The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Vinci advances to quarterfinal match
Italian advances in straight sets to quarterfinals
NEW HAVEN >> While Roberta Vinci made quick work of her opponent in a round-of-16 match on Wednesday afternoon, her mind was, in part, on her native Italy.
A powerful earthquake ravaged a mountainous region in the central part of the country earlier in the day, killing at least 120.
“Not an easy day for Italy, for the Italians, for sure,” Vinci said.
Fortunately for Vinci, no one she knew was affected by the earthquake, allowing her to concentrate more on the task at hand. And that task proved to be a rather easy one for Vinci, who needed just 57 minutes to dispatch Croatian Ana Konjuh 6-2, 6-2 and move on to the quarterfinals for the first time in her six appearances at the Connecticut Open.
“I played (well),” said Vinci, the tournament’s No. 2 seed. “The opponent is a young player, she plays always flat, so on my mind I tried to stay every single point focused and aggressive when I had to. I’m so happy I’m in the quarterfinals. Quick match, so I’m focused for (Thursday).”
Vinci will face Sweden’s Johanna Larsson, who topped American Shelby Rogers 7-6 (1), 6-4 on Wednesday at 1 p.m.
It’s been a remarkable year of tennis for Vinci, who at 33 became the oldest player to debut in the WTA top 10 back in February. She rose as high as No. 7 in May
and currently sits at No. 8.
Perhaps her crowning achievement came at last year’s U.S. Open, where she ended Serena Williams’s 33-match winning streak at Grand Slams and put and end to a possible “Serena Slam” by ousting Williams in the semifinals. Vinci advanced to her first Grand Slam finals in 44 appearances, losing to fellow Italian Flavia Pennetta.
“Last year I won a lot of matches, I played an incredible U.S. Open, so I know it’s tough to repeat the results from,” she said. “But I will try my best. I’m focused (on) this tournament and on the match tomorrow against Larsson. Then, I’ll think about the U.S. Open.”
In fact, Vinci’s terrific run at last year’s Open — and, in effect, her spate of good play ever since — can in part be credited to her strong showing the week before the Open in New Haven. She won three straight qualifier matches to get into the main draw, the final one a 7-6 (3), 6-3 win over Larsson, then beat No. 25 Eugenie Bouchard before falling to four-time event champ Caroline Wozniacki in a stirring 6-4, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (7) marathon.
“I have great memories from last year,” she reported. “I had a great year, a lot of results ... I’m finally in the top 10. Sometimes, it can happen. I worked so hard last year, and now I’m so happy I’m the No. 2 seed. It means that I’ve had great results.”
Unilike Penneta, who retired from tennis at age 33 after winning the Open, Vinci has no plans to slow down. Her late-career success is articulated in a tattoo that crawls up her left arm. The words are in Italian, and Vinci had trouble translating their meaning in English, but stated that the general premise is “when you go up a mountain, you want to go up, don’t think about how high it is, just go. Don’t think of the end, just play.”
Vinci has been “just playing” pretty well for a full year now, and she has little explanation for why — no changes in coaches or trainers or anything like that.
“When you win a lot, your confidence goes up,” she stated, simply.
On Thursday, she’ll face Larsson again, nearly a year after beating her to get into the event’s main draw. That match was at an outdoor court far away from everything. On Thursday, they’ll be front and center on stadium court.
“She’s a great player, of course,” Vinci said. “She won a lot of matches in qualies (this year), and now here in the main draw. So, it will be tough, but I’ll try my best to play my game, try to play aggressive ... and don’t think about that it’s a quarterfinal, but just play my game and try to enjoy it.”