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Hello and welcome to the Media Garden at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre at 1042pm on day two of the US Open where tennis has been and very much continues to tennis. Tommy Paul and Lorenzo Sonnego have just stepped out on two Armstrong Stadium and Shelby Rogers and Jessica Bagula and the early stages of their match on Arthur Rache Stadium.
We already have one of the most packed agendas in Grand Slam Daily history. So look if anything, barnstorming or unexpected or newsworthy happens in either of those two matches, it'll be covered tomorrow. Trust me, we have we have quite enough to get our teeth into tonight. Matt has felt at various points today would it be safe to say, exhilarated, overwhelmed.
And then full of starting playing. Yeah, and all at sea. Yeah, it's one of the things I'm not sure I've cracked about Grand Slam's. Like there's so much going on. I want to be across it all. But if you try and be across it all, are you across any of it? Whereas sometimes it's nice to actually just go and sit and watch a match. But I felt so tied to my screen. I was like, I need to be watching this point and this point and this match and this match, which is exhilarating.
And I do love that feeling. I do live for that feeling, but it is quite overwhelming. But what a day. Water day. I mean, speaking of exhilarating, the three of us have just come from Armstrong where we were watching Jasmine Paulini beat Bianca and dress, and we've been two hours and 48 minutes all together in the brilliant press seats on that stadium and the brilliant atmosphere on that stadium. And it was a heck of a time. Wasn't it, David? That was every bit of the match that we hoped to be.
And it was, and if we have figured out a way to crack it, I think that that is it. All of us watching an amazing match with two of the screens on our laps whilst doing so, watching the Radikarnu Ken and Match and the Alcras match on our Australian court.
I arrived towards the lot of stages of that first set and yeah, it was, it was both players doing what they do. Really, wasn't it? It was, it was Andrescu showing everything she's got to find a way to get the better of the one of the best players in the world, the most reliable players in the world in that first set. And then Paulini just digging in and refusing to go anywhere and also showing just the exceptional quality she has as well as being a fighter. It was fantastic.
I continue to be absolutely blown away by the way Jasmine Paulini deals with high bouncing balls, the way she's able to get on top of those high bouncing balls on forehand and backhand and send them back down the other end of the court with extra meat on them.
I just think she's extraordinary and it was, it was the same old story today with Jasmine Paulini. I'm sure a lot of people in that stadium came with curiosity about Paulini but most of them were there because of Andrescu or certainly thought Andrescu was the headline event tonight. Like you in Paris. And they've, they've left Paulini fans. Yeah. Every single person in that stadium is left a Jasmine Paulini fan.
That's the effect she's had on everybody that's watched her this year, I think. Totally. And she did such a good job tonight. I think of making that match pretty physical. You know, she was being beaten in that first set and yet managed to extend it and it did feel like one of those sets that although she lost it Paulini, she got something out of it because she managed to extend it to around an hour or so.
And then I think we did see Andrescu fighting her own body in those latter stages. She clearly wasn't quite right where Paulini just just keeps going, doesn't she? And we've seen her win so many of these long matches now and like you, Catherine, I am stunned by the way she generates pace off those short high balls. Timing is a perfect. And it's back including the loop he wants that Andrescu is throwing in just to try to break up the rhythm and then it doesn't work.
And the use the word reliable about her which is absolutely accurate. She is, you know, I do feel like she can be totally counted upon to produce her best tennis consistently and to play a very tight brand of tennis. But she's not being safe with it. You know, she's taking rest. She's going for it. This is, you know, pretty swashbuckling tennis at times and yet it also feels well under control somehow.
She's just, she's intoxicating really. Jasmine Paulini had Sari Rani, their court side in her with her hood up. It was, you know, it was the scenes we've come to know and loved this year. What are the players of the early show? Oh, absolutely. Like this run and Pam, driver pointed it out on our, well, in our live show the other night that like there's surely going to be a moment where Paulini like eventually stops playing at this level.
And like because it's hard to put into words how different this year has been from her other years. Like, and now it feels like the other years are the abnormal ones. And it's like, well, where's she been all this time? I don't know. We've talked about that a lot. And she's spoken about as she has the belief. But like just to continually keep it going. I know she's only made the second round here.
And she's only one one match. But it does feel like she's picked up where she left off at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. And like she's playing this top level tennis. She beat Andres Guelong, both of those roots to the final in Paris and Wimbledon as well. So like, I feel like Paulini is now into this tournament. And once again, a real contender to go far. And that is extraordinary to do it at three slams in a row when you've never done it before.
When I looked up the draw, I was a little bit bummed out at how many rounds away we were or are from Paulini Asaka. I thought that was a potential third round match. And it's a fourth round match, I think. Still think it could very well happen on the basis of what we saw from both players today. But I was hoping it was just a couple of days and wins away. But I'm not sure anybody's going to bet against Asaka getting to that on the basis of what we saw from her today against Yelena Ostapenko.
6362. It was absolutely not a match, not the kind of match that even contemplated it being today. It wasn't crap, but it also wasn't electrifying. It was just quite a routine win from Asaka. Reminiscent, the sort of routine wins. We'd got very used to seeing Asaka put in on hard courts. A few years ago, it felt really, really reminiscent of that to me, except that she was wearing a sort of avant-garde, tutu type thing in Brat Green. With a huge bow.
With a huge bow. I got to say, I didn't mind the huge bow. It was a huge bow combined with all the frills that got to me a little bit. The armpit frills sent me. But it got no issue with a huge bow on its own. But I totally accept that that kind of fashion is probably aimed at people with an appreciation of fashion well beyond me. And the most important thing is that she felt Asaka in her own words like a superwoman, like a superhero in it.
Which is how Serena used to talk, because we're back in the day. But you have got to win. You have to win. When you step out. I mean, she even had bows on her shoes. You're making a rod for your back, aren't you? By going out wearing something like that. She needed to deliver. But we did she. With Sostopenko, rubbish. Well, I think the thing is, like not really really notice Sostopenko. And that's such a what? It wasn't an extraordinary thing to say.
It wasn't an aeroplaser of Mr. Penko. She just wasn't really allowed to get the strikes in that she usually does. She's Asaka was there with the strikes. She's so often the main character in a match, Sostopenko. Whether that be for good or bad. And yet, yes, she wasn't really able to have a say in this because Asaka's strike was first and it was bigger and it was better. She served so well today, Asaka. She keeps serving like that. She's...
And I know that's a big if, but it's a match for anyone. 19 winners, five on four starrers. Wow. And not... And not one on four starrer in the first set. And only drop one point behind her first serving the whole match. Yeah, she was absolutely awesome. And I do think like when I think back to the start of the season, some of the better matches I saw Asaka play were against hitters.
You know, I think of the one she had against Pilskava. Really great match. Garcia at the Australian Open was a high quality match. She was just on the wrong side of them. She lost them. Whereas here, she's managed to keep it together for two sets completely unfazed by anything else. The Penko was doing. She's won it. And like, yeah, it was her first top 10 win of the year. Her first top 10 win since 2020, I believe.
Just like a really big deal for Asaka who said that kind of one of the purposes of the kit was that it was kind of like joyous. And like she then brought that joy, like physically onto the court, which hasn't always been a joyous place for her. As she's, as she's come back and like, it was just great to see and like, it's really hard to like not just say, Oh, we are so back whenever you see Asaka playing like that.
It feels like it, but kind of with your Catherine, I think, I think we might get Pauline Asaka in in a few rounds time, especially if they both played out it today. I think like the tennis they both produced today is awesome. I've just discovered that I think I have a little bit of fashion knowledge from when I was a child. Because when I saw the outfit, I thought it was what was known as a ra ra scared. Have you ever heard of that? I have, yeah.
And I've just googled it and it's like one of those, right? No. Okay. I thought it was, but there we are. That's my contribution to the fashion and conversation. Well, look, not dissimilar, but I think there's just new ones in the type of frill that perhaps isn't your area, David. Most areas are, David's. Yeah. Not this one. I'll stick to interview areas. By the way, I say that about Naomi Asaka.
And I realise that I've forgotten one of the amazing things that happened today, which was Karenina Mukava, who is Naomi Asaka's next opponent. What a draw the hat is. Hitting shot of the tournament. Like pull the competition off already. She's hit her behind the back lob. Yeah, it felt like I was hit that. It would be everyone would be talking about it, wouldn't they? But I mean, look, some people are talking about it. And rightly so.
And I just think like Mukava at her best, very different to those category of players, I've just described in terms of hitters. Like I see a blistkerver, Osterpenko, who we've seen Asaka play well against this year. Like Mukava has an ability to defuse and put the ball in awkward spaces and keep the ball low and get Asaka moving. Like, as much as I'm excited about the potential of Asaka Palini, like, hold the brakes on that, because I'm very excited about Asaka Mukava as well. Yeah, big time.
Let's stay with the women's show and let's stay with women's matches that were on Armstrong today, because that was a large part of where the fun and the stories were, because the day started with the end of Daniel Collins' grand slam career. She lost 1-6-7-5-6-4 to Countrywoman Caroline Dollyhide, who suddenly bizarre match this, because Daniel Collins was so dominant in the first set, the sixth one first set.
And yet, from early stages of the second set, this match looked like it belonged to Dollyhide. It just always felt to me like she was the likely winner in hearing what an absolutely exhausted Daniel Collins had to say and press off to it. It seemed like maybe she felt that way as well, like she was on borrowed time from a... She was well-short physically, wasn't she? Absolutely, she was. And she talked about getting heatstroke at the Olympics and being immunocompromised for a while after that.
And she said she just didn't have the stamina today. I mean, even her voice sounded different in the press conference. Really, really, really, really, really croaky. And when the press conference ended, she spoke really well. She was happy to talk, albeit clearly exhausted. But when the press conference ended, she took a long time to get up. She sort of said, I'm sorry, I just haven't got any energy. I haven't got anything left today.
Yeah, and she said, look, the plan is to play the rest of the season. But she did raise a few questions about that, about what she would have in the tank physically for that to be possible. I know she's... she's stated she's desperate to make the WTA finals for the first time, isn't she? But feels a long way away at the moment. But I was very impressed with Caroline Dullahide. I could use all sorts of faint praise on her, you know, solid, dependable, strong.
But they would all be true. Like, she felt... I just felt... I don't know. Exactly as I said, like, I always felt like she was going to win, really. From the early stages of the second set, she felt the better player, the stronger player, the more secure player. Yeah, you called this. You really did watching it. You said that you felt like it was going to go Dullahide's way. And she did a great job of extending a lot of rallies.
There was a lot of big hits that Collins was getting in, coming back and coming back in awkward places. And her temperament was just perfect throughout, whereas Collins was... Even when she was winning, you know, set up, she seemed really stressed in that second set. And I think probably she knew that physically she didn't have it.
And, you know, I think she's spoken the press about kind of not really having a lot of thoughts about the end of her career because of everything that she's been going through since the Olympics physically. She hasn't really been able to like appreciate this Grand Slam as a moment in a way, like as the end of her Grand Slam career. It's just all been about trying to get on court and trying to get over, which leaves me sad really because... It's such a shame that it feels like...
All the momentum she had of that style of season. Yeah, and she had her momentum kind of the worst time of the year, through the spring, where there aren't any slams. And, okay, she... She brought it at the Olympics against, you know, Shfiantec and ended up losing that match. But that was a really good match that she played until she got injured. But, like, we haven't really seen the best Daniel Collins through the sort of Grand Slam summer. Like, she had her momentum earlier in the season.
And, yeah, like, it's kind of unfortunate that it's kind of ended that way. Very hard to put a headline on Daniel Collins final season on tour, isn't it? You know, she kind of had the best form and run of her career, and yet also it feels like a letdown in lots of ways. I think in the end, we will look back and think, wow, she really... I mean, to me, she had the best year of her career.
I know she reached a Grand Slam final in another one, but this is the one where she was in our consciousness the most. And hurting the biggest players, the most well-known players, having huge matches against Shfiantec, beating Rebecca now. You know, going toe to toe with Sabileanka. Those were great times, weren't they? And I think they will stay with me. I think we discussed it around that time in Miami and the months that followed.
Is this woman a threat for Grand Slam titles this year in her final year? And it really felt like she was. And yet that form just didn't allow itself to last. Or she kind of got burnt out. And when she got to the French Open, she looked like she was a bit on fumes. And I suppose it shows just how hard it is to sustain your highest level. We often talk about players that kind of win a lot of matches without being anywhere near their best.
And she had her best for a sustained period where you end up thinking this is new normal. But well, it wasn't. It should say there was no ceremony. There was nothing at all for Daniel Collins off to this match. She could not get off that court quickly enough. And she was straight into the press conference room. I'm not sure she even deposited her bag in the locker room such as her speed of arriving in press. She had tipped the tournament off that she didn't want anything big.
There was somebody I think there was a station allister court side with flowers. Who knows where those flowers are now, but they did not go into the hands of Daniel Collins. And she explained in press, you know, why she's just not her thing at all. And she said she'd always struggled with guilt about her achievements, which was an interesting line. And she didn't want to be one of those people who had a sort of shined herself and her achievements in her home. You know, just not her style.
So I totally respect that. But equally it was a shame. It was a shame to just see a walk off that court, you know. And that's it. Hopefully we all get to see a little bit more Daniel Collins. Still in the doubles. She is still in the doubles. Do you know who she's playing doubles with, David? I don't. Can I surprise you? You can. It's Caroline Garcia. That is a bit of a surprise.
I mean, it could be fun, but she said all we've become good friends and when she said Caroline in the press conference, I thought she was talking about her opponent. So I thought they were playing doubles. I thought was the ackey. Anyway, Caroline Garcia, let's see how that goes. Moving to the women's matches that we've had on Ash today, you will actually just women's match, because one of them is ongoing.
She and Jessica Baguilla and Shelby Rogers, who's retiring after this year, so open, potentially retiring tonight. We saw Ega Shiontech in her first round match in the first match of the day on the Arthur Ashe Stadium. A 6476 victory over the lucky loser, Rakeemov. What's Rakeemov's first name? Anyone know? Camilla. Camilla, that sounds right. Well done. That's right, yeah. Who was very, very impressive today. I thought Rakeemov had genuine belief in Hutzpur against the world number one.
And should have won the second set. Had three set points in the second set, Tyra Break, to quote Matt Roberts, I have no idea how Shiontech won that in two sets. Yeah, I was so ready for a third set. Like, Shiontech did not play well today at all. It goes full of up straight away, and then from that point on, it was a real struggle, the whole match.
And I think I was mostly concerned because it was a lot of errors off the backhand win, which is the solid, dependable one, even when we sometimes see the forehand break down, and the forehand is a major weapon when it's firing. It's one of the best shots in the world. But we also know that it can cough up a lot of errors, but the backhand doesn't normally, but it really was today. It was like she just didn't have her range on that shot at all.
And I don't know, she sets such a high standard EGUS FIANTEG that like, when you get a performance like this, it's very hard not to read a lot into it. Like, I think if other top players had this performance, we might be saying, oh, winning when you're not at your best, what a skill that is.
But kind of with EGUS FIANTEG, because we know that she's so capable of laying down completely dominant scorelines, and that's usually such a mark of how she's going to play the rest of her tournament when she starts like that. When she gives a ragged performance like this, it just puts me on edge. It just makes me think, this is the kind of form that EGUS FIANTEG is in, and makes her vulnerable.
And as good as Rakeem of her was, she was not in the style of player that usually causes EGUS FIANTEG problems. She wasn't a massive hitter of the ball. She had relatively few winners today. This was on FIANTEG's Rakeem, and she was just coughing up errors. And I think that's really something that we're going to have to watch. FIANTEG says that she's kind of hoping to find her rhythm over the next few days as she keeps playing here, but she's not in good form right now.
Yeah, and I think the thing is, David, I know you watched a lot of this match in your commentary position on the Arthur A.D.M. that it's clearly putting FIANTEG on edge as well. It's not the errors that bother me the most. It's how stressed she's getting about her performances out there. I thought this was a really stressful and unconvincing performance, actually, from EGUS FIANTEG. And that she's making no secret of the fact that she feels pretty burnt out at the end of this year.
She is kind of at the end of her tether, isn't she, in terms of the mental well. So maybe this is to be expected, but even though it kind of makes total sense to me, given all that, it is still a worry. It doesn't make me feel full of confidence in her prospects this tournament necessarily. No, she's a player who likes everything to be just the way she's planned it really. And she's so good that usually it is. She can usually go into a match and be confident in what she's got.
Maybe there'll be more errors one day than another. Maybe she'll come up against a big hitter who'll make life difficult. I don't think these days, in the last three years, she's not used to this feeling, I don't feel, of coming out and not having full control over her faculties as a tennis player, all the skill sets that she has. And that was a very interesting press conference I thought. She went in further depth about length of year and structure of tour.
And she seems quite determined to keep speaking out and letting people know that she thinks there's too much tennis, the players don't have enough time to rest. And for the world number one to be speaking out like that is something I really hope the authorities listen to. But it also, she's an interesting case study in itself in how she now manages that to try to still be a threat in this tournament. She's pretty specific about her concerns, isn't she?
It's the mandatory, it's the proliferation of the mandatory 500s, which takes the management out of her hand. She says, my team are doing a great job of managing my schedule within the control they have. But if we're required to play these many extra tournaments that I don't want to be playing, then what can you do? And she said, there's nothing against the 500 tournaments, these are great tournaments.
But if you want to set our best, if you want the best product, this is not the way to achieve it. And then I followed up with a question about the two-week long 1000 events. I said, is that part of this same picture for you and long story short, yes it is. And the WTA has gone to these six mandatory 500s that you have to play on top of the mandatory thousands.
And I think she made the point, didn't she, that not only is it burning out the play, but it hasn't actually improved the horrible word product. It's quantity and not quality. Exactly. And I think if it was a trade off that like, okay, they might be a bit more burnt out, but the whole thing would be better overall, maybe that would be okay. But it's not. She's very much reference 10, 11 years ago and said, did you have a problem with it then? And like, no, I don't think anyone did really.
And yeah, she spoke about how the WTA has like sort of promised and prioritized the tournaments over the players in this situation. And I think she's absolutely right. I think she's got such a good point here, you see, on tech. And it does carry a lot of weight, I think, because she's the world number one. And because like, it's not like she's saying this when she's, okay, her results have dropped off in the last few weeks, of course. But like, she's had an amazing year.
It's not like she's just saying this because she's losing all the time. It's not sour grapes at all. I think she really does have a point. And I think, you know, it's not just the WTA, it's the ATP as well. Like, there's so much tennis. And I know we talk about it all the time, but it is catching up with people, I think. Yeah, absolutely. Sorry to end our women's segment on a bit of Obama. Well, unless you're an Ashland Krueger fan, not a bummer at all here.
But a bit of a bummer of a start to the day for Matt, because it's about two and a half hours between 11 a.m. and 130 p.m. Matt's whole university revolved around Zheng Shuai. And it didn't end well, did it, Matt? Tell us why Zheng Shuai was occupying your attention. Well, I love a stat, as you know. And Zheng Shuai had already broken the record for the longest losing street, Contennis History. She equaled Vincent Spadier's 21 consecutive losses and then had her 22nd consecutive loss.
And I just thought, like, that record is done. I'm desperate now for Zheng Shuai to win. He wasn't a match ago. He wasn't one loss ago. You wanted to make sure the record happened first. He needed the stat, and now he's willing to put her out of her misery. But I'm shingruge and not so. And the thing is, like, for me, having not lived through Vincent Spadier, he ain't afraid of you. That's always been a punchline, you know? Like, Vincent Spadier, the longest losing street.
But when I've actually been watching Zheng Shuai, like, you realize, like, there's a person on the end of that stat. And, like, going through something so brutal, like January 2023 was when she lost one match against Madison Brangle. In singles, yes. But where is Madison Brangle when you need her? So perfect that it's Madison Brangle. And it really looked like this was going to be the one that she finally won. She won the first set six love. Six love and couldn't finish this match off.
And at that point, we were speculating about whether Ashlyn Krueger was worried about being the Greg Rzecki of the Zheng Shuai stat. No one wants to be the Greg Rzecki. Rzeck is the one who helped Spadier break his streak by losing to him. And that's why I find them so fascinating, like the dynamics of it are so interesting. Because even like, you wonder how many people in the crowd actually know about this. Probably not that many would know that Zheng Shuai is on such a long losing street.
They're probably just rooting for the American who herself was looking for her first Grand Slam main draw win. Like there was just a lot on the line for both players. And actually like when you when you read 22 now 23 match losing street, you think probably Zheng Shuai is playing absolutely horrible tennis. It's not the case at all. In fact, watching today's such an illustration of what the how fine the margins are. Like the tennis looks the same as when she was winning.
There were so many great rallies in this third set. And she was winning a lot of them. She's not suddenly lost her forehand or got the yips on serve. It's the same strokes. It's just getting nothing back for them. Exactly. It's brutal. It's so brutal and I really really do feel for her. I said that would be the end of the women's segment. But actually I was neglecting to scroll through the agenda. Rebecca one today beat qualified destiny IAVA 6176. Didn't get a chance to see much of this match.
The was pretty interested in Rebecca is press conference after is how different to Rebecca know we might get following her split from Stefano Vucov. On the eve of the tournament. And the answer was today not a very different Rebecca at all. She did not want to chat. She didn't want to talk about the Vucov split at all. She shut all that down. It was quite awkward and that was the end of the press conference now. That is absolutely her right to do that.
I do hope that in the future she can find a way to develop some sort of relationship with the media. That doesn't necessarily mean answering every question. It's still your right to say no I don't want to talk about that. Thanks very much. But you know it's clear that she is suspicious and defensive of the media in general regardless of what they're asking her. And that's a shame. And I hope that that won't ever be us. But she remains in the tournament and that is great to see.
And of course the last result on the women's side really that we should talk about. We touched upon it earlier is Emma Radikarnu beaten by Sophia Kennin in three sets on the grandstand court earlier. This was one that we were multi-screening from Armstrong when we were watching Paulini and Drescu. Very one-sided first set in Kennin's favour. Barter and break for Radikarnu a real you know Pam Shriver reset from her. Some really great tennis in the second set but just unable to sustain it.
That's pretty much the bottom line isn't it? Yeah I mean that was a terrible first set from her but a really good Kennin. And I did think I thought Radikarnu had got her to be honest. She was when she was middleing some of those back-hands for winners. And it's difficult to know where to draw the line between Kennin having been good and when you're trying to find cause and effect. My mind just went to the fact that she has not many matches recently.
You know she didn't enter the qualifying in Cincinnati and maybe I'm just drawing links because they're obvious. They seem obvious and maybe it isn't that but that's her feels to me. And it certainly inevitably makes you go back to that because that is a fact. She didn't play those qualifying and now she's lost. It's one of those. It's like with the Drescu.
If you're going to wear the Osaka Drescu you've got to win. If you're not going to enter qualifying in Cincinnati you've got to produce in the first round of the US Open. Yeah I look I'd love her to prove me wrong but I don't think you can be a proper professional tennis player without playing more than she is. Now maybe she doesn't want to be a maybe she doesn't want it enough to do that and do the grind and that's fine.
The grind is tough. It's not for everybody but if she does want it I don't think you can do it this way. I really don't. So not next year. I get it this year if it's physically based on. But she's physically fine. Yes. I can understand if it's caution. But if next year she would have shared yourself similarly without having physically broken down. I'm out of excuses.
It just seemed like she finally had form a momentum from the grass court season where she won a lot of matches and did well and then played Washington and won a couple of matches there as well. And then just halted it all and lost that momentum and lost that form and came in here cold and against a player who can in.
It's not like Kenan's been winning a load of matches either but she's been playing and yeah I agree I just don't think you can just show up without without the reps and expect to get much further than the first round quite frankly. She hasn't been into press yet so if there's anything to report from that we'll bring it to you tomorrow. This podcast is brought to you by eHarmony. The dating app to find someone you can be yourself with. Why doesn't eHarmony allow copy and paste and first messages?
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We're going to move on to the men's draw where fair amount of stuff has also happened today. But before we do that a note from our sponsors because of course the tennis podcast is brought to you in partnership with AO Travel and experiences throughout this US open. They are one two three your one stop shot for the Australian open. I haven't got that down. I'm still learning. David didn't even try. It was an attempt from Matt and I respect that. Yeah, sorry. You write the script David.
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Now the men's draw today we're going to talk about out crowds we're going to talk about sinner we're going to talk about the lost gen if sits a pass or J ali a seam in shop of all of I've see what I've done there I've I've grouped their horrors together and we're going to talk about our defeats David but first we're going to talk about come back man Dan.
Dan Evans won the longest match in us open history today five hours 35 minutes six four in the fifth over Karen has you're coming from fall of 1540 down in that fifth.
And solly whole man David law got to commentate on it over to you Davis is amazing I mean I think I I'd like to think and I actually do think I was the only person in the whole set midway through the four set that clocks that this could end up being the longest match in us open history and you texted us about it you what's up to us and I went calm down David it's only midway through the
fourth. It's just an excuse to talk about the 90s isn't it well the I mean a couple of my colleagues in the five like comments remarks just genuinely wondered how on earth I could know about the Stefan Edberg Michael Chang 1992 five hour and 26 minute epic and I said well because I sat on the sofa for the entirety of it and when I should have been revising for my exams so we got into the
last lawyers and sure enough I was I was remembering that correctly but even then when we got into that fifth set Evans looked so spent and it was still just short of five hours at that point and he was he lost the first four games in about 10 minutes of that set but the whole story of Evans against hatching of is quite interested because he has a four zero record before today against hatching
and this is a guy you know he's ranked way below you always has been ranked way below a guy who's been a top 10 player in the past Olympic silver medalist he's won big titles Evans now down at 184 in the world because of all the problems he's had this year he's not anyone four matches all year in the singles had Evans but it's like he's got the
captainites against hatching of and I couldn't remember any of their previous matches I just knew it's four zero when you watched them play you could see why he's got that record the sliced backhand as you know has not got a clue how to take that on because he doesn't know whether to try and hearing his art as he can he doesn't know where
he was getting involved in slice backhand to slice backhand exchanges with Dan Evans and it was really making me chuckle yes this this is not the way you're going to win this match come on no and so you've got the four zero record against Dan Evans is a polling record this year and lack of confidence just four match wins all year but he gets
to six five he he he he he extricated himself from from a terrible situation the previous game have been 40 love dance five four and he he breaks serve then Evans goes up this is first set six five 40 love and loses his serve and loses five set points in that set and loses the set and honestly he left the cause it was now in 20 minutes I thought how can you stomach that after the year you've just had come back from this but just bit by bit he started to piece this come back
together he won the next two sets on the tie break as well then he goes into the the four set and he's zero to body start to get tired loses that six four hashing off comes up with a couple of belting four hand winners and then in the fifth set it just looks so
over at four eleven and and fifteen forty as well but he found something and it just shows the scoring system what genius it is because it only took one break a serve one of the two and then suddenly the other guy looks tired and Evans looks like he's just jumping out of his shoes he's
got so much adrenaline and energy suddenly and and he just draws back the crowd an American crowd cheering let's go Danny and I'm thinking he's never been called Danny in his life but suddenly he's Danny Danny from America there were a couple of a couple of people in
Austin, Villa shirt down at the very well and all America yeah I was trying to overlook that today we can allow that well but anyway it's the it's the nearest court to the press center court six right but like it's not that near like you've got to walk through quite a lot of the sort of under passages of the Arthur a stadium and yeah very heavy doors yeah quite a lot of brick and concrete and yet the crowd were providing us with a spoiler that I was like totally fine with because it was awesome
being able to hear the crowd like it was amazing from the bow the indoor bowels of Arthur a stadium quite a way away it was unreal and I think there is a lot of goodwill towards Dan Evans at the moment given you know the fact that he opted to play the Olympics
for himself but also for Andy Murray rather than defend his Washington title and I know look he said that wasn't a decision it was just something that he knew he wanted to do and I don't think I don't think he wants to take much credit for that but I do think that's a story that's resonated
but also like you get a match like that on court six and the crowd just decides who they like who who resonates with them and Dan Evans is tennis won over that crowd like his brand his slice back and his swashbuckling play was a lot more riveting for them than the tennis
hatch novel was playing and he had I think I'd say 98% 99% of the crowd with him and it was awesome that he then managed to get over the line and like I suddenly realized been watching Dan Evans win a lot of crazy matches in the last few weeks and I've been I've been seeing them through such an
Andy Murray lens because of all their doubles together like they felt so in Andy Murray's image those matches and of course they were he's he's defined himself with those improbable wins but like Dan Evans has kept that going here like I've now seen Dan Evans win
so many matches this year that he kind of had absolutely no right to win and I for a guy he's got the heart that Andy Murray's got actually totally totally why they were such perfect doubles partners why was the perfect kind of way for Andy Murray to end his career
and win of his life win of his life I was going to say exactly that like in this is what he'll be telling his grandkids about one day in a year which has been so hard for him Dan Evans a guy who you know didn't used to get the most out of his career has now you know
it's kind of cool that he's now the guy who's won the longest US Open Match in history a match defined by just leaving every last ounce of energy and pouring his whole self and giving all of himself to attend his match because that is who he has been the last five or six years do you think Andy Murray was allowed to watch it well on family holiday possibly the first family holiday of his life I think Andy Murray allowed to watch it or not was watching yeah Andy Murray was prepared
to be in trouble had a secret phone on the guy you might have had you in his ear David possibly that's the nicest way to to follow tennis the thing is the thing is something about Dan Evans he has some indefineable quality that gets people to care about him like my whole family I know he's from
Solly Hall but that's not what it was about the something about him my wife doesn't really watch much tennis she's watching it and it's midnight at home and I know she's jet-lank because she's just gone home from here but even so she's up she's jumping around the lounge and my kids are up and they're supposed to have been in bed two hours ago because it's Dan that's just what happens yeah he's rebranded he's got Mariano Navone next which a theory is a decent draw I think but whether
he's human enough to actually play tennis in two days time I don't know but it's such a brutal sport isn't it like he said I won't be practicing tomorrow like you know footballers done with a ball you know they they have to have it like you know you you can't play Thursday Saturday in football you know it's just not allowed certainly not a midday kickoff on Saturday outrageous and then Dan Evans after five and a half hours it is having to come back into it's just so
so brutal yeah we love it truth Carlos Alcarez needed full sets tonight to be Lee Tune who I hope to see more of he was fun and it's Carlos Alcarez hopes to see more of in years to come keep track of his results from here on I didn't know anything about him but I'm going to follow with interest from now on and he is a good time isn't he Lee Tune took it to Carlos Alcarez he did a bit of Carlos Alcarez back to Alcarez and it both in terms of you know some trick shotery
and some finger to the ear stuff to the crowd get on him it was really fun yeah he was he was a fun time and he's got some skill he's a single handed backhand he's he really catches the eye out there okay one of the big things about watching Alcarez is the eyes always drawn to him but it's it takes
something to take it away from him and that's what this chap was doing great looking single handed back and I don't know how good it is technically there are better minds than minor that will be able to tell you that but he's got tension his imagination he was hitting drop shots and as you say celebrating like he really enjoys the stage and so the question will be well how do you build on this and and do something else with it and I'm like Alcarez I'll be
looking out for his results yeah absolutely he's he's gone to the SPN set after after a loss that's that's a main character energy isn't it love that from him Yannick Sinner also a winner today that was an accident it works it was a very kind of current Amute French open-esque match as
kind of the second the word upset left anybody's lips the match totally turned on his head and said in a barely dropped a game from from that point onwards there was a lot of well not a lot of but there was some chatter about him maybe having been booed as he walked on to court I don't I mean them there might have been a smattering I certainly think the reception was maybe a bit more muted than it might have been had they're not been the events of the last
week but I I think reports of booing have been a bit exaggerated I think so too and I think it's quite it's also quite possible that people might do it as a bit of a joke or something like that we've seen it with the chalk of it's
on a bit of a wind up Wimbledon but I wasn't out there in the stadium I couldn't speak to it I was only in the the commentary box there but he's still he's still bit self-conscious isn't he we heard him talking the press kind some you know he knows there are some some views out there amongst the
players that are a little empty him or at least added the process at the moment and some of those views are commentating alongside his coach this week on ESPN I mean it could also been very very loud about it and pretty extraordinarily direct and blunt and and I'm surprised that he is saying
what he's saying and misleading in some cases he's been community noted twice on on Twitter yeah yeah pretty extraordinary really I mean he was interviewing Calc Alcoraz on the court yeah after the after the match this evening things got a bit messy for Daniel Medvedev before he's straighting
things out against a do sound live it's there was a round the net post return winner for Medvedev which should be extraordinary but it's kind of like well yeah if you're standing all the way back there like the round the net post shot sort of is quite available to you isn't it because of because of the bizarre angles going on the blowing up post here right yeah he's the only one who physically can hit it because he's the only one standing about there it's like
his signature shot I have seen him do it before he looked very disheveled which as we know is always a good thing for for Daniel Medvedev playing in the heat of the day he's always at his most disheveled here isn't he yeah end of the year steamy conditions crowd-winding about I actually thought
by and large it was pretty good today I know we're we're kind of looking for people that are going to beat Medvedev in this draw because we're so unconvinced by his form and I and that's how you end up with Felix or Jalia seem in the quarter finals well you've moved me along nicely to my to my little grouping here of results and maybe I'm being unfair on Stefano Sitzapas because his match against the Nazi cock and I guess it was a lot more competitive than than
the others in his group but it was nonetheless a defeat a full set defeat to to cock and I guess he said some good grandson results this season actually and is in a section of the draw that's opening up and look I know Sitzapas has
never had any dividends here in New York he's never been passed the third round here and I think he's only got to the third round once but still it's another defeat it's another mark where I think of his increasing tennis in relevance at the very top of the game and look I think
the same can be said of Felix or Jalia seem who's beaten handily today by Jacob Mensick it was a wholegeruna S school line from Felix or Jalia seem it was it was pretty limp from him and still not quite as limp as Dennis Shapa of all of his defeat to Bertic Bander's Ansical today I mean that was a
a hideous scene really for for someone as talented as a Shapa of all of and if you went back five years and told it's all right not all these not all these defeats are equal and not all these players are in the in the same place in their games or their careers but exactly that David if you went back
five years and cited these results and this level of irrelevance for these players you'd be saying you'd be so shocked you'd be saying imagine how good these are gonna that's what we were saying imagine in five years time how good these guys are gonna be and they're all worse yeah I
mean I think the most shocking one today to me was all Jalia seem but that's because his results have actually been better in the last few months you know Madrid final he played for the bronze medal at the Olympics he showed some good form on the hard courts like I really did think that he was starting to build not not in the level that we thought that he would be as you said five years ago it's he's not at that level but I really did think that he was
starting to return to a lot better form and he's just got absolutely blown away by okay another very talented young player Jacob Mensik who I think earlier on in the season started having some really good results has been a bit choir to recently and that's why I didn't really consider that Mensik would win this because I just thought their form recently has been so different so I think that's why that was result is shocking to me but that's also why I suppose
Jacob or Jalia seem a bit more slack like he has been performing pretty well over the last few months this is a shocker and his grand sam record recently is is a shocker as well but that's having already adjusted downwards what we consider performing very well for Felix or Jalia see right that is
adjusted downwards significantly on what we expect the what the benchmark we expected to be judging him by five years ago for sure and I do think that you two were actually way more ahead of this than I was and then a lot of people were I think I think the expectations of Felix or Jalia seem
were over inflated like the game is not as good as as the expectations like he is limited and he had incredible junior results so everyone got very excited personally for me he's like he's like the first amazing junior that I remember so I've always got that sort of in the back of my mind I sort of you know I think some of the ATP players joke don't they call him like the chosen one the special one because he was so ahead of the curve but like actually when you
look at the game there are some big limitations there and he doesn't have the game of a multiple Grand Slam champion in my opinion like I think that was probably always perhaps a little bit absurd I think Sitsa Pass has got a game
okay like now looks like it has a lot of weaknesses still the return of serve the backhand the lack of dexterity on the on the chip and all that kind of thing but it's also got amazing weapons and athleticism that he can use especially on clay and I do think that game could be good enough to be
absolutely competing for Grand Slam titles and that sort of drop off has been really alarming I think the OJ earlier scene drop of has been big but it's mostly been in relation to a kind of perhaps like fantasy that was kind of just created around him and like how much of that is his fault I'm not not sure really and I do feel like he's he's kind of to me's doing all the right things with his career or yeah let's see he's he's he's tried hiring a bit
of a super coach and Tony Nadal he's he's not leaving any stone unturned he's working really hard he's just just not what I and I think a lot of people thought he was and yeah like it's kind of bit sad in a way and you haven't even mentioned Dennis shop of all of there which maybe says it all
yeah but I think about shop of all of really no brutal isn't it but it's and I know and in contrast to all you have your see my do think shop of all of has has made a lot of questionable decisions with his career really I would say indeed yeah I do sometimes wonder imagine if he'd have kept working with Jamie Delgado that was never given a proper chance the very decisions are part of greatness aren't they a part of success yeah certainly a part of maximising
whatever you've got and that's that's all you all you ask of these people ultimately I I share you view on on as you are I say I think I think you can almost want them to be this thing because you've heard about them and then it's young youth and all the rest of it and I did I used to just stare at his game and think what am I missing here because I don't it's it's not that it's not that exciting to me it's not that complete there's there's that it's basic it's very good but it's basic
Jack Draper crews today against young Gigi and before a young retired trailing fall love in the third not really too much to say about this much tennis-wise because young was so so compromised other than you know it would only been a year ago that we'd have been worried about Draper in in the
conditions today that he might be the one to will perhaps even not complete the match and he looked really strong it was a very mature business like performance from Draper today in sort of both in micro and macro sense challenging conditions given everything he's had going on around him and how David as you described for us how we know it's affected him recently so I found that very impressive and I do now find myself looking ahead to a scheduled according to
the draw round three meeting with Carlos Alcaraz. Let's have that draper needs to be getting there yes now for for himself and for us yes please Thomas Mahatch one today against Fabio Fernini straight sets for Mahatch no cineographer sightings in the box but the quest for hashtag journalism on that
front does continue folks Alex Domino beat Marcus Girone today which I know sounds unremarkable those the kind of matches you expect him to win now but I thought he was a major fitness injury down here and his his ankle seemed fine which is a real relief because I I was pretty devastated for him with the with the injuries stained at Wimbledon and and having to withdraw ahead of what would have been the biggest match of his career so yeah I just found that quite
heartening to see him in all back to fitness and just finally David one for you out of feast one today yes I was a little bit concerned for him pre-match because I don't don't know the chap he was playing I know he's a very talented young American junior who I think had severe serious results last year in the junior circuit and has been tearing it up a bit at a challenger level this year I think yeah I'd say F and challenger level he's won a lot of matches but definitely
wants to learn a TN TN is his name he did win a set today yeah and and feasts got off to a great start and then it started to get a bit dicey and you know he held on really at the end and so I didn't see the match obviously I'll be seeing his round two but yes I'm encouraged on his behalf and that's it for your day to wrap except to say that there are still two matches on court but they do look like they are headed towards conclusion just could be good
leading by a setna break over Shelby Rogers and over on Armstrong Tommy Paul leading by a setna break for one in the second for him over Lorenzo Sonnego so anything can happen but it does it like those two matches are going according to seeding a very quick run through for you what we have coming up tomorrow here at the Billie Jean King National tennis centre Madison Keys kicks off against talented young Australian Maya joint that's first on Ash and it is followed by
Frances Tiafo against Andre Chevchenko Alexander Chevchenko Andre's the footballer all day that every time it's it's my new blade Shelton so these are the day session matches I think a lot of people expected to see Frances Tiafo
in the night session tomorrow or maybe even to see Taylor Fritz and Matteo Bertini at least on Ash tomorrow but they are on Armstrong I'll come to that in a moment the night session on Ash is Tatiana Maria against Coco Golf followed by Nova Djokwicz and Lazlo Gerr and it is expected to be super hot
in the humid tomorrow so a night session billing is is an advantage for sure Armstrong starts with Taylor Towns and against Paola Badosa I don't know why that matches on first it's not where I would have it but but there we go then it is Alexander Muller against Alexander Zverov, Flucchebra and Zeti against Arunis Saba Lenka third on and then the night session on Armstrong is Azarenka Burel so another sighting of coach Greg Rzeadski which I find still can't
get my head around but it is happening. But Rael is getting some serious show time Burel show, Boutini Fritz the last match on Armstrong tomorrow. Critchie Giver gets Grandstand followed by Junqin, Wien against Erica and Draver Shelton, Albatistra Gute and Rudemont Fees on Grandstand and court 17 is where you'll find Greg or Dimitrov against Rinky Hidjikato, Andrei Rublev there
tomorrow and Navarro and Alina Svitalina as well. Harriet Dart for the Brits is on court five Peyton Sterns against Dorik as Akina that one could be fun and doubles kicks off tomorrow. Too soon I'm not ready. Doubles feels like I don't know I just I want it still to be the very early stages of the slum if the US open because those are my favorite stages and doubles signals are kind of
transition to a new phase for me and I'm not there yet. Oh Daniel Collins in Caroline Garcia playing doubles they are fourth on court 11 tomorrow if you want to catch them and that is it for an absolutely bumper day to at Flushing Meadows it has been extraordinary today. Yeah tomorrow is going to have some living up to and I'm sure it will be sweaty but I'm sure it will be good. We
of course have our US open mascot hello Bruno lovely lovely Bruno. It's been at least 12 hours since I've posted any Bruno content on Instagram so I shall be rectifying that shortly. I scored another dud for the Dealy departed Darwin today. I was led to believe that Alex Dimitrov was injured and I was apparently very wrong so we go again tomorrow David and Francis. And Matt I think Matt got snow. No I've been in predictions disgrace all week.
Yeah none of us have covered ourselves in glory today apologies to Hyder and Soma hello to Billy Jean cheers once about Billy Jean King under Lana Kloss hello to our top folks and executive producers Greg Chris Jamie and Jeff and hello to our shoutouts who will be introduced by Matt Roberts. We have a couple of shoutouts today we have a buster catch I think we're going to keep it to just a couple of shoutouts and they're sort of double shout out so I think
it works we have Hassanah Fox and David Maccalski. Hello Hassanah and David. Hi. Do Hassanah and David know one another or if they've been lumped together for brevity? No they know one another. Great. They are in Connecticut. Hey lovely we've driven through there. Yep. We've told that story. No. Yeah well I've told it before haven't I always on a friend show. That was a friend only I think. Probably best to say. I'll tell the abbreviated version which is Matt and I tried to use the facilities
at a Dunkin Donuts and we were refused. Correct. The story ends there. If you want part two of that story become a friend of the tennis broadcast. I've got a list there in benefits. Tell us about Hassanah and Dave. David Dave. You've Dave them. Of Dave them. Well David gets Dave. I've never minded it as long as it's by promise. Okay. David and Hassanah. They have three cats who are tennis broadcast fans. Yeah. Animals being friends. Well let's assume they're friends unless we've
been told they need a friend. No they're friends. Great. Do we know anything else? We don't. No. Lovely. Hello. Hassanah and David. Thank you very much. They are friends. Yes. So they they know part two of the Connecticut story. That's true. Yeah. And then we will also have a shout out today from Sebastian for his friend Dominika. Oh that's kind. Sebastian. Good work. Like Dominika Sibbukova. Exactly like that. And like Sebastian Grosjean. And
off-nah. Yes. Corda. He won today. He did. He beat Khan Tamuta so he's in my bad books. Do we know anything about Dominika? We do. We know that Dominika we know lots actually. A Lewis Hamilton fan. A Beyonce Stan. Had on shoes before they were cool. Enjoys taking walks in the park. No. We know so much and she's a big Eagish Fiontech fan as well. Lovely. Good day for Dominika all round. And this is a surprise shout out. Dominika doesn't
have a lot of people. Oh. I love those. Has signed her up for a shout out. That is incredibly lovely. That's a lovely thing you've done Sebastian and I hope you didn't let you down Dominika. Thank you. Thank you to all of our friends of the tennis podcast. We hope you enjoyed this podcast and part two of the Connecticut anecdote. We'll be back with day three of the US Open tomorrow. We can't wait. It must be to that.
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