoonhoven, Netherlands).