US Open: Karolina Pliskova leads Czech contingent into fourth round

Six Czech women made it to the second round here, more than any other nation

The Czech Republic has a remarkable tradition of success in women’s tennis and the current generation continue to fly their flag with pride. Six Czech women made it to the second round here, more than any other nation, with the United States the next most successful country with five. It is quite an achievement for a country with a population of just 10 million.

Karolina Pliskova, the runner-up here two years ago, became the first of the Czechs to make it to the fourth round on Friday and was followed into the last 16 on Saturday by 19-year-old Marketa Vondrousova, who was the youngest player left in the draw.

Vondrousova, who had never previously gone beyond the second round of any Grand Slam tournament, beat Kiki Bertens, one of the form players of the summer, 7-6, 2-6, 7-6 with a performance that combined skill, resilience and mental strength in equal measures.

A left-hander with a dramatic sweeping forehand, Vondrousova also has plenty of her variety in her game. She can hit some lovely drop shots and is not afraid to play them at important moments.

Karolina Pliskova is into the fourth round at Flushing Meadows (AFP/Getty Images)

Last year she made more progress up the world rankings than any other player on the women’s tour, climbing 309 places to finish the year at No 67. At 17 years and 293 days she was the year’s youngest winner of a WTA title when she triumphed at Biel.

Here, playing in only her seventh Grand Slam tournament, Vondrousova had reached the third round with victories over Mona Barthel and Eugenie Bouchard, but faced a step up in class against Bertens.

The 26-year-old Dutchwoman was regarded as a clay-court specialist until this year, having never gone beyond the second round at any Grand Slam tournament other than the French Open. In 2018, however, she has produced her best performances at the three other Grand Slam events. Having reached the third round at the Australian Open and the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, this was her best run here.

​Bertens had warmed up for this tournament by enjoying the best week of her career to win the hard-court title at Cincinnati, where she beat four top 10 players in Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova and Elina Svitolina.

She had beaten two top 10 players – Kvitova and Pliskova – the previous week in Montreal and is currently at a career-high position of No 13 in the world rankings.

Bertens went 4-2 up in the first set, lost four of the next five games and the tie-break 7-4, but seemed to have turned the match around when she took the second set.

The decider was tight but went to a tie-break in which Vondrousova showed her quality. After losing the first point, Vondrousova won the next seven in a row with a mixture of well-disguised drop shots, penetrating ground strokes and, above all, beautifully constructed rallies.

“It’s amazing for me,” Vondrousova said afterwards. “I just fought for every ball. It was so tough for me and I’m so happy to be through. I just stayed calm and tried to fight, play my game, stay aggressive. It was so good.”

Madison Keys salutes the crowd after beating Aleksandra Krunic (USA TODAY Sports) (Reuters)

Asked about the performances of her fellow countrywomen, Vondrousova said: “The Czech Republic is a small country, so it’s amazing for us to get this far.”

Madison Keys, last year’s runner-up, also reached the fourth round, but only after recovering from a nervous start against Aleksandra Krunic.

Keys, who won 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, has had an up-and-down time since losing to Sloane Stephens in last year’s final. She went on to reach the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, the semi-finals at the French Open and the third round at Wimbledon, but away from the Grand Slam events her results have often been disappointing. She has made only one other semi-final this year, at Charleston in April.

Krunic, the world No 49, upset Johanna Konta in the first round here last year, but had arrived at Flushing Meadows after a dreadful run on hard courts this summer. After going out in the first round at Wimbledon, the 25-year-old Serb won a total of just four games in losing first time out in her next three tournaments.

While Keys clearly had an advantage in terms of power, Krunic’s athleticism kept her in many points. As the American went for her shots a steady stream of errors flowed from her racket in the opening set.

Krunic,who had beaten Keys in the second round here four years ago, broke serve in the very first game as her opponent made unforced errors on the last two points. It was the only break the Serb needed to take the first set. Two big ground strokes by Keys saved the first two set points when Krunic served at 5-4 and 40-0, but the American was pressured into a forehand mistake on the third.

Finally finding her range, Keys quickly turned things around in the second set. With the American leading 3-0, Krunic took a medical time-out to have her left knee strapped, after which Keys won the set with something to spare.

The first five games of the deciding set all went against serve, but Keys’ break in the fifth game was crucial. After holding serve for 4-2, Keys went on to complete her victory in an hour and 43 minutes.

“I was definitely a little bit nervous and she came out playing really well,” Keys said afterwards. “She put a lot of pressure on me from the start. I’m just happy to be in the next round.”