A top-notch opponent, physical issues topple Sharon Fichman at the U.S. Open

NEW YORK – Aleksandra Wozniak wasn't the only Canadian who took to the courts at the U.S. Open early on Monday, and was eliminated from the tournament nearly as soon as she arrived.

Toronto's Sharon Fichman wove a similar tale, on a much bigger court – Louis Armstrong Stadium – and against a much higher-ranked opponent in No. 4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.

Radwanska needed just 47 minutes to dispatch Fichman 6-1, 6-0. The Canadian broke Radwanska's serve to open the match ... and that was it. She won just seven points on her own serve (just 3-of-19 with her first serve), and eight points on Radwanska's serve. That's 15 in all; Radwanska won 52 points. The winners and unforced error totals were almost reversed: Fichman had five winners and 24 unforced errors; Radwanska was credited with 23 winners and six unforced errors.

It wasn't pretty. But less than a month after arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a meniscal tear, Fichman was taking the positives out of it.

She worked like a madwoman to rehab her knee over the last four weeks and treat a Grade 2 ankle sprain, to be as fit as she could be to play the U.S. Open. And she still has doubles with Chanelle Scheepers.

But as of now, Fichman is likely to join Fed Cup teammate Wozniak on the sidelines and skip the WTA Tournament in Quebec City the week after the U.S. Open.

Against Radwanska, it would have been an uphill battle anyway. "On a tennis note, facing her, she’s been No. 2, she’s No. 5 at the moment. No matter what, even on the best of days, it’s not going to be the easiest match," Fichman said. "She’s got some incredibly good skills that obviously separate her from some of the other girls on Tour.

"She finds the corners; no matter what, she’s kind of always in the point. Definitely not the most powerful player but very accurate, very precise, and she comes up with the right shot when she needs to."