ITF International Hard Court Recap; Nine More Americans Through to Second Round at US Open; Kenin Advances to Third Round with Dramatic Win

My recap of last week's ITF Grade 1 International Hard Court Championships is available at the Tennis Recruiting Network. Because it's played during the qualifying week of the US Open, it often gets overlooked in the junior tennis world, but as one of only five ITF Grade 1 events in the United States, it provides a significant opportunity for American players to gain valuable ranking points.  Thirteen-year-old Coco Gauff took advantage, and is now ranked 325 after only three ITF junior tournaments.

With Tuesday's rain, today's US Open was, and continues to be, packed with singles action all over the courts.  It seems like ages ago that I followed the live scoring of Kalamazoo champion Patrick Kypson held-over match with qualifier Adrian Menendez-Maceiras of Spain, which Kypson lost 6-4, 7-6(9), 6-1 after failing to convert four set points in that second set tiebreaker, one of which, at 6-5, was on his serve.

San Diego champion Ashley Kratzer struggled mightily in her match with Tatjana Maria of Germany, making a raft of unforced errors that contributed to Maria's 6-1, 6-1 win. Tennis Panorama spoke with Kratzer after her loss, with the 18-year-old left-hander explaining why she didn't play junior events once she was age-eligible for pro events.

I watched quite a bit of Taylor Fritz's impressive 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 win over Marcos Baghdatis. He looked very good against the veteran from Cyprus, and will need that confidence against No. 6 seed Dominic Thiem of Austria on Thursday.

NCAA champion Brienne Minor had trouble getting started in her 6-1, 7-5 loss to Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, but had a 3-0, two-break lead in the second set before Jabeur recovered for the win. Minor is scheduled to compete in the American Collegiate Invitational beginning next Thursday at the US Open outer courts.

Nicole Gibbs(Stanford) and Jennifer Brady(UCLA) won their held-over first round matches, with John Isner(Georgia) and Kevin Anderson(Illinois) advancing to the third round with wins today.

Former USC star Danielle Lao's heartbreaking three-hour 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(5) loss to Japan's Risa Ozaki, in which she couldn't convert five match points serving for the match at 5-4 in the third, wasn't streamed, so my vote for dramatic match of the day goes to wild card Sonya Kenin's 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(0) win over qualifier Sachia Vickery.

Kenin, the 2015 National 18s champion, trailed Vickery, the 2013 National 18s champion 4-2 and then 6-5 in third before rallying. With Vickery serving for the match but looking physically drained, she fell behind 0-30, but won the next three points to get her first match point. Vickery wildly missed a swing forehand volley, ending up on the ground to squander that chance, then netted a forehand to give Kenin a break point. She saved it when Kenin netted an aggressive forehand, and with another forehand error from Kenin, Vickery had her second match point.  A deep Kenin ball during a rally had Vickery waiting for an out call, but it didn't come. and as she didn't stop play to challenge, she ended up losing the point. Then Vickery fell to the court for the second time in the game, netting a backhand for ad-out and Kenin's backhand winner then sent the match to a tiebreaker. Kenin, who had received a coaching warning at 5-5, hadn't shown much of her devastating drop shot late in the third set, but she got a clean winner from one to take a 2-0 lead and then hit forehand winner after forehand winner to take a 6-0 lead, with Vickery missing a forehand on Kenin's first match point.
Kenin, who beat Lauren Davis on Monday, will face her fellow wild card recipient Maria Sharapova on Friday.

TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY Round 1 matches featuring Americans:
MADISON KEYS[15] def. Elise Mertens(BEL) 6-4, 7-6(6)
Roger Federer(SUI)[3] def. FRANCES TIAFOE 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4
COCO VANDEWEGHE[20] def. ALISON RISKE 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Tomas Berdych(CZE)[15] def. RYAN HARRISON 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(4)
Nao Hibino(JPN) def. CICI BELLIS 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
TAYLOR FRITZ def. Marcos Baghdatis(CYP) 6-4, 6-4, 6-3
Daria Gavrilova(AUS)[25] def. ALLIE KIICK 6-2, 6-1
Ons Jabeur(TUN) def. BRIENNE MINOR 6-1, 7-5
Taro Daniel(JPN) def. TOMMY PAUL 6-1, 4-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
Risa Ozaki(JPN) def. DANIELLE LAO 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(5)
BJORN FRATANGELO def. Ivo Karlovic(CRO) 7-6(2), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4)
Ana Bogdan(ROU) def. TAYLOR TOWNSEND 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
Philipp Kohlschreiber(GER)[33] def. TIM SMYCZEK 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
Kirsten Flipkens(BEL) def. MADISON BRENGLE 6-2, 6-3
JENNIFER BRADY def. Andrea Petkovic(GER) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
SHELBY ROGERS def. KAYLA DAY 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
NICOLE GIBBS def. Veronica Cepede Royg(PAR) 6-0, 1-6, 6-1
Adrian Menendez-Maceiras(ESP) def. PATRICK KYPSON 6-4, 7-6(9), 6-1
Tatjana Maria(GER) def. ASHLEY KRATZER 6-1, 6-1
DONALD YOUNG def. Maximilian Marterer(GER) 6-3, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4
CHRISTINA MCHALE def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova(RUS)[19] 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

Wednesday’s 2nd round matches:
VENUS WILLIAMS[9] def. Oceane Dodin(FRA) 7-5, 6-4
JOHN ISNER[10] def. Hyeon Chung(KOR) 6-3, 6-4, 7-5
Kyle Edmund(GBR) def. STEVE JOHNSON 7-5, 6-2, 7-6(4)
Lucas Pouille(FRA) def. JARED DONALDSON 7-5, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4
SAM QUERREY[17] def. Dudi Sela(ISR) 6-4, 6-1, 6-4
SONYA KENIN def. SACHIA VICKERY 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(0)
SLOANE STEPHENS def. Dominika Cibulkova[11](SVK) 6-2, 5-7, 6-3

The schedule for Thursday includes both men's and women's doubles. National 18s champions Claire Liu and Taylor Johnson will face Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia and Saisai Zheng of China, while NCAA champion Francesca Di Lorenzo, playing with Allie Kiick, will face Eri Hozumi and Miyu Kato of Japan. Last year's US Open girls doubles finalists Kayla Day and Caroline Dolehide will play No. 10 seeds Abigail Spears and Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik.

Kalamazoo 18s champions DJ Thomas and Vasil Kirkov will face No. 9 seeds Oliver Marach of Austria and Mate Pavic of Croatia, while NCAA doubles champion Spencer Papa, playing with NCAA singles finalist Will Blumberg, will face top seeds Henri Kontinen of Finland and John Peers of Australia.

Thursday’s 2nd round singles matches featuring Americans:

Karolina Plizkova(CZE)[1] v NICOLE GIBBS
Ons Jabeur(TUN) v COCO VANDEWEGHE[20]
TAYLOR FRITZ v Dominic Thiem(AUT)[6]
Tatjana Maria v MADISON KEYS[15]
Barbora Strycova(CZE)[23] v JENNIFER BRADY
DONALD YOUNG v Gael Monfils(FRA)[18]
Adrian Mannarino(FRA) v BJORN FRATANGELO
SHELBY ROGERS v Daria Gavilova(AUS)[25]
Daria Kasatkina(RUS) v CHRISTINA MCHALE