US Open accounts as the final Grand Slam of the season in professional Tennis, but this year due to the pandemic US Open began as the second grand slam event as Wimbledon was cancelled and the French Open was moved to later in September.
Defending champions Rafael Nadal and Bianca Andreescu withdrew from the tournament citing safety concerns. Many top stars like Federer, Nadal, Ashleigh Barty and Simona Halep elected to forgo participation in Flushing Meadows, New York.
The US Open 2020 that kick-off on Monday is scheduled from August 31 to September 13. All the matches will be played without any audience in attendance.
The men’s singles have top names like Novak Djokovic, Dominic Theim, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev as favourites. While the women’s singles will have Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Pliskova and many more.
Novak Djokovic marched into the 2nd round with a comfortable straight sets victory against Damir Dzumhur. Seeded No.2 in the competition, Dominic Thiem also advanced to the second round against Jaume Munar who subsequently retired because of injury. Andy Murray made an epic comeback saving one match point in a 4-6, 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over four hours and 38 minutes against Yoshihito Nishioka.
Serena Williams defeated Kristie Ahn in straight sets 7-5, 6-3 to mark her 102nd win at the US Open. She has won more US Open matches than anyone else. She will face Margarita Gasparyan in the second round, against whom she has a 2-0 head-to-head record.
Andy Murray made an epic comeback in his first-round match at the US Open. Murray battled from two sets down on Tuesday before eventually winning 4-6, 4-6, 7-6, (5) 7-6, (4), 6-4 to beat Yoshihito Nishioka in four hours and 39 minutes. Murray next plays the 20-year-old Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime.
Murray requested an emergency ice bath to aid recovery after a grueling start. The recovery in the next 36 hours is going to be very important and we’ll just have to see how he copes.
Murray, was out of action for last 20 months after he was beaten in five sets by Roberto Bautista Agut at the Australian Open in January 2019. He later underwent a hip resurfacing operation that kept him out of action.
Top seeded Novak Djokovic progressed to the third round after dropping the first against Britain’s Kyle Edmund. Djokovic extended his undefeated run in 2020 to 25 matches and looks strong to claim his 18th Grand Slam title.
Top women’s seed Karolina Pliskova crashed out in the tournament’s first shock. Pliskova was stunned in straight sets by France’s Caroline Garcia, the world number 50.
Sixth seed Petra Kvitova vanquished Kateryna Kozlova of Ukraine 7-6 (7/3), 6-2.
Angelique Kerber beat compatriot Anna-Lena Friedsam in straight sets. The 17th seed won 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) in one hour 40 minutes
Six-time champion Serena Williams progressed to the third round of the US Open with a 6-2 6-4 win over Russian Margarita Gasparyan. She will now face the 2017 Champion Sloane Stephens in the next round.
Novak Djokovic progressed to the 4th round after defeating Jan Lennard Struff with a 6-3 6-3 6-1 scoreline. He recorded his 600th career win on hard court.
Djokovic and Marin Cilic, who won the US Open in 2014, are the only two men remaining in the draw who have won a Grand Slam tournament.
India’s Rohan Bopanna and his Canadian partner Denis Shapovalov advanced to the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles. Bopanna and Shapovalov came from behind to beat the sixth-seeded German duo Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 47 minutes.
Bopanna is the only Indian remaining in the draw, following the ouster of Sumit Nagal and Divij Sharan.
Indian-Canadian duo of Rohan Bopanna and Denis Shapovalov progressed through to the quarterfinals. They beat German pair Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. The duo will now play against the Dutch-Romanian pair of Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau on September 7. Bopanna is the lone surviving Indian in the tournament after the exits of Sumit Nagal and Divij Sharan.
Daniil Medvedev demolished American J.J Wolf in straight sets 6-3 6-3 6-2.
Fourth Seed Stefanos Tsitsipas missed six match points to Borna Coric as he made a spectacular comeback from 5-1 down to bowing out the Greek from US Open with a scoreline of 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 6-4, 5-7, 6-7 (4-7)
No. 2 seed Sofia Kenin downed Ons Jabeur, 7-6, 6-3, to reach the Round of 16 on Day 6.
Eleven Americans reached the third round of the women’s singles draw at the 2020 US Open, which is the highest number of Americans to advance that far at Flushing Meadows since 1992. Four American women have already progressed to the Round of 16.
Jennifer Brady-Seed: No. 28 Sofia Kenin- Seed: No. 2 Shelby Rogers- Unseeded; world No. 93 Serena Williams- Seed: No. 3
In yesterday’s match, Djokovic reacted angrily to going 5-6 down to Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in the first set of their fourth-round encounter.
Although unintended, it was considered a breach of Grand Slam rules forbidding the physical abuse of anyone within the tournament precincts.
The disqualification ended Djokovic’s 26-match winning streak in 2020 and his quest for his 18th Grand Slam title. That would have brought him within 1 title of Rafa Nadal’s tally of 19 and 2 of Roger Federer’s record 20 major triumphs. Djokovic was greatly banking on this opportunity to close the gap in the absence of Nadal & Federer in this tournament.
What a way to exit the tournament!
On the brighter side, we welcome a new member into the Grand Slam champions club this year!
Djokovic’s shock departure means there is no man remaining in the tournament who has previously won a Grand Slam singles title. Second seed Dominic Thiem, who has reached Grand Slam finals three times without a win, is now the favorite to win men’s singles.
American Jennifer Brady led a day of upsets in the women’s draw. Brady, the 28th seed, stunned three-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber of Germany to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final for the first time in her career.
Another American, unseeded Shelby Roger’s also progressed to the quarter finals defeating P. Kvitova and Naomi Osaka won in straight sets to enter the next round.
A brutal decision for the US Open to send the No. 1 player in the world home but rules are rules.
Djokovic didn’t do it intentionally but it was negligent disregard to consequences. Players need to be responsible before expressing their frustration.
I am a big time fan of Djokovic, the fighter, the master of mind over the physicality of the game. However, I do think it was the right call taken by the US Open team. The players should anticipate the consequences of their displayed frustration and bear in mind the repercussions of their negligent behavior.
If institutions make exceptions to the rules then players may lose faith in impartial rulings.
I think Djokovic has taken this incident in the right spirit by issuing the following statement:
“This whole situation has left me really sad and empty,” he wrote. “I checked on the lines person and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling ok. I’m extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong. I’m not disclosing her name to respect her privacy. As for the disqualification, I need to go back within and work on my disappointment and turn this all into a lesson for my growth and evolution as a player and human being.”
Dominic Thiem, took full advantage with an impressive dismantling of highly-rated Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime as he bids to win his first Grand Slam. Meanwhile, Danil Medvedev swept aside Francis Tiafoe with ease and the Russian will face compatriot Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals.
Serena Williams advanced to the US Open quarterfinals after a gritty, tension-filled 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 win over Greece’s Maria Sakkari.
There was a shock exit in round four, however, as Sofia Kenin stumbled out in a straight to 16th seed Elise Mertens, who will face Victoria Azarenka in the last eight.
Daniil Medvedev continued his march towards a first Grand Slam title on Wednesday, powering into the U.S. Open semi-finals with a clinical 7-6(6), 6-3, 7-6(5) victory over childhood friend Andrey Rublev.
Dominic Thiem is through to his sixth Grand Slam semifinal, as he becomes the first Austrian man to reach that stage in New York after defeating Alex De Minaur in straight sets (6-1, 6-2, 6-4)
Serena William’s made a spectacular comeback after losing the first set to Prinokova to reach her 14th US open semi final. Serena hit 20 aces in total and wrapped up the match 4-6 6-3 6-2.
Victoria Azarenka of Belarus demolished Belgium’s Elise Mertens in straight sets to reach the semi-finals of the US Open.
Serena Williams will face Victoria Azarenka in a blockbuster semi-final in the US Open. Azarenka will get another shot at taking revenge on Williams as they meet for the 23rd time and the 11th time at a Grand Slam. The history of these two great champions runs deep, but always Serena has managed to keep the feisty Belarusian under her wing. Azarenka owns a 4-18 lifetime record against Williams, with all of those victories coming on hard courts.
Croatia’s Mate Pavic and Brazil’s Bruno Soares captured the US Open men’s doubles crown with a 7-5, 6-3 win over eighth seeds Wesley Koolhof of Netherlands and Nikola Mektic of Croatia.
Victoria Azarenka stunned Serena Williams 1-6 6-3 6-3 in the semi-finals of the US Open, one of the toughest challenges when Serena was in the pursuit of making history.
Belarusian Azarenka, ranked 24, denied Serena the chance of winning a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam singles title on home soil. What a ‘match of the mothers’ who were each trying to make a comeback!
“I was young, my ego was way too big. Now it’s a little smaller and the results are coming,” Azarenka expressed.
“I want to inspire my own child, and I hope that women around the world know that they can do anything. ‘Cause being a parent is the toughest thing but once you can balance that, you can do anything, ” Azarenka expressed further.
In the 2nd semi-finalsNaomi Osaka outslugs Jennifer Brady in three sets 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-3, advances to US Open final.
Jennifer Brady a Pennsylvanian relocated to Florida and the 41st-ranked player in the world, put up a great game against heavily favored Naomi Osaka. Jennifer is the first college player to make the Open semis since Lori McNeil in 1987.
