US Open 2021: Can Camila Giorgi Flavia Pennetta do the same?
CamilaGiorg i travels to the US Open with the recommendation of triumph at the WTA Masters 1000 tournament in Montreal. An Italian woman last won there five years ago. The first round ticket, however, is awesome: It goes against Simona Halep .
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Aug 28, 2021, 11:16 am
In 2015 everything was arranged, just as it is arranged this year: Serena Williams was on her way to the calendar grand slam five years ago, the stars were good, what was going to happen in the semifinals against Roberta Vinci? Well, it is well known that the sporting meltdown occurred for Serena, Vinci sliced into the final, which she then lost to Flavia Pennetta. Now it is Novak Djokovic , who is only missing the title in New York for the really big coup, winning all four major titles in one year. No man in the Open Era has succeeded in doing this.
Six years after Flavia Pennetta's surprising victory, an Italian has now again positioned herself to showcase herself in the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center: Camila Giorgi, who won the biggest title of her career in Montreal a few days ago. Righteous and surprising, because Giorgi is known for her game speed as well as for her consistently high error rate. Should she get this under control, she could have a say in New York City about the title.
Giorgi with many interests
However: A look at Giorgi's presence on social networks shows that the now 29-year-old has quite different interests than tennis. You won't find any pictures of grueling training sessions like those of some colleagues on the WTA tour. Camila Giorgi knows how to put herself in the limelight, both as a still life and in a moving image. Perhaps the right approach to keeping expectations low. Especially since the favorite role is actually with others.
Above all with the world number one Ashleigh Barty . However, she has not yet covered herself with fame at the US Open, is still waiting for the great sense of achievement in Flushing Meadows. And don't forget: After her convincing victory at Wimbledon, Barty was the first candidate to travel to Tokyo for the Olympic Games. And then lost in round one to Sara Sorribes Tormo.
Pliskova fights fire with fire
For Camila Giorgi, a lot depends on the draw, perhaps more than for other players: An opponent like Angelique Kerber is with her great defensive qualities. Does that also apply to the convalescent Simona Halep, who Giorgi was drawn? Defense artists are poison for the Italian, whose father once set up a financing model similar to that of Peter Haas for his children Sabine and Tommy. Karolina Pliskova would be more convenient: The Czech woman fights fire with fire, and is not afraid of taking risks. Good for Giorgi, who has won the last three meetings with Pliskova, including the final in Montreal. Unfortunately, Pliskova was drawn into the upper half of the tableau, Giorgi has to attack from below.
In 2018, Naomi Osaka and a year later Bianca Andreescu showed that anything is possible in New York City. The latter had also won the title in Canada before her victory at the US Open (and before that also in Indian Wells). Osaka, on the other hand, looked just as inviolable on hard court at the beginning of the year as it did when she won in New York in 2020. Now the Japanese woman is experiencing a small creative crisis. Which does not mean that a title defense is ruled out. Because only Novak Djokovic has to cope with the very high expectations this year.