“With spectators!” – Simona Halep after winning a relaxed clay court tournament on Sunday in Prague
Czech tennis has done a great job of resuming the professional circus in the quarantine world. Exhibitions have been played practically non-stop in the Czech Republic for weeks. With spectators! Last week, the Prague Open, originally scheduled for the end of April, was rescheduled, an “International” WTA. Strangely enough, hardly any of the best Czech professional players was there. It probably didn’t fit into the preparation for the upcoming US Open. And so last Sunday, for the first time in the short history of the women’s tournament, which has been held again since 2015, no Czech player made the final. It was a matter for the number one seeding list, Simona Halep, and the seeded three Elise Mertens.
The Romanian won 6-2, 7-5. The 21st title in Halep’s career, eight of them »Internationals«, and after Dubai in February already the second of this throttled season. However, Halep has canceled her participation in the upcoming US Open out of “concern for health”. She would have been there, since the current world number one Ashleigh Barty is absent for similar reasons. Of the current, admittedly not overly informative top ten, besides Barty and Halep, Belinda Bencic, Elina Switolina, Kiki Bertens and the defending champion Bianca Andreescu have so far not taken part in the US Open.
Parallel to Prague there was the debut of the Top Seed Open (9/10 August) in Lexington, Kentucky, also a WTA »International«, in which, ironically, no seeded player could reach the semi-finals. The sensation of the tournament was probably the quarter-final victory of the US American Shelby Rogers with 1: 6, 6: 4, 7: 6 against the top seed Serena Williams, who in the second half of the match was characterized by a blatant return weakness. The most interesting duel was the round of 16 between Cori Gauff and the seeded Aryna Sabalenka, which Gauff won 7: 6, 4: 6, 6: 4. The 16-year-old American was stopped in the semifinals by her 25-year-old compatriot Jennifer Brady. She also won the tournament, without losing a set (!), In the final 6: 3, 6: 4 against Swiss Jil Teichmann. It was Brady’s first WTA title. She could have slipped into the US Open seeding list.
In terms of atmosphere, the contrast between Lexington and the relaxed clay court tournament in Prague could not have been greater. The game was played on a semi-fast hardcourt in a kind of parking lot next to the cement mixer – without a spectator and under a “Black Lives Matter” lettering for a clear conscience. After all, the host of the US Open as well as the Western and Southern Open, the USTA, has meanwhile announced that statements by players on matters of “social justice” are allowed and welcome at their events. Self-centered entertainment millionaires profess social justice?
The WTA has almost returned to something of a normal state before the start of the Western and Southern Open in New York next Saturday. This is also where the ATP will resume operations, which also published the schedule for an almost regular European indoor season for men in autumn. The WTA cannot show anything comparable for the women. Their fall season, which is mainly played in Asia, will be complete and without replacement.
Much in quarantine tennis seems to mean a separation between a European and a US tour. The big clay court tournament in Rome has been brought forward directly to the week following the US Open and the ATP 250 in Kitzbühel has been scheduled for its start week.
The fact that a regular tennis season is by no means in sight is also shown by the report of a positive corona test by the finalist of the 2014 US Open, Kei Nishikori, who is training in Florida. However, participation in the quarantine open in New York is not yet completely ruled out for him.
