How to watch: From noon to 7 p.m., Eastern time, on ESPN, and from 7 to 11 p.m. on ESPN2; streaming on the ESPN app.
For the singles events, the third round of the United States Open begins on Friday, while the doubles pairs prepare to head into the second round. Not everyone playing today is so lucky. Some matches, suspended last night because of rain, will be completed today, giving the winners a little less time to recuperate before the next round.
Here are some matches to keep an eye on.
Because of the number of matches cycling through courts, the times for individual matchups are at best a guess and certain to fluctuate based on the times at which earlier play is completed. All times are Eastern.
Arthur Ashe Stadium | 1:30 p.m.
Denis Shapovalov vs. Taylor Fritz
Shapovalov, the top-ranked Canadian on the ATP Tour, has had some difficulty starting strong in the earlier rounds at the Open. But in both matches so far, he has shown the ability to double down and refocus, using his versatile one-handed backhand to perplex his opponent just enough to win. It’s a change from the usual all-or-nothing fluctuations that Shapovalov has had in the past, either storming past his opponents decisively or being unable to get himself going at all. This new consistency could be the key to the 12th-seeded Shapovalov’s reaching his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Fritz, the 19th seed, won the U.S. Open junior singles in 2015 but has struggled in the past in keeping up with the necessary strength and pace on the senior tour. Over the past year, Fritz has greatly improved his court movement, a key component he had been missing in a game defined by a powerful serve and sharply angled groundstrokes. Fritz, 22, has never reached the round of 16 at a major tournament, and today will be a test of whether his improvement can push him into the top 20 of the ATP rankings.
Court 17 | 1 p.m.
Jennifer Brady vs. Caroline Garcia
Brady, the 28th seed, has waltzed through the first two rounds of the Open. She has spent just over two hours on the court, winning each of her matches in straight sets, with little resistance from her two opponents. Brady won her first WTA title at the Top Seed Open in Kentucky in August and recorded her first victories over top-10 opponents earlier this year against Ashleigh Barty and Elina Svitolina. With this confidence, Brady is trying to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam event for the first time since the 2017 U.S. Open.
On Wednesday, Garcia upset the No. 1 seed, Karolina Pliskova, with a stunning display of groundstrokes. She climbed to an early lead, taking the first set, 6-1, and then staved off a resurgent Pliskova, winning in a second-set tiebreaker. Garcia will be seeking another upset tonight, leading to her first appearance in the round of 16 at the U.S. Open. If she can continue playing aggressively, she could easily do so.
Louis Armstrong Stadium | 1 p.m.
Ann Li vs. Angelique Kerber
Li, playing in just her second Grand Slam main draw, defeated Alison Riske, the 13th seed, in just 1 hour 15 minutes. Li, along with a few other talented young Americans, got into this year’s U.S. Open as a wild card and has delivered comprehensive performances through the first two rounds. Li’s game is well rounded, but it’s her footwork that stands out. It allows her to outmaneuver opponents and neutralize probing groundstrokes.
Kerber, a three-time major champion, won the U.S. Open in 2016. Since then, she has lost twice in the first round and once in the third round. On her best days, she is a force, but over the years she has shown inconsistencies. At the moment, she seems to be at the top of her game. Although she tends to play as a defensively focused counterpuncher, this week she has played with an aggressive mind-set, attacking balls early and hitting them into the corners with gusto. It will be interesting to see if Li can upset a seeded player in a second consecutive match by fending off the German’s onslaught.
Louis Armstrong Stadium | 6 p.m.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Borna Coric
Tsitsipas, the No. 4 seed, has gone through the opening rounds without much fuss. Two businesslike wins might give the impression that this was entirely expected of Tsitsipas, the 2019 ATP Tour Finals champion, but that’s not really the case. Friday’s match is the first time Tsitsipas has reached the third round of the U.S. Open, a strange gap in the 22-year-old’s résumé, which includes appearances in the round of 16 at all of the other Grand Slam events. In his current form, it’s hard to imagine that he won’t advance even deeper this year.
Coric, the 27th seed, played a punishing five-set match in the second round, fighting to push back Juan Londero in over four hours. Many were concerned that this year’s U.S. Open would be tough physically, the five-set format even more punishing after almost six months without professional tennis events. Even in a normal year, facing a fresh Tsitsipas after a five-setter would be difficult. For Coric, a defensive baseliner whose game relies on movement, it will be the ultimate test not just physically but mentally.
Other important matches:
-
Chris Harrison/Ryan Harrison vs. Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury, Court 11 | 11 a.m.
-
Naomi Osaka vs. Marta Kostyuk, Arthur Ashe Stadium | Noon
-
Alexander Zverev vs. Adrian Mannarino, Louis Armstrong Stadium | 3 p.m.
-
Nicole Melichar/Yifan Xu vs. Coco Gauff/Caty McNally, Court 5 | 6 p.m.
-
Novak Djokovic vs. Jan-Lennard Struff, Arthur Ashe Stadium | 7 p.m.
-
Petra Kvitova vs. Jessica Pegula, Arthur Ashe Stadium | 9:30 p.m.
Here’s this fan’s game plan for juggling the matches.
We’re starting to get to that stage of the tournament where you could just park your TV on one of the main show courts and be thoroughly satisfied with the players who will be paraded onto them. However, these are the moments where the outside courts shine. Underdogs who are having a good run of form often populate the outer courts toward the end of the first week, and every match is almost guaranteed to entertain. With that in mind, my plan for tomorrow is a bit hectic.
I’ll start off, at noon, by watching the completion of Elise Mertens’s match against Sara Sorribes Tormo on Court 14. Mertens, the 16th seed, won the first set, but play was suspended after she won the first game of the second. Rain delays are tricky to manage, and I’ll be interested to see if Mertens can pick up right where she left off.
Afterward, I’ll switch over to Louis Armstrong Stadium to watch Kerber play Li. It’s always exciting to see a young prospect face off against a veteran. With this year’s group of young American women, it seems as if they’ve all taken the home-ground advantage to heart, and I think it’ll be a very interesting match to watch.
By the early afternoon, I’ll be focused on Fritz and Shapovalov. Both players possess strong serves and lack inhibition when it comes to pursuing inventive passing shots, a combination guaranteed to create plenty of exciting points. But even if my focus will be on Arthur Ashe, it’s around this time that I’ll start flipping around, trying to catch as much as possible on the outside courts.
Garcia and Brady should be an entertaining match to catch on Court 17, and with the pairings of Gauff and McNally as well as Victoria Azarenka and Sofia Kenin scheduled to play in the evening on Courts 5 and 12, I’ll be hard-pressed to commit to just one match. Here’s hoping they all last long enough for me to catch a healthy portion of each.
"open" - Google News
September 04, 2020 at 11:02AM
https://ift.tt/31Xp2ao
2020 U.S. Open: What to Watch on Friday - The New York Times
"open" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3bYShMr
https://ift.tt/3d2SYUY
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "2020 U.S. Open: What to Watch on Friday - The New York Times"
Post a Comment