Flushing Meadows, an outside court, Monday at 16:30 UTC: Nadia Podoroska and Simona Waltert open their US Open. Waltert brings the ranking, Podoroska brings the ball-striking of a player whose number no longer describes her tennis.
Cincinnati still hangs over both of them
Podoroska's week in Ohio started with a clean 6-2 6-2 against Ella Seidel: serve protected, forehand pushing the rallies around. Then came Emiliana Arango. A set up, 5-2 ahead, a match point on the racquet, and five straight games gone.
Waltert's month reads differently. She dug out Petra Marcinko from a set down, 5-7 6-4 6-2, then watched Jessica Pegula pull her second serve apart, and lost again in Philadelphia to Fiona Crawley. The rally tolerance is real; the service rhythm is not settled.
Whoever gets first strike on the return
Podoroska stands close and takes the ball early — exactly the pressure that hurried Waltert in Cincinnati. Watch the first crosscourt forehand of each rally: if it drags the Swiss beyond the doubles alley, she starts every point retreating and the holds become negotiations.
The honest risk sits on the other side of the net, or rather in Podoroska's own head. She has led and lost twice this summer, and Waltert is patient enough to make her hit one extra ball. Even so, the Argentine won their only previous meeting, the hard-court evidence from Cincinnati is fresher than the ranking, and the underdog tag looks misplaced.
Prediction: Nadia Podoroska to win, odds 2.69
