NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Chinese doubles specialist Peng Shuai supplied a shocking start to the second round of the U.S. Open by upsetting fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-3 6-4 on a hot, humid yesterday at Flushing Meadows.
The doubles world number one used piercing, two-fisted groundstrokes to put Radwanska on the defensive and claimed the biggest scalp of the tournament so far on her third match point with a backhand crosscourt winner that brushed the corner lines.
Radwanska, winner in the Montreal hardcourt run-up to the U.S. Open and a semi-finalist at this year’s Australian Open, saved a match point in the ninth game to hold serve for 5-4 and fended off another in the next game before Peng’s last winner.
The 28-year-old Peng, the French Open doubles champion and 2013 Wimbledon doubles winner who is still seeking her first career WTA Tour singles title, registered 28 winners in the 96-minute match at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“I had two match points and didn’t make it,” Peng said in an oncourt interview about two backhand errors that prolonged the match.
“But I just said ‘fight, fight’ and it’s an amazing time for me,” added Peng, who has 16 career doubles wins and in February became the first Chinese player to become a world number one in tennis.
The Chinese, ranked 39th in singles, will play 28th seed Roberta Vinci in the third round. The Italian, also a renowned doubles player, advanced with a 2-6 6-4 6-1 win against Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania.
World number two Simona Halep of Romania beat the heat by hurrying past Jana Cepelova of Slovakia 6-2 6-1 to reach the third round.
Halep, who overcame U.S. college champion Danielle Collins in the opening round after losing a first-set tiebreaker, wasted little time as temperatures soared.
“I started to be more aggressive and hit the ball,” said second seed Halep. “I feel great now that I could win so fast today because it’s so hot outside.”
Halep, the French Open runner-up, will next meet either Shahar Peer of Israel or Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.
Johanna Larsson of Sweden sent another seed to the exits with a 5-7 6-4 6-2 upset of 21st-seeded American Sloane Stephens, a 2013 Australian Open semi-finalist.
lso advancing to the third round was 22nd seed Alize Cornet of France, a 6-3 6-3 winner over 37th-ranked Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.
