US Open - Van Hees to quarters

Christie Van Hees has just cruised into the quarter finals of the US Open by defeating 3rd seed Angela Grisar, 11-4, 11-4, 11-2. Van Hees often has a slow start to her matches, but not this morning. Grisar got the first two points in game one, but then Van Hees stormed out to a 9-2 lead, winning 11-4.

Grisar struggled to find an effective serve. Late in game one, she hit drive Z serves to Van Hees's backhand, but after faulting on a third attempt never went back to it.

The speed of the ball and court may have been to Van Hees's advantage. They are playing with the Pro Penn HD ball, which is slower than the Ektelon Fireball normally used on the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) tour. Add to that they played on the portable court, which is slower than one with fixed walls, and Van Hees's power game style gains advantage because once the ball goes by her opponent they need to do extra work to retrieve it.

That extra work meant Grisar was often on the defensive throughout the match.

After they finished, and the crowd clapped, the song played through the tournament loudspeakers was Tom Petty's Don't do me like that.