Anderson Victorious in US Open National Playoffs

Matawan native Robin Anderson is going to the US Open.

Competing in the finals of the US Open National Playoffs, held at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale University in New Haven, CT, Anderson capped off a dream week in the event by upsetting No. 2 seed Yasmin Schnack 5-7, 6-2, 6-1. The win gives Anderson a wildcard into the qualifying draw of the women's singles event at the US Open.

“I’m really excited about having the chance to compete against the best players in the world,” said Anderson. “I’m just ready to get there and see what happens.”

Perhaps overwhelmed by the chance to compete in the US Open qualifying draw, Anderson opened up the match with three double faults to give Schnack an early break and struggled with her timing early on.

“I was very aware of my surroundings and the crowd,” said Anderson. “It took a little while to settle in.”

The first set was a back-and-forth encounter featuring numerous service breaks, but it was Schnack’s gutsy trips to the net that got her to prevail in the opening set. She followed up a forehand drive with a volley winner to reach set point at 6-5, and a backhand error from Anderson gave the California native a one-set lead. 

Anderson had a break point in Schnack’s first service game of the second set, but missed it with a routine overhead. However, a forehand error from Schnack in her next service game gave Anderson a 3-1 lead. 

Schnack gained the break back in Anderson’s next service game, but a forehand winner from the Matawan native gave her a 4-2 lead, and she rode the momentum through to the rest of the match, reeling off eight consecutive games in total.

“I just tried to stay more consistent and make her play one extra ball,” said Anderson. “She started missing a bit towards the end me, which was definitely good for me.”

The final set was one-way traffic for Anderson. Schnack struggled to find the timing on her serve, hitting a pair of double faults to go down 2-0, and a double fault to also lose her next service game. Down 0-5, Schnack managed to hold serve and get on the board, but an ace down the middle from Anderson on her first match point gave her the match and the wildcard into the US Open qualifying tournament.

“I like my chances at qualifying,” said Anderson. “I think I’ve been hitting the ball pretty well this week.”

Despite the loss, Schnack was gracious in defeat afterwards.

“I want to thank the crowd for coming out here today and congratulate Robin for playing such a well-fought match,” said Schnack. “She definitely deserves it. I’m just glad that a fellow UCLA player will still be competing in the US Open.”

The US Open qualifying tournament will take place in NYC from August 23-26.