Key events
Volynets broke Muchova back with the latter serving for the match – for all the good it did her. She was broken again herself immediately, so Muchova is again trying to close it out, up 6-3 6-5. Otherwise, Hurkacz, up 6-3 on Skatov, is playing a second-set breaker, Thompson leads Lestienne 6-1 5-3 2-1 with a break, Mahac leads Fognini 4-2 and Goffin leads Tabilo 7-6 6-1.
Auger-Aliassime is another, I regret to say, who can’t be trusted to support his athletic ability with necessary solidity. He’s broken by Mensik when serving to stay in the set and the Czech now leads 6-2 6-4.
It’s well, well hot out there – which is why, I imagine, Sasnovich is dressed as she is. I’d not be surprised to see some retirements later today, but in the meantime she leads Boiulter 7-5 1-4.
It’s not been a good couple of years for Tsitsipas, and he quickly returns the break he took last game, thrashing a forehand long when down 30-40; he trails Kokkinakis 6-7 1-1. Otherwise, Muchova is serving for the match leading Volynets 6-3 5-4, Goffin leads Tabilo 7-6 4-1, Dolehide has broken Collins back to trail 1-6 4-3, Swiatek leads Rakhimova 4-2 and Auger-Aliassime is serving down 2-6 4-5 to Mensik.
Boulter consolidates to trail 5-7 3-0, while Tsitsipas, down 6-7, breaks in the first game of set two and from here, will hope to impose his extra power and class.
We did the men’s so now let’s wonder who might win the women’s. Swiatek, 3-0 up on Rakhimova, doesn’t love it when the ball bounces higher; on the other hand, that suits Sabalenka down to the ground, and though I didn’t expect Coco Gauff to beat her in last year’s final, I’d be surprised if that happened again because I feel like she’s improved more than any of the other contenders.
Boulter breaks Sasnovich to trail 5-7 2-0 and Colins does likewise to Dolehide, leading 6-1 3-2; I daresay this match will soon be over.
Having been a break down, the evergreen and nails David Goffin takes the first set off Tabilo 7-6(7); a succession of errors from Tsitsipas mean he trails Kokkinakis 1-6 in the first-set breaker, he makes 5-6 and has serve … then a big forehand from the Aussie incites him to net one of his own! The number 10 seed trails 6-7!
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (25) beats Taylah Preston 6-2 6-0
She meets Cocciaretto or Baindl next.
Kokkinakis holds for 6-6 and arranges an immediate mini-break, consolidating with an ace. I’d still expect Tsitsipas to outlast him in the set, but he’s raising the pressure – a second ace means he’s up 3-0.
Sasnovich serves out to 15 for a 7-5 first set and Boulter has work to do – she’s hitting some decent shots but not with any consistency. Meantime Swiatek, the 2021 champ, is out on court knocking up with Rakhimova.
Boulter has only got in 45% of first serves – versus 74% for Sasnovich – and after a tussle on deuce, she’s broken for a third time. After a little sit-down, the qualifier will serve for the first set at 6-5.
At 30-all Boulter ups the pace on a forehand cross and Sasnovich nets in response; down break point, the pressure gets on top and a further error means we’re back on serve at 5-5 in the first.
Boulter holds, forcing Sasnovich to serve for the first set at 5-4. And on Armstrong, Dolehide has made a better start to set two than set one, now trailing Collins 6-1 1-2.
Mensik has taken the first set off Auger-Aliassime 6-2 and Hurkacz leads Skatov 6-3; Sasnovich consolidates and Boulter must now serve to stay in set one at 3-5. Meantime on Armstrong, Kokkinakis is up 4-3 … but as I type, he tosses his break, two doubles the a netted forehand on advantage presenting Tsitsipas with the game that takes him to 4-4.
Having qualified, Sasnovich is in form – to reach this stage she’s already won three matches – and isn’t letting Boulter have her way, breaking for 4-3. There’s something of Jo Durie in the way that she serves, but so far her idiosyncratic action is just about holding up.
In comms, they note that it’d help Tsitsipas if he could sort himself a proper backhand slice, and it is kind of weird how little he’s improved on that wing – especially given he had a whole lockdown during which to work on it. Anyroad, he secures a tough hold from 30-all with a forehand winner down the line, while Collins leads Dolehide 6-1, it’s Mensik 5-2 Auger-Aliassime, Thompson 6-1 Lestienne, Hurkacz 5-2 Skatov and Muchova 6-3 Volynets.
Boulter raises break point and takes control of the next rally, running around her forehand to hit to the corner … only to stick another into the net before blazing wide after raising a further advantage. And from there, helped by a terrific high-kicking ace, Sasnovich secures the hold for 3-3.
So who do we think is going to win here? If Carlos Alcaraz takes the men’s title, he’ll be an Aussie Open away from a grand slam, but is Novak Djokovic back? His performance in the Olympic final was sensational and he’s made a career out of confounding us, but it might be he dredged one last effort out of him to make sure he didn’t finish his career without a gold medal. Or it might be that, yet again, he’s found himself – and if he has, it’ll take something major to stop him. Of course Alcaraz – and Sinner, and perhaps Zverev – are exactly that, so if it happens it won’t be any kind of breeze. I, though, am going to stick my neck out and predict a win for Andrew Barron Murray Alcaraz.
Kokkinakis has only won two matches in New York but he consolidates his break and now leads 2-1, but Sasnovich has retrieved the one of which Boult relieved her and it’s now 2-2 in the first. Elsewhere, Tabilo (22) leads Goffin 3-1, Muchova – a favourite of this blog – is up 4-1 on Voylnets, and Mensik leads Auger-Aliassime 3-1.
A fine, muscular start from Boulter, who leads Sasnovich 2-0, while Collins is 2-0 up on Dolehide. Is it just me who sings her name to this banger? Surely not? Oh come on.
And he cannot. Kokkinakis breaks for 1-0, and Calv Betton, our resident coach and now a Wimbledon champ in the men’s doubles, messages as follows: “As always with Tsitsipas it will depend of his opponent can nail his poor backhand. He probably still wins though coz Kokkinakis is a choker, though he likes to make out that he’s everything but. He loses almost every close match.”
Immediately, Kokkinakis gets himself two break points; Tsitsipas saves the first with a service winner, then the second, but a forehand into the net means he must save a third…
And away we go!
I AM WRONG.We can pick matches, so I’ve got Tsitspias v Kokkinakis on my phone and am waiting to see what’s on the two main channels. Ah, it’s Boulter v Sasnovich on one and Collins v Dolehide on the other; I’d not be picking the second of those, but you can only choose your match if using the app on your phone or an iPad and I’ve not got the latter.
We’re away everywhere but Ashe any minute now. I don’t think I’ve access to every match – I just need to watch what they stick on. I was hoping to get on Paolini (5) v Andreescu and Tsitsipas (11) v Kokkinakis, but my guess is that Boulter (31) v Sasnovich will be on one of the two channels.
I apologise, please forgive me. I forgot to note that Jasmie Paolini, seeded five these days, is playing first up – against Bianca Andreescu, the 2021 champ here. OK, not here, I’m in a north London box room, so there.
Preamble
Hey there Dudes, and welcome to the US Open 2024 – day two!
As you’d expect, there’s an absolutely indecent amount of glorious tennis awaiting us, so let’s get on with enjoying it. On Ashe, we get to see both top seeds, Iga Swiatek and man-of-the-moment Jannik Sinner while, on Armstrong, there’s Danielle Collins and Daniil Medvedev with a potential banger in between, Jelena Ostapenko facing Naomi Osaka.
Elsewhere, the improving Thanasi Kokkinakis takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas; Corentin Moutt v Seb Korda should be good; Elena Rybakina gets going; and we’re also getting Katie Boulter, Caroline Wozniacki, orter man-of-the-moment Jack Draper, Alex de Minaur, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Karolina Muchová, Dan Evans v Karen Khachanov, Hubie Hurkacz and on and on and Ariston. Awesome!
Play: 11am local, 4pm BST