Observe dwell protection of day three on the 2024 US Open
NEW YORK — A 12 months in the past, Ben Shelton began his U.S. Open on Court docket 10, within the quasi-hinterlands of the Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Middle. To search out it, stroll over to the opposite facet of the fountains, the place a ball that flies over the again fence is mainly gone perpetually.
First Monday a 12 months later, he had a unique task: opening up Arthur Ashe Stadium at excessive midday in opposition to Dominic Thiem, the 2020 champion and a participant whom Shelton watched, jaw on the ground, by his teen years.
How a lot has Shelton’s life modified in a 12 months?
“I simply felt snug,” he stated. “Used to it. Felt like I had been there earlier than.”
He had certainly. The then-20-year-old performed three matches within the greatest stadium within the sport final 12 months, culminating in a semifinal duel with Novak Djokovic. That ended with the 24-time Grand Slam champion mocking Shelton’s hang-up-the-phone celebration, with Shelton staring Djokovic down throughout an icy handshake.
“After final 12 months, the stage doesn’t get a lot greater than that,” Shelton stated.
Possibly. Or possibly it does.
For the primary time since 1996, there are 5 males and 5 ladies from the U.S. within the high 20. Since not one of the males is ranked greater than No. 12, it’s not precisely the glory years of Sampras, Agassi, Courier and Chang. No American man has gained this occasion since Andy Roddick in 2003. However these high 5 ladies embody Coco Gauff, the defending champion, and 4 others ranked no decrease than Madison Keys at No. 14.
The hope is palpable. The grounds are teeming, with the steel bleachers and concrete gangways of the sphere courts filled with our bodies, noise and expectation.
U.S. Open followers poured into the Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Middle with a way of real hope. (Frank Franklin II / Related Press)
Shelton was batting leadoff for the larger names within the high half of the draw, with Gauff approaching after him. She couldn’t depend on the calm and luxury that Shelton skilled because the opening act earlier than he eased by a fading Thiem 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
Ben Shelton is looking for to emulate his run to the semifinals in 2023. (Seth Wenig / Related Press)
The final time Gauff performed a aggressive match right here, she completed it flat on her again, with tears streaming down her face and 24,000 delirious followers screaming for her and all the pieces she meant.
The 20-year-old doesn’t wish to wave to crowds, as a result of then she sees how many individuals are watching her. It makes her nervous. However Shelton gave her a jokingly onerous time about it throughout a charity match in Fan Week, so Monday, she waved. Right here come the butterflies.
Warming up calmed her down, however then she very almost misplaced her serve in her first two makes an attempt. Then she settled down, plowing by a good shakier Varvara Gracheva of France, 6-2, 6-0.
“I really feel like I’m discovering my sport,” Gauff stated when it was over.
She’s been shaky since dropping within the semifinals of the French Open in June. Sooner than anticipated losses. On-court spats with coaches over errors and with chair umpires over calls. Her wins this summer time have principally come in opposition to gamers exterior the highest 50.
She’s No. 2 on this planet. She is aware of she’s presupposed to be higher than that.
She misplaced early in Cincinnati, too, however then had a great week of observe, she stated. In that point, she flipped the state of affairs round in her thoughts, telling herself that the early loss in Ohio, the place she was the defending champion, had been a blessing in disguise. It gave her additional time to coach, some flat monitor after the hamster wheel of the Olympics, Canada and Cincinnati.
Coco Gauff says she is settling into her sport after a tough patch. (Fatih Aktas / Anadolu through Getty Photos)
She walked onto Arthur Ashe on Monday believing that whatever the scoreline, she would have the ability to discover her sport.
“Clearly, getting by the primary spherical like that is good,” she stated. “I’ve discovered that the way you begin a event doesn’t imply the way you’re essentially going to complete and vice versa.”
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True sufficient, however step one is to outlive the beginning. Taylor Fritz is aware of this higher than simply about anybody. Two years in the past, he arrived in New York considering he may really win it.
Djokovic wasn’t taking part in as a result of he refused to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Rafael Nadal was taking part in injured. Roger Federer was a month from retirement. Carlos Alcaraz was only a man known as Carlos Alcaraz, or about as near that as he has ever been.
Fritz as a substitute misplaced within the first spherical, to a qualifier named Brandon Holt. Holt is greatest recognized for being the son of Tracy Austin, a two-time champion a couple of generations again, and for beating Fritz on the U.S. Open in 2022 when Fritz thought he had an opportunity to truly win it.
Taylor Fritz used the momentum of a good first set to ease previous his opponent, Camilo Ugo Carabelli. (Fatih Aktas / Anadolu through Getty Photos)
Fritz will take into consideration that loss, and in regards to the double-edge of a house Slam, at each U.S. Open and till he retires.
“It’s superior to be taking part in at your property Slam with the gang and simply all the pieces happening,” he stated after a straight-sets win over Camilo Ugo Carabelli of Argentina.
Keys, the 2017 runner-up to a different American, Sloane Stephens, joined the trio in caring for enterprise when she rolled by Czech doubles star Katerina Siniakova. Emma Navarro blasted Anna Blinkova, 6-1, 6-1.
Stephens was caring for enterprise, up 6-0, 3-0 on France’s Clara Burel, however then she faltered to lose 0-6, 7-5, 7-5.
There have been some higher American surprises. In her first main-draw match on the WTA Tour, 16-year-old wild card Iva Jovic beat Magda Linette of Poland, who’s double her age and ranked 347 locations greater.
Earlier than the pandemic, Jovic performed soccer and swam, an all-round athlete. However as soon as COVID-19 arrived, tennis was the one sport she may pursue, since she didn’t must be a part of a staff.
Now she’s the youngest American ever to win a main-draw match on the U.S. Open.
Iva Jovic defeated Magda Linette, who’s ranked 347 locations above her. (Robert Prange / Getty Photos)
Linette figured to be a little bit of a tall order, however Jovic had watched different juniors that she had overwhelmed take out stable tour gamers in latest months. She satisfied herself she had the extent.
“I’ve nothing to match it to, nevertheless it’s undoubtedly good for my first one to be in New York,” stated Jovic, who performed in entrance of a packed crowd on Court docket 15 that might have turned different teen knees to goo.
Then there was Taylor Townsend, the Wimbledon doubles champion, leaning into her standing as a big-serving lefty nightmare on the singles court docket.
“This isn’t an all-of-a-sudden factor,” Townsend stated after beating Martina Trevisan of Italy.
“The success that I had in doubles and the understanding of the self is translating now onto the singles court docket.”
Taylor Townsend’s greatest singles run in New York was a fourth-round look in 2019. (Jamie Squire / Getty Photos)
One other shock? Brandon Nakashima blasting Holger Rune, the No. 15 seed, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in a tidy hour and 55 minutes. Throw in Rune’s latest kind, and Nakashima’s propensity to lull opponents into errors, and it’s not precisely an enormous one.
Then got here Frances Tiafoe, who had an evening slot at Louis Armstrong Stadium. That is the event for which he spends 50 weeks annually counting the times, and he has stated, with solely the slightest little bit of sarcasm, that it’s one in all simply two that he actually cares about.
The Citi Open in Washington, D.C., is the opposite, however nothing compares to his house Grand Slam. That may be a double-edged sword, as for Fritz.
“I’m so amped up,” Tiafoe stated final week. That can also have each benefits and drawbacks, and he is aware of it. New coach David Witt’s popularity as one of many extra laid-back souls within the sport is without doubt one of the causes Tiafoe employed him.
“I can get actually excessive and fairly low, and he retains me even-keeled,” he stated. “Not permitting moments to be greater than they’re, or to be as strenuous as I can generally make them.”
Frances Tiafoe is starting to look extra like himself after a tough first six months of the 12 months. (Kena Betancur / AFP through Getty Photos)
Come showtime, Tiafoe was doing his factor, with loads of the whippy forehands and contact volleys that may make him a human spotlight reel when he’s on. On is what he was for a lot of the night time, which led to a four-set win over one other American, Alex Kovacevic.
Tiafoe wobbled a bit within the third set, failing to place away Kovacevic with the effectivity he’ll want if he needs to get again to the second week.
“Bought fairly powerful there on the finish,” Tiafoe stated.
On the at all times nervy opening night time on the house Slam, it was sufficient to deal with enterprise.
(Prime photograph of Brandon Nakashima: Matt Rourke / Related Press)