Bill Simons
New York
She doesn’t have as cool a name as another 17-year-old American who was in the US Open draw. Katy Volynets is a much more clever tennis name than Caty McNally. She doesn’t have any of the “a star is born” sizzle of her doubles partner Coco. The Ohioan doesn’t have that many crazed fans yet, and hasn’t been on the cover of tennis magazines.
What Cincinnati’s young McNally did have was one tough draw. Facing the biggest women’s star in tennis history on the biggest court in the game is bit of a challenge, wouldn’t you say? Just ask Maria Sharapova, who must be still licking her wounds. Going into tonight’s match, Serena was 18-0 in second-round US Open encounters. Goodness, she hadn’t even lost a set in any of those matches.
But, just like a fellow named Federer earlier today, Serena lost the first set before a “what’s happening?” crowd. After all, the Cincinnati kid, who hadn’t been born when Lady Williams won her first Slam, was fearless and hitting free.
La di da, la di da, Caty danced on the baseline just before Serena served. Her statement was clear: “Girls just wanna have fun.” Why give the great diva an ounce of deference? When it came to expectations, McNally was uncaring, when it came to going for the lines she was daring.
She tapped into her inner Stefan Edberg and charged the net off of Williams’ serve – no fear. “I haven’t seen anyone do that in 20 years,” Chris Evert noted. And the crowd noted that McNally, who reached the semis in DC earlier this summer, had an all-court grit and the kind of appealing variety that adept doubles players offer.
Was there before us another great young American prospect like Amanda Anisimova, Sonya Kenin and Coco Gauff? Caty has a big serve, a dandy forehand, and occasionally unleashes a wicked backhand slice. Unlike Sharapova, her shots aren’t one-dimensional. They weren’t delivered on a platter right into Williams’ considerable wheelhouse.
Serena was confused. In the first round, she’d known Sharapova’s game like a well-read book – she’d been to that rodeo 23 times. But this kid’s game was a mystery. Serena’s forehands flew – she struggled to keep her cool. She later gave us this candid self-analysis: “Serena, you made so many errors, what are you doing?”
Williams couldn’t pull away from the pride of Ohio. The crowd roared – Caty’s mom and mentor beamed in delight. Her brother, in his Ohio State shirt, was proud. Her coach saluted his gutsy pupil. McNally pounced when she got her one break point. She grabbed the first set 7-5, and caught the attention of a tennis nation.
But it’s one thing for a bounding Buckeye to snatch a set. “She had nothing to lose,” Serena noted later. It’s quite another thing to down Ms. Williams, who arguably, along with Mr. Nadal, is the fiercest fighter in the sport.
Serena’s the only woman who actually has a winning record after losing the first set. And she’s merciless against kids – she’s 57-3 against teens. And, bingo, in the fifth game of the second set, McNally blinked: two double faults. And Serena imposed, as she blasted a return of serve winner en route to tying the match at a set apiece. She offered a cold stare and a confident fist pump. After all, Serena had won 160 of the 220 third sets she’d played. Rookie Caty had a 1-1 record. Serena collected 10 of the last 12 games of the match. She explained the strategy behind her dicey 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 victory, saying, “I was trying to let Serena come through for once.”
So we say, watch out, good ladies of the US Open. Yes, Serena has a ton of pressure on her broad, beautiful shoulders. She’s 37 and susceptible. With her, anything can happen. But now she’s beaten a familiar rival from the middle of Russia and a brave newbie from the middle of America. She seems hungry, focused and on a mission. She has to be eager to make amends for last year’s debacle. Who wouldn’t be?
She’s a tennis historian who’s darned tired of being one title shy of Margaret Court’s record of 24 Slams. And she certainly wants to finally win a major as a mother. Plus, she told her fans, “It’s okay, I’m alive, I’ll do better. I promise.” And Serena has a habit of delivering on her promises. She’s done it 23 times.
