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It was youth versus experience in the second-round match between young American Coco Vandeweghe and No. 9 seed Samantha Stosur. And inevitably, it was the experienced Aussie who prevailed, 6-3, 6-4, to secure her spot in the next round and send the American home.
This may have been Vandeweghe's first direct main draw appearance, but the 19-year-old played well beyond her years, firing 10 aces (Stosur had none) and matching Stosur shot for shot in rallies.
But Stosur, eight years Vandeweghe's senior and carrying the experience of playing in a major final (2010 French Open) and eight straight US Opens, proved to be the victor in Wednesday's contest and handed the American an early exit.
Stosur needed only one break of serve to put away the first set, taking a 5-2 lead before closing it out on her serve two games later. But after taking a 3-1 lead in the second, Stosur's grip on the match began to slip, as Vandeweghe broke back with a screaming passing shot to even the score and send the crowd into an uproar.
For a brief moment, the crowd's energy behind the American propelled her through her next service game, giving her a 4-3 edge. But in the critical ninth game, the two women played about a dozen deuce points on Vandeweghe's serve, when Stosur finally managed to convert on a break. It was all she needed to serve out the match.
The 27-year-old Aussie had a breakthrough performance at last year's US Open event, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Kim Clijsters. She did, however, experience bliss in New York when she won the doubles title with Lisa Raymond in 2005.
The 2010 Roland Garros runner-up is riding a wave of solid tennis this year, after having reached the finals in both Rome and Toronto, two semifinals in Stuttgart and Eastbourne, and two quarterfinals at Dubai and Cincinnati. She breezed past Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden in the first round here, dropping only five games.
The young American, ranked No. 112, did well to advance past the first round at a major in seven tries, and her arsenal of shots indicates she is well on her way as one of America's next hopefuls in women's tennis. She defeated No. 56 Alberta Brianti of Italy, 7-5, 6-3, en route to her second round appearance.
Vandeweghe has had success on the Flushing Meadows hard courts in the past, earning the title of 2008 US Open girls champion. In her previous main draw appearances here, as a wild card in 2008 and 2010, she bowed out in the first round. She notched a solid quarterfinal appearance at Memphis this year, as well as the third round at Carlsbad and the second round at both Indian Wells and Birmingham.
Stosur will meet No. 24 seed Nadia Petrova in Round 3.
Match Facts
- Stosur, a doubles champion, went 7-of-9 at the net, while Vandeweghe was 7-of-17.
- Vandeweghe committed 25 unforced errors, just three more than Stosur's 22.
Louis Armstrong Stadium - Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Coco Vandeweghe USA 3 4
Samantha Stosur AUS (9) 6 6
Match Statistics Serve
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