Ivanovic shocking victim
No. 188 Coin topples No. 1
NEW YORK - There are no textbooks in the Clemson library that can provide the statistical information Julie Coin provided all by herself yesterday afternoon. The 25-year-old Frenchwoman, who spent four years honing her tennis skills and her English at the prestigious South Carolina institution - rising to No. 2 in the NCAA rankings and graduating with a degree in mathematical sciences in 2005 - shredded the tennis record books with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 upset of top seed and world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic in the second round of the US Open.
The 188th-ranked Coin (pronounced Kwa), who had to win three qualifying matches - two of them difficult three-setters - just to get into the main draw, became the first qualifier to knock out a top seed at a major since Jelena Dokic upset Martina Hingis in the first round at Wimbledon in 1999. The last time a No. 1 seed lost in the second round of the US Championships was in 1966, when Billie Jean King fell to Australian Kerry Melville, 6-4, 6-4.
Routinely blasting serves that topped 110 miles per hour, Coin kept her composure as her heart raced to the finish line against Ivanovic, who has struggled to regain her form since a thumb injury forced her to withdraw from the Olympics. Ivanovic, who was taken to three sets in her opening-round match against Vera Dushevina, was shaky off the ground and capitalized on only one of eight break points, including three in the fifth game of the third set. Despite a win at the French Open in June and a runner-up finish at the Australian Open in January, Ivanovic will likely relinquish the No. 1 ranking she retook from Jelena Jankovic just a week ago. Should Jankovic, Serena Williams, Elena Dementieva, and Dinara Safina reach the semifinals here, Ivanovic will drop to No. 5.
"Obviously, it's very frustrating because I know I can play so much better," said the 20-year-old Ivanovic, who has never advanced beyond the Round of 16 in four attempts here. "This was a very disappointing loss for me, but it's something that I have to accept."
Coin had never played in the cavernous Arthur Ashe Stadium and was scheduled to compete on the more intimate Louis Armstrong court. But the match was moved at the last minute, preventing Coin from even practicing on the Open's grandest stage. Just two weeks ago, Coin lost to the 423d-ranked player in the world in the first round of a $50,000 ITF Challenger tournament in the Bronx. But it was a three-set loss in the first round of qualifying at Wimbledon to 467th-ranked Anna Smith of Great Britain that got her thinking about finding a job outside tennis.
"I was thinking, 'Am I really made to play tennis?' " said Coin, who found her way to Clemson thanks to an ex-boyfriend who was attending the school. " 'Am I going to be able to get into the top 100 someday?' Because it's not worth it to play tennis if you're not in the top 100. You're in the shadow of all the best players when you're outside the top 100."
Regardless of what happens from here on, Coin is out of the shadows. Her opponent in the third round will be her countrywoman, another former world No. 1, Amelie Mauresmo, who fought back for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 win over Kaia Kanepi of Estonia. Mauresmo and Coin grew up in the same region of France, though Mauresmo, four years older than Coin, left to train with the French Federation when she was 11.
While some women struggled to reach the third round, others made it look like a stroll down Madison Avenue. Venus Williams needed just 59 minutes to dispatch 32-year-old Paraguayan qualifier Rosanna de los Rios, 6-0, 6-3, while her sister Serena needed one minute fewer to trounce Russian Elena Vesnina, 6-1, 6-1. As the sisters sashay closer to a quarterfinal meeting, Venus will next face Alona Bondarenko from the Ukraine, while Serena faces 33-year-old Ai Sugiyama of Japan.
The top-seeded men all advanced, though American Mardy Fish, just weeks shy of his September wedding, scored a mild upset when he beat 24th-seeded Paul-Henri Mathieu of France, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, to reach the third round for the first time in nine tries. His opponent in the next round will be one of his groomsmen, James Blake, who appeared to be in trouble against Belgian Steve Darcis when Darcis, suffering lower back pain, suddenly retired with Blake leading, 4-6, 6-3, 1-0.
Also moving on were the top seed, Rafael Nadal, who beat qualifier Ryler DeHeart, a 2006 graduate of the University of Illinois who helped his team win the 2003 NCAA championship, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4; fourth seed David Ferrer of Spain; sixth-seeded Andy Murray of Great Britain; and 20-year-old American Sam Querrey, who outlasted Nicolas Devilder in four sets.
And in what may well become one of the great stories of the Open, 17th-seeded Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina extended his winning streak to 21 matches with a 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-3 decision over Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci. Del Potro, who has not lost since falling in the second round at Wimbledon in June and has captured four straight ATP tournaments, next meets 16th-seeded Gilles Simon of France.
But the day's spotlight belonged to Coin, who has won the first two tour-level matches of her career on a stage not quite like any other. Asked whether she thought it would take so long to find success, the former collegian said with a laugh, "Well, I've always been really slow. I am taking my time. I guess I'm a slow learner or something." 