08-27-2019, 01:48 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-27-2019, 02:15 PM by ColoradoTree.)
<p>FYI, Stanford's own Nicole Gibbs qualified for the main draw, and just forced a third set against 4th-seeded Simona Halep in the first round, 3-6, 6-3. She was serving up 5-2, 40-0 in the second set, but Halep fought back, and they traded the advantage in a long game that Halep eventually took, but then Gibbs broke right back for the set, showing a really nice fight. Losing a game like that could have taken the wind right out of her sails, but it says a lot that she dug in and broke Halep right back. Gibbs will serve first in the third set, starting right now on the ESPN app. </p><br><p>(Gibbs lost her third round qualifying match, but as one of the highest-ranked players who lost in that round, she made the main draw as a lucky loser due to withdrawals.)</p>
<p>Kristie Ahn is due to play #63 Svetlana Kuznetsova in her first round match on Court 5 once the Tsonga-Sandgren match finishes up. </p>
<p>Gibbs broken to start the third set, and she's now down 0-2 after Halep consolidates.</p><br><p>This would be, by far, the biggest win of Nicole's career (in terms of qualify of opponent defeated, given Halep's French Open and Wimbledon titles and stints as the #1 player). But she'll have to break Halep another time or two to get there, and she'll have to dig deep to right the ship here. One hopes that there's more of that second-set Gibbs out there. </p>
<p>A nice hold for Gibbs, serving down 0-2, 0-30 and rattling off four straight points. She trails 1-2, down a break. </p>
<p>Halep holds for a 3-1 lead, and Gibbs is broken at love to go down 1-4. May be running out of steam....</p>
Now down 2-5, with Halep serving for the match. Come on, Nicole!
<p>Kristie Ahn is due to play #63 Svetlana Kuznetsova in her first round match on Court 5 once the Tsonga-Sandgren match finishes up. </p>
<p>Gibbs broken to start the third set, and she's now down 0-2 after Halep consolidates.</p><br><p>This would be, by far, the biggest win of Nicole's career (in terms of qualify of opponent defeated, given Halep's French Open and Wimbledon titles and stints as the #1 player). But she'll have to break Halep another time or two to get there, and she'll have to dig deep to right the ship here. One hopes that there's more of that second-set Gibbs out there. </p>
<p>A nice hold for Gibbs, serving down 0-2, 0-30 and rattling off four straight points. She trails 1-2, down a break. </p>
<p>Halep holds for a 3-1 lead, and Gibbs is broken at love to go down 1-4. May be running out of steam....</p>
Now down 2-5, with Halep serving for the match. Come on, Nicole!
