After winning her first WTA Premier title on hard courts by taking down world No. 3 Vera Zvonareva, 6-3, 6-4, to win the Mercury Insurance Open in San Diego, Agnieszka Radwanska says that she can have an impact at the U.S. Open. The 22-year-old Pole has reached the quarterfinals of three of the Grand Slams, but was been unable to take down the taller and more powerful players once she got there.
“I was pretty close [to reaching a Grand Slam semifinal] a few times, but I was always against top players and it was always close," she told reporters. "But I think I can do it, and if I play like that, for sure."
The 22-year-old Radwanska relies more on foot speed, court smarts and touch to win matches and does not think that she needs to amp up her power in order to progress further.
"Every player is different," said the Pole, who is frequently compared to Martina Hingis. "I'm really playing very good. You cannot [say] anyone is playing similar, especially in the women's tennis. So I'm just going to keep going and hope I can show some good tennis especially at the U.S. Open."
Zvonareva, who has reached two major finals, isn't convinced that simply maturing will allow Radwanska to make a bigger push. Radwanska will rise to No. 12 when the rankings are released on Monday.
"She's a great player so we'll see if experience will help her," Zvonareva said. "She's definitely got an ability, but we cannot forget that there are other great players that may not give her a chance to go there."