By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
Karolina Pliskova, the No. 1 women’s seed at the 2020 U.S. Open, took an early exit from the tournament Wednesday, losing in the second round 6-1, 7-6 (2) to Caroline Garcia, a former No. 4 ranked player now ranked No. 50. Despite the lack of atmosphere with no fans in attendance due to the coronavirus pandemic and the faster courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Pliskova offered a simple explanation for her loss. “I didn’t play good, so that’s it.”
The second round loss marked the second time a women’s No. 1 seed lost in the second round and the fifth time a No. 1 seed lost before the fourth round. The following is the summary of the earliest U.S. Open losses by the No. 1 women’s seed at the U.S. Open. The only time a women’s No. 1 seed lost in the opening round of the U.S. Open also happened on Louis Armstrong Stadium two years ago when Simona Halep was defeated by Kaia Kanepi.
August 27, 2018 – Simona Halep and Kaia Kanepi were given the historic distinction of playing in the first ever official US Open main draw match on the new 14,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium. It turned out to be only part of the US Open history that was made in the match. Kanepi, a US Open quarterfinalist the previous year, shocked the top-seeded Halep 62 64, marking the first time in the history of the US Open that the No. 1 seed lost in the first round. “Today, I just lost,” said Halep. “I didn’t play great, but she played really well. I knew that she can play well here. She played in the quarterfinals here last year. I didn’t find the balance today. I couldn’t play better, so that’s it.” It marks the second straight year that Halep has lost in the first round, last year as the No. 2 seed, she was unfortunate to draw wild card entry and 2005 US Open champion Maria Sharapova in the first round, going down is a titanic three-set night match. On Twitter, Chris Clarey from the New York Times wrote that Halep has lost in the first round in 12 of her 24 career major tournaments, saying “can’t remember any established No. 1 with that sort of roller coaster record at Slams.” Previously, the earliest loss by a No. 1 seeded woman at the US Open came in 2008 when No. 1 seed Ana Ivanovic, like Halep the reigning French Open champion, lost to Julie Coin of France 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. In 50 years of “Open Tennis” the No. 1 seeded woman has only lost in the opening round five other times
August 28, 2008 – Top seed and reigning French Open champion Ana Ivanovic of Serbia is stunned in the second round of the U.S. Open, falling to No. 188-ranked Julie Coin of France, a qualifier by a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 margin on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The upset loss marks the earliest loss for a No. 1 women’s seed at the time, broken 10 years later when No. 1 seed Simona Halep loses in the opening round to Kaia Kanepi. Coin had never previously played a WTA Tour event or played a top 10 player. “I don’t realize yet that I beat the No. 1 player in the world,” Coin said her post-match press conference. “I don’t realize yet that I played on the big court. I don’t know how I’m going to sleep tonight.”
September 6, 2009 – No. 1 seed Dinara Safina of Russia is upset in the third round of the U.S. Open, falling 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (5).to No. 72-ranked teenager Petra Kvitova, described as an “unknown” player from the Czech Republic at the time. Safina makes 39 unforced errors and hits nine double faults while hitting only 12 winners. Kvitova makes 59 unforced errors against 47 winners with only five double faults. “I’m very happy,” says Kvitova, the future Wimbledon champion.”It was amazing.”
September 4, 1973 – In one of the most famous matches at the U.S. Open producing one of the most surprising results, No. 1 seed Billie Jean King walks off the court in her third round match with Julie Heldman, defaulting due to dizziness marking the earliest exit ever by a No. 1 seed at the U.S. Open at the time. King, the defending champion and the subject of increased media and public scrutiny in anticipating of her upcoming “Battle of the Sexes” match with Bobby Riggs, takes a 6-3, 4-1 lead on the club house court adjacent to the member’s dining terrace at the West Side Tennis Club at Forest Hills. However, King says she starts to feel faint in the 90-degree temperatures and loses nine of the next ten games and starts to take excessive time on changeovers and between points. Heldman complains to the chair umpire about the excessive time King takes when King, according to Heldman, says to her “If you want it that badly, you can have it” and forfeits the match. “The sting went out of her serve at that point and she stopped running for shots,” Heldman says after the match. “Then my forehand was getting a lot better, so I was just trying to hang in there. B.J. can beat anybody when she’s running, even Bobby Riggs, but when she’s not, she’s mortal like the rest of us.”
