NEW YORK, NY, USA - An intriguing mix of experienced campaigners and up-and-coming talent is on offer as the second round concludes at Flushing Meadows on Thursday.
Louis Armstrong
[4] Jelena Jankovic (SRB #5) vs. [Q] Mirjana Lucic (CRO #150)
H2H: First meeting
Strange but true: Jankovic is bidding to win back-to-back matches for the first time in five tournaments, Wimbledon being the last time the former world No.1 achieved this once prosaic feat. Having been two points from defeat against Simona Halep in the first round, she can only hope it's onwards and upwards from here - she could even regain the top ranking by capturing the title. Lucic's win Tuesday over Alicia Molik was even more momentous, as it marked her first win in a Grand Slam main draw since the 2002 French Open. The former Wimbledon semifinalist, now 28, has never been past the third round at Flushing Meadows but she won the girls' title here way back in 1996. With four early wins over Top 10 players, she should have had Jankovic's career, but things went awry. Back on track, she's playing for time.
Grandstand
[18] Aravane Rezai (FRA #20) vs. [WC] Beatrice Capra (USA #371)
H2H: First meeting
Rezai was the breakout star of the clay season, beating all-comers at Madrid and sneaking in a post-Wimbledon title on the red stuff at Bastad. So far the hardcourt season hasn't been as shiny - she went 1-3 across the US Open Series - but it's worth noting she had match points against Serena Williams at Sydney at the start of the year; she can certainly play on the surface. Baltimore-born Capra earned her wildcard via the USTA's play-offs, and she's making the most of her first Tour-level main draw - her first round win over No.95-ranked Karolina Sprem was a career best. At 18 years, four months, she's the youngest player left in the draw, as well as the lowest ranked. She's never played an opponent of Rezai's caliber, so win or lose this is her chance to show how she rates among America's emerging prospects.
Court 11
[22] María José Martínez Sánchez (ESP #24) vs. Patty Schnyder (SUI #53)
H2H: Martínez Sánchez leads 1-0 (first meeting at Tour level)
The return of Martínez Sánchez to action is good news for fans who like thoughtful net-rushing tennis. Out since Eastbourne with a knee injury the 28-year-old Spaniard played just one match at New Haven, and after a slow start blitzed wildcard Jamie Hampton in the first round here. That was, of course, a match she was expected to win but Schnyder presents as a rather different challenge: with her first round win over Kirsten Flipkens the Swiss stalwart became the sixth active player to amass 100 Grand Slam match wins - 30 of them registered at Flushing Meadows - and she is a two-time US Open quarterfinalist to boot. Given the Spaniard's lack of recent match play, an on-paper upset might be on the cards. But in any case two crafty veteran lefties should equal one very pretty match.
More to watch…
Sabine Lisicki is rewarded for her blistering first round defeat of Coco Vandeweghe with a second round appointment against No.7 seed Vera Zvonareva on Arthur Ashe; they are followed by top seed Caroline Wozniacki and Chang Kai-Chen, with Maria Sharapova headlining the night session against Iveta Benesova. 2004 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova plays Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova on Louis Armstrong, while two of the Tour's great personalities, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Andrea Petkovic, face off on Grandstand.
