Flavia Pennetta sends Simona Halep home

Italian Flavia Pennetta stunned 21st-seeded Simona Halep and passed into the US Open quarterfinals for the fourth time in her career.

The first set was finished in just 27 minutes with the result 6-2. Halep just wasn’t her usual self, until she woke up in the second set, showing much more energy, and it could clearly be seen why she got through to the fourth round of the US Open. The Romanian even took a 5-4 lead in the second set, but suddenly rain started to pour and matches had to be postponed for over four hours. When the rain stopped and the match was resumed, Halep evidently didn’t have the same energy as before. Pennetta took the lead quickly 6-5, but Halep evened the score and went for a tiebreak. Halep showed why she is the second this season by the number of titles, but too late. They had a few long games in the second set but Pennetta pushed Halep to the limit and won 6-2 7-6(3) in just one hour and nine minutes.

The only match in women’s singles that was finished just a few minutes before the storm was the victory of Roberta Vinci over Camila Giorgi and we will have an all-Italian encounter in the quarterfinals between Vinci and Pennetta. So, whoever wins, Italians will surely have their representative in the semifinals.

There was another match resumed after the rain as well. American Alison Riske was beaten by Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova in three sets 6-3 5-7 6-2. We will have to wait and see with whom Hantuchova will play in the quarterfinals, Ana Ivanovic or Victoria Azarenka, because their match had to be canceled. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)