US Open 2021

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The draw has been made and, as has been mentioned in the previous topic, Murray has the short straw this time - Tsitsipas in the first round.

Cameron Norrie has a tricky first round, against Spain youngster Alcaraz. Djoko gets a possible semi against Zverev, while Tsitsipas is in Medvedev's half. Medvedev doesn't have the easiest of starts - first up Gasquet and then, possibly, former US winner Cilic.

For me, Djoko is still favourite but not overwhelming favourite. We don't quite know what shape his body is in and he's had no real preparation. Zverev, Medvedev and Tsitsipas will all fancy their chances. I would be surprised if the winner came from anyone outside these aforesaid foursome.

Others with a chance? Rublev probably leads the next-favourite field. I'm not a big Berrettini fan but I suppose a case can be made out for him (message to his opponents - just stick it on his backhand).

For once of late, there appears to be a clear favourite in the women - Barty. Osaka, though, has twice won the US and if she can get her head sorted out she could do well. There are so many GS champs lining up that, as usual, it's mighty hard to predict how the women's tournament will pan out.

sirfredperry wrote: ..... But I'm with him about on-court coaching. Don't see why it should be banned and at least it would stop any current illegal coaching ....

The argument you give can be used to argue for anything e.g: 1) "let's have doping because it would stop any current illegal doping".  2) "let's have gamesmanship because it would stop any current illegal gamesmanship".

With regard on-court coaching - it will no longer be "mano o mano" - man on man as per Sampras quote.  It will be coaching team vs coaching team.   It will generate a generation that can't think for themselves, that have no court nor game awareness - because all that will be spoon fed to them by their coaches.  They will become robots, and then they will blame their coaches for their failures. It would be like having two chess players being coached in between moves.

sirfredperry wrote:

………………….

But I'm with him about on-court coaching. Don't see why it should be banned and at least it would stop any current illegal coaching.

I wonder whether Tsitsipas's opponents will start taking long toilet breaks of their own and see if he likes it. Take one when he's not taking one. Then if he takes one get up and take an even longer one yourself. That'll teach him...

Alternatively …… maybe his opponents (or at least the vast majority) will do no such thing ! Maybe their honesty, their self-esteem, and their fundamental respect for the ethics and spirit of the sport are more important to them than any interest in pushing the rules to the absolute limit - and even beyond.

On-court coaching …… ?? Complete nonsense, I have to say. What next …. ? A mini-practice drill with your coach in between sets ?

Enthralled by Emma Raducanu’s performance just now. What a superb win. Star-in-the-making ……. ?? She does look a bit special, no doubt about that.

Excellent win by Emma R against an opponent she lost to fairly recently.

She will now face Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo who is at a career-high ranking of 41. This, for me, is another winnable match for Emma, with a likely fourth-round encounter with Barty awaiting.

Just one hour 21 mins for Emma today so she's preserving some energy having had to come thru qualifying.

I agree with Lags72 that Emma looks the real deal. It's going to be exciting following her progress.

Elsewhere today Clara Tauson gave Barty a bit of a match of it in the second set before going down. Olympic champion Bencic won easily. Former French champ Swiatek looked in some trouble but has taken her match to a final set.

Bit surprised to see 24th seed Badosa dumped out in straight sets.

Later Nishi takes on Mackenzie McDonald. This has all the makings of one of Nishi's five-set epics.

The last Brit who gave us serious hopes of big success & stardom in the women’s game was of course Laura Robson.

A series of cruel injuries have, sadly, taken a heavy toll on Laura’s game and her future prospects. Fingers crossed that teenager Emma has better luck. Early indications are that she certainly has a healthy dose of all the other necessary ingredients.

Yes, pretty awful the injuries that have derailed Laura Robson's career.

Just been looking at the stats for Emma R's match. They're impressive. Just 11 UEs and 27 winners. Seven love games and 72% of first serves in.

Swiatek ran away with the third set to live another day. Reilly Opelka, courtesy of 31 aces, is thru and no one will fancy facing him. This, after all, is a man who can look down on John Isner.

Well I called the Nishi five-set epic (see above) correctly. Nishi's "reward" is a third-round match with....Djoko.

Another long match saw Karatsev, who burst on to the scene at this year's AO, saving two MPs in a fourth-set tiebreak to win in five after being two sets down.

In yet another five-setter WC Jack Sock, now languishing down the rankings, beat 31st seed Bublik.

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares kicked off their doubles with a comfortable win.

Today, toilet-time Tsitsipas takes on rising young Spaniard Alcaraz, while Dan Evans faces Popyrin.

The women's matches throw up some introguing clashes including two all-GS slam winner encounters - Kerber v Stephens and Azarenka v Muguruza.

Osaka has 18-year-old Leylah Fernandez, while second seed Sabalenka has to try to get past form player Danielle Collins.

In the Men's Singles tournament 5 qualifiers and two wildcards made it to the third round.

No name Bertie wrote:In the Men's Singles tournament 5 qualifiers and two wildcards made it to the third round.

I saw somewhere that this was a record for the US. Just shows how dangerous qualifiers can be. They've made it thru three tough matches and are thrilled to make the main draw where they are used to the conditions and battle-hardened.

Still think, though, that we are continuing to see some strange results due to the exceptional circumstances of Covid. Players' normal routines have been disrupted and some may not have coped as well as others.

At the French, we had the extraordinary situation of no experienced women players making the latter stages, while at Wimbledon the lack of grass-court preparation plus the scrapping of Wimbledon 2020 meant the standard this year was quite poor.

Raducanu certainly looks like she's got the ability to go a long way, we just have to see how she holds up mentally. Her returning is very good, just needs to work on serve consistency, she throws in a couple of poor games each match and other than those is quite dominant. The standard of her opposition hasn't been amazing but good to see the ease of victory.

Already some talk that Raducanu is going to become one of the great returners. Early days yet, of course.

Wonder if this new-kid-on-the-block Alcaraz (just waiting for a misprint which will put a "t" after the middle "a") can do much against loo-lover Tsitsipas.

Beware of Greek's Bogging Shifts would be a suitable headline.

I too find the Tsitsipas / Alcaraz upcoming encounter to be an intriguing one. I’m hoping it lives up to my personal match-of-the-day billing. The young Spaniard has shown a lot of promise in the short time he has appeared on the main tour.

Emma R’s rise up the rankings has been pretty spectacular. What makes her such a good watch is that she is no grinder : she has a level of decision-making and shot selection beyond her years, and - when the moment is right - she sure knows how to unleash

Dan Evans needs to get his act together pretty sharpish if his USO campaign is not to come to a rather abrupt end at the hands of a strong Alex Popyrin.

Very doubtful that Dan can pull this one back but still some hope, I guess ……

Teenager Alacaraz currently living up to the hype which I (along with many others, no doubt) have been building for him !

Tsitsipas looks to be in for a serious test ….

Alcaraz takes the first set while Dan Evans stay alive by winning the third. Wonder when we'll get the toilet break in this match and how long will it last?

Halep, Muguruza and French winner Krejcikova all won today, while German qualifier Peter Gozowczyk (clearly vowel-challenged) has made the fourth round.

Salisbury and Ram are thru to the 3rd round.

If Tsitsipas loses the second set I predict that Tsitsipas will head to the lavatory and not return. Attendants will go in search of him and find he had escaped through the window.

No name Bertie wrote:If Tsitsipas loses the second set I predict that Tsitsipas will head to the lavatory and not return.   Attendants will go in search of him and find he had escaped through the window.

Escape from Alaca(t)raz....

sirfredperry wrote:

No name Bertie wrote:If Tsitsipas loses the second set I predict that Tsitsipas will head to the lavatory and not return.   Attendants will go in search of him and find he had escaped through the window.

Escape from Alaca(t)raz....

Nicely teed-up for you sfp, by NnB ….. and the chance nicely taken

So many breaks in this 4th set between Evans and Popyrin ….. and Dan takes the crucial game to turn things around. We go to a deciding 5th !! Full credit to our fighting Brit.

Seems like Tsitsipas has some sort of foot issue.

ps: Tide has turned in Tsitsipas favor from 4-6 0-3 down it is now 4-6 6-4 3-2 with Tsitsipas having just gone a break-up in the third set.

Hard to call Evans / Popyrin now. But whichever way it finishes, there’s been a good deal of inspired, high quality, shot-making from both.

Medvedev awaits the winner and he will almost certainly prove too much for either opponent.

Dan must hold to stay alive for a TB decider. SO much tension …….

That was an epic !!

Evans takes it on the TB shoot-out with a convincing 7-1 margin, after losing the first two sets. SUPERB.

As a thriller, only marginally below Murray v Tsitsi in R1.

No name Bertie wrote:.... Tide has turned in Tsitsipas favor from 4-6 0-3 down it is now 4-6 6-4 3-2 with Tsitsipas having just gone a break-up in the third set.

It went to 4-6 6-4 5-2 in Tsitsipas favor (double break up in third set) to 4-6 6-4 6-6 and a third set tie-breaker.

Tsitsipas gets a warning for a coaching violation - signals being passed between father and Tsitsipas Junior.

Tsitsipas vs Alcarez: 4-6 6-4 6-7 and Tsitsipas heads for the toilet.

Alcarez has all the shots including a tweener.

Second thriller of the day !!

4-3 to Tsitsipas in the fifth, and going with serve so far.

Alcaraz looking like he’s already a top-five player …… with about ten years main tour experience behind him !

Number 3 seed falls to a fearless teenager blessed with truly precocious talent.

Stardom beckons

The cheat is out thankfully.

Some day yesterday with two 18-year-olds knocking out mighty opponents and Rublev also felled.

Interesting that the ousted Tsitsipas was warned for coaching following hints from Zverev in the Cinci match that something illegal was going on. The Greek really does need to get his act together.

Just seen a few clips of the Alcaraz match. The lad can certainly play.

And now we also have Leylah Fernandez beating defending champion Osaka. Keeping up the good work for North America was Tiafoe who took out Rublev.

Can't say I'm too unhappy about Tsitsipas being dumped out.

Very good effort by Dan Evans. I didn't realise that his poor run after Wimbledon co-incided with a bout of Covid. He must be very tired now and will have to take on a fresh-as-a-daisy Medvedev who has hardly lost any games, let alone sets, so far.

Emma Raducanu is second on today. It'll be tough, but she's playing with plenty of confidence and has a great chance to reach the fourth round.

Osaka, after her defeat, says she's taking another break from tennis. Says she's not happy when she wins and is sad when she loses - not a great state to be in for a tennis player.

Her mental health struggles contrast with the joy of competing shown by the 18-year-olds Raducanu, Fernandez and Alcaraz. Let's hope they can cope with fame and success better than Naomi.

Today I’m feeling more enthused for the future of the game than I have done for quite some time ; and also vindicated in my own judgement

I scrolled back through my Whatsapp to find a message sent to a lifelong tennis fan / former business colleague. It’s dated June 5 (which already seems a long time ago !) and reads simply : “Remember my words when he hits the big time : new rising star (from Spain) = Carlos Alcaraz”

Equally excited to watch Emma Raducanu later today. Go Emma !!

I just watched some of the Osaka post match press conference. She's obviously not happy and I think that it's her family and tennis team that needs to step in and help her.  If she's having problems competing and giving interviews, then maybe professional tennis is not for her and she should try looking at other ways to make a living. I don't feel that tennis needs to change the way it does its business just because Osaka seems to have problems.

I’m in full agreement with all that you say Atila.

Nobody enjoys seeing an athlete suffering in the way that Osaka has been (and for quite some time now). It really is important that she gets appropriate help & support - whether that’s from within her family / team, from ‘independent’ qualified professional people ; or perhaps a combination of both.

I’ve no doubt there are many individuals who could perform to a high level in their chosen sport away from the glare of spectators and tv cameras, but who then find it very difficult to maintain the same standard in the heat of battle, whilst dealing also with the demands of media and the ubiquitous commentary & opinion (whether for good or bad) expressed freely both by those with deep knowledge or experience, as well as we armchair critics. HOWEVER …… that’s the nature of professional sport, and the ability to manage all the collateral damage is in reality a key requirement for those who wish to make a living from it ….. all the more so at the elite level.

Since the pandemic for various reasons most (though not all) of the slams played have turned out to be damp squibs, Wimbledon in particular, so its great that US Open has been serving up so many memorable matches and compelling narratives so far.

Tsitsipas has come in for a lot of stick (a little bit disproportionate if you ask me) but has been involved in 2 of the most thrilling matches so far, the 5 set epic with Murray in 1st round and yesterday's humdinger with Alcaraz.

Raducanu has put her Wimbledon disappointment behind her and played some great tennis, the draw has provided us with some quality well balanced womens' matches (e.g. Kerber v Stephens) and Fernandez has toppled the queen of hardcourts Naomi Osaka in daring fashion, blowing the womens' tournament wide open. Meanwhile I've been delighted in Dan Evans' well deserved run to the 4th round and his career best performance coming back from 2 sets down against Popyrin. For the home crowd throw in the good runs of Opelka, Tiafoe and Brooksby and this is shaping up to be an exciting tournament.

For SFP regarding free live streaming try searching for 'LiveTV ru' and this normally takes you through to a menu where you select what sport you want to watch. It'll then show you a list of matches - can be hit and miss and you may get the odd pop up ad and you may want a decent anti-virus software just in case, but I've managed to see plenty of hours of free tennis this way with no problems.

MrI
Ta for the tips about watching. Much appreciated. I'll let you know how I get on!

Yes, it's been a good tournament so far. I still marvel at just how poor Wimbledon was.

Today, Andreescu has made short work of LL Minnen, while Ivashka, who has had some good results of late, has taken the first set against Berrettini but trails in the second set.

British tennis scribes will no doubt be hoping that Emma R is not on too late for the first editions of the Sundays. I fear, though, that the preceding match - Seppi v Otte - could be a longy.

The top women's seeds have mainly avoided exits so far but Kvitova is in trouble v Sakkari, being a set and a break down. Can she fight back?

Qualifier Otte has taken the first set against veteran Italian Seppi, while Berrettini has levelled the match at one set all v Ivashka.

Olympic champ Belinda Bencic has taken the first set 6-2 v Pegula.

Otte has raced thru the second set to take a two sets to love lead after just one hour 11 mins. So Emma R could be on soon.

Or....Seppi will now fight back and we'll have a long five-setter.

Bencic on the way to victory and Kvitova on the way out.

Bencic wins, Kvitova loses and Seppi wins the third set to trail by two sets to one.

Djokovic loses the first set to Nishikori on a tie - break, in a set where each player was broken once. Djokovic's backhand is off.

Great start by Emma R.

And if she can get her first serve working, life would be even better …….

This is unreal.

Nine games played - and the higher-ranked player (110 places above ) hasn’t won one of them.

Am pretty sure I can detect tears in the eyes of the shell-shocked young Spanish player as she readies herself to receive

Emma R wins with the loss of just one game. Thought she had a great chance to win but didn't think it would be a near double-bagel.

She'll play, probably, Barty in the fourth round and that might be the end of her run. But who knows?

After losing that first set, Djoko is now at one set all and a break up in the third, so looks on the way to victory.

Berrettini came thru in five and could face Djoko eventually. Monfils looked on the verge of going out but has come from behind to take the third set against Sinner who leads by two sets to one.

Slam winner Swiatek is a set up against Kontaveit and has wiped out the break against her in the second set.

7-6 6-3 6-3 to Djokovic but he has been playing poorly - his serving and his backhand are off. He is not going to get much further in this tournament if he doesn't find a few more gears.

No name Bertie wrote: ……..  He is not going to get much further in this tournament if he doesn't find a few more gears.

Hmm. He may - or may not - have to do so.

Can understand the point you’re making BUT ……… Djokovic has been blessed (on many, many occasions) with a hefty chunk of good fortune, such that - even when he is some way below his best - his opponents somehow suffer a drop in their own levels too, and seem unable to take advantage. He really *should* have lost RG Final this year …… and *could* very well have lost to Berrettini at Wimbledon, if the Italian had only maintained the standard that got him to the Final. But hey ….. that’s tennis (and sport generally) I guess …….

Zverev crushed Djokovic at the Olympics when Zverev improved his level and Djokovic didn't.

sirfredperry wrote:Emma R wins with the loss of just one game. Thought she had a great chance to win but didn't think it would be a near double-bagel.

She'll play, probably, Barty in the fourth round and that might be the end of her run. But who knows?

Slam winner Swiatek is a set up against Kontaveit and has wiped out the break against her in the second set.

Not going to be Barty ! Rogers came back quite amazingly to take the deciding set in a tie break : big surprise to see Ash go out there but it raises an interesting match up next. Can young Emma go another round ? Will Rogers have already have played her "final" by beating the top seed ?

Women's event wide open now...

Well, Emma could well go even further now that Barty - two breaks up in the final set - somehow lost.

Just been watching Emma's post-match press conference. She is refreshingly self-composed and seems as assured off court as on it.

Surprised that Barty went out last night. But she was wonderfully philosophical afterwards and, if she'd been a little off in the match, she gave a master class in dealing with disappointment and defeat.

Ash said of course she was sorry not to have won. But she gave it her all and she just fell short. The crowd was amazing, she said, and she really enjoyed playing on the main court.

She added that she'd had a great season, had enjoyed working with her team and now was the chance to move on and prepare for the next challenges.

Just seen a few clips (haven't managed to get on to that free live site, yet) of Harris's win over Shapovalov. The South African looked really good.

Many will remember Harris winning the opening set of a first-round match against Federer at Wimbledon a while back - only the second time (remember Falla?) that Rog had dropped an SW19 first set since 2002.

Rog won easily in the end in that match, but clearly Harris has come on in leaps and bounds since.

I wouldn't read too much into Djoko's performance against Nishi. As has been said before, Novak often has a few patchy moments in Slams but gets into the right gear for the business end of tournaments.

Haven't really seen much play, and nothing live, but this looks a pretty good Slam, no?

4R LineUp
N Djokovic (1) (34yo) vs J Brooksby (WC) (20yo)
O Otte (Q) (28yo) vs M Berrettini (6) (25yo)
A Zverev (4) (24yo) vs  J Sinner (13) (20yo)
R Opelka (22) (24yo) vs L Harris (-) (24yo)
F Tiafoe (-)(23yo) vs F Auger-Aliassime (12) (21yo)
P Gojowczyk (Q) (32yo) vs C Alcaraz (-) (18yo)
B van de Zandschulp (Q)(25yo) vs D Schwartzman (11) (29yo)
D Evans (24) (31yo) vs D Medvedev (2) (25yo)

Post Olympic Hard Court Season
Washington Open (ATP500): Harris (QF), Brooksby (SF),  Sinner (W)
Canadian Masters: Tiafoe (R16), Harris (R16), Opelka (F), Medvedev (W),
Cincinnati Masters: Berrettini (R16), Schwartzman (R16), FAA(QF), Medvedev (SF), Zverev (W)
Winston Salem (ATP250): Evans (R16), Tiafoe(QF), Alcarez(SF)