Inside Florida Tennis: Thriving at US Open
The opening week of the 2022 US Open is coming to a close and some of Florida tennis’ biggest names are still in the tournament.
In the singles draw, there are just two women left standing, but both have a shot to go really far, and even win the Grand Slam.
French Open finalist and US Open 12 seed, Coco Gauff (Delray Beach) has looked dominant in her first two matches, as she hasn’t dropped a set. In her second match, she served a ball 128 MPH, which, according to ESPN, is the third fastest by a woman in US Open history.
On the other side of the draw is former Australian Open finalist and this year’s 19 seed, Danielle Collins (St. Petersburg). In her opening match, Collins took to Arthur Ashe Stadium, where she faced former champion and past World No. 1 Naomi Osaka. The first set was back and forth, with the pair trading off games. It came down to a tiebreaker, where Collins would edge out a 7-5 win. She would ride this momentum and take the second set with ease to knock out Osaka in the opening round.
In her second round match, she saw very similar success. Matching up against Spaniard, Cristina Bucsa, Collins took the opening set 6-2. Then in the second set, she had to battle, but ultimately won 7-5.
Over in the Doubles Draw, Florida star and 7 seed Austin Krajicek (Tampa) took the court with his partner, Ivan Dodig (Croatia), to kick off their US Open run. The pair battled in their first set, needing a tiebreaker to close it out. The duo would then dominate the second set for a clean victory. Krajicek also won his opening match in the Mixed Doubles bracket and sits as the 5 seed there.
Another Doubles player looking to make a run is Nicole Melichar-Martinez (Stuart). The 10 seed in the main draw, Melichar alongside Australian partner Ellen Perez looked strong in their first match, winning 6-4, 6-0. Much like Krajicek, Melichar is also competing in the Mixed Doubles.
Other players still in the Doubles draw include Coco Gauff, Ben Shelton (Gainesville), and Whitney Osuigwe (Bradenton).
With this first week ending, that means that Junior and Wheelchair play will kick off next week. Florida Junior, Darwin Blanch will take the court along with other young talent, so make sure to stay on the lookout for updates regarding Florida’s best.
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