Running tennis thread 2024

BTW, today marked the end of the line for a couple of familiar names who have struggled in the past few years. Dominic Thiem, champion of the spectator-less and Djoker-less 2020 U.S. Open, and the ever-popular little engine that could Diego Schwartzman are retiring and played their final major-tournament matches.

Thiem lost in straight sets to Ben Shelton, then was honored by the tournament with a highlight video on the board and a large framed collage of photos of his triumphant Open moments. Schwartzman got the crowd going by winning the first set (in a tiebreak) in his old-timers match with Gael Monfils, then lost the next three to call it a career.

 

I was in the Grandstand for Diego's loss and they did the same nice video highlight and collage after his loss.

Had a fun 11 hours out there today. Got to see my friend's kid in his second year as a ballboy and saw him snare some nice catches. Ended the night by watching Chris Eubanks lose fifth-set tiebreaker, despite a packed crowd (much of the front-row folks inebriated) in his corner.

 

Eubanks had his moment in the sun last year at Wimbledon. Now he's back to what he really is -- an outside-the-top-100 player.

 

I turned it off after the first set. You can imagine my level of WTF when I just turned on Sportscenter and saw the rest of the highlights.

 

This Hon kid can play. She's not ready to beat Sabalenka. but she's got something.

 

Early rounds. Best time to go watch a tournament in person --- especially a combined ATP-WTA event.

I think I only did 11 hours in Key Biscayne once --- and that was when I worked the first half of the day at the Will Call window.

 

Naomi Osaka just beat Ostapenko in straight sets for her first win over a top-10 player since January 2020.

But the real story is, WTF was she wearing?

https://www.usopen.org/en_US/video/index.html#/channel/4476/incfevtmljcueq3ogy4gc5bukrbda6td

Edit:

 

I present Dominic Hrbaty, 2005 U.S. Open.

 

OMG, Jess.

 

I hope Osaka gets, or continues to get, the help she needs. She appears continually depressed and searching for something other than tennis, which she’s gifted at but seems to just accept as her current fate as she wades through it.

The outfit with the giant bow looks silly, too.

 

I told my wife it was the most childish tennis outfit I've seen since Tracy Austin's gingham dress and pigtails. At least she had an excuse -- she was 14.