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Emma Raducanu beats Swiss 11th seed and Olympic champion Belinda Bencic to make the US Open semi-finals without dropping a set. #361 to now #51 in the world rankings. First qualifier to reach this stage at the US Open and only the fourth ever. New British #1 as well. Amazing!

Edited by The Natural
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On 9/6/2021 at 9:22 PM, odessasteps said:

The British press has suddenly discovered the Canadian-born player with Romanian and Chinese heritage that wears an England kit now. 

I thought all the best British Tennis players were Canadian born apart Andy Murray who is infamously Scottish 

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In only her second Grand Slam appearance, world number 150 Emma Raducanu has become only the third woman ranked outside the top 100 to reach a US Open semi-final.

After coming through three qualifying matches to reach the main draw, Raducanu is yet to drop a set in her eight matches at Flushing Meadows.

With her run in New York, Raducanu has recorded several notable achievements, including becoming:

  • the first qualifier to reach the last four at Flushing Meadows
  • the fourth female qualifier to reach any Grand Slam semi-final
  • the first British woman to reach a US Open semi-final since Jo Durie in 1983
  • the youngest British woman to reach a Grand Slam semi-final for 46 years
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On 9/10/2021 at 12:06 AM, ReiseReise said:

Both Fernandez as an unseeded player and Raducanu as qualifier and both being teenagers made the finals. That's really something! 

It's fantastic that the women's final is a matchup that was literally impossible to predict, and the Men's is exactly what you expected it to be before the first serve of the Open.

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On 9/11/2021 at 3:28 PM, ReiseReise said:

Amazing feat for Raducanu winning 20-0 sets as a qualifier to win the whole thing. 

She was incredible.  Lost 34 games in the main draw - less than 5 per match!  That's some serious dominance.  Have to feel like we're going to be seeing a lot more of her & Leylah Fernandez in the years to come.

Was definitely disappointed that Djokovic couldn't raise his game yesterday to finish the Slam.  Kudos to Medvedev though.  He played great and is a very deserving champion.

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Tennys Sandgren - gotta love that first name - got DQ'ed at a Challenger event for hitting an official in the backside with a ball.  Sandgren got crotched with a ball by a ball boy right before, smacked the ball away in frustration and it bounced off the fence into a line judge.

 

https://youtu.be/TEh1_CaRlQw?t=78

 

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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

So... Peng Shuai.  

If you haven't been following, she may have been "disappeared" by the Chinese government.  She reappeared briefly, but now, the WTA has suspended all tournaments in China, citing "serious concerns" for her safety.  

IOC President Dick Pound, who may or may not have said this while counting hundreds upon thousands of dollars, said she's fine.   

 

This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better... ? 

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In addition to Dolfan's post:

Spoiler

The Women's Tennis Association has announced the immediate suspension of all tournaments in China amid concern for Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai.

Peng, 35, disappeared from public view for three weeks after accusing a top Chinese official of sexual assault.

WTA chief Steve Simon said he had "serious doubts" that Peng was "free, safe and not subject to intimidation".

"In good conscience, I don't see how I can ask our athletes to compete there," he said.

The WTA has repeatedly called for a full investigation into Peng's claims.

There was widespread concern for Peng after she accused former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault.

She said she was "safe and well" during a video call with Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, in November.

However, the WTA said the video was "insufficient evidence" of Peng's safety.

In a lengthy statement, Simon said he was "greatly concerned" about the risks players and staff could face if events were held in China in 2022.

"The leadership in China has not addressed this very serious issue in any credible way," he said.

"If powerful people can suppress the voices of women and sweep allegations of sexual assault under the rug, then the basis on which the WTA was founded - equality for women - would suffer an immense setback.

"I will not and cannot let that happen to the WTA and its players."

The suspension also includes tournaments in Hong Kong.

 

Former world number one and WTA founder Billie Jean King praised the organisation for taking a strong stand.

"This is another reason why women's tennis is the leader in women's sports," King wrote on Twitter.

"The WTA is on the right side of history in supporting our players."

A number of players, including two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and US Open quarter-finalist Shelby Rogers, tweeted their support for the WTA's decision.

Julian Knight MP, who chairs the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said he welcomed the stance, adding: "If only other sports showed this solidarity and moral clarity."

Peng case 'bigger than business' - Simon

There have been no WTA events in China for the past two years because of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the governing body has heavily relied on Chinese investment in its tour in recent years, leading to a number of lucrative tournaments being held in the country.

China hosted nine tournaments in the 2019 season, including the season-ending WTA Finals, with a total of $30.4m (£22.6m) in prize money.

Simon told BBC Sport he was worried about the financial implications of not playing in China, but that Peng's case is "bigger than the business".

"This is something that we simply cannot walk away from," he said.

"If we walk away from what we have requested, what we are telling the world is [that] not addressing sexual assault with the respect and seriousness that it requires is OK, and it is just not.

"It is just something that we cannot let happen and we cannot walk away from that."

 

Peng, a former world number one in doubles, wrote on Chinese social media site Weibo that she was forced into a sexual relationship with Zhang.

The post was taken down minutes later and Peng was not seen in public for some time.

A number of tennis players have used the hashtag #WhereisPengShuai on Twitter to draw attention to the issue.

Simon told BBC Sport that he would not ask the ATP to make a similar stance in the men's game, but added that the governing body was supportive of their stance.

"I do not think it [ATP not suspending tournaments] undermines our position," he said.

"Our position is about what is best for the WTA and women's athletes and we are going to stick with that position.

"Others will make the decisions they think are appropriate to them."

He added that he remained hopeful that the Chinese authorities would take steps to "legitimately address" Peng's claims.

'No choice'

Simon added: "I very much regret it has come to this point but China's leaders have left the WTA with no choice.

"Unless China takes the steps we have asked for, we cannot put our players and staff at risk by holding events in China."

China issued a statement on October, stating "people should stop deliberately and maliciously hyping [the issue] up, let alone politicise this issue".

Zhang Gaoli, who retired from his government role in 2018, has yet to address the claims.

The 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics are set to be held in Beijing in February and March.

 

Analysis

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

Steve Simon is resolute in his view that this is not a matter for compromise.

Equality was the founding pillar of the WTA 48 years ago. What was all that hard work for, he reasons, if serious sexual assault allegations are allowed to be swept under the carpet?

Simon is promising to pursue a parallel path next year. The suspension will end if the Chinese authorities "do what is appropriate." But conversations will also begin with cities which may be able to stage alternative WTA events.

He admits a permanent withdrawal from China could be financially catastrophic for the WTA. He says he worries about it morning, noon and night, but says that this is "bigger than the business".

 

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18 hours ago, odessasteps said:

And could very well lead to an Olympic boycott. 

Well for that I think it involves the IOC and like the NBA they are completely in bed with China and realizes that they handcuffed morally and financially.   The WTA is taking kind of huge risk that basically everyone else in the US can't take.

I don't know if it is an indictment on our country or how little we care about tennis that this is all built on not knowing whether a player is alive or dead and everyone is terrified about handling this

 

 

Edited by hammerva
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On 10/19/2021 at 12:26 PM, RIPPA said:

Don't expect to see Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open as they are requiring players to be vaccinated and Novak is.. well... being Novak

Despite him not (publicly) disclosing his vaccination status, Novak has been listed in the draw for the Aussie.  So, he's playing.  

When he tests positive in, let's say, the round of 16, this is going to be fun to look back on.  

--

And, in other in/out news, Serena Williams will not compete in the Aussie. She has not competed on tour since June. 

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  • 4 weeks later...
2 hours ago, Robert s said:

Djokovic got a medical exemption where he can enter Australia and play without being vaccinated. Let's see if this will hold as I assume that this will lead to big political discussions in Australia.

Yep. It's getting talked about and looking around, people ain't happy. I feel it's one rule for one and one for others.

Edited by The Natural
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