Naomi Osaka, Elise Mertens, Victoria Azarenka and Johanna Konta are about to play their semifinals after the Western & Southern Open was “frozen” for one day in order to protest against the widespread and rampant racism in the US.
The order of play controversy
There was an outcry about the Friday order of play as the men were scheduled to compete on the Louis Armstrong stadium that has a roof while the women were scheduled to play at the same time (11 am) on other secondary courts. This court allocation was eerily similar (but not as bad) as the one adopted by the French Open last year when the women’s semifinals were allocated on secondary courts.
While many were prompt to say that the scheduling was sexist, in reality, the decision was taken in concert with the WTA. This was the explanation
“Decision made in concert with WTA. Ensures comparable & maximum rest before women’s final, which will be played on Saturday in Armstrong, again to protect against weather interruptions (rain forecast for Saturday, too). Though one of the women’s semifinals could have been played in Armstrong, WTA and tournament decided to play both in Grandstand so neither finalist would have had more exposure to court conditions in Armstrong before the final.”
Here are some explanations with input from the "Cincy" organizers. Wording is my own. Day without play on Thursday puts pressure on tournament to finish by Saturday, which is also why Armstrong being used. https://t.co/mYV3uzuJkq pic.twitter.com/kMTTEL1R3t
— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) August 27, 2020
Naomi Osaka vs. Elise Mertens
Naomi Osaka and Elise Mertens played each other twice. The head to head is 1-1. The last time that they played each other, Naomi Osaka won 6-4 6-1 in the semifinal in Osaka (Toray Pan Pacific Open) in September 2019.
In the following video you can watch the highlights.
Currently the world no.10, Naomi has a 8-3 win-loss record in 2020. Osaka is in New York where she defeated Karolina Muchova 6-75 6-4 6-2, Dayana Yastremska 6-3 6-1 and Anett Kontaveit 4-6 6-2 7-5.
Naomi won 5 titles in her career: all of them conquered on hard courts. (See the list of her titles)
Ranked world no.22, Elise has a 19-7 win-loss record in 2020. The Belgian is now competing in New York where she bested Rebecca Peterson 6-0 6-2, Kristina Mladenovic 6-1 6-75 6-3, Veronika Kudermetova 6-2 6-3 and Jessica Pegula 6-1 6-3.
Elise reached the final in Prague.
Elise won 5 titles in her career: 3 on hard courts and 2 on clay courts. (See the list of her titles)
Vika Azarenka vs. Jo Konta
Victoria Azarenka and Johanna Konta played each other 3 times. The head to head is 2-1 for Konta. The last time that they competed against each other, Johanna Konta won 6-3 6-1 in the 2nd round in Montreal (Rogers Cup) in August 2018.
Azarenka in New York, ranking, and results in 2020
Ranked no.59, Victoria has a 4-2 win-loss record in 2020. Victoria is currently playing in New York where she beat Donna Vekic 6-2 6-3, Caroline Garcia 6-2 7-68, Alize Cornet 6-4 7-5 and Ons Jabeur 7-69 6-2.
Azarenka won 20 titles in her career: 15 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts and 4 on indoor courts. (See the list of her titles)
Konta in New York, ranking, and results in 2020
Currently the world no.15, the Brit has a 6-5 win-loss record in 2020. Konta is now playing in New York where she ousted Kirsten Flipkens 6-2 6-0, Vera Zvonareva 6-4 6-2 and Maria Sakkari 6-4 6-3.
