Previous BNP Paribas Open Coverage
Things did not go great for the US at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday. US players went 1-6 in singles and 1-3 in doubles (though one of those was a matchup of two American teams). The only singles player to advance was Sloane Stephens while Bob and Mike Bryan moved on in men’s doubles play. Of course it is worth noting that every player or team that lost was the lower ranked of the two sides in their matchup.
Women’s Singles
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#17 Sloane Stephens got her tournament off to a great start by winning set one 6-4 and then dominating set two to beat Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4, 6-0. Stephens will have a tough matchup in the next round as she takes on #11 Ana Ivanovic. Beyond that looks like a winnable round of 16 matchup so it’s likely that the winner of the Stephens–Ivanovic matchup will be a quarterfinalist.
The other American who looked good on Saturday was 17-year-old Taylor Townsend. Townsend couldn’t get the exciting upset over #20 Flavia Pennetta but did take the second set 7-6 (4) in between losing sets one and three 3-6, certainly a good performance.
Sunday sees the all-American third round matchup between Lauren Davis and Varvara Lepchenko. Davis is riding high off her upset of #3 Victoria Azarenka and a round of 16 here would be great for her.
Women’s Doubles
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The US women’s doubles teams are done after the last Americans left, Raquel Kops-Jones/Abigail Spears, lost 3-6, 4-6 to #5 Cara Black/Sania Mirza on Saturday.
Men’s Singles
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The US didn’t get a men’s singles winner on Saturday but Sam Querrey did get to a third set against #29 Andreas Seppi but lost 6-4, 6-7 (3), 3-6. He had a chance in the second set but just couldn’t get over the hump. Ryan Harrison also had a chance on Saturday after winning set one 7-5 against #13 Fabio Fognini but he fell in three sets 7-5, 1-6, 4-6.
#12 John Isner is the final American left in the men’s singles draw. He takes on Nikolay Davydenko in the second round on Sunday. Isner who would be the higher ranked player in the next round no matter who he plays so anything less than the round of 16 will be a disappointment here.
Men’s Doubles
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Two American teams were eliminated on Saturday but both against strong competition. Eric Butorac/Raven Klaasen (South Africa) lost 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-10 to #2 Alexander Peya/Bruno Soares while Scott Lipsky/Florian Mayer (Germany) lost 1-6, 3-6 to #1 Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan. The only other American team left is John Isner/Sam Querrey and they will face Jeremy Chardy/Gilles Simon in the first round on Sunday.
Broadcasting Information:
Tennis Channel will be broadcasting the tournament from 2 PM – 2 AM ET while ESPN3.com has streams of the play at three stadiums that will include the Isner matches.
Schedule:
- Men’s Second Round
- Approx. 4 PM ET – #12 John Isner vs. Nikolay Davydenko – Stadium 2 – ESPN3.com – Davydenko leads 3-2 all-time
- Women’s Third Round
- Approx. 6 PM ET – Lauren Davis vs. Varvara Lepchenko – Lepchenko leads 1-0 all-time
- Men’s Doubles First Round
- Approx. 12 AM ET – John Isner/Sam Querrey vs. Jeremy Chardy/Gilles Simon – Stadium 2 – ESPN3.com – First Ever Meeting
