Julie Coin yesterday caused one of the biggest upsets in U.S. Open tennis history a few weeks after contemplating quitting the sport.
The French qualifier, ranked 188th in the world, dumped the top seed and French Open champion out of the final Grand Slam of the year. Ana Ivanovic's second-round exit was the earliest for a women's No. 1 seed since the Open era began 40 years ago.
Coin, in her Grand Slam debut, beat the Serb 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Rafael Nadal, the men's top seed, advanced against American qualifier Ryler DeHeart while Serena Williams beat Elena Vesnina of Russia. ``I just kept thinking `just play your game and put your first serve in and do your best,''' Coin told reporters at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
Only four female No. 1 seeds have lost prior to the semifinals since 1968. Billie Jean King's retirement from a third-round match at the 1973 U.S. Open was the previous earliest exit for a top seed, while the last No. 1 to lose so early in a Grand Slam was Justine Henin of Belgium, in the second round of the French Open in 2004.
In matches to be played today, defending champion Roger Federer of Switzerland plays Thiago Alves of Brazil, while third seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia faces Robert Kendrick of the U.S. Second-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia plays Chinese doubles specialist Zheng Jie, while Andy Roddick continues his quest for a second Grand Slam title in the last match of the day against Latvian teenager Ernests Gulbis.
Career Doubts -Born and raised in Amiens, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Paris, Coin had won $99,563 in her career before entering the U.S. Open, prompting her to consider her future.
``I wasn't playing that good and I was thinking, `am I really made to play tennis?''' she said. ``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.''
Things improved when she played an International Tennis Federation tournament in Vancouver this month, narrowly losing to Urszula Radwanska of Poland in the final. Ivanovic, who only started hitting balls again last week after a thumb injury prevented her from playing in the Olympics, said she was nervous before the match.
``I never saw her play before so I didn't know what to expect,'' the 20-year-old said. ``She played completely different than I expected. She was serving extremely well and hitting very powerful shots.'' `Frustrating'
Ivanovic made 34 unforced errors, while Coin produced 27. Ivanovic didn't serve any aces and eight double faults, while her opponent hit five aces and made four double faults. ``It's very frustrating, because I know I can play so much better,'' Ivanovic said. ``This was a very, very disappointing loss for me.''
The 25-year-old Coin didn't turn professional after high school. Instead, she went to South Carolina, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in mathematical sciences at Clemson University and played collegiate tennis.
She next faces Amelie Mauresmo, a former world No. 1 and Wimbledon champion who grew up in the same region in France. ``She's influenced a lot of French players,'' Coin said. ``She's kind of an idol in France. Everybody loves her.''