With Wednesday’s rain causing the cancelation of the majority of the women’s second round matches, the ladies had some catching up to do heading into Labor Day Weekend. Faced with the prospect of having of playing two days in a row, the cream rose to the top in a big way today; of the 24 women’s matches played, only four went the distance. The rest were more straightforward, but that did not mean that they lacked excitement. Here is a look at what went on around the grounds:

Jelena Jankovic (9) d. Alisa Kleybanova 6-3, 6-2

At the start of the decade, Jankovic and Kleybanova were beginning to form a budding rivalry. The Russian powerhouse led the series 3-2 and played several three-set matches with the Serb along the way, including their epic Rogers Cup encounter in 2009. The two play contrasting styles, with the more aggressive Kleybanova forcing Jankovic to find openings with her craft and movement. Playing their first match in over three years, a lot has changed for both of them. No longer a top-10 stalwart, the former No. 1 Jankovic is finding a groove in 2013 after several years of middling form. For Kleybanova, this year’s US Open was her first major tournament since 2011, when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Still playing her way into form, the Russian showed flashes of what made their past encounters so compelling. But as the match wore on, the Serb proved too steady, putting many balls deep and goading Kleybanova into unforced errors. Most importantly for Jankovic, she had another stellar serving day, which will be a tremendous help heading into the later rounds of the tournament. At match’s end, the two had a warm exchange at the net, where Jankovic appeared to be welcoming back an old rival to the Tour.

Petra Kvitova (7) d. Bojana Jovanovski 6-2, 6-4

If Petra Kvitova plays a straightforward match and no one is around to broadcast or stream it, did it actually happen? Not to worry. Kvitova’s 6-2 6-4 win was not as straightforward as it looks. On the whole, it was an excellent day for the former Wimbledon champion, who played with authority and paid little attention to her struggling Serbian opponent. Jovanovski, a big hitter off both sides, was having issues getting anything going against an inspired Kvitova, who broke immediately to start each set and got out to a pair of 5-1 leads.

While she was able to serve out the first set without any problems, things got typically complicated for the Czech as she neared the finish line. When Jovanovski began putting a few more balls into play, Kvitova was ill-prepared for this development, and began throwing in a few wild misses of her own. Before she knew it, one of her breaks was gone and she was left with one more chance to take the match on her own terms. Before things got out of hand, however, Kvitova righted the ship and sealed her spot in the round of 32 with a return to the form that had gotten her in that winning position. That a Kvitova match can be memorable for how unremarkable it was says a lot about her state of play these days. But a win like this might put the former No. 2 on the right track as she marches towards the second week of the final major of the year.

Davey’s Pick: Camila Giorgi d. Hsieh Su-Wei 6-4 7-6(8)

A more obscure pick, for sure, but it was by far the most entertaining match of the day. Coming through the qualifying tournament, Giorgi is match-tough and dangerous, striking her signature big groundstrokes and making far more big cuts than she misses. Against a former top-25 player in Hsieh Su-Wei, the Italian allowed precious few opportunities for initiative to her opponent, for the teenager continued to force the issue off the ground. There were times when Giorgi would come undone and lose a string of points, but she would immediately recover. She showed some encouraging signs with her willingness to move forward and finish points at the net.

The match peaked during its dramatic conclusion. Down three consecutive set points in the second-set tiebreak, Giorgi refused to abandon what at that point looked like reckless (even foolhardy) tennis. The young Italian played without fear and saved all three set points with outright winners or forced errors from her Taiwanese opponent. The only moment where Giorgi gave any sense that she was aware of the stakes for which she played was during her first match point. Then, it was Hsieh who was able to step in and crack one of the few winners she hit during the match. It was a momentary lapse, however, and Giorgi would save one more set point before taking the match on another delirious winner, bringing the Court 7 crowd to its feet.

Taking on the defensive-minded Caroline Wozniacki in the third round, Giorgi will have more chances to step in and crack winners on a big stage. She hopes to introduce the tennis world to a brand of Italian tennis that defines “variety” as how many different ways one can smack the living daylights out of a tennis ball.