[h=1]Rafael Nadal vs. Taro Daniel.....Highlights.[/h]
[h=1]Roger Federer vs Mikhail Youzhny.....Highlights.[/h]
[h=1]Del Potro vs Menendez-Maceiras.....Highlights.[/h]
[h=1]Rogers vs. Gavrilova.....Highlights.[/h]
U.S. Open.org Day 5 picks.
WOMEN
(WC) Sofia Kenin vs. Maria Sharapova
It's been a wild and thrilling week for 18-year-old Sofia Kenin. After earning a wild card into the main draw of the US Open for the second consecutive year, she has made it to the third round of a major for the first time in her career, in just her fourth tour-level main draw. On Friday morning, she'll get the experience of a lifetime as she faces her childhood role model and 2006 US Open champion Maria Sharapova.
Sharapova herself is having a somewhat surprise run through the draw this week. She wasn't expected to make it past No. 2 seed Simona Halep in the first round, especially given the fact that she had only played one match since May, and that was after serving her 15-month ITF suspension. But the electric vibes of Sharapova's previous success in New York have somehow revived the Maria of old, breathing new life into her game and fueling her drive with every win. Sharapova's experience and ferocity will prevail, and Kenin's dream run ends at the hands of her idol in straights.
Ashleigh Barty vs. Sloane Stephens
US Open starlet Sloane Stephens will certainly have the crowd behind her when she faces Australian Ashleigh Barty in the third round. The American's shot-making ability and determination to track down every ball sent her way makes her a threat in these early rounds, especially if she can feed off the crowd's energy. But Barty is a woman on the rise with a breakthrough season, winning her first career title in Kuala Lumpur, finishing runner-up in Birmingham and scoring a confidence-boosting win over Venus Williams in Cincinnati this summer. In a tight three-set contest, Stephens takes the win.
MEN
(29) Diego Schwartzman vs. (5) Marin Cilic
When you pit the ATP's leading returner against one of the tour's biggest servers, you have a contrast of styles that makes for some thrilling entertainment. But if there is anyone who has a shot at neutralizing 2014 titlist Marin Cilic's serve, it's No. 29 seed Diego Schwartzman, the tour's leading man in returns at 36 percent. Schwartzman may just have one of the best work ethics in the draw outside Rafa Nadal, so look for him to play the role of backboard against the 6-foot-6 Croat. Cilic is fresh off an adductor injury that kept him out of two summer series events prior to the Open, but he's shown no signs of ailment thus far. This third-round match will favor the tireless Schwartzman in four sets.
(28) Kevin Anderson vs. Borna Coric
So far this tournament No. 28 seed Kevin Anderson has had a breezy run to the third round of the US Open, having yet to drop a set this week against two players ranked outside the Top 250. But that may all change on Friday when he takes on 20-year-old Borna Coric. The rising NextGen ATP star put on the performance of the week against No. 4 Alexander Zverev, unleashing a level of firepower that could take him deep into the second week of the tournament. Though Anderson may dominate with his big serves, Coric has the tools to diffuse the South African's biggest weapon, as long as he can return to the courts feeling fresh. Young gun Coric takes it in five.
WOMEN
(WC) Sofia Kenin vs. Maria Sharapova
It's been a wild and thrilling week for 18-year-old Sofia Kenin. After earning a wild card into the main draw of the US Open for the second consecutive year, she has made it to the third round of a major for the first time in her career, in just her fourth tour-level main draw. On Friday morning, she'll get the experience of a lifetime as she faces her childhood role model and 2006 US Open champion Maria Sharapova.
Sharapova herself is having a somewhat surprise run through the draw this week. She wasn't expected to make it past No. 2 seed Simona Halep in the first round, especially given the fact that she had only played one match since May, and that was after serving her 15-month ITF suspension. But the electric vibes of Sharapova's previous success in New York have somehow revived the Maria of old, breathing new life into her game and fueling her drive with every win. Sharapova's experience and ferocity will prevail, and Kenin's dream run ends at the hands of her idol in straights.
Ashleigh Barty vs. Sloane Stephens
US Open starlet Sloane Stephens will certainly have the crowd behind her when she faces Australian Ashleigh Barty in the third round. The American's shot-making ability and determination to track down every ball sent her way makes her a threat in these early rounds, especially if she can feed off the crowd's energy. But Barty is a woman on the rise with a breakthrough season, winning her first career title in Kuala Lumpur, finishing runner-up in Birmingham and scoring a confidence-boosting win over Venus Williams in Cincinnati this summer. In a tight three-set contest, Stephens takes the win.
MEN
(29) Diego Schwartzman vs. (5) Marin Cilic
When you pit the ATP's leading returner against one of the tour's biggest servers, you have a contrast of styles that makes for some thrilling entertainment. But if there is anyone who has a shot at neutralizing 2014 titlist Marin Cilic's serve, it's No. 29 seed Diego Schwartzman, the tour's leading man in returns at 36 percent. Schwartzman may just have one of the best work ethics in the draw outside Rafa Nadal, so look for him to play the role of backboard against the 6-foot-6 Croat. Cilic is fresh off an adductor injury that kept him out of two summer series events prior to the Open, but he's shown no signs of ailment thus far. This third-round match will favor the tireless Schwartzman in four sets.
(28) Kevin Anderson vs. Borna Coric
So far this tournament No. 28 seed Kevin Anderson has had a breezy run to the third round of the US Open, having yet to drop a set this week against two players ranked outside the Top 250. But that may all change on Friday when he takes on 20-year-old Borna Coric. The rising NextGen ATP star put on the performance of the week against No. 4 Alexander Zverev, unleashing a level of firepower that could take him deep into the second week of the tournament. Though Anderson may dominate with his big serves, Coric has the tools to diffuse the South African's biggest weapon, as long as he can return to the courts feeling fresh. Young gun Coric takes it in five.
Everybody’s working for the weekend.
While the majority of the American populace figures to be sliding out of their jobs early today, hitting the road for the long Labor Day weekend, many of tennis’ top talents will be reporting to work at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, looking to extend their employment into the weekend with an eye toward securing a two-week gig. The Day 5 workforce includes Venus Williams, Marin Cilic, John Isner, Sam Querrey, Garbiñe Muguruza, Denis Shapovalov, Petra Kvitova and Maria Sharapova – each looking to add the title “2017 US Open champion” to their respective resumes.
Two-time US Open champ Williams is making her 19th career appearance in Flushing, winning back-to-back titles here in 2000 and 2001. At 37, Williams is the oldest player in the women’s draw, but the No. 9 seed is competing with a level of energy, intensity and focus that makes the calendar completely irrelevant, proving the wisdom of the great Satchel Paige, who once observed, “Age is a case of mind over matter – if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
Williams has been a large force at the majors this year, reaching the final of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, the latter marking her 16th appearance in a Grand Slam final. Her first-round win here over Viktoria Kuzmova was the 750th of her career, and through two rounds, she now owns a 73-15 lifetime mark at the Open, second-best among active players, trailing only her younger sister Serena. She’ll look to better that mark today against Maria Sakkari of Greece, who’s appearing in the third round of a major for the third time this year, reaching this same point at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Sakkari, 22, has already planted a seed in her advance, taking out No. 24 Kiki Bertens in the first round, but she’ll need to dig a lot deeper if she’s going to uproot Williams, who beat the Greek in their only career meeting, a second-round encounter at Wimbledon in 2016. The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion may give up 15 years to her opponent, but that figures to be about all she’ll surrender. In two, Williams is on to Round 4.
No. 3 seed Muguruza is riding a seven-match win streak through the first two rounds here, coming to New York after winning the US Open Series stop in Cincinnati. The 23-year-old Spaniard captured her second career Slam crown this year, adding a Wimbledon title to her 2016 triumph at Roland Garros. By defeating Venus Williams in the All-England final, she became the first player to notch wins over both Williams sisters in Grand Slam finals, having taken down Serena Williams for the French crown. Incredibly, this third-round showing represents Muguruza’s best-ever US Open performance; in four prior tries, she’s never been beyond Round 2.
The Spaniard will today try to better her best-career Open showing against Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia. The No. 31 seed posted her own best Slam showing in July, rolling across the lawns of London before getting mowed down by Muguruza in the semis. Rybarikova, 28, has twice before reached the third round here but has lost in Flushing’s first round in each of her last three appearances. Including this summer’s grapple on the grass, the two women have met four times, with Muguruza holding a 3-1 edge. While Muguruza no doubt has her sights set on driving deeper in the draw, she’d be smart not to look past Rybarikova, whose game translates well on Flushing’s hard floors. It’s doubtful she will, since you don’t win majors without major focus. In a tight two, the Spaniard advances.
Men’s No. 10 seed Isner is into the third round here for the ninth consecutive year and the 10th time in the last 11. Unfortunately for the American, his previous attempts to drive much deeper here have always stalled. Despite his huge serve and lethal ground game, Isner has been as far as the quarters just once – in 2011 – and that represents the best major performance of his career. The top-ranked American at No. 15, Isner this summer won back-to-back events at Newport and Atlanta and, not surprisingly, leads all men in aces to this point in the tournament, blasting 52 through two rounds.
Tonight, Isner takes on the No. 23 seed, Mischa Zverev, who’s into the third round here for the first time in his career. A quarterfinalist at the Aussie Open earlier this year, the German didn’t figure to be the Zverev who advanced farthest in this year’s men’s draw, but with younger brother Alexander ousted in a second-round upset, it’s now up to the senior sibling to represent the family name as the space between the lines gets wider. Zverev, ranked No. 27, is fresh off a five-set marathon win over Benoit Paire in round two, so exactly how fresh he’ll be here remains to be seen. The two men have split their four career meetings, with Zverev winning the last two – including a second-round win in Melbourne in January. This should be a good one, a high-caliber showdown between two men who know how to pack a punch. In five, Isner scores the knockout to advance.
One of the most entertaining players in the game today, Canadian Shapovalov is the real deal; a hard-hitting, fiercely competitive talent who wears his hat backward and figures to push Canada forward on tennis’ global stage. The 18-year-old, who played his way through qualifying here to get into his first career major main draw, announced his presence with authority north of the border earlier this summer, beating Juan Martin del Potro and Rafael Nadal back-to-back in reaching the final of Toronto. Shapovalov has already taken out a seed in his advance to this point, icing No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium in Round 2.
Today, the Canadian goes up against Great Britain’s Kyle Edmund, who beat Isner here last year in his US Open debut to reach the fourth round, representing his deepest advance at a Slam. Edmund, 22, has put together a solid summer, reaching the semifinals at both Atlanta and Winston-Salem. Now ranked No. 42, the Brit is himself a fine talent but doesn’t own the attacking ability or the array of weapons that the Canadian possesses. The two have split a pair of career meetings, but after displaying a lethal cool on the sport’s biggest stage Wednesday night, Shapovalov would seem to have the edge in both talent and temperament here. In three, he’s on to Round 4.
While the majority of the American populace figures to be sliding out of their jobs early today, hitting the road for the long Labor Day weekend, many of tennis’ top talents will be reporting to work at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, looking to extend their employment into the weekend with an eye toward securing a two-week gig. The Day 5 workforce includes Venus Williams, Marin Cilic, John Isner, Sam Querrey, Garbiñe Muguruza, Denis Shapovalov, Petra Kvitova and Maria Sharapova – each looking to add the title “2017 US Open champion” to their respective resumes.
Two-time US Open champ Williams is making her 19th career appearance in Flushing, winning back-to-back titles here in 2000 and 2001. At 37, Williams is the oldest player in the women’s draw, but the No. 9 seed is competing with a level of energy, intensity and focus that makes the calendar completely irrelevant, proving the wisdom of the great Satchel Paige, who once observed, “Age is a case of mind over matter – if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
Williams has been a large force at the majors this year, reaching the final of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, the latter marking her 16th appearance in a Grand Slam final. Her first-round win here over Viktoria Kuzmova was the 750th of her career, and through two rounds, she now owns a 73-15 lifetime mark at the Open, second-best among active players, trailing only her younger sister Serena. She’ll look to better that mark today against Maria Sakkari of Greece, who’s appearing in the third round of a major for the third time this year, reaching this same point at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Sakkari, 22, has already planted a seed in her advance, taking out No. 24 Kiki Bertens in the first round, but she’ll need to dig a lot deeper if she’s going to uproot Williams, who beat the Greek in their only career meeting, a second-round encounter at Wimbledon in 2016. The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion may give up 15 years to her opponent, but that figures to be about all she’ll surrender. In two, Williams is on to Round 4.
No. 3 seed Muguruza is riding a seven-match win streak through the first two rounds here, coming to New York after winning the US Open Series stop in Cincinnati. The 23-year-old Spaniard captured her second career Slam crown this year, adding a Wimbledon title to her 2016 triumph at Roland Garros. By defeating Venus Williams in the All-England final, she became the first player to notch wins over both Williams sisters in Grand Slam finals, having taken down Serena Williams for the French crown. Incredibly, this third-round showing represents Muguruza’s best-ever US Open performance; in four prior tries, she’s never been beyond Round 2.
The Spaniard will today try to better her best-career Open showing against Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia. The No. 31 seed posted her own best Slam showing in July, rolling across the lawns of London before getting mowed down by Muguruza in the semis. Rybarikova, 28, has twice before reached the third round here but has lost in Flushing’s first round in each of her last three appearances. Including this summer’s grapple on the grass, the two women have met four times, with Muguruza holding a 3-1 edge. While Muguruza no doubt has her sights set on driving deeper in the draw, she’d be smart not to look past Rybarikova, whose game translates well on Flushing’s hard floors. It’s doubtful she will, since you don’t win majors without major focus. In a tight two, the Spaniard advances.
Men’s No. 10 seed Isner is into the third round here for the ninth consecutive year and the 10th time in the last 11. Unfortunately for the American, his previous attempts to drive much deeper here have always stalled. Despite his huge serve and lethal ground game, Isner has been as far as the quarters just once – in 2011 – and that represents the best major performance of his career. The top-ranked American at No. 15, Isner this summer won back-to-back events at Newport and Atlanta and, not surprisingly, leads all men in aces to this point in the tournament, blasting 52 through two rounds.
Tonight, Isner takes on the No. 23 seed, Mischa Zverev, who’s into the third round here for the first time in his career. A quarterfinalist at the Aussie Open earlier this year, the German didn’t figure to be the Zverev who advanced farthest in this year’s men’s draw, but with younger brother Alexander ousted in a second-round upset, it’s now up to the senior sibling to represent the family name as the space between the lines gets wider. Zverev, ranked No. 27, is fresh off a five-set marathon win over Benoit Paire in round two, so exactly how fresh he’ll be here remains to be seen. The two men have split their four career meetings, with Zverev winning the last two – including a second-round win in Melbourne in January. This should be a good one, a high-caliber showdown between two men who know how to pack a punch. In five, Isner scores the knockout to advance.
One of the most entertaining players in the game today, Canadian Shapovalov is the real deal; a hard-hitting, fiercely competitive talent who wears his hat backward and figures to push Canada forward on tennis’ global stage. The 18-year-old, who played his way through qualifying here to get into his first career major main draw, announced his presence with authority north of the border earlier this summer, beating Juan Martin del Potro and Rafael Nadal back-to-back in reaching the final of Toronto. Shapovalov has already taken out a seed in his advance to this point, icing No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium in Round 2.
Today, the Canadian goes up against Great Britain’s Kyle Edmund, who beat Isner here last year in his US Open debut to reach the fourth round, representing his deepest advance at a Slam. Edmund, 22, has put together a solid summer, reaching the semifinals at both Atlanta and Winston-Salem. Now ranked No. 42, the Brit is himself a fine talent but doesn’t own the attacking ability or the array of weapons that the Canadian possesses. The two have split a pair of career meetings, but after displaying a lethal cool on the sport’s biggest stage Wednesday night, Shapovalov would seem to have the edge in both talent and temperament here. In three, he’s on to Round 4.
[h=1]U.S. Open Day 4 Quotebook.[/h]
Whether it’s on-court interviews or post-match press conferences, the world's top tennis players always have something interesting to say. We’ve culled some of best quotes from Day 4 at the US Open:
“It's hard to beat a New York crowd when they're for you.” — CoCo Vandeweghe
“I'm pretty confident that I'm only going to get better from here.” — Roger Federer, who has survived two five-setters to reach the second round
“I don't feel fatigue. I feel positive. I feel hungry to keep playing.” — Rafael Nadal
“It's starting to set in a little bit now. Going to be sore.” — Shelby Rogers, who topped Daria Gavrilova 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 in three hours and 33 minutes — setting a record for the longest women’s singles match in US Open history
“I'm pretty chill. I don't really put too much stress on myself off-court. Life's pretty good.” — Jennifer Brady, who ousted Barbora Strycova 6-1, 6-1
“I don't think they can deal with my hair.” — Naomi Osaka on whether she uses the salon in the players lounge at the US Open
“It's one of the greatest honors in the sport.” — Nicole Gibbs on playing in Arthur Ashe Stadium
“That's the most important thing as an athlete, that you can trust your body to do what you need it to do when push comes shove.” — Nicole Gibbs
“When I'm playing my best, I'm aggressive. When I see the shot I like, I take it. I go for it. I try to hit a winner. I try to hurt my opponent. I'm not the guy that's going to stay back and rally, rally, rally, wait for a miss. I wait for my chance. As soon as I see my chance, I go for it.” — Taylor Fritz
“I think it's probably the closest I've ever been with a coach. I truly love just being around her.” — Madison Keys on her coach, Hall of Famer Lindsay Davenport
“I'm a very emotional person. Yes, I'm a hugger. I usually hug everyone after my match. Some people don't like it. Sorry.” — Shelby Rogers
“It's like lining up for a free throw. You visualize your free throw, go through your routine, you shoot it, because you can control all of that. It's the same with a serve.” — CoCo Vandeweghe, whose uncle, Kiki Vandeweghe, played for the New York Knicks
Whether it’s on-court interviews or post-match press conferences, the world's top tennis players always have something interesting to say. We’ve culled some of best quotes from Day 4 at the US Open:
“It's hard to beat a New York crowd when they're for you.” — CoCo Vandeweghe
“I'm pretty confident that I'm only going to get better from here.” — Roger Federer, who has survived two five-setters to reach the second round
“I don't feel fatigue. I feel positive. I feel hungry to keep playing.” — Rafael Nadal
“It's starting to set in a little bit now. Going to be sore.” — Shelby Rogers, who topped Daria Gavrilova 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 in three hours and 33 minutes — setting a record for the longest women’s singles match in US Open history
“I'm pretty chill. I don't really put too much stress on myself off-court. Life's pretty good.” — Jennifer Brady, who ousted Barbora Strycova 6-1, 6-1
“I don't think they can deal with my hair.” — Naomi Osaka on whether she uses the salon in the players lounge at the US Open
“It's one of the greatest honors in the sport.” — Nicole Gibbs on playing in Arthur Ashe Stadium
“That's the most important thing as an athlete, that you can trust your body to do what you need it to do when push comes shove.” — Nicole Gibbs
“When I'm playing my best, I'm aggressive. When I see the shot I like, I take it. I go for it. I try to hit a winner. I try to hurt my opponent. I'm not the guy that's going to stay back and rally, rally, rally, wait for a miss. I wait for my chance. As soon as I see my chance, I go for it.” — Taylor Fritz
“I think it's probably the closest I've ever been with a coach. I truly love just being around her.” — Madison Keys on her coach, Hall of Famer Lindsay Davenport
“I'm a very emotional person. Yes, I'm a hugger. I usually hug everyone after my match. Some people don't like it. Sorry.” — Shelby Rogers
“It's like lining up for a free throw. You visualize your free throw, go through your routine, you shoot it, because you can control all of that. It's the same with a serve.” — CoCo Vandeweghe, whose uncle, Kiki Vandeweghe, played for the New York Knicks
Champions, title contenders headline Day 5 schedule.
The fight for a spot in the fourth round of a wide-open men’s competition continues on Day 5 in New York as two former US Open women’s champions headline the action in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
When Andy Murray withdrew from the tournament last weekend, it opened the door in the lower half of the draw for 64 other players whose chances of glory improved with his absence. Sixteen of those men are still in contention, and that will get slashed in half after Thursday's play.
No. 5 seed Marin Cilic leads the charge in the bottom half of the draw, and he’ll look to move three wins from a spot in the final when he faces No. 29 seed Diego Schwartzman. No. 10 seed John Isner will play No. 23 Mischa Zverev in the first of two evening matches inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, and fellow seeds Lucas Pouille (16) and Kevin Anderson (28) will also be in action against Mikhail Kukushkin and Borna Coric, respectively.
On the women’s side, two of the biggest names in the game will take center stage in the biggest tennis stadium in the world.
Two-time US Open champion and No. 9 seed Venus Williams is third on in the day session against Maria Sakkari of Greece, and 2009 champion Maria Sharapova will look to continue her impressive run against American teen Sofia Kenin.
Should the former champions keep winning, they are scheduled to meet in a must-see semifinal one week from now.
Play in Ashe gets underway with 13th-seeded Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic against No. 18 seed Caroline Garcia of France, followed by rising Canadian teen Denis Shapovalov against Kyle Edmund of Great Britain.
Elsewhere around the grounds, women’s doubles top seeds Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova are in action against the all-American duo of Jennifer Brady and Alison Riske on Court 11, and mixed doubles second seeds Sania Mirza and Ivan Dodig will face Jelena Ostapenko and Fabrice Martin on Court 6.
The fight for a spot in the fourth round of a wide-open men’s competition continues on Day 5 in New York as two former US Open women’s champions headline the action in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
When Andy Murray withdrew from the tournament last weekend, it opened the door in the lower half of the draw for 64 other players whose chances of glory improved with his absence. Sixteen of those men are still in contention, and that will get slashed in half after Thursday's play.
No. 5 seed Marin Cilic leads the charge in the bottom half of the draw, and he’ll look to move three wins from a spot in the final when he faces No. 29 seed Diego Schwartzman. No. 10 seed John Isner will play No. 23 Mischa Zverev in the first of two evening matches inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, and fellow seeds Lucas Pouille (16) and Kevin Anderson (28) will also be in action against Mikhail Kukushkin and Borna Coric, respectively.
On the women’s side, two of the biggest names in the game will take center stage in the biggest tennis stadium in the world.
Two-time US Open champion and No. 9 seed Venus Williams is third on in the day session against Maria Sakkari of Greece, and 2009 champion Maria Sharapova will look to continue her impressive run against American teen Sofia Kenin.
Should the former champions keep winning, they are scheduled to meet in a must-see semifinal one week from now.
Play in Ashe gets underway with 13th-seeded Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic against No. 18 seed Caroline Garcia of France, followed by rising Canadian teen Denis Shapovalov against Kyle Edmund of Great Britain.
Elsewhere around the grounds, women’s doubles top seeds Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova are in action against the all-American duo of Jennifer Brady and Alison Riske on Court 11, and mixed doubles second seeds Sania Mirza and Ivan Dodig will face Jelena Ostapenko and Fabrice Martin on Court 6.
She was born in a place filled with people, cold concrete, buildings with silly roofs sorta like there is in Istanbul. All the people walked around with fuzzy hats with one big Red Star on their front, their eyes cast downward at the snowy grey streets. Pictures were on walls showing people that didn't look like the people, she wondered what they meant
Long long lines for Bread and Cheese. Every day. Seperate Lines, for each, had to stand in both which she guessed they needed because they did it all the time, it would take the whole day and sometimes after hours and hours in line they'd get nothing, the building would just close and they'd have to go away, back to the small cold room they lived in where her father would spend the rest of the hours 'til it was time to sleep training her to hit a ball with a netstick.
Her Father was once the best pingpong player at his school when he was young. Later she'd find out he was only 3rd Best.
She moved to America as a baby, discovering a whole world around a game based on that ball and netstick which she'd gotten real good cuz its all there was to do in the small room after spending all day in those lines in the cold streets of that far-away place so she got trained more in a building with other people learning how to do the game as best they could.
She went on to win junior international championships, her trademark weapon is her fight and determination. She's blonde, sponsored by Nike and has a passion for diamonds.
Her story is the exact same as the Woman who Became The a Star at the game then got knocked down for eating a bad mushroom or some thing, the Superstar Woman who (at least at one time) had everything that she herself dreamed of having.
Tonight, as The Fates would have it.......
.....she was to face that woman in Battle, that woman who's story, her life before she got everything a girl like her could ever Dream of having, was so eerily similar to her own life's story....Tonight she was to Battle that Famous Woman on the Biggest Stage of the ball and netstick game in America, in a stadium packed to capacity with very few knowing her name but they all would know her opponent, the Super Star Woman.
That she so wanted to become. Wanted to have what She had
Long long lines for Bread and Cheese. Every day. Seperate Lines, for each, had to stand in both which she guessed they needed because they did it all the time, it would take the whole day and sometimes after hours and hours in line they'd get nothing, the building would just close and they'd have to go away, back to the small cold room they lived in where her father would spend the rest of the hours 'til it was time to sleep training her to hit a ball with a netstick.
Her Father was once the best pingpong player at his school when he was young. Later she'd find out he was only 3rd Best.
She moved to America as a baby, discovering a whole world around a game based on that ball and netstick which she'd gotten real good cuz its all there was to do in the small room after spending all day in those lines in the cold streets of that far-away place so she got trained more in a building with other people learning how to do the game as best they could.
She went on to win junior international championships, her trademark weapon is her fight and determination. She's blonde, sponsored by Nike and has a passion for diamonds.
Her story is the exact same as the Woman who Became The a Star at the game then got knocked down for eating a bad mushroom or some thing, the Superstar Woman who (at least at one time) had everything that she herself dreamed of having.
Tonight, as The Fates would have it.......
.....she was to face that woman in Battle, that woman who's story, her life before she got everything a girl like her could ever Dream of having, was so eerily similar to her own life's story....Tonight she was to Battle that Famous Woman on the Biggest Stage of the ball and netstick game in America, in a stadium packed to capacity with very few knowing her name but they all would know her opponent, the Super Star Woman.
That she so wanted to become. Wanted to have what She had
for as long as she could remember.
