San Diego Champion Frodin Vows to Learn from US Open Loss; Fritz Beats Blanch; Collegiate Wild Card Brantmeier Drops First Round Match on Rain Marred Tuesday; Top Seeds Fall at Repentigny J300
After Thea Frodin won the USTA National 18s title last month in San Diego she was asked if she would rather face a qualifier on an outside court or a seed on Ashe at the US Open and she replied: "I'm going with seeded player on Arthur Ashe. I want it all. Bring it on!"
When she was drawn to play WTA No. 2 and reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, ten years her senior, that scenario was a possibility. Rather than Ashe, however, their match was played on the Grandstand, and while Frodin showed flashes of her San Diego form, Rybakina won comfortably, 6-3, 6-2.
Frodin made her biggest impression when the match was all but over, serving at 1-5, 15-40 in the second set. Frodin hit five aces in the game, saving all three match points she faced, and ended the match with 11 aces to six for Rybakina, who is often cited as having the most dominant serve in women's tennis, Frodin only got 44 percent of her first serves in however, and was at a disadvantage in the rallies.
The 17-year-old from Southern California had come to New York with the irresistible story of being the tennis body double for a young Serena Williams in the 2021 move King Richard. (For more details on her experience during filming, see this article from the USTA Southern California website.) So, despite her loss today, she did get the main interview room for her press conference, which is extremely rare for a junior, and unheard of for one who lost her first round match. But it gave her an opportunity to express how she viewed facing such a daunting opponent.
"Yeah, I mean, obviously I had a tough first round. Rybakina is a great player. I tried going out there to see what it would be like just to, I guess, feel no pressure, just go out there and have a fun time. I feel like that's what I accomplished, and obviously I have a lot to learn, but I'm excited with most of the things I did out there. Yeah, I'm excited to, I guess, experience this more times, hopefully."
When asked if she was considering college tennis as an option she said:
"Yeah, I mean, I think I'm trying to just finish high school, see where the rest of this year takes me. I'm not rushing into kind of making a decision with all that. I would say my answer to that is just I'm taking this year and next year to finish high school and then see where I am then."
Frodin will turn 18 this December, but with the new five-in-five NCAA eligibility there is little urgency to make that decision now.
She also confirmed that she is planning to play the US Open Junior Championships, which begin Sunday.
Last year's Kalamazoo 18s champion Darwin Blanch, who received a main draw wild card again this year, did get the seed on Arthur Ashe that Frodin was hoping for. But against 2024 US Open finalist and No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz, Blanch's experience was similar, with Fritz coasting to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win. That match went on as scheduled because it was in Ashe, but rain was a problem throughout today, with seven men's first round matches moved to Wednesday after more rain in the evening. Another shower after 9:30 p.m. postponed seven more matches that were in progress, including Iva Jovic's match.
USTA Collegiate Playoff winner Reese Brantmeier, who finished her illustrious career at North Carolina in May, did play outside this afternoon without disruption, but she too was unable to take a set, losing to Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine 6-4, 6-4.
Brantmeier, who received a women's doubles wild card with Savannah Broadus(Pepperdine) and will face top seeds Taylor Townsend and Katarina Siniakova in the first round, was not happy with her execution today, as she told Michael Lewis after the match.
"Yeah, obviously she plays a little bit of an unconventional style, so that's a challenge in itself. That's not kind of the way that you practice often, but I did know that going in, and I definitely think I had my opportunities. But that is kind of what these early stages of my pro career are for, is getting those chances and getting comfortable at that level.
So, obviously disappointed with how I executed in a lot of those moments today. Obviously I would have loved to make a run in my first appearance here. But like, it's not necessarily the expectation. So I'm just trying to take away the learning opportunities from it."
No NCAA women's wild card recipient has won a match at the US Open since Bea Bielik of Wake Forest reached the third round in 2002.
Tuesday's US Open first round results of Americans:Madison Keys[22] d. Alina Korneeva(RUS) 7-5, 6-4
Coco Gauff[4] d. Zeynep Sonmez(TUR) 6-3, 6-4
Mary Stoiana[Q] v Alexandra Eala[17](PHI)
Elena Rybakina[2](KAZ) d. Thea Frodin[WC] 6-3, 6-2
Iva Jovic[14] v Magdalena Frech(POL) 4-4, postponed until Wednesday
Maria Sakkari[32](GRE) d. Robin Montgomery[Q] 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
Oleksandra Oliynykova(UKR) d. Reese Brantmeier[WC] 6-4, 6-4
