Evelyn Reynolds

Novak Djokovic, the top men’s player in a sport with its share of meltdowns and misbehavior, became the first No. 1 disqualified from a Grand Slam singles tournament after he inadvertently struck a line judge with a ball hit in frustration at the United States Open on Sunday.Djokovic’s sudden ouster from the country’s premier tennis tournament immediately made a bizarre U.S. Open even more strange. It has been staged during the coronavirus pandemic, with players sparring with local health officials over contact tracing and the top women’s doubles team abruptly disqualified on Saturday. This was also the latest misadventure for Djokovic in 2020, a year in which he has expressed personal hesitation about vaccines, organized an exhibition tournament that led to coronavirus cases, including his own, and sowed division in the tennis world by forming a potential breakaway players’ organization.Djokovic lost his cool when trailing 5-6 in the first set in the fourth round against Pablo Carreño Busta, having lost several recent points. He had just lost a game while serving after being treated for pain in his left shoulder earlier in the game, giving Carreño Busta the upper hand.After losing the final point of the game, he pulled a ball from his pocket and smacked it with his racket toward the back of the court. It hit a line judge, standing about 40 feet away, in her throat. She cried out and crumpled to the ground, and Djokovic rushed to her side to check on her condition.She later walked off the court, still visibly in distress, and was treated by a tournament physician. But after a lengthy discussion with tournament referee Soeren Friemel at the net, Djokovic was defaulted, as disqualifications are known in the sport.“This whole situation has left me really sad and empty,” Djokovic said in an Instagram post in the early evening. “I checked on the linesperson and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling ok. I’m extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong.”Djokovic continued: “I need to go back and work on my disappointment and turn this all into a lesson for my growth and evolution as a player and human being. I apologize to the US Open tournament and everyone associated for my behavior.”Djokovic’s exit delivered an immediate blow to the tournament, which was considered unlikely to take place when New York was one of the epicenters of the coronavirus. The tournament is being held without spectators for the first time and with players and their teams tested daily and restricted to their lodging and the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.Djokovic was the only member of the “Big Three” in men’s tennis to play the event this year, with Roger Federer out for the season after two knee surgeries and reigning champion Rafael Nadal choosing to remain in Spain and prepare for the rescheduled French Open and other clay-court tournaments.Djokovic only decided to come to New York last month after lengthy negotiations with tournament officials over quarantine rules. But his default deprives the men’s event of the only player remaining who has won a Grand Slam singles title.Djokovic has won 17 major singles titles. Men’s tour officials have been eager for a new champion to emerge to challenge the dominance of the Big Three, but this was certainly not the way anyone expected it would happen.Some television viewers expressed puzzlement online at how a mere gesture of frustration, without intent to harm anyone, could lead to a disqualification when so many of the tournament’s historic losses of composure, like one involving Serena Williams in the 2018 U.S. Open final, carried penalties that were less severe. Williams received a series of conduct violations — for coaching, for racket abuse and for verbal abuse of the chair umpire — and was docked a point and then a game but not defaulted.The Grand Slam rules bar players from the abuse of balls as well as unsportsmanlike conduct, and tournament officials have the authority to disqualify a player immediately if they deem a case sufficiently serious.Players can be defaulted for “hitting a ball or throwing a racket without intent to harm” if someone is injured on the court, said Gayle David Bradshaw, a retired ATP Tour vice president for rules and competition. “In this case, there was no intent, but there was harm, and the officials had no choice but to do what they did,” he said.Officials have some latitude in deciding how serious an offense might be, but Friemel said Sunday’s ruling was clear-cut.”Based on the fact that it was angrily, recklessly hit, and the line umpire was hurt clearly and in pain, he had to be defaulted.” Friemel said. “We all agree he didn’t do it on purpose, but he hit her, and she was hurt.”Friemel said the discussion was lengthy with Djokovic because of the significance of the decision. “Defaulting a player at a Grand Slam is a very important, very tough decision,” Friemel said. “You need to get it right.”During a warm-up tournament for the U.S. Open that was staged at the same site, Aljaz Bedene, a Slovenian player, inadvertently hit a cameraman with a ball that he tapped in frustration and received a warning but was not defaulted because the cameraman immediately made it clear that he had suffered no injury.Carreño Busta, who is the 20th seed and from Spain, advanced to the quarterfinals with the default. Djokovic left the stadium without speaking to news reporters.“If it would have landed anywhere else, we’re talking about a few inches, he would have been fine,” said Alexander Zverev, a German player who was watching inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.In a statement, the United States Tennis Association said that because of the default Djokovic would be fined the prize money he would have earned in addition to any fines that will be levied because of the incident. He faces a fine of up to $20,000 for skipping his mandatory post-match news conference.Djokovic, 33, has won five of the last seven Grand Slam singles titles and had dropped just one set in his first three matches at the U.S. Open. But the first set against Carreño Busta was a tight affair, and Djokovic was testy. At one stage earlier in the set, he smashed a ball in frustration toward the side of the court, hitting no one.He failed to convert three set points on Carreño Busta’s serve in the 10th game, But when serving at 5-5, Djokovic fell hard on the second point while shifting direction and got up wincing and grabbing at his left shoulder. He received treatment in his chair, returned to the court trailing by two points and then lost the game, still looking uncomfortable with his two-handed backhand and resorting to a one-handed drop shot on two occasions.Miffed, he smacked another ball in frustration, then extended his left arm in apology toward the line judge as soon as he saw she had been struck. Goran Ivanisevic, Djokovic’s coach, slumped in his seat in the players box in the cavernous, nearly empty stadium, seemingly aware of the implications.Andreas Egli, a Grand Slam supervisor, and Friemel soon arrived on court to investigate the situation and discuss the incident with Djokovic and the on-court officials, including chair umpire Aurélie Tourte.“I know it’s tough for you whatever call you make,” Djokovic said to Friemel as they talked at the net.“Well, the rules are the rules,” said Carreño Busta, who had lost his three previous matches with Djokovic. “The referee and the supervisor did the right thing but it’s not easy to do it, no?”The incident was reminiscent of one involving Denis Shapovalov, who was defaulted in a Davis Cup match in 2017 after inadvertently hitting chair umpire Arnaud Gabas in his left eye after smacking a ball in anger, fracturing Gabas’s orbital bone. In 1995, British star Tim Henman became the first player in the Open era to be disqualified from Wimbledon after inadvertently hitting a ball girl, Caroline Hall, in the head from close range. Henman, playing with Jeremy Bates, was defaulted during a doubles match for unsportsmanlike conduct.In 2012, David Nalbandian, an Argentine star, was defaulted from the singles final at Queen’s Club after kicking a wooden advertising board and injuring linesman Andrew McDougall’s left leg.But until Sunday, no world No. 1 had been defaulted in the midst of a Grand Slam tournament. The closest equivalent for shock value at the U.S. Open was in 2009 when Serena Williams, seeded No. 2, received a point penalty for threatening a line judge who had called a foot fault in her semifinal against Kim Clijsters. The penalty was assessed on match point, handing Clijsters a 6-4, 7-5 victory.Ilie Nastase, a combustible Romanian, was defaulted in the second round of the 1979 U.S. Open after a series of tirades and then reinstated in a match against John McEnroe, who was later disqualified himself for misbehavior in the fourth round of the 1990 Australian Open. But both Nastase and McEnroe were past their primes.The modern men’s superstars have been genteel by comparison, in part because of a stricter code of conduct.Djokovic had never been defaulted on tour until Sunday.Matt Futterman contributed reporting. More

Right after the tournament’s completion, most of the athletes are off to the red clay courts of Europe. The weeklong Masters tournament in Rome, for both men and women, begins Sept. 14.The tours then split on Sept. 21, when the men head to the Hamburg Open in Germany and the women head to the Strasbourg Grand Prix in France. You can watch these through ESPN.On Sept. 27, the French Open begins, and with it, spectators return. Up to 20,000 people will be allowed on the grounds of Stade Roland Garros in Paris. More

How to watch: From 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN2; streaming on the ESPN app.On Sunday, the severely thinned ranks of the singles draw will begin the fourth round of the United States Open with 75 percent of the field knocked out. While some of the betting favorites are still cruising, there are plenty of speed bumps to overcome as the knockout format causes players on hot streaks to collide.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 are certain to fluctuate based on the completion times of earlier play. All times are Eastern.Arthur Ashe Stadium | 10 p.m.Naomi Osaka vs. Anett KontaveitOsaka, the 2018 U.S. Open champion, seemed frustrated at times during her third-round victory over Marta Kostyuk. While dealing with hamstring concerns, Osaka has seemed to oscillate between being in complete control of her points and sitting back entirely and hoping her opponents will play themselves into a mistake. As the tournament continues, it will be interesting to see if Osaka can stay sharp, as she did in a dominant second-round win over Caroline Garcia.Kontaveit, the 14th seed, has been consistent through her last two rounds, winning both easily in straight sets after struggling to win her first-round match over Danielle Collins. Kontaveit, of Estonia, reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in January but will have a hard time matching that feat against Osaka. Kontaveit’s variety of play will be her main weapon here. If she can throw off Osaka’s rhythm, she’ll still have a chance to upset the former champion.Arthur Ashe Stadium | 7 p.m.Denis Shapovalov vs. David GoffinGoffin, the seventh seed, can be described simply as a consistency player. On the court, he has the tendency to make his opponents hit just one more ball than they’re comfortable with, leading them into unforced errors. Goffin has also shown his consistency in his results, finishing his U.S. Open runs in the fourth round for the last three years. Now, having reached the round of 16 once again, he’ll be trying to make his first quarterfinal in Flushing Meadows by outlasting an in-form Shapovalov.Although Shapovalov has been impressive throughout this tournament, reaching only his second round of 16 at a major tournament, he struggled to put away Taylor Fritz during a five-set contest in the third round on Friday. His aggressive style, heralded by a powerful and pinpoint-accurate backhand, makes him an exciting player to watch. The open question is whether or not he’ll have the energy to hit ball after ball to the indefatigable Goffin. Shapovalov has spent 10 hours on court this week, not counting his doubles matches, and the wear and tear of the longer Grand Slam formats may make it hard for him to deliver the same performances going into the second week.Louis Armstrong Stadium | 11 a.m.Jennifer Brady vs. Angelique KerberBrady, the 28th seed, has reached the round of 16 at a Grand Slam event for the first time since 2017. Although Brady has been successful primarily on the doubles court, her run this year has been impressive. She has yet to drop a set at the U.S. Open in singles, and across three matches, she has only lost 14 games. However, she will face a much more difficult test in her first seeded player of the tournament, Kerber.Kerber, a three-time major champion, including a 2016 U.S. Open title, has also looked as if she is at the top of her game. Although she has lost more games on her path to the round of 16, she has demonstrated that her counterpunch groundstrokes still have the capacity to overwhelm opponents. A former world No. 1, Kerber has not been past the round of 16 at a major event since her championship performance at Wimbledon in 2018. On current form, she has every right to feel confident that she can push for another Grand Slam title.Louis Armstrong Stadium | 6 p.m.Borna Coric vs. Jordan ThompsonThompson, the world No. 63, will play in his first round of 16 match at a major tournament. Before Sunday, he had never been past the second round of a hardcourt major, and it will be interesting to see if the absence of fans at the U.S. Open helps ameliorate the nerves that players can feel upon their first time breaking into the second week at a Grand Slam.Coric, the 27th seed, pulled off a remarkable five-set upset over fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas. Coric faced six match points in the fourth set, but with a mix of patience and guile, he was able to push past Tsitsipas into the round of 16. Coric’s defensive style of play can be difficult to execute on faster hardcourts, but he adjusted well, taking more risks and coming into the net to put pressure on his opponent. If he’s able to physically recover from his late-night marathon, he should be able to execute again and push past Thompson.Other important matches:Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury versus Mackenzie McDonald/Christopher Eubanks, Court 17 | 11 a.m.Yulia Putintseva versus Petra Martic, Arthur Ashe Stadium | NoonAlejandro Davidovich Fokina versus Alexander Zverev, Louis Armstrong Stadium | 1 p.m.Novak Djokovic versus Pablo Carreño Busta, Arthur Ashe Stadium | 2 p.m.Aryna Sabalenka/Elise Mertens versus Vera Zvonareva/Laura Seigemund, Court 17 | 3 p.m.Petra Kvitova versus Shelby Rogers, Louis Armstrong Stadium | 4 p.m. More

A third-round United States Open men’s singles match between Alexander Zverev and Adrian Mannarino was delayed for more than two hours on Friday as government health officials and tournament officials debated whether Mannarino should be allowed to play because of his contact with another player who tested positive for the coronavirus.“I was told there is very little chance,” Zverev said.But the match eventually went ahead, with the fifth-seeded Zverev advancing to the fourth round with a 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory.“I was just happy they let me play,” said Mannarino, a French veteran seeded No. 32.Mannarino is part of a group of seven players who were told to sign a revised agreement with U.S. Open organizers on Sunday to remain in the tournament after the New York health authorities deemed that they had been in close contact with Benoit Paire, a French player.Paire tested positive for the coronavirus last Saturday and was withdrawn from the U.S. Open before it began and isolated in his room at the official hotel on Long Island.But the group of players in close contact with Paire were allowed to continue competing after signing the stricter protocol, which required them to be tested daily for the virus instead of every four days and restricted them to their rooms unless they were training or playing.At the U.S.T.A. Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the players were barred from all common areas open to the other players and were required to warm up and receive treatment in isolated areas.But as Mannarino prepared to face Zverev in Louis Armstrong Stadium in a match that was not supposed to start before 2:30 p.m., he was informed by one of the ATP Tour managers that it was not certain he would be allowed to play.Mannarino said he was told the New York state health authorities had overruled the New York City health authorities, who had approved the revised protocol that allowed him to play.“The state took over this decision to say that I have been exposed to a positive case obviously so I should be quarantined in my room and not be able to go on the tennis court,” Mannarino said.The United States Tennis Association declined to give details besides saying the match was delayed while a “collaborative dialogue with health officials” took place. A message seeking comment with the office of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York was not immediately returned.A person familiar with the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity because officials declined to release details, said that health officials raised questions about whether Mannarino should play.Mannarino handed his coach his cellphone and told him to follow the updates so he could eat and remain focused on playing his match.Sports and the VirusUpdated Sept. 2, 2020Here’s what’s happening as the world of sports slowly comes back to life:The most complicated puzzle in sports is the return of college athletics during a pandemic. The University of California, Berkeley is allowing The Times an inside look at their journey’s ups and downs.Neymar, soccer’s costliest player, is one of three Paris St.-Germain players who played in last week’s Champions League final to test positive for the coronavirus.Kristina Mladenovic was so close to a dominant victory. After it fell apart, she said that the restrictions she faced because of another player’s positive virus test had taken a toll.“I said if I have the right to go on court, all the better, and I’ll go and give it my all, and if not, that’s the decision and we should accept it,” he said.At approximately 4:30 p.m., he said he was informed that he should be ready to go on the court at 5 p.m.“I went into my bubble, pardon the pun, and went on court to defend my chances,” he said. “It was not an easy match, especially in these conditions, but I was all in, and I faced someone better than me today.”Zverev said the delay and uncertainty caused him some problems: his rackets had been strung with a higher tension in anticipation of playing in the full heat of the day. But he agreed to the delay, which he was not required to do.“I was just kind of waiting around,” Zverev said. “I was very relaxed, and obviously for me as a player and for a fellow player, I’m happy I was able to play.”Five French players signed the new agreement: Mannarino, Richard Gasquet, Grégoire Barrère, Édouard Roger-Vasselin and Kristina Mladenovic. So did two Belgian women’s players: Kirsten Flipkens and Ysaline Bonaventure.All have now been eliminated from the U.S. Open except for Mladenovic, who is scheduled to play on Saturday in the round of 16 in women’s doubles with her partner, Timea Babos of Hungary.Most of the players in close contact with Paire are required to remain in quarantine through Sept. 11. French and American authorities failed in an attempt this week to reach an agreement that would have allowed the eliminated French players to return to France in an airplane provided by the French government.The players were initially told they would be able to continue training in New York under the stricter guidelines, with the possibility of practicing on clay before returning to Europe to play in clay-court tournaments, including the French Open, which begins in Paris on Sept. 27.But on Friday, Flipkens said on social media that the group had been informed by the Nassau County Department of Public Health that they were no longer permitted to leave their hotel rooms.“While just last night we got the bad news that we had to stay here until next weekend, at least they told us we still had the same protocols (practice, special gym area, separate room on site),” Flipkens wrote on Instagram. “And now all of the sudden we have to quarantine in the room?”Mannarino said he only signed the new, stricter protocol on Sunday evening, on the eve of his first-round singles match.“I didn’t sleep much,” he said after winning it against Lorenzo Sonego. “I am drained mentally.”But he recovered sufficiently to defeat the American Jack Sock in straight sets in the second round to set up the match with Zverev.Mladenovic, close to tears, has described the U.S. Open experience as “a nightmare” and said she had the impression “we were prisoners or criminals.”Mannarino was much less inflammatory, stroking his stubble and speaking calmly.“I’m not going to call it a nightmare, that’s for sure,” he said. “I’ve been playing the tournament, maybe a special tournament this time, but I’ve been allowed to play. And they put me in a situation that I could give my best on court, so I’m not going to complain about that.”Mannarino said he expected that he would now have to return to his hotel room and remain quarantined until departing for France next week. But he expressed appreciation for those who argued on his behalf on Friday.“I want to thank everyone who helped me be able to play today,” he said. “When they told me I might not go on court, I was a bit dejected and anxious. It would have been a shame after all that had happened.”Matt Futterman contributed reporting. More

It is an unprecedented situation: a United States Open with no spectators in a strictly controlled environment with competitors and their teams unable to venture beyond the tennis venue and their lodging.And one of the wrinkles of the decision to restart the 2020 season after a five-month break comes for the men’s players as they play best-of-five-set matches.Not only do they have to search for top gear almost immediately by playing in that format in a Grand Slam tournament. They must then cross an ocean and do it again later this month on a different surface at the French Open, the Grand Slam event in Paris that has been moved from its usual dates in May and June because of the coronavirus pandemic.“I was extremely tired yesterday; it’s not easy to play over four hours after such a long break,” said Mikhail Kukushkin, who reached the third round of the U.S. Open with a five-set victory over No. 13 seed Cristian Garín on Wednesday.Because of that extended break, the longest of most players’ careers, Novak Djokovic, the men’s No. 1, said in a recent interview with The New York Times that he would have welcomed a “conversation” about downshifting to best-of-three-set singles matches for this U.S. Open.He felt players had to deal with widely varying situations during the hiatus: some getting much better training conditions than others. Djokovic caught the virus during his much-criticized Adria Tour exhibition series, and though he experienced only mild symptoms, he said the lack of clarity on the long-term medical effects of the virus might be another reason to consider best-of-three.“These kind of circumstances are very unusual,” he said. “I think a player’s health and well-being and form and shape is maybe underestimated a little bit.”But the discussion never got beyond the preliminary phase.“Our conversations were 100 percent with the ATP and the athletes, and they did not want to consider best-of-three,” Stacey Allaster, the U.S. Open tournament director, said on Thursday.Allaster said the talks were with the ATP leadership, which includes the new chairman, Andrea Gaudenzi, and “informally with players,” but not with the ATP Player Council. Djokovic was president of that council until resigning last week when he helped establish a new men’s player group.Though Gaudenzi has cited existing agreements with broadcasters and sponsors as part of the reason for the U.S. Open’s being insistent on the current format, Allaster said those broadcasting and sponsorship contracts do not require playing best-of-five sets.It is a significant point of difference for the Grand Slam tournaments, which are the only events in tennis to still use it.“It doesn’t feel like the wrong decision so far to keep it for this tournament,” said Jim Courier, the former No. 1 and U.S. Davis Cup captain, after the first round of men’s matches at the U.S. Open.You could argue that a five-month break from tour play could actually help players be fresher, readier and healthier for marathon matches.“It is extremely difficult to play best-of-five sets, especially in the hot and humid conditions here,” Kukushkin said. “But I believe that during this pandemic, all the players, they take care of their old injuries or took care of their fitness.”Preliminary returns are encouraging.There were 14 five-set matches in the first round of men’s singles this year, and though a few had lopsided fifth sets as one player lost steam, there were three fifth-set tiebreakers as well as Andy Murray’s gripping 4-hour-39-minute victory over Yoshihito Nishioka.Sports and the VirusUpdated Sept. 2, 2020Here’s what’s happening as the world of sports slowly comes back to life:The most complicated puzzle in sports is the return of college athletics during a pandemic. The University of California, Berkeley is allowing The Times an inside look at their journey’s ups and downs.Neymar, soccer’s costliest player, is one of three Paris St.-Germain players who played in last week’s Champions League final to test positive for the coronavirus.Kristina Mladenovic was so close to a dominant victory. After it fell apart, she said that the restrictions she faced because of another player’s positive virus test had taken a toll.Intriguingly, the number of retirements in the men’s first round was the lowest at the U.S. Open since 2012: just two, with Jason Jung retiring in the fifth set against Federico Coria and Jaume Munar retiring in the third against Dominic Thiem.In 2019, there were three retirements in the opening round; in 2018, there were nine.This year’s numbers might indicate that players had fewer physical issues upon arrival: logical considering the U.S. Open usually comes near the end of a long, grueling, jet-lagged season.As for recovering from a five-setter, six of the men who won one in the first round were able to win their second-round matches, as well.“If you have been fortunate enough to have the normal workout tools at your disposal, there’s no reason this should be a heavier lift than normal,” Courier said, pointing to the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year that starts in mid-January, typically two weeks after the season starts.“Players come off an off-season, they go to Australia, they play a warm-up tournament and they go best-of-five in very extreme heat typically,” Courier said. “So it’s not a different ask than that.”But Australia does come after an off-season of less than two months.“It’s definitely different; The length of the break this time was almost three times what you would usually get,” said Dani Vallverdu, Andy Murray’s former coach who is now working with Karolina Pliskova.In a typical year, Vallverdu said, a player goes into the off-season having played 60 to 70 matches and does not lose much match fitness before the new season begins.Now, he said, “guys didn’t get more than seven or eight matches since last November.”“The big question mark for me is how players will be able to handle back-to-back five-setters or a few of them,” he added.The consensus is that you cannot replicate match play in practice.“You can’t train for this stuff, man,” Frances Tiafoe said wearily on Thursday night after reaching the third round with a five-set victory over John Millman, one of the fittest players on tour. “It’s tough to put yourself in a position where you’ve got the nerves and anxious energy that you get playing at the highest level.”What the players have never seen is a season with the French Open after the U.S. Open. There will be a narrow 13-day gap between the two, which is similar to the two-week gap that used to exist between the French Open and Wimbledon until Wimbledon moved back a week in 2015.The French Open-Wimbledon double called for players to shift from clay to grass but only to cross the English Channel (La Manche if you are French). The U.S. Open-French Open double now will require a trans-Atlantic flight and a shift from acrylic hardcourts to clay.“Going to grass meant much less rallies, so this time it’s a different way around,” said Jan-Lennard Struff, the German who will face Djokovic in the third round of the U.S. Open. “Surface changes are always a big deal. You don’t have to overthink it, but it will be difficult for everyone, playing on clay is a different game style.”Courier thinks it is easier, in general, for players to switch from hardcourt to clay than clay to grass. “There may be some fast-court players who don’t agree,” he said. “But I think by and large it’s easier to go from a faster court to a slower one where you have more time.”The players are accustomed to the hardcourt to clay shift, which usually happens in February and again in April. But they have never played two Grand Slam events in such a narrow window after a long break. Avoiding marathon matches in New York seems important if you want to thrive in Paris, too.“It’s going to be very interesting for the players who go deep at the U.S. Open,” said Paul Annacone, Roger Federer’s former coach who now works with Taylor Fritz, the rising American who is into the third round. “How quickly can they turn around and get physically and mentally recharged and regroup?”The French Open challenge looks all the more daunting with the 12-time champion Rafael Nadal passing on the chance to defend his U.S. Open title to stay in Europe and prepare on his beloved red clay.“I think it helps Rafa a ton,” Annacone said. “I always think he’s a favorite but more so now. He has all this free time to prepare exactly as he wants. So for me, if someone were able to win both of them this year, the U.S. Open and French Open, it’s arguably the toughest double.”How tough?“In our current environment with the times we’re living in, it would be one of the great doubles in tennis history,” Annacone said. More

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-AliassimeAs 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 SabalenkaLast 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 RaonicRaonic, 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 McNallyOn 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. More

Karolina Pliskova, the No. 1 women’s singles seed at the United States Open, was beaten in the second round by Caroline Garcia, 6-1, 7-6 (2), on Wednesday.A significant upset on paper, it was no great surprise in the grand scheme of women’s tennis, which has become a free-for-all in recent seasons.Garcia, a powerful French player with a complete game, was once ranked as high as No. 4 in 2018. She already had split her previous six matches with Pliskova, and though she arrived unseeded at this Grand Slam tournament, she was the more consistent and resourceful player in Louis Armstrong Stadium.“I knew I could give her trouble for sure,” Garcia said of Pliskova, whom she had not faced since 2018. “She gets a lot of confidence from her serve, so I was trying to be really focused on the return and trying to make as many returns as I could.”Pliskova, a flat-hitting and big-serving Czech, arrived in New York with a big opportunity with six of the world’s top 10 players missing, including No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and No. 2 Simona Halep.But Pliskova, who reached the 2016 U.S. Open final after upsetting Serena Williams, remains perhaps the most accomplished women’s player without a Grand Slam singles title. Though she was one of the first top European players to commit to making the trip to the United States and playing in New York amid the coronavirus pandemic, she ended up losing early in both tournaments in which she played. She lost her opening match of the Western & Southern Open to Veronika Kudermetova on Aug. 23.“None of those matches which I lost was that bad,” Pliskova said. “I think there are just some girls which are playing good tennis. I think Garcia is one of them.”After a first round that was surprisingly stable with the top 24 seeds all advancing, the women’s tournament returned to its more usual unpredictability on Wednesday. Four of the top 16 seeds were beaten in the second round: Pliskova, No. 11 Elena Rybakina, No. 12 Marketa Vondrousova and No. 13 Alison Riske.Pliskova’s defeat leaves two American women as the top remaining seeds: No. 2 Sofia Kenin and No. 3 Williams, who is chasing a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title.But instability has been the rule, with five different women winning the last five Grand Slam singles titles before the coronavirus pandemic forced the tour’s five-month hiatus. Since the start of 2017, there have been eight first-time major singles champions. By comparison, there have been no first-time singles champions during that period in the men’s game.Another women’s surprise would thus not be one in New York, particularly with players coming off an extended break.Garcia could not play tennis at all when the hiatus began. She was training in Spain at Rafael Nadal’s academy in Majorca when Spain and much of Europe went into lockdown in March. Unable to fly back home to her home city of Lyon, France, she remained in Majorca in an apartment with her parents and was not allowed to train outdoors or play tennis for several weeks.She exercised indoors instead, ran up and down the stairs in her apartment complex and passed the downtime by doing a puzzle of a Fiat 500.“You have to try to have a bit of imagination,” she said then in an interview with the French newspaper L’Équipe. “For the moment, the priority is not to go out, to not do sports outside, to not play tennis.”But she is certainly playing it well at this unusual U.S. Open and has yet to drop a set in two matches, dictating terms with her heavy serve and topspin forehand.“Against the top players if you sit back and wait for the mistake, it’s never going to happen,” Garcia said of her aggressive approach. “You have to put her in trouble.”After soaring through the first set, Garcia had to scrap to win the second, saving a set point on her serve.“I thought she played great tennis in the first set, she was just playing super aggressive, going for her shots,” Pliskova said. “I maybe didn’t play my best. I didn’t serve that great, especially early in the match. But that’s how it is sometimes. I’m not a robot, so I don’t have to play every day amazing.”Garcia can surely relate to that comment. From No. 4, she has fallen to No. 50. But despite the hiatus, she has had some big highs in the last 12 months, helping France win the Fed Cup in 2019 and now beating the No. 1 seed at the U.S. Open. When she closed it out, she performed her trademark tennis celebration borrowed from soccer: spreading her arms to imitate an airplane.“My personal thing,” Garcia said. “The strangest thing is at the end of the match, you’re used to there being some acknowledgment from the crowd, so you’re not entirely sure that you’ve won.”Continuing her run will require her to defeat another player on a roll with a big serve and heavy topspin forehand. Her third-round opponent will be Jennifer Brady, the much-improved American who won her first WTA title last month at the Top Seed Open in Lexington, Ky., and made impressively quick work of Cici Bellis on Wednesday.“I think we have pretty much the same weapons: the serve and the forehand,” Garcia said. “She is moving well on court and is playing in her country, even if it’s without fans.” More

Restricted to her hotel room at the United States Open except for practices and matches, French tennis star Kristina Mladenovic could find no refuge on the court on Wednesday.She was seemingly in total command of her second-round match against Varvara Gracheva, a 20-year-old from Russia playing in her first Grand Slam singles tournament.Mladenovic, the No. 30 seed, was tantalizingly close to a dominant victory. She led 6-1, 5-1 and 15-0 on her own serve before Gracheva came back to win the game. In the next, Gracheva fell behind 0-40 but saved four match points to hold serve.The comeback was underway — although it looked much more like a collapse — as Gracheva went on to win 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-0 with Mladenovic struggling to keep her composure and her shots in play during the final set.After winning 11 of the first 13 games in the match, she ended up losing 12 of the last 13, one of the most dramatic turnabouts in U.S. Open history.“It’s a nightmare what we are experiencing here,” Mladenovic said in French, fighting back tears. “I have only one desire, and that’s to get my freedom back and even that we don’t have yet.”Mladenovic is one of a group of players who have faced tighter restrictions and more frequent coronavirus testing after tournament health officials determined that they had close contact with Benoit Paire, a French men’s player who tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday.Mladenovic, who has repeatedly tested negative for the virus, said she had one practice session with Paire in New York, but what caught the attention of contact tracers was a game of cards she played with Paire and others in the lobby of the main hotel where players are staying on Long Island.Mladenovic has said the game lasted less than an hour and that she was wearing a mask.Paire, who was withdrawn from the tournament and restricted to his hotel room, said on social media on Wednesday that he has since tested negative for the virus. More