NEW YORK – Flavia Pennetta is a believer. She’s also now in the quarterfinals of the US Open.
“I just believe all the time and I just try to play every point,” the Italian said. “Ws working pretty good.”
“Pretty good” is an understatement. In a see-saw battle, Pennetta outlasted 13th-seeded Peng Shuai of China 6-4 7-6 (6) in a dramatic fourth-round battle on the hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
It’s the third trip to the quarterfinals of the year’s final Grand Slam tournament for the 29-year-old Italian. She’s never gone past the fourth round at the other three majors.
“I like to be here,” said Pennetta, who upset third-seeded Maria Sharapova in the third round. “I just enjoy all the time when I am in New York.”
Seeded 26th, Pennetta’s next opponent will be unseeded Angelique Kerber of Germany, a 6-4 6-3 winner of Romania’s Monica Niculescu.
“She’s in the quarterfinals,” Pennetta said of Kerber. “You are not there because you want to be there. You are there because you beat a lot of good players.”
Pennetta has never lost to the 25-year-old Peng, who hits two-handed off both sides. Yet in their last three meetings before Sunday’s clash, the two battled to a full three sets. It appeared it would happen again.
The Italian right-hander broke Peng in the longest game of the match – an 18-point marathon – that saw Pennetta take the last three points to grab a 6-5 lead.
While serving for the match in the 12th game, Pennetta walked to the back of the court as she felt herself becoming ill. She received a time warning from the chair umpire, Tamara Vrhovec.
“I was feeling really bad,” said Pennetta. “I think it was because it’s really humid today. It’s hot. And also, when you are there, you have a lot of emotion in the court.
“My body just need to breathe and I starting maybe to have the sensation to throw up. But doesn’t, without nothing inside, so it didn’t come out.”
Peng took advantage of Pennetta’s condition and broke her Italian opponent right back, sending it into a tiebreak. Peng raced out to a 5-0 lead, then 6-2, quadruple set point,
Despite struggling with the muggy heat, Pennetta reeled off the next six points to claim her berth in the quarterfinals.
One of the older players in the draw, Pennetta looks at her age as an advantage.
“I know I’m a little bit old for tennis. For life I’m young,” she said, adding that older players have had recent success in the majors.
“Actually we have a good experience, like Francesca (Schiavone of Italy) last year, she won Roland Garros and she was 30, and this year the final at 31. Li Na, she won Roland Garros and she’s 29, also.
“There are some players that can grow up early, and some players they need time. I’m one of them.”
At age 22, Donald Young is no longer the “young phenom.” Now, he’s finally delivering on the promise he showed when he became the youngest player to be ranked No. 1 in the world in juniors.
With a full house on the Grandstand court cheering him on, Young defeated 24th-seeded Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina 7-5 6-4 6-3 Saturday to gain a berth in the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.
“The crowd was great,” said Young. “Without them I wouldn’t have won at all today. I don’t think I would have had a chance because, like I said, I was kind of getting a little fatigued. The energy was kind of going away. They definitely pushed me through.”
Six years ago, Young was the youngest boy to finish a season as the world’s top-ranked junior. Then came a series of disappointing losses.
“It was tough because I wanted to win,” he said. “I was used to winning. When you’re used to winning and you start losing, it doesn’t feel good.
“Then I was looking at myself at 15 playing grown men 25 to 30. If I look back at myself, even at 22, I would hate to lose to someone 15, so I would try a lot harder anyway. And I really can’t see myself losing to someone 15.
“So it was a learning experience. I think those things I did helped me now. It’s better late than never.”
Saturday’s victory was his second over a seeded foe, having knocked off No. 14 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland in the five-set second-round marathon.
The left-hander, who gained a spot in the main draw on a wild card, had 46 winners to just 19 for Chela. He now has reached the fourth round of a major for the first time in his career.
“At times I wasn’t winning matches at challengers and I was losing to guys (ranked) 300 in the world. Actually this year I lost to some players 300. To go from losing a first round challenger in Aptos (California) to the Round of 16 of the US Open is great.
“But you have your highs and lows in tennis. I’ve definitely had the lows. Hopefully I’ll have a lot more highs.”