Could Day 2 of the 2016 US Open be another case of the Young and the restless?
Before we begin our second day of coverage from the grounds at the US Open, let’s take a peek to last year, when, on Day 2, we were on Court 17 in the afternoon when American Donald Young came back from a two-sets-to-none deficit to defeat then No. 11 seed Gilles Simon. Later today, Young will once again play on Court 17 in the first round, this time against Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany. That looks like a match Young should win, but will the expectation of winning hurt Young as much as being an underdog against Simon last year helped? There’s a good chance we’ll be there on Court 17, especially since we didn’t make it there at any point yesterday.
Along with that, there will be 63 other first-round singles tennis matches played today, and there are a lot of intriguing matchups. Of note, American Steve Johnson, fresh off winning a bronze medal at the Olympics with Jack Sock in men’s doubles, takes on Enveny Donskoy of Russia, the man Johnson beat 6-1, 6-1 in the Round of 16 in Rio. That match is on Grandstand, while an intriguing match with the funky style of Alexandr Dolgopolov and former Top 5 player David Ferrer will take place on Court 11. Oh, and even though this is in Ashe Stadium, we have to mention Serena Williams, the six-time winner of the event in singles. Somehow, the draw gods were not with Serena, as her first-round opponent is the tough Russian lefty, Ekaterina Makarova, a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist who made the Final Four here in Queens just two years ago. Of course, it was Serena who defeated Makarova 6-1, 6-3 on her way to her most recent US Open title. Still, a tough first-round match.
What shouldn’t be tough is telling us which court(s) to blog from, and we’ll be there for you. Remember, the “refresh” button is your friend! We’ll be updating you constantly on different matches and storylines!
Alright, let’s get cracking! Again, the most recent blogs are on top.
11:23 PM EST: I think it’s time to say goodbye to Day 2. Say goodnight, Fabio!!
11:01 PM EST: Oh, and here’s Alessandro Giannessi, the Italian qualifier who won his first-ever Grand Slam main draw match, winning against Denis Kudla. Listen as he got to share his win with a very special person, who was also on the court today…
10:41 PM EST: Happy to report that Donald Young won his first-round match on Court 17 today in four sets. While that took place in the late afternoon, fellow American Steve Johnson had to battle well into the evening in his match against Evgeny Donskoy. The match between the two in Rio, as we said above, was a one-sided affair in Johnson’s favor. The Russian, however, won the first two sets tonight. Johnson, rallied on by the fans on the new Grandstand, came back for a 4-6, 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-3 win. The reason Johnson struggled tonight? He shaved his beard after his time in Rio. Don’t mess with the beard next time, Steve!
10:20 PM EST: After a fun phone conversation and catching up with a friend, we can finally unveil some videos! First, it’s Russian Elena Vesnina, as the No. 19 was made to fight in her first-round win over Anett Kontaveit, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3. Another affable person to talk with, and definitely one that was so engaging. She talks about having her gold medal here in New York, how it has been with her dad also being her tennis coach and keeping the memory of her late former coach in mind.
8:55 PM EST: Serena on the big screen at Ashe, and you’ll be able to notice the framework of the newly-installed roof as well!
8:42 PM EST: This was bound to happen! I broke protocol and stepped on Ashe for the first time! Met my friend (and her friend) who works at Lacoste and and the person responsible for inviting me out to the Team Lacose/CityParks Foundation tennis instruction event last Sunday. Also got to see Serena close out her first-round opponent, former US Open semifinalist Ekaterina Makarova. Interestingly enough, I have an interview with Makarova’s doubles partner, Elena Vesnina, coming up real shortly!
8:20 PM EST: Here’s a picture. Not a great one, especially between chain links, but it’s the best I could do.
8:02 PM EST: Now we’re having wings! Also, the McEnroe brothers are practicing on the practice courts right next to the media dining room. I’ll see if I can take a pic.
7:27 PM EST: Screw wings! Fabio Fognini is about to complete a two-sets-to-none-down comeback against Gabashvili! We’re here on Court 9! And he does it!! All for Flavia, we’re sure!!
7:01 PM EST: Our deepest apologies for not blogging for a while, but we’re doing it for you guys! In the past couple of hours, we have interviews with both Giannessi and women’s No. 19 seed Elena Vesnina, who also is a breath of fresh air when talking with her. Interviews coming up shortly. Buffalo wings are immediate. We’ll be back out on the courts shortly.
4:49 PM EST: Back into the media room to cool off and unwind a bit. Oh, and Genie ended up losing 6-2 in the third set. Bouchard is 22, still has a lot of tennis ahead of her and has great Grand Slam success in the past already in her pocket. But, you definitely have to wonder if she’ll ever capture the form she reached in 2014.
4:30 PM EST: Match over, and Donaldson does put up a bagel in the fourth to win the match. In a week, Donaldson has gone from a qualifier who had about 200 people watching his matches last week to having about 2,000 fans stay around for his post-match interview. Speaking of the post-match interview, the person conducting it is the talented Blair Henley, whom I got the privilege of meeting during last year’s Open. One of the reasons Court 17 is the place to be right now is because of her, as she drops knowledge on the mic and gets fans excited and engaged on the court before, during and after matches. I’m not kidding. Go to Court 17!
4:24 PM EST: Here’s visual evidence of how much style he’s closing this match out in. He’s about to bagel the Belgian in the fourth…
…and here’s our view of the match, as I’m taking this picture while making sure my laptop doesn’t fall about 150-200 feet to the ground…
4:23 PM EST: One of tHe best parts of being on Court 12 is you can climb to the very top of the stadium and look out into Court 17. If you have a fear of heights, however, then I’d advise you not to do what I’m doing now: blogging on top of Court 12, my laptop being supported by a railing barely wide enough to do so. But I have to do it, as American Jared Donaldson is about to close out the No. 12 seed, David Goffin. And he’s doing so in style…
4:18 PM EST: Kudla goes down without winning a game in the fifth set and Giannessi, who defeated the No. 1 seed in qualifying, Yuchi Sugita, wins in his first-ever Grand Slam main draw singles match. Molto bene!
4:06 PM EST: On our way back to the new Grandstand to catch the end of the Bouchard match, I walk past Court 12 and hear that American Denis Kudla either a) was on the verge of vomiting on the court, or b) vomited on the court. It happened at 0-4 in the fifth set, with his opponent, qualifier Alessandro Giannessi, two games away from the match. I stay to see if Kudla will tough his way through to the end. Urged on by fans who just saw him, literally, leave everything out on the court, Kudla trudges on.
3:57 PM EST: I told you this shake is good! Chocolate with whipped cream on top…
3:55 PM EST: Walking towards the Ben & Jerry’s stand, got to see a lot of action just peering into different courts. Troicki was able to force a fifth set against Albot. American Denis Kudla just won the fourth set against a qualifier from Italy, but is down a break in the fifth at 1-0 on Court 12. Next door, on Court 11, Carla Suarez Navarro has won the first five games of her match against Teliana Pereira of Brazil. After the shake is done, we think it’s back to the Grandstand for the finale of Bouchard and Siniakova. Man, this shake is good!
3:38 PM EST: At 15-30, Siniakova decides to hit a backhand swinging volley from the service line. All net (not good in tennis). Bouchard has a break point…and converts! Back on serve. And I’m back on the move!
3:34 PM EST: Bouchard serves another ace while down break point. And, soon after that, she’s down another break point. Fifth chance for Siniakova in this game And Bouchard hits a backhand out! It’s being challenged…and it’s overturned! Caught the baseline. Replay the point. Still Ad-out to Siniakova. Now Bouchard hits a backhand long, and there was no doubt that it was long. 2-0 Siniakova, final set. We’ll give this one more game, then we have move.
3:32 PM EST: Genie gets a game point, but Siniakova comes up with forehand winner. Back to deuce. Only staying here a few more points. I’m ROASTING! Oh, and another break point now for Siniakova.
3:30 PM EST: Another break chance for Siniakova…Bouchard plays a drop shot, Siniakova is there, but Bouchard hits forehand winner to stave off another break point and get it back to deuce. Again, it’s 1-0 Siniakova in the third set.
3:29 PM EST: Genie in trouble once again on her serve. After Siniakova holds to start third, Bouchard goes break point down after passing on hitting a lob that caught the back of the baseline. She fights off one break point. NOW SHE FIGHTS OFF ANOTHER BREAK POINT WITH AN ACE! BACK TO DEUCE AGAIN!
3:24 PM EST: Bouchard, with her customary practice swinging by the back wall…
3:23 PM EST: Bouchard now receiving a second successive medical timeout, which is allowed by rule since we’re at the end of the second set.
3:18 PM EST: Bouchard now receiving a second successive medical timeout, which is allowed by rule since we’re at the end of the second set.
3:14 PM EST: Siniakova has requested a bathroom break, while Bouchard is now getting treatment on her left leg and has requested a medical timeout. Definitely looks uncomfortable while trainer looks to be re-taping her ankle.
3:11 PM EST: Question: isn’t M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” a little too risqué to play inside of a stadium that’s sure to have a lot of kids in it? Well, that song played for about a minute here. I think the D.J. realized that, and now Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” is playing over the loudspeaker.
3:08 PM EST: Amazing turn of events. at 30-30, Bouchard hits a service winner to get set point…or so we thought. Siniakova challenges call, and the serve was indeed long. Bouchard then loses the point. Genie, however, recovers to win the next three points to take the set, 6-4. Guess we’ll stay in Grandstand for a while.
3:04 PM EST: As we get to the Grandstand, we see that Bouchard, after losing the first set 3-6, has a 4-2 lead in the second set but facing double break point. She wiggles out of trouble to hold for 5-2. Siniakova holds for 5-3, and, as I the this, it’s 15-15 on Bouchard’s attempt to serve out the second set.
3:01 PM EST: We’ve made it into the new Grandstand to watch Genie Bouchard. I always remembered the couple of reporters in Montréal earlier this summer mentioning that Genie plays better against the higher-ranked players and far from it against the lower-ranked ones. That was said right before she lost to qualifier Kristina Kucova at the Coupe Rogers. Well, she’s playing unheralded Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic.
2:49 PM EST: Troicki holds in the first service game, then Albot holds at love for 1-1. Albot, once again, up two sets to one. Lady sitting alongside me sings along with me as Boy George’s “Karma Chameleon” and Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer” plays on the concourse. Yup, the ’80s was where it was at in terms of music!
2:42 PM EST: Here’s a picture of Troicki hitting a forehand during set point…
…and his reaction after his winner to seal the third set.
2:39 PM EST: Three consecutive winners give Troicki the third set, 6-4! Picture(s) of Tricki to come real soon!
2:35 PM EST: Good news and bad news. Bad news first: I run towards Court 11 to get to the Dolgopolov-Ferrer match during a changeover, only to see Dolgopolov retire at 5-6. Bummer. Good news? I walk over to Court 14, and the Serbian Viktor Troicki is in real trouble again Radu Albot of Moldova. It’s 7-5, 6-3, 4-5 to the Moldovan. But, after a forehand winner by Troicki, it’s deuce on Albot’s serve.
1:50 PM EST: OK, I still haven’t made it out onto any court. I know, I know. BUT, I did get to interview Richel Hogenkamp, who, in February of this year, won the longest match in Fed up history as part of Holland’s shock victory over the Russians in Moscow. The interview is up on the ALOST Facebook page right now, so take a look and listen.
12:55 PM EST: Meanwhile, on the new Grandstand, there’s some drama emerging. Kei Nishikori, the 2014 US Open finalist and this summer’s US Open Series winner, is all of a sudden in a battle with Benjamin Becker of Germany. Kei won the first two sets by 6-1 scores, but Becker has battled back. He won the third set 6-3 and just broke Nishikori to go up 2-1 in the fourth. Our experience at new Grandstand yesterday was amazing, as we witnessed the end of the Isner-Tiafoe match. Wouldn’t mind more of the same in this match now.
12:39 PM EST: Interesting little quirk on the old Grandstand Stadium. (Yes, it still exists, next to Armstrong. It’s just been stripped down.) Each of the four matches on it involves an Australian. In the first match, Daria Gavrilova just lost to Lucie Safarova. Next up on it is former champion Samantha Stosue, as she plays Italian Camila Giorgi. If heading to the old Grandstand today, I hope to see some fun Australian fans in the stands, like I did last year.
12:35 PM EST: OK, I’m getting a little bit of cabin fever here in the media room and about to head out. Well, maybe I’ll buy a couple of snacks from the media dining room beforehand. Our media passes have bar codes on them, and each member of the media has a $25 daily food account anywhere in the tennis center. Food is slightly cheaper here, hence why I’ll stop there first before heading out to the courts.
12:17 PM EST: By the way, if you never got the chance to hear the funny (audio) interview I did with Allertova after her win last year at the US Open over CSN, here it is. Scroll down to 6:24 PM. Oh, by the way, Allertova just wrapped up the match against Ana, 7-6 (4), 6-1. Last year, she talked about wanting to visit the Statue of Liberty and why Czech was a hard language to learn while growing up, even though she grew up in the country.
12:13 PM EST: I’m firing up my second laptop on my desk. While doing that, I’m seeing that Denisa Allertova, whom we interviewed after she beat Carla Suarez Navarro, is up a set and two breaks against No. 29 Ana Ivanovic. Yes, Ivanovic has fallen off considerably in the past year or so, but this is absolutely no surprise to me.
11:40 AM EST: I’ve made it to the tennis center. Almost immediately after entering, I helped a couple find Court 5, as it was on my way to the media room. I’ve done my good deed for the day!
9:30 AM EST: Showered, dressed and now ready to leave Bed-Stuy. Off to Queens we go. See you at around 11 AM. (Wait, I may actually make it on time?! What’s this all about?!)
8:09 AM EST: Nope, I’m not in Queens and I’m still in my apartment, but wanted to start you out with one of the images of the day. After John Isner’s comeback from two sets down against Frances Tiafoe, the big man from the University of Georgia was seen being very emotional, leaping and fist pumping towards a section of the crowd. One of the best photographers I’ve ever crossed paths with, Rob Cole, captured that emotion in this great pic. Rob told me that he just walked onto the new Grandstand not too long before getting this shot. Perfect timing!
[Cover photo (Leslie Odom Jr. and Phil Collins) courtesy of Elsa/Getty Images]
