US OPEN DAY 1 - ORDER OF PLAY

by Karen 

Morning All.  Man, life just gets in the way of tennis sometimes, which can really suck if you have a blog that needs to be updated on a fairly regular basis.  I should have been home on vacation for the next two weeks, but there is this little thing called work which always seems to get in the way of my tennis watching plans.  As the job pays the bills that allows me to actually enjoy tennis and have this little blog, I won't bitch and moan too much. 

The top half of the bottom half of the draw starts play today and sees the No. 2 seed Simona Halep going up against American qualifier Danielle Collins. I admit that I have never seen Collins play, so I am looking forward to that match up.  Hopefully Halep will have her game together after that really dismal performance in New Haven.  In the night session, Maria Sharapova goes up against Maria Kirilenko in what should no doubt be an early round rout by Ms. Sharapova.  

Venus Williams, the reason for this blogger actually watching tennis goes up against perennial wunderkind Kimiko Date-Krumm.  I have a comment, can we leave the "there are now [insert number of players] now playing tennis who were born since Date-Krumm retired from tennis".  Rather than pointing out just how old Date-Krumm is, how about we respect her work ethic and the fact that she is beating players who could be her daughters?  Enough of the same old schtick. 

The Order of Play is below with the Spin's picks in red.

Angelique Kerber (GER) [6] v Ksenia Pervak (RUS) 

Ying-Ying Duan (CHN) v Alla Kudrryavtseva (RUS) 

Belinda Bencic (SUI) v Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 

Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) v Kurumi Nara (JPN) [31]

Sloane Stephens (USA) [21] v Annika Beck (GER) 

Virginie Razzano (FRA) v Johanna Larsson (SWE) 

Karin Knapp (ITA) v Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) 

Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) v Jelena Jankovic (SRB) [9]

Lucie Safarova (CZE) [14] v Timea Babos (HUN) 

SaiSai Zheng (CHN) v Stefanie Voegele (SUI) 

Romina Oprandi (SUI) v Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 

Amandine Hesse (FRA) v Alize Cornet (FRA) [22]

Roberta Vinci (ITA) [28] v Paula Ormaechea (ARG) 

Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) v Silvia Soler-Espinosa (ESP) 

Shuai Peng (CHN) v Jie Zheng (CHN) 

Sharon Fichman (CAN) v Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) [4]

Maria Sharapova (RUS) [5] v Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 

Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) v Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU) 

Julia Glushko (ISR) v Madison Brengle (USA) 

Francoise Abanda (CAN) v Sabine Lisicki (GER) [26]

Andrea Petkovic (GER) [18] v Ons Jabeur (TUN) 

Tereza Smitkova (CZE) v Monica Puig (PUR) 

Anna Schmiedlova (SVK) v Aliaksandra Sasnovich BLR 

Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) v Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) [10]

Sara Errani (ITA) [13] v Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 

Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) v Camila Giorgi (ITA) 

Kiki Bertens (NED) v Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) 

Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN) v Venus Williams (USA) [19]

Garbine Muguruza (ESP) [25] v Mirjani Lucic-Baroni (CRO) 

Johanna Konta (GBR) v Shahar Peer (ISR) 

Jana Cepelova (SVK) v M.Torro-Flor (ESP) 

Danielle Rose Collins (USA) v Simona Halep (ROU) [2]

Remember to do your Suicide Pool picks over at Talk About Tennis as Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated has gifts for the winners. 

Bring it on!!!!!