Qualifier Shocks Ivanovic in 2nd Round

No. 188 Coin Hands Top Seed Earliest Open Exit Since 1966

FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y., Aug. 28 -- Since starting her professional tennis career, Julie Coin had never played an event on the regular tour, much less in a Grand Slam. And at 25, with a career spent toiling in the minor leagues of tennis, Coin was ready to call it quits at the end of this season.

When she was young, Coin's parents urged their daughter to chase her own dreams. But all those years of going for it had earned Coin nothing more than heartbreak and a world ranking of No. 188.

At the end of this season, she figured she could use her math degree from Clemson to build a comfortable life. Maybe she could coach tennis somewhere, perhaps even leave her native France and take up residence in the United States.

Those plans, however, may have changed.

In her first appearance in any tour-level tournament, Coin shocked top-ranked Ana Ivanovic, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, in the second round of the U.S. Open, one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history.

"I don't realize yet that I beat the number one player in the world," said Coin, who had to qualify to earn her spot in the draw. "I don't realize that I played at the big court. I don't know how I'm going to sleep tonight. I don't know."

Ivanovic's defeat marked the earliest loss by a top-seeded woman since the Open Era began 40 years ago. The last No. 1 to fall in the second round was Billie Jean King to Australia's Kerry Melville in 1966.

"I was nervous going onto the court because I never saw her play before, so I didn't know what to expect," said Ivanovic, the French Open champion who has played sparingly because of a thumb injury. "I thought I can slowly get into the match, and she played completely different than I expected."

Coin fought nerves, too. The match was originally scheduled for Louis Armstrong Stadium, a more quiet venue where Coin figured she could calm herself easier. But when officials moved the match to Arthur Ashe Stadium early in the morning, Coin called her parents.

"My parents and everybody was telling me, 'Enjoy the moment, enjoy the moment,' " she said.

As the rust on Ivanovic's game became apparent, Coin started to seize the moment. Ivanovic committed 34 unforced errors while converting just one of her eight break chances. Meanwhile, Coin pounced, fearlessly sending powerful forehands across the net.

After two sets, and with her opponent struggling badly to move, Coin had asserted control. Ivanovic was in her 16th Grand Slam and Coin was in just her first

It hardly mattered.

"I thought she was maybe more nervous than I was," Coin said.

By the time the match had progressed to the third set, both players' body language pointed toward an upset.

As Ivanovic nervously paced down the baseline and adjusted her visor, Coin kept her focus even during stoppages of play, such as when Ivanovic switched rackets.

Coin broke Ivanovic to go ahead 5-2 in the final set, using a pair of serves clocked at 111 and 109 mph, respectively. Ivanovic held serve, leaving Coin ahead, 5-3, and in position to serve out the match.

Only then did Coin show signs of cracking.

Ahead 40-30, Coin double-faulted on match point.

At deuce, Ivanovic dumped a forehand into the net to once again give Coin a chance to close. But Ivanovic saved again, smashing a perfect forehand that survived a challenge by Coin.

The third match point came when Ivanovic put another one in the net. But this time, Ivanovic followed by hitting a forehand long, and Coin did a victory leap.

Asked immediately after the match whether she thought she could pull off the upset, Coin replied with an honest, "No," as the shocked crowd gave her a standing ovation.

"I was enjoying the moment," Coin said later. "It's great when you play when you win a point and the crowd is getting all excited, after the match point everyone is screaming. I mean, that doesn't happen every day, so it's pretty good."