Peng Shuai of China upset fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-3, 6-4 in a shocking start to the women's second round of the US Open on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old Peng, the doubles world number one, used her piercing, two-fisted groundstrokes to put Radwanska on the defensive and claimed the biggest scalp of the championship on her third match point with a backhand crosscourt winner.
Peng, the French Open doubles champion who is looking for her first career WTA Tour title, registered 28 winners in the 96-minute match.
The unseeded Chinese, ranked 39th in singles, will play either 28th seed Roberta Vinci of Italy or Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania in the third round of the year's final grand slam.
Another shocking exit was of Sloane Stephens, who lost before the third round for the first time in four trips to the US Open, upset by 96th-ranked Johanna Larsson.
Down a set and a break, Larsson rallied to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in the second round Wednesday. The 26-year-old Swede had lost her opening match in four appearances at Flushing Meadows before this year.
Once a sure bet to stick around for a while at Grand Slam tournaments, Stephens suddenly can't win there. The 21st-seeded American had reached the fourth round at six straight major events through this year's French Open, the longest active streak at the time. Then she dropped her opener at Wimbledon.
Comments
0 comment