BREAKING through for your first ever WTA Tour main draw win is a milestone for any youngster. Doing it at a Grand Slam is even better, and doing it against a two-time Grand Slam champion is near-unthinkable. But that is exactly what 20-year-old Daria Snigur was able to achieve, downing Romanian seventh seed Simona Halep in an hour and 40 minutes on Louis Armstrong Stadium to kick off the US Open.
The match went to three sets, with Snigur’s stunning opening set win of 6-2 leaving the crowd in shock who full expected the red-hot Halep – who had secured her place inside the Top 10 once again in recent months – to take care of the debutant. Even when Halep worked her way back into the contest by storming to a 6-0 second set, the Ukrainian did not panic. Returning serve to take complete control again, Snigur raced out to a 5-1 lead, before Halep managed to win the next three games. The Ukrainian then held her serve in the 10th game to win the match and incredibly, book her place in the second round.
“I’m very happy,” Snigur said post-match. “I’m very, very, very nervous,” she said. “But I tried to do my best.”
The composure of Snigur to regroup after winning just six points in the second set and being handed a bagel was outstanding. The Ukrainian finished the match with five breaks of serve and hit 11 winners to Halep’s 13, playing an uncharacteristic style to oust the two-time Grand Slam champion. Snigur will advance through to the Round of 64 where she takes on Canadian Rebecca Marino. The unseeded North American proved too good for Poland’s Magdalena Frech, 6-2 6-3.
US OPEN WOMEN’S SINGLES RESULTS: ROUND OF 128
[2] Anett Kontaveit (EST) defeated Jaqueline Cristian (ROU) 6-3 6-0
[3] Maria Sakkari (GRE) defeated Tatjana Maria (GER) 6-4 3-6 6-0
[5] Ons Jabeur (TUN) defeated Madison Brengle (USA) 7-5 6-2
Daria Snigur (UKR) defeated [7] Simona Halep 6-2 0-6 6-4
Harriet Dart (GBR) defeated [10] Daria Kasatkina (RUS) 7-6 1-6 6-3
[12] Coco Gauff (USA) defeated Leolia Jeanjean (FRA) 6-2 6-3
[14] Leylah Fernandez (CAN) defeated Oceane Dodin (FRA) 6-3 6-4
[15] Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) defeated Ana Konjuh (CRO) 6-0 6-0
[17] Caroline Garcia (FRA) defeated Kamilla Rakhimova (RUS) 6-2 6-4
[18] Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) defeated Donna Vekic (CRO) 7-5 6-3
[20] Madison Keys (USA) defeated Dayana Yastremska (UKR) 7-6 6-3
[23] Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) defeated Fernanda Contreas Gomez (MEX) 6-0 6-4
Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) defeated [27] Martina Trevisan (ITA) 7-5 6-1
[29] Alison Riske-Amritraj (USA) defeated Eleana Yu (USA) 6-2 6-4
Shuai Zhang (CHN) defeated [30] Jil Teichmann (SUI) 6-4 6-2
[31] Shelby Rogers (USA) defeated Arantxa Rus (NED) 3-6 6-3 6-4
Serena Williams (USA) defeated Danka Kovinic (MON) 6-3 6-3
Rebecca Marino (CAN) defeated Magdalena Frech (POL) 6-2 6-3
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) defeated Nadia Podoroska (ARG) 6-3 6-2
Bianca Andreescu (CAN) defeated Harmony Tan (FRA) 6-0 3-6 6-1
Camila Giorgi (ITA) defeated Anna Bondar (HUN) 4-6 6-3 6-1
Elena-Gabriela Ruse (ROU) defeated Daria Saville (AUS) 3-6 6-2 6-4
Liudmila Samsonova (RUS) defeated Sara Bejlek (CZE) 6-3 6-1
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) defeated Karolina Muchova (CZE) 6-3 7-6
Elizabeth Mandlik (USA) defeated Tamara Zidansek (SLO) 5-7 7-6 6-4
Viktoria Kuzmova (SVK) defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) 6-3 6-4
Maryna Zanevska (BEL) defeated Coco Vandeweghe (USA) 6-1 7-5
Maria Camila Osorio Serrano (COL) defeated Ann Li (USA) 1-6 6-3 6-1
Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) defeated Elina Avanesyan (RUS) 6-4 6-4
Anna Kalinskaya (RUS) defeated Rebecca Peterson (SWE) 6-4 6-3
Dalma Galfi (HUN) defeated Nuria Parrizas Diaz (ESP) 6-4 6-3
Xiyu Wang (CHN) defeated Diane Parry (FRA) 5-7 6-3 6-3
Jodar and Stojsavljevic claim Junior US Open titles
IT will not be a typical Tuesday for Mika Stojsavljevic today, with the latest Junior US Open winner returning to Amherst School in Loughborough with an additional piece of silverware. The 15-year-old followed in the footsteps of Emma Raducanu by winning a Grand Slam title and returning to high school the next week, with the […]
Sinner salutes for second Grand Slam title
US OPEN champion Jannik Sinner is the toast of Italy after the world number one down top ranked American Taylor Fritz in Flushing Meadows overnight to claim his second Grand slam title. After breaking through for his maiden major at the Australian Open earlier in the year, Sinner overcame home crowd favouritism to win 6-3 […]
Sabalenka salutes for third major at US Open
WORLD number two Aryna Sabalenka is now a three-time Grand Slam winner after triumphing in the US Open final over the weekend. The Belarusian star has won the past two Australian Open titles, and now has a third hardcourt major to add to her collection, going one better than her US Open runner-up performance 12 […]
Five-star Fritz defeats Foe to reach US Open final
IN an epic come-from-behind victory, top seeded American Taylor Fritz was able to knock off his compatriot Frances Tiafoe and become the first United States Grand Slam finalist in 15 years. Not since Andy Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009 has a United States representative reached a Grand Slam final, and one has to go even […]
Mu-chova, Karoline as Pegula storms into US Open final
LOCAL hope Jessica Pegula has come from behind to take down Czech Karolina Muchova, denying her opponent a spot in the US Open final, and reaching her maiden Grand Slam decider in the process. The world number six was one point away from being 6-1 3-0 down and almost out of the US Open, but […]
Brit breakthrough: Draper downs Demon
BRITISH up-and-comer Jack Draper is playing some of the best tennis of his career, with the 22-year-old seemingly past his injury-riddled years and is now into a Grand Slam semi-final. The 25th seed proved too good for a sore Alex de Minaur, winning in straight sets to reach the final four of the US Open […]
Seventh heaven for Pegula at US Open
AFTER half a dozen losing Grand Slam quarter finals, American Jessica Pegula was finally able to reach the final four at a major, defeating world number one Iga Swiatek in front of home fans. In her best major quarter final to-date, Pegula made relatively surprising light work of the top ranked player, winning 6-2 6-4 […]
Fritz’s friend to turn Foe in US Open semi
IT has been 18 years since an American reached the US Open men’s singles final – and 21 years since the home nation lifted the trophy aloft – but that drought will be broken over the weekend. While the player who achieved both of the aforementioned feats Andy Roddick is now retired, one of Taylor […]
Déjà vu for sublime Sabalenka
THERE was a sense of déjà vu in the air when world number two Aryna Sabalenka completely dismantled quarter final opponent Qinwen Zheng at the US Open overnight. The second seed won 6-1 6-2 to reach the semi-finals only 12 months after sending Zheng – then a surprise quarter finalist – home with another comprehensive […]
