Brady: from college to semis passing through Germany

Jennifer Brady (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 25 years old) is the great revelation of the US Open and proved it with a resounding victory (6-3 and 6-2 in 69 minutes) in the quarterfinals against the powerful Kazakh Yulia Puntintseva, 23rd favorite. Wonders are spoken of about his drive and he is probably the best currently in the women's team, with the permission of Serena Williams, with whom he could only meet in the final. In the semifinals they will be seen on Thursday with Naomi Osaka, who easily beat her compatriot Shelby Rogers (6-3, 6-4). She is a candidate for the title, if her left leg discomfort does not prevent her from performing even better.

But Brady's story is more valued in the United States because it is about a former university player, who preferred to study while competing in the prestigious college from UCLA and delay your step to professionalism, something that some of her compatriots contemporaries did, such as Madison Keys, who coincided with her at the academy of the legendary Chris Evert, in Boca Raton (Florida). In fact, it is very common in women's tennis for players to jump onto the circuit when they are still teenagers. “I didn't feel ready to compete with the other girls and going to college made me grow as a person, be more mature,” Jennifer explained. Her arrival in the quarterfinals was the first by a former college student to that round of the New York Grand Slam since Gigi Fernández in 1994. As for the semifinals, it is the first to arrive at the US Open since Lori McNeill (Oklahoma State) in 1987. In recent years, Danille Collins (Virginia) is the only one to do the same but at the 2019 Australian Open. Brady played two seasons at UCLA (2013-15), and twice won the All-America award, in addition to help lead the Bruins to the NCAA title in 2014.

That course, at the age of 19, she finally decided to enter the WTA and has progressed. But the major turning point in his career was the decision at the end of 2019 to leave the Florida heat and head to cold Regensburg, Germany., to put himself under the command of Michael Geserer as a coach (formerly of Julia Goerges) and Daniel Pohl as a physical trainer. The result, the best season of his life. Quarters in Brisbane, semi-finals in Dubai and title in Lexington before reaching the semi-finals of a major for the first time. It started 2020 as number 53 in the world and is now virtually 25th. If she lifts the title at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center, she will go home with a spot in the top 15. He grew up with Justine Henin and Lleyton Hewitt as references, he admires Federer and still does not know German, but they already fear him.

Osaka puts the direct

From low to high at the US Open, Naomi Osaka reached the semifinals with a mix of pace, speed and dominance that must scare her rivals. In 79 minutes he disarmed Shelby Rogers, who had beaten him in their previous three meetings without losing a single set. But they had not crossed paths for three years and in that time the Japanese has made a lot of progress. The American realized it right away, although she resisted with integrity until in the sixth game she lost her serve and could not recover the disadvantage. In the second set, the break came earlier, for the 2-1 and Osaka service, which in that sense was sensational: he only gave up four points with first and eight with second, with percentages that only granted Rogers a break point , saved by the victor. Naomi's impeccable performance (only eight unforced errors) places her in her third Grand Slam semifinal and the other two times (US Open 2018 and Australian Open 2009) lifted the title.

Results of the day.