Western and Southern Open 2015: Wednesday Tennis Scores, Results, Schedule
Despite rain halting the proceedings at the second round of the Western and Southern Open on Wednesday, a star-studded lineup still descended upon Cincinnati.
Below, we'll break down the day's results with the weekend on the horizon.
A complete overview of Thursday's schedule can be found here.
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Men's Results
| S. Wawrinka (5) | 3 | 7(7) | 6 |
| B. Coric | 6 | 6(3) | 3 |
| J. Janowicz | 6 | 7(7) | |
| J. Donaldson | 4 | 6(4) | |
| R. Gasquet (12) | 7(7) | 6 | |
| T. Kokkinakis | 6(5) | 2 | |
| S. Querrey | 1 | 7 | 3 |
| T. Robredo | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| D. Goffin (13) | 6 | 7(7) | |
| F. Verdasco | 4 | 6(4) | |
| N. Djokovic (1) | 7 | 6 | |
| B. Paire | 5 | 2 | |
| K. Anderson (15) | 6 | 7(9) | |
| J. Sock | 3 | 6(7) | |
| A. Seppi | 6 | 2 | |
| F. Lopez | 7 | 6 | |
| A. Murray (3) | 6 | 7 | |
| M. Fish | 4 | 6 | |
| R. Nadal (8) | 6 | 6 | |
| J. Chardy | 3 | 4 |
No. 1 Novak Djokovic was tested by Benoit Paire in the first set of his opening match in Cincinnati, but he recovered nicely to take a 7-5, 6-2 victory in one of the day's most entertaining affairs. After losing the Rogers Cup final to Andy Murray, Djokovic will be looking to recover with a title before he goes after a U.S. Open conquest.
No. 5 Stan Wawrinka need a third set to advance past Borna Coric, and he needed a tiebreaker just to get to the third, nearly providing one of the more shocking results of the young tournament. He'll need to iron out the kinks in his game if he hopes to take the title in Cincy.
No. 12 Richard Gasquet, No. 13 David Goffin and No. 15 Kevin Anderson also advanced.
Rain delayed appearances from No. 3 Andy Murray and No. 7 Rafael Nadal, however, putting a damper on what was supposed to be a star-studded day.
Women's Results
| K. Knapp | 6 | 6 | |
| D. Gavrilova | 4 | 1 | |
| J. Jankovic | 7(7) | 6 | |
| M. Keys | 6(4) | 4 | |
| S. Halep (3) | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| K. Mladenovic | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| K. Pliskova (8) | 6 | 7 | |
| T. Babos | 4 | 5 | |
| V. Lepchenko | 7 | 6 | |
| M. Lucic-Baroni | 5 | 4 | |
| B. Bencic | 6 | 6 | |
| F. Pennetta | 1 | 4 | |
| S. Williams (1) | 7 | 6 | |
| T. Pironkova | 5 | 3 | |
| A. Pavlyuchenkova | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Y. Shvedova | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| L. Safarova (8) | 6 | 7 | |
| C. Vandeweghe | 4 | 5 | |
| I. Begu | 1 | 3 | |
| A. Schmiedlova | 6 | 6 | |
| S. Stephens | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| M. Barthel | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| A. Petkovic (15) | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| C. Giorgi | 7 | 3 | 3 |
| P. Kvitova (4) | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| C. Garcia | 7 | 4 | 6 |
| C. Wozniacki (5) | 0 | 4 | |
| V. Azarenka | 6 | 6 | |
| E. Svitolina (14) | 7 | 7 | |
| E. Bouchard | 6 | 5 |
Before Wednesday's rain delay, the top players in action at the Western and Southern Open managed to avoid the normal glut of upsets that has defined the women's game of late.
No. 1 Serena Williams had a bit of trouble in the first set against Tsvetana Pironkova but eventually hit cruise control, winning 7-5, 6-3.
For Williams, this tournament is all about tuning up for the U.S. Open, where she'll have a chance to make history and complete the calendar grand slam. Still, she's simply trying to tune out any distractions at the moment, as she told Joe Kay of the Associated Press, via Yahoo News:
"I'm really trying to stay away from stress and stay away from press. But, you know, that's a little difficult.
I don't necessarily want to hear about, 'Oh, this history and that history,' because I just want to be able to do the best that I can. I want to be able to win and I don't want any distractions. That's how I'm going to handle it.
"
If anyone can handle it, Williams can. Still, the pressure appears to be getting to her, as Peter Bodo of ESPN wrote:
"Williams' performance against Pironkova was an improvement from her loss to [Belinda Bencic Bencic in the Rogers Cup semifinals] but it's clear that she's still pressing. Her serve comes and goes like the sun on a cloudy day. She broods; she appears careworn; her outbursts when she makes good shots at a key moments seem excessive, as if she has forgotten that she is, after all, Serena. Those miraculous shots are what she does, are who she is. In her post-match interviews, she repeatedly uses the words "stress" and "intensity" and "focus" when describing her form.
"
History can be a heavy burden to bear. Williams will have to find a way to channel the stress and pressure in Cincinnati, however, or it will crush her in New York.
She will have to carry the torch for the stars in Cincinnati, as both Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova withdrew from the tournament, per Kay. And No. 2 seed Simona Halep had her hands full Wednesday, narrowly escaping a stiff challenge from Kristina Mladenovic, who had beaten Halep in their previous two meetings.
"I was up the whole match and just couldn't finish the second set, but I tried to stay focused for every ball, and I think we played a really good match," Halep said after the match, per WTATennis.com. "She was playing some really good tennis today."
No. 7 Lucie Safarova and No. 8 Karolina Pliskova also advanced before the rains came, but fifth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki wasn't so fortunate.
Wozniacki was downed in straight sets by Victoria Azarenka, who displayed dominance throughout the tidy victory, according to WTA Insider on Twitter:
The win was Azarenka's fourth over Wozniacki in 2015, and the triumph propelled her into the Round of 16, where she'll face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
For Wozniacki, Wednesday represented the continuation of a backslide.
Since getting bounced in the fourth round of Wimbledon by Garbine Muguruza, Wozniacki hasn't recorded a single win in tournament play. Despite receiving byes in the first round of her last three competitions, Wozniacki has been dispatched in straight sets by three straight opponents.
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