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American teen Duval stuns Stosur
NEW YORK — The voice is tiny, but there was nothing small about American Victoria Duval’s first Grand Slam win.
The 17-year-old qualifier, ranked No. 296, pulled off the biggest upset of the 2013 U.S. Open with a come-from-behind victory against 2011 champion Samantha Stosur on Tuesday.
Trailing by a set and a break at Louis Armstrong Stadium, Duval showed poise beyond her years by hanging with the No. 11 seed from Australia.
Victoria Duval fires a forehand. (Susan Mullane, USA TODAY Sports)
When she cracked a crosscourt forehand winner on her fourth match point to close out the 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 first-round win, she hopped in the air with her arms extended as the partisan crowd erupted into cheers.
“It was a big moment, big stage, not easy closing any match out, let alone a past U.S. Open champion,” said Duval, who received a wild card into qualifying and next faces Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.
“I don’t even remember match point,” she added. “I guess I was really happy. I mean, you could tell by all the jumping I did.”
Born in Miami but raised in Haiti until age 8, Duval culminated a promising junior career by winning last year’s USTA 18-and-under girls championships to earn a wild card into the U.S. Open main draw (this month she lost in the national quarterfinals). That tournament was won by Sachia Vickery of Guyanese roots. Vickery also won her opening match coming back from behind in the first set to comfortably win 6-4-6-4 over Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.
In her first Grand Slam appearance, Duval lost to three-time U.S. Open winner Kim Clijsters in her last tournament before retiring.
In an on-court interview, Duval expressed gratitude to her mentor, Billie Jean King, and her father, who had flown in for the match.
“There’s a lot to be thankful for,” she said in a high-pitched voice that makes her sound even younger. “I don’t take anything for granted.”
Duval and two cousins were held hostage in Haiti when she was a 7-year-old, a situation she said she preferred not to remember.
Duval, who has a bright smile and called herself “goofy” off the court, said King sent her a text of congratulations and that she had heard American rapper Lil Wayne messaged her on Twitter, though she hasn’t yet signed up to become a member.
“I’m going to go hit that up,” she said. “Maybe I have to create one and be like @weezythankyou.”
Stosur praised Duval for her potent forehand and holding her nerve in the final game but said she made far too many unforced errors — 56 to Duval’s 35. She led in aces 9-0.
“I’m not going to be a sore loser and say she didn’t do anything,” said Stosur, who beat No. 2 Victoria Azarenka to win her fourth career title in Carlsbad, Calif., last month. “I think I certainly helped her out there today, that’s for sure.”
Said Duval: “Although she didn’t play nearly her best today, I played amazing, so I’ll take it.”
Joining Duval in the second round Tuesday were American women Christina McHale, Alison Riske and wild card Sachia Vickery, the U.S. girls 18U champion.
Duval was ebullient, bubbly, goofy and thoughtful in her post-match press conference.
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