The US Open draw was unveiled on Thursday night and main draw action will begin on Monday. This post brings together the headlines from the last week including action from New Haven and looking ahead to the US Open with various posts across MTB. I’m planning to be active on the blog for the next two weeks. Read on for 12 stories in Sunday’s Set Points post.
US Open draw
The US Open main draw was unveiled on Thursday in truly bizarre fashion. The draw had already been done before the ceremony (same as last year) and they revealed it quarter-by-quarter by bringing up all these names at once! I always think Wimbledon do it the best way by placing the seeds and then going from top to bottom.
US Open qualifying
Great to see such high attendances for qualifying. The stand-out match after the qualifier placement has to be Sharapova vs. Schnyder. I was convinced it was going to be Sharapova vs. Bouchard 😂.
US Open draw predictions
My draw predictions have been surprisingly solid during the summer on Tennis Draw Challenge. Wimby was a hilarious mess though and Slams are just a free for all. I’ve got Halep, Mertens, Osaka and Keys as my last four with Simona as the champ. So close to picking Madison but just lost my nerve. Full draw picks up on the separate page.
US Open previews
Three stand-out matches for Monday at the US Open are profiled on MTB.
Amazon Prime for UK viewers
A reminder for UK based tennis fans that Amazon Prime have taken over the coverage for the US Open. It looks like they are only going to cover four courts, which is such a shame. It feels like we are going backwards. For coverage of all courts, you’ll need to use or set up a betting account. I normally use Bet365 so I have reactivated mine having not needed it since the WTA streaming debacle!
Cincy wrap-up
A final heads up for the last two posts from Cincy. A big thanks to Omar Boraby for sharing all his great photos. Galleries are up on the blog for Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Bacsinszky in New Haven
It was so nice to see Timea Bacsinszky in action in New Haven this week. It was the first time i’ve watched her play since March. I thought she put a decent fight against Monica Puig, eventually falling in straight sets, 5-7 1-6. It had been so long since i’d seen her play and I noticed how high her ball toss was. The backhand is still as glorious as ever.
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Bacsinszky in New York
Loved this shot of Timea and Maria after practice in New York!
Halep and Bertens out of New Haven
Unsurprisingly, Simona Halep and Kiki Bertens both pulled out of New Haven. Kiki did stick around for the doubles. Disappointing for the fans but clearly a wise move from both ahead of the US Open.
Connecticut Open video with the players
Every year they nail it! 👏
Sabalenka wins first WTA title
Aryna Sabalenka’s stunning summer continued in New Haven as she won her first WTA title, beating Carla Suárez Navarro in the final in straight sets. Sabalenka’s rise since Eastbourne has been rather staggering. One to watch at the US Open for sure.
Guide to visiting the US Open
And finally for anyone going to the US Open for the first time, my guide from 2016 might be useful.
Moo's Tennis Blog 