STANFORD, CALIF. — Agnieszka Radwanska was just 18 when she scored the bona fide breakout win of her career, a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 third-round dismantling of defending U.S. Open champion Maria Sharapova on a swirling, wind-swept day inside the bigger-than-life Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2007.
It was one of those out-of-nowhere moments, when the tennis world is introduced to a young, fresh face, The Next Big Thing. Her image was splashed on the front pages of sports sections from Queens to Krakow. She was an instant media darling, joking with reporters about her pet rats – Flippy and Floppy. Her father/coach Robert likened his daughter’s accomplishment to winning $100 million in the lottery. Agnieszka agreed. To celebrate, she vowed to buy two Louis Vuitton bags, one for herself and one for here younger sister Urszula.
All smiles and forehands, the 5-foot-8 baseliner played with poise, with beyond-her-years composure considering that she was up against the then-No. 2 player in the world.
“I had nothing to lose,” said Radwanska, who’s since reached three Grand Slam quarterfinals but has never eclipsed that fourth-round showing of ’07 in New York. “I was playing against a top player. I wasn’t nervous. I could lose and nothing would happen. I enjoyed playing on the center court against a top player. I remember that time.”
Three years later, the 11th-ranked Radwanska is among a dangerous group of early-twentysomethings (along with the likes of Caroline Wozniacki, Yanina Wickmayer, Victoria Azarenka, etc.) who, given the right draw, appear ready to pounce on a Slam title at any moment. On Friday, the Pole, 21, got the best of another Russian – No. 27-ranked Maria Kirilenko — and advanced to the semifinals of the Bank of the West Classic with a lopsided 7-6, 6-0 win.
Kirilenko had won their previous two meetings, but this was undoubtedly Radwanska’s day. The duo traded breaks at 1-all in the evenly played first, but it was Radwanska who capitalized with an all-important break at 5-5 and subsequently closed out the stanza. Radwanska immediately broke her foe to open the second set and the clearly dispirited Russian all but packed it in.
“The first set was pretty tight, very close, long,” said Radwanska, who improved to 18-6 on hard courts this year. “I think she was upset losing the first set. I felt much better in the second set and was feeling more comfortable. When I was up 3-Love, I felt like I was going to win, but you have to be very focused until the last point.”
Radwanska now awaits the winner of the all-Russian Sharapova vs. Elena Dementieva quarterfinal.
