September 10, 2021 at 8:23 PM EDT
Jimmy Butler's in the players box...
...speaking of cross-court, both players are looking very powerful on the forehands. They both look like they're basically taking a crow hop in the batter's box. Pretty fun to watch all this strength. Zverev seems to be favoring going backhand crosscourt to Djokovic's backhand, just to keep him honest. Raise your hand if you would too.
September 10, 2021 at 8:21 PM EDT
We miss last night...
The crowd loves and respects the women's side so much more at Flushing Meadows. They're getting more and more into it as Zverev challenges Djokovic but it's been fairly quiet. Neither of them seems impacted by the crowd but we certainly haven't seen any Aryna Sabalenka moves (pumping up the crowd to get herself pumped up).
September 10, 2021 at 8:15 PM EDT
Zverev pulls it out in the first!
It only took one break and now he's in a position that Nishikori, Brooksby and Berrettini were all in: up the first set against arguably the greatest men's tennis player of all time. Djokovic is chasing history though and Zverev is a gigantic test for the Serbian. A 6-4 win for German.
Don't forget -- Djokovic is absolutely deadly in five sets. Zverev beat him in the Olympics a few months ago in three.
Pins in needles over here.
September 10, 2021 at 8:02 PM EDT
ESPN waits until halfway through the first set...
...and they do finally address the Zverev domestic violence allegations. Hard to see how that wasn't a reaction to someone mentioning the lack of conversation around it. Always want to give folks the benefit of the doubt but the way it was brought up made it sound like a throwaway note (even though the sentiment was authentic).
In the meantime, we still don't have a break and it's 4-4 in the first set. At 3-3 30-30, this was the point of the match. So much strength from both players.
September 10, 2021 at 7:49 PM EDT
ESPN mum on Zverev's abuse allegations
Earlier, our Daniel Kaplan posed the question of whether or not ESPN would discuss or mention Alexander Zverev's domestic violence allegations. We have our answer, and it is no. No mention in the pre-match commentary or introductions.
September 10, 2021 at 7:03 PM EDT
Do the odds give Zverev a chance?
Obviously, Novak Djokovic is the favorite for the second semifinal. He is -250 and Zverev is +210 on BetMGM. However, a deeper look at the odds show that a tight match is expected.
The set spread is Djokovic -1.5 with -145 odds, meaning he would have to win in three or four sets for that to cash. With that line, the oddsmakers are in between this match going four or five sets.
September 10, 2021 at 5:56 PM EDT
Will Zverev's domestic abuse allegations be discussed on the broadcast?
When Zverev takes the court, it will be interesting to see if the commentators make mention of the domestic violations against him. This is his most high-profile moment since the latest volley of negative headlines. Rolex hasn't shied away, running an ad during the Open featuring greats, including Zverev (unlike most featured in the ad, Zverev hasn’t won a Slam). The endorsement deal was reached after the allegations first surfaced. I asked Tennis Channel CEO Ken Solomon about covering Zverev’s matches, and he said the issue has to be addressed (TC has no live Open rights). The ATP recently took steps toward developing a domestic violence policy, which Zverev, who refutes the allegations, said he supports.
September 10, 2021 at 5:48 PM EDT
Will Djokovic continue to march toward history?
Next up, in the evening session, will be immortality-chasing Novak Djokovic taking on the man who ended his Olympics dream in Tokyo, Alexander Zverev. Djokovic is just two matches away from capturing tennis's equivalent of the Holy Grail - the hallowed calendar Grand Slam of winning all four majors in the same calendar year. Not since Rod Laver in 1969 has a man pulled it off, while Margaret Court and Steffi Graf are the only two women to have achieved the feat in the Open Era.
So the question is: can Zverev play the role of Roberto Vinci in 2015? Vinci you probably recall was the unheralded Italian who ended Serena Williams' Grand Slam dream at precisely the stage Djokovic is at now. Zverev certainly has a shot — that Olympics win last month is one of three he's registered over today's opponent — but he's never done it over five sets. And that is the crux of it; Djokovic is vulnerable in the shorter format but to do it over the best of five when he has time to figure you out... well at the moment that's tennis's Holy Grail for the rest of the field. I'm picking Djokovic in four for this one.
September 10, 2021 at 5:39 PM EDT
Daniil on ESPN post-match
"If you give them the court, you're gonna lose." - Medvedev on how familiar he is with losing to a top dog.
"I think both. As we saw in the stats, I'm trying to be a little more aggressive than I was before. When I first came on tour, I was just hitting bombs. And now I'm trying to turn defense into offense." -- on whether his mental or physical game has improved.
On being one of the first players to travel with a mental coach: "It's a little bit personal but I'm happy with what we're doing. I can still have some meltdowns but it's rarer than before."
Superstar.
(Photo credit: Al Bello / Getty Images; The Athletic may receive an affiliate commission if you open an account with BetMGM through links contained in the above article.)
September 10, 2021 at 5:25 PM EDT
A huge applause for Felix
The 21-year-old falls short in the U.S. Open semifinals after holding a massive lead in the second set. If he holds, he at least makes the matchup against Daniil Medvedev infinitely more competitive.
Instead, Auger-Aliassime just couldn’t handle the avalanche that came down on him. It’s a disappointing way to end his time at the U.S. Open, but there are plenty of positives to take from his time at Flushing Meadows.
Auger-Aliassime’s semifinal appearance is the farthest he’s ever been in a major tournament. In fact, FAA has had career-best performances in each of the major tournaments this past year.
While he hasn’t won a singles tournament yet (he’s 0-for-8), he’s still young and has plenty of time to improve and take his place among the next generation of talents like Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Thiem and others.
Not to mention, his appearance in the semis is still part of a historic moment for Canadian tennis. FAA is the first Canadian to make the semifinals of the men’s U.S. Open draw, not to be outdone by Leylah Annie Fernandez who was the first Canadian semifinalist of the women’s U.S. Open draw. Auger-Aliassime can leave New York with his head up high.
September 10, 2021 at 5:20 PM EDT
Basically nobody else on the planet can do this
Medvedev is on to the US Open Final after beating FAA 6-4, 7-5, 6-2. A huge bummer for the Canadian who had the crowd behind him but wasn't able to overcome Medvedev's brutal serves and consistent baseline winners. Frankly, that felt a lot like a first round match in the final hour or so.
What a fabulous tournament however for Felix. Everyone knows he's going to be there for years to come, the question of course is whether he can step it up against the big hitters.
Medvedev says the difference was that second set, where 'everyone thought it was going to be one set all'. Also said he doesn't think he played his best, which didn't matter. An easy win.
A recap, as we wait for Djokovic-Zverev:
September 10, 2021 at 5:16 PM EDT
Rangers fan spotted
As FAA wins to stay in the match (5-2 in the third)....
September 10, 2021 at 5:07 PM EDT
How, Cliffie?!?!
ESPN commentator Cliff Drysdale, who has been coming to Flushing since 1978, said he has never been to a Mets game. The Mets play a few hundred yards away, and Drysdale has been promoting the Mets-Yankees game on ESPN this Sunday. Fellow ESPN commentator Darren Cahill said the Mets are wonderful hosts and always make tickets available to the ESPN crew. This is the type of banter that occurs when the result of a match is obvious. Probably what I will take away from this match: Cliffie needs to go to Citifield.
September 10, 2021 at 5:00 PM EDT
2-1 Daniil in the third set
FAA's making a ton of errors and is struggling to hold service. The consistency we talked about earlier is lacking. Med's beating him by avoiding errors. It sounds simple, and it is, and it's working like a charm.
September 10, 2021 at 4:56 PM EDT
Who wore it better?
Pineapple under the sea suit guy or sponge that lives in a pineapple under the seat Hall of Fame guy?
September 10, 2021 at 4:50 PM EDT
And for a bit of levity here since Tennis is full of humor
We have a Heel (Med), a Face (Felix) and a second Face ;)
September 10, 2021 at 4:49 PM EDT
A rollercoaster here in New York
I was kind of tearing up looking at this graphic from the ESPN broadcast (first time recent Dad over here). What a moment for Canada. He’s coming down from a set deficit as Medvedev just served his way to a lead with a 6-4 win in set one. My advice? Play like a kid, Felix. Let it flow.
And before I could even post that, Felix surges to a lead in the second set, in part behind a bunch of Daniil errors and double faults. The first break finally came and the floodgates are open. Both men are already digging deep -- going to be very interesting if we make it to a 5th set. Don't sleep on tight muscles especially this deep in a major final (the last of the season!), during COVID and of course during an Olympics year. I'm exhausted just writing that sentence.
Medvedev pulls it out with a remarkable comeback after it looked like he had no shot. He's up two sets to love.
September 10, 2021 at 4:09 PM EDT
Is Zverev poised to upset Djokovic?
Looking ahead to Zverev-Djokovic later tonight, I’m getting the feeling that Zverev is ready to give Djoker hell.
“This year it seems like nobody can beat him in a big match, nobody can beat him at the Grand Slams. I feel like I was the first player to beat him in a very big match this year. That does give you something. To any person it would give you something,” Zverev told Tennis.com.
September 10, 2021 at 3:46 PM EDT
First break to Medvedev
After not seeing a single break point in the first six games, Medvedev gets the first break at 4-3. Felix is killing himself out there with a ton of unforced errors. Overhitting like crazy. Reminds me of what happened to Maria Sakkari last night against Emma Raducanu in the women's semifinal.
September 10, 2021 at 3:44 PM EDT
The technology behind the electronic line calls
A defining feature of this year’s Open is electronic line calling, eliminating the need for lines judges. ESPN commentator Brad Gilbert once told me he invited NBA HOFer Chris Mullin to one of his matches in the 1980s, and he asked who all the people on the court were. Indeed, the tennis court has long been cluttered, and TV camera shots of players waiting for a serve invariably had out of shape linespeople hunched over in the background. Also, companies pay a lot to have their names on the backwalls, so why have lines judges obstructing the view. It does take away the replay challenge excitement, but it's clearly for the best. There are a few hiccups when a ball is not immediately called in or out by an electronic voice. Hawkeye is the technology behind the lines calls.
September 10, 2021 at 3:24 PM EDT
Sizing up the Medvedev-FAA matchup
Daniil Medvedev has been in the semifinals each of the last three years, largely due to his ability to morph his game if he struggles and gets behind. He’s in incredible shape, hits winners like it’s his day job and he plays a fairly conventional game (aside from the random emotional outburst).
Felix is extremely hyped up by Twitter bots and pundits alike, and it’s easy to see why. He’s athletic, plays a very different style of tennis and (crucially) will have the crowd behind him.
Daniil’s one of my favorites to become a superstar and part of a rotating cast of three or four to eventually unseat Djokovic as the alpha dog. I have him winning in four sets.
September 10, 2021 at 3:08 PM EDT
What the prediction models think will happen in the semis
The US Open doesn’t run betting odds on its site, in part because New York State has yet to fully legalize sports betting. But there is a backdoor way in through the USTA’s deal with IBM. All tournament long on the Open’s website, and app, the matchups include IBM’s Watson’s “Match Insights.” Watson crunches data to predict a winner. Today, Watson gave Medvedev a 56% chance to win. The predictor had been fairly accurate until last night when it got both women’s semifinals wrong (here is a surefire bet: a teenager will win the women’s final). Watson also gives Novak Djokovic a 56% chance of beating Alexander Zverev tonight. One drawback of the Watson prediction is that it doesn't change in real time. It should be noted how different the percentages are over at tennis.com, which is owned by Tennis Channel, which in turn is owned by Sinclair. Sinclair is making a big push into betting. At tennis.com, Medvedev has an 82.4% chance, and Djokovic 67.3%.
September 10, 2021 at 3:06 PM EDT
A Medvedev vs. Auger-Aliassime prediction
With the adrenaline just about wearing off from last night’s (or this morning’s if you live in the UK) women’s semifinals, it’s time for the men to step into the ring.
First up, it’s another young Canadian, as the hugely exciting 21-year old-Felix Auger-Aliassime takes on Russia’s No 2 seed Daniil Medvedev. At 25, Medvedev is a veteran by comparison and has the experience of two major finals to his name already (including at Flushing Meadows two years ago) so he goes in as a big favourite. Auger-Aliassime, though, should have a good amount of crowd support, and as long as he’s not playing in a final is a match for anyone. It’s when he gets to the showpiece match that’s the issue. FAA is 0-8 in ATP level finals and has never even won a set in those matches. Expect some big serving and rasping backhands between two of the best movers on the tour. My prediction for what it’s worth... Medvedev in four.
September 10, 2021 at 3:04 PM EDT
Medvedev a significant favorite in first semi against Auger-Aliassime
Daniil Medvedev and Felix Auger-Aliassime are about to take the court for the first semifinal. The Russian is a significant favorite with -550 odds on BetMGM. Auger-Aliassime is +425 to pull off the upset.
They've only played once before. Medvedev won that one 3-6, 6-4, 7-6. It was 9-7 in the third-set tiebreak, but that was back in 2018 and was a home match for Auger-Aliassime in Canada. Both players have come a long way since then.
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