How to watch: From noon to 11 p.m., Eastern time, on ESPN, and from 7 to 9 p.m. on ESPN2; streaming on the ESPN app.
The United States Open second round continues on Thursday, and the 2019 champions in doubles start their quests to repeat their titles. With a bevy of former major champions playing, it might be hard to know where to focus your attention.
Here are some matches to keep an eye on.
Because of the number of matches cycling through courts, the times for individual matchups are best estimates and certain to fluctuate based on the completion time of earlier play. All times are Eastern.
Arthur Ashe Stadium | 9 p.m.
Andy Murray vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime
As Murray slogged through his first-round match against Yoshihito Nishioka, it was clear that his extended absence from the professional circuit was a drain on his abilities. Yet, like so many times before, Murray dug deep and outlasted his opponent, coming back from a two-set deficit to win with just three more points won over the length of his match. In a marathon, he showed that he still had the strength to last.
It would be a surprise if Auger-Aliassime, the 15th seed, would allow him to turn their second round matchup into a marathon. The hard-hitting Canadian is built in the same mode as so many North American youngsters; hit it hard, hit it into the corners, and try to take control of the point right away. Murray will need to absorb a lot of that explosive pace early on if he’s going to make sure he’s not overrun.
Louis Armstrong Stadium | 7 p.m.
Victoria Azarenka vs. Aryna Sabalenka
Last week, Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, won her first WTA title since becoming a mother at the Western & Southern Open. Azarenka, known for her powerful two-handed backhand and superior return placement, has not made it past the third round of a Grand Slam event since Wimbledon in 2017. Her resurgence on the singles tour this year has been a joy to watch, and she is now ranked 27th. Her fellow Belarusian, Sabalenka, will be a tough test of her newfound confidence.
Sabalenka, the fifth seed, has not played particularly well recently, losing in the round of 16 at both the Top Seed Open and the Western & Southern Open in the last month. While Sabalenka’s style seems almost like a carbon copy of Azarenka’s, the key difference may be the lack of margin for error. Sabalenka tends to take more risks and come into net behind her powerful baseline shots.
Louis Armstrong Stadium | 1 p.m.
Vasek Pospisil vs. Milos Raonic
Raonic, the 25th seed, reached the final of the Western & Southern Open, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in a tight three set match. Raonic has never made it past the fourth round of the U.S. Open, which is surprising considering all eight of his ATP titles have come on hard courts. With a good lead up to the tournament, he’ll be looking to fix that issue and make a deep run.
Pospisil, similarly, has not done as well as expected at the U.S. Open in the past, never going past the second round. This year, he seems likely to face the same fate. Raonic has beaten Pospisil both times that the two have faced each other on North American hard courts, and has looked particularly good on return of serve over the last week, which should help neutralize Pospisil’s main strength on his service games.
Court 5 | 7 p.m.
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs. Catherine McNally
On Tuesday night, Alexandrova outlasted Kim Clijsters upon her return to the U.S. Open in three exceptional sets of tennis. Alexandrova, whose baseline hitting is a representation of what the modern women’s game has become, was able to go toe to toe with a player who arguably, help set tennis in that direction. Alexandrova has had a breakout year, winning her first WTA title in Shenzhen in January, before equaling her best Grand Slam performance with a third round appearance at the Australian Open.
Now she will face someone who could represent the future of the women’s game. Although McNally is better known for her doubles partnership with Coco Gauff, reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open last year, she is an equally capable singles player. Last year, McNally lost in the second round to Serena Williams in a three-set battle at Arthur Ashe Stadium, announcing herself as a prospect to be taken seriously by both fans and her fellow players.
Other important matches:
Sofia Kenin vs. Leylah Fernandez, Arthur Ashe Stadium | 11 a.m.
Roberto Bautista Agut vs Miomir Kecmanovic, Court 12 | 11 a.m.
Dominic Thiem vs. Sumit Nagal, Arthur Ashe Stadium | 1 p.m.
Matteo Berrettini vs. Ugo Humbert, Court 17 | 5 p.m.
Ivan Dodig/Filip Polasek vs. Jamie Murray/Neal Skupski, Court 7 | 6 p.m.
Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic vs. Kaitlyn Christian/Giuliana Olmos, Court 12 | 6 p.m.
Margarita Gasparyan vs. Serena Williams, Arthur Ashe Stadium | 7 p.m.
Madison Keys vs Aliona Bolsova, Court 17 | 8 p.m.
Here’s this fan’s game plan for juggling the matches.
Starting at 11 a.m. Eastern on ESPN+, I will be watching Ons Jabeur as she takes on Kaia Kanepi, a veteran. Jabeur plays with a creative flair that’s difficult to find at the pinnacle of the sport. In a way, it reminds me of Fabrice Santoro, who is known as the Magician. As Jabeur looks to match her quarterfinal run from the Australian Open, I’m just looking to be inspired by the joy that seems to radiate from her playing style.
Afterward, I’ll switch over to Louis Armstrong Stadium, where Raonic and Pospisil will face off. Raonic looked very convincing in his run to the finals at the Western & Southern Open last week, and I want to keep an eye on him as the tournament progresses. He could be a dark horse to push for the title if he can keep his foot on the gas through the next week and a half.
At around 5 p.m., I’ll be interested in seeing how Berrettini deals with Humbert. At last year’s U.S. Open, I tried to watch every Berrettini match after having accidentally caught his second round triumph over Jordan Thompson. He was on an outside field court, and the entire crowd was focused on the next court over, where an American player was struggling through a long match. At the time, I wanted to tell people that they were watching the wrong match, and felt vindicated as I watched Berrettini push to his first Grand Slam semifinal. This year, perhaps he can prove that it wasn’t a fluke run.
In the evening, I’ll be focused on two matches. Sabalenka and Azarenka are two extremely powerful baseline players, and their similarities are sure to create many impressive points as they seek to one-up each other. On the other hand, Auger-Aliassime and Murray will be a study in opposites. There may have been a time when Murray could play as explosively as the young Canadian does, but now, Murray will need to rely on his stamina and defensive play entirely to try to outmaneuver him.
Source: Tennis - nytimes.com
