There is no better feeling than multitasking. And for me, that entails doing the first week of school reading while watching the U.S. Open tennis matches. Sometimes this means watching Iva Jovic defeat her friend Alex Eala in one of the best matches of this season; other times, it means watching Novak Djokovic lose in the first round and questioning the longevity of his career. Regardless, I enjoy the first-week slams because it means more tennis and more storylines. Here is what happened in the Big Apple: The week in New York featured a somewhat reversed situation on the men’s and women’s courts. Instead of having numerous upsets in the early rounds on the women’s side, like what we usually have, this time, it’s on the men’s side. Surprisingly, all the top seeds on the women’s side are making progress into the second round, even those with doubts going in, such as Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka. The doubles match featuring the Williams sisters brought the Arthur Ashe Stadium back to life. After a renovation that expanded seating to include more “influencers” who don’t know the rules of tennis, the Williams sisters served as an anchor that grounded Arthur Ashe. Despite losing a 5-0 lead in the deciding set tie-break, I would have never imagined seeing Serena and Venus play under the New York sunset. And who knows, it might not even be the last time. Two of the hottest talents on the tour, Jovic and Eala, who happen to be close friends, also played under the lights, delivering one of the best matches of the tournament yet. Jovic’s next round opponent? Coco Gauff. Coco is four years older than Jovic. Where has the time gone? “Tennis just feels really hard right now,” Madison Keys said. She was up 5-0 in the deciding set against Qinwen, a former finalist, who had to come through qualifying after undergoing elbow surgery. A crucial surge in momentum for the Chinese; a heartbreak for the American. Another American who lost was Taylor Fritz. Arguably, this year was Fritz’s best chance to win the title, with Jannik Sinner’s absence, Djokovic’s early loss, and Carlos Alcaraz’s comeback. However, despite leading 2-0 against Francisco Cerundolo, Fritz threw the match away by losing five points in a row in the third. The Americans needed someone to save the situation, and Learner Tien stepped up. Tien beat Jakub Mensik in a nail-biting five-set match. Tien kept his streak of going undefeated in five-setters and, despite having the weaker serve, covered less court than Mensik and won the match by taking fewer points. Finally, we must talk about Alcaraz. Two words come to mind: Comeback and nipple. The kit speaks for itself, and I will not be elaborating. However, his slower serves could be a potential problem against stronger opponents, but I am not worried. After all, he is Carlos Alcaraz. Links mentioned: Serena Williams/Venus Williams vs. Maya Joint/Hao-ching Chan: Iva Jovic vs. Alex Eala: Madison Keys vs. Qinwen Zheng: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jaime Faria: Taylor Fritz vs. Francisco Cerundolo: Learner Tien vs. Jakub Mensik: Subscribe to The Service Game on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. For extended analysis and written Second Serve content, check out Ivy’s Substack. Subscribe wherever you’re listening, rate the show, and send in your ideas for Second Serve. 🎾 Thanks for listening—and let the serves begin! Produced with assistance from Radio CKUT CKUT Radio: https://ckut.ca/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theservicegame.substack.com
