Lake Nona resident advances at US Open
Lake Nona resident Jennifer Brady clasped her hands, threw back her head, closed her eyes and soaked in the biggest moment of her tennis career.
“Wow,” she said, describing the moment. “Just wow.”
The 25-year-old led a contingent of players — two of them Americans — into their first U.S. Open quarterfinals on Sunday, beating former champion Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-4 with a dominant serve and forehand.
A bracket lacking many top players because of injuries and coronavirus concerns has given up-andcomers a chance to seize the moment. Nobody has done it better than Brady, who has yet to drop a set and has lost only 19 games in her four matches.
For Kerber, it was an abrupt end to a resurgent week. The 2016 U.S. Open champion couldn’t make headway against the American, whose biggest challenge came leading 3-2 in the second set.
Brady took a medical timeout and returned to the court with her upper left leg wrapped.
“My leg was bothering me and I wasn’t serving well,” said Brady, who trains at USTA National Campus in Orlando and is ranked No. 41. “I was glad to close it out.”
Brady had never reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal. Her impressive week — as good as anyone’s — has provided a breakout moment.
“She’s hitting the ball really fast,” Kerber said. “She’s playing well. She has confidence. Let’s see how far she can get here, but for sure she can get far.”
Brady will play Yulia
Putintseva, who threw her racket to the ground after dropping the second set in her match — an outburst that became a turning point.
The 35th-ranked player recovered for a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 victory over No. 8 seed Petra Martic and her first berth in a U.S. Open quarterfinal.
“Before the third set I said to myself, ‘Whatever happens, you just make it difficult for her. You’re not going to make any mistakes; you’re going to move her around the court as much as possible,’” Putintseva said.