TENNIS US OPEN – Flavia Pennetta beat 21-year-old US Nicole Gibbs with 6-4 6-0 to reach the Round of 16 in a Grand Slam Tournament for the 12th time and for the fifth time in the US Open. Flushing Meadows is the favourite Grand Slam for Pennetta who reached the semifinal last year. Pennetta could play against Serena Williams in the quarter finals if she overcomes the winner of the match between Karolina Pliskova and Casey Dellaqua. Diego Sampaolo
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Flavia Pennetta: “I have so many good memories of Arthur Ashe Court that it’s good to be back”
In the fourth round Pennetta joins her compatriot Sara Errani who beat Venus Williams in a dramatic third-set tie-break yesterday.
This year’s Indian Wells champion Pennetta and Gibbs met for the second time in their careers one year after their only previous match at Flushing Meadows won by the Italian player with 6-0 6-2.
Gibbs broke serve to take a 3-1 lead but Penetta clawed her way back to draw level to 3-3 The match was even until 4-4 when Pennetta raised her game. Gibbs committed a double fault to drop the 10th game. From 4-4 Pennetta reeled eight consecutive games to take a comfortable 6-4 6-0 win and book her spot in the fourth round. Pennetta was pushed hard only in the third game of the second set which lasted 16 points before taking the 3-0 lead. From then on Pennetta cruised to an unchallenged 6-0 on a very hot and windy day. Gibbs committed 34 unforced errors.
Pennetta will face either World Number 32 Karolina Pliskova who knocked out Ana Ivanovic or Number 32 Casey Dellaqua. It would be her first match against Pliskova or her second time against Dellaqua who met Pennetta in Bangkok in 2007. Both Pliskova and Dellaqua have never reached the fourth round stage in a Grand Slam.
There is a good possibility that Pennetta could meet Serena Williams in the quarter final. It would the fifth qaurter final for Pennetta in New York since 2008.
During her career Pennetta has reached her best results on the hard-court surface where she advanced to the fourth round stage in five of the last six Grand Slam Tournaments played on hard court.
In the doubles tournament Pennetta teams up with Martina Hingis against Pavlyuchenkova and Safarova
“The conditions were tough because of the wind. I feel at home when I play in New York. It’s very special to play here. It’s my favourite tournament”, said Pennetta
Earlier this week Gibbs, a 21-year-old player from San Francisco, won her first match in the Main Draw of a Grand Slam this week against 25-seed Anastasya Pavlyuchenkova
“I am a bit disappointed because I was leading 3-1 in the firs set. I culd have played better but it was my first time in a Grand Slam and my first match in the Arthur Ashe and I felt a bit of pressure but I am happy to have reached the thir round. I am confident that I will be able to play at this level in the future”, said Gibbs.
