This article will be a piece of writing that will have the potential to be published in the magazine for the upcoming 2020 US Open. It will be a fairly straightforward write up on how the Open is the best tennis tournament in the world, who the best players are, and what to expect.. Read more about 2021 u.s. open field and let us know what you think.
8:39 a.m. Eastern Time
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ESPN personnel
For tennis fans, a US Open without Venus and Serena Williams, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal would certainly fall short of Slam norms.
Wrong. On both the men’s and women’s sides, the upstart youngsters have taken Flushing Meadows by storm, progressing through the brackets and upsetting favorites along the way, as if they own the place.
Our experts weigh in on the up-and-comers, assuming such a term is still appropriate.
Which of the breakout stars has wowed you the most in the last two weeks?
Connelly, Bill: Emma Raducanu hasn’t faced the most difficult opponents. She’s won three qualifying matches and four main-draw matches, and she hasn’t lost a set yet. In fact, she’s only been pushed to 6-4 in three of the 14 sets she’s played. She has been excellent on her serve, with a minimal amount of unforced mistakes compared to her high winning total.
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Leylah Fernandez, Aishwarya Kumar. What a fantastic fighter. Naomi Osaka came first, followed by Angelique Kerber. After that, Elina Svitolina. Two past world champions Two Grand Slam winners. Two of the best players in the world. Fernandez is the first woman to defeat two top-5 players in the same major since Serena Williams in 1999, and she is the first player to reach the quarterfinals of the US Open since Maria Sharapova in 2005.
Her forehand crosscourt is devastating. Her backhand is incredible. Her serve has the ability to halt even the greatest players in their tracks. She’s just 19 years old, but she’s already one of the tournament’s most well-rounded players. The plot develops on its own.
Maine’s D’Arcy: This is one of those questions where there are no correct or incorrect solutions. The larger victories have gone to Fernandez and Carlos Alcaraz against harder opponents, although Raducanu got through qualifying and has followed up her Wimbledon performance with a seven-match winning streak. Her fourth-round performance at the All England Club put her on the map, but this tournament has propelled her to new heights and shown she’s no fluke. And to do this in her first two majors? It’s difficult to imagine anything more amazing than that.
Ohm Youngmisuk: Without a doubt, Fernandez. It’s one thing to surprise Osaka and catch her on a poor day during a difficult season. Fernandez, on the other hand, continues to back up each victory with even more determination, proving that she is no fluke. She hasn’t been given anything. After defeating Osaka, she went toe-to-toe with Kerber and then beat Svitolina in a tiebreaker in the third set. Fernandez reacts every time he is put to the test and seems to be wilting. She has a lot of guts and is already on one of the most memorable US Open runs ever.
Despite withdrawing in the quarterfinals of the US Open due to a leg injury, Carlos Alcaraz’s future seems bright. Frank Franklin II/AP Photo
Whose run has been the most surprising?
Fernandez, Connelly. She has won five matches in the past week and a half, compared to four since the French Open. Not only to discover her form at the ideal moment, but also to discover that it is capable of defeating Osaka, Kerber, and Svitolina back-to-back? That’s fantastic. She plays an aggressive and entertaining style, and if things go well for her from here on out, it won’t be surprising, but gosh, this was unexpected.
Alcaraz, Kumar. I knew he was gifted, but I wasn’t expecting him to do so well in this competition. He looked perfect against Stefanos Tsitsipas, with his forehand shocking the No. 3 seed. After defeating Tsitsipas in a five-setter, he bounces back to defeat unseeded German Peter Gojowczyk in another five-setter.
Maine: There’s not much on the women’s side that shocks me at this stage, and we’ve seen a lot of unseeded teens get it to the second week of a Slam previously (see: Gauff, Coco), so I’m most shocked by Alcaraz’s performance. The transition from best-of-three (in juniors) to best-of-five (in college) is difficult, and many younger male players struggle with it early in their professional careers — but not Alcaraz.
Sunday was just his third five-set match of his career, but in both of the contests that have gone the distance in New York, he has played like a pro. Over the last two years, there has been no doubt about his ability, but to see him reach this level of accomplishment so quickly is amazing.
Youngmisuk: Alcaraz’s talent has long been recognized on the ATP Tour, but now the rest of the world is learning about him. His fifth-set tiebreak victory against Tsitsipas is likely to be remembered as the tournament’s best encounter. In the fifth set, he displayed composure, talent, and an explosive game that seemed like it might lead to big victories in the near future.
Before her US Open performance, Emma Raducanu was rated No. 338 in the world. Seth Wenig/AP Photo
Who has shocked you the most in terms of their overall trajectory?
Jenson Brooksby’s trajectory has shifted significantly in the last four months, according to Connelly. He had to scrape out a pair of three-setters just to get into the French Open tournament, where he lost to Aslan Karatsev. However, he went on to win the finals in Newport and the semi-finals in Washington, propelling him into the top 100. Then he defeated Karatsev (and Taylor Fritz) and beat Novak Djokovic 6-1! He’s learning and adjusting at breakneck speed.
Raducanu is a town in Maine. She was rated No. 338 in the world and played virtually solely ITF tournaments until Wimbledon, which was little over two months ago. She’s already in the quarterfinals, and with Monday’s victory, she’s expected to finish at No. 74. With a victory on Wednesday, she’ll be barely outside the top 50. While Fernandez and Alcaraz haven’t been on the circuit for all that long, they have both competed in WTA and ATP tournaments for almost two seasons. Raducanu has accomplished amazing things with her limited tour chances.
Raducanu, Kumar. The most unexpected narrative at this year’s US Open has been her overall ascent. She reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon, her maiden Grand Slam, a month after making her WTA Tour main-draw debut, becoming the youngest British woman to do so in the Open era. Then she had to compete in the US Open qualifications to get into the main draw. She has played seven matches as of the quarterfinals, but she seems to be becoming stronger and more confident with each encounter. Despite the fact that the draw benefited her, she has dominated every match, losing just 15 games during the tournament. Given that she began the year ranked 338th, this is a tremendous accomplishment.
Youngmisuk: Her run has shocked even Raducanu, but she shouldn’t be. After all, she reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon as the youngest British woman in the Open era before withdrawing due to respiratory problems. Raducanu’s future looks to be bright and promising.
Which one do you think will have the most successful career?
Connelly: Recent events may have clouded our perception in this regard. All of these young players, including Fernandez, Raducanu, Alcaraz, Brooksby, and others, have looked great in the last week or so, and if any of them can keep up their current form, they’ll have a bright future. However, although Raducanu’s Wimbledon and US Open campaigns have been absolutely dominating and full of potential, they have all come against unseeded opponents. Alcaraz’s upside in defeating Tsitsipas, as well as his tenacity in overcoming a big-win hangover to defeat Gojowczyk in the following round, told me a lot. His mobility and all-court skills are also impressive. He’s my choice by a hair’s breadth.
Fernandez, Kumar. She’ll be a Grand Slam champion many times.
Maine: It’s hard to make a prediction at this point, but I don’t think it’d be shocking if all three of these kids won a major at some point. At this pace, one may be able to accomplish it this weekend. They all have the potential to be in the top ten, if not better, and major championship challengers in the next decade or so. The skill and composure are undeniable in all three, but I believe it will come down to who can handle the pressure and expectations the best. Others have struggled with this after early success, so it’s also a question of who has the greatest team around them to assist them adapt to their sudden celebrity.
Youngmisuk: Before retiring, Alcaraz shown the sort of skills that might make him a future superstar. While Djokovic isn’t going away and Nadal and Federer are on the mend, Alcaraz may benefit from the Open as a kid. He’ll acquire important experience and confidence here, and he’ll undoubtedly have top-10 weapons in his arsenal.
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