Nick Kyrgios was practicing with Bernard Tomic on Armstrong yesterday afternoon and it looked like Bernard was dominating the action, to the point that Nick broke two of his Yonex racquets. After the first break Nick began to show that he was bothered by some kind of injury, around his neck or back or abdomen. With thirteen minutes left in the hour Nick stopped the practice and showed strains of some kind of injury and then laid down at the net post for about five minutes on his back. Bernard didn’t show any concern for Nick’s injury and just sat at his chair. Australian Davis Cup Captain Lleyton Hewitt also didn’t show any concern either for the injury, leading one to believe it was just Kyrgios manufacturing an excuse for a bad day on the practice court.
More interestingly was the fact that Hewitt seemed to be working with and favoring Bernard, constantly on Bernard’s side of the court and barking comments like “Great serve” after an ace. Hewitt did not have much or any interaction with Nick who he was an unofficial coach for last summer.
Kyrgios got up from the laying on the court by the post and then sat and watched a few minutes of Belinda Bencic hitting with her partner. Then Nick got up to exit the court and signed a lot of autographs for the kids, never once showing any sign of pain or injury. Nick even joked with the kids saying, “The next kid who says my name wrong gets a signed ball.”
While there was some good humor on Armstrong, the rest of the US Open was serious business as it was the final day of qualifying. Taylor Townsend beat Jennifer Brady in straight sets and raised her arms sky high in joy. It was a huge win for Taylor who earlier this year was ranked in the low 400s.
Christian Harrison also had a very special win on Court 17. Losing the first set 6-1 Harrison battled back to take the second 6-4. The third was a marathon but at 2-2 Harrison’s steadiness earned a break over the hard hitting but undersized Canadian Steven Diez. Harrison was relentless from then on and won 6-2. It was a monumental win for the 22 year old Harrison who has endured seven surgeries in the last few years. After the win Harrison gave the fans all of his seven or eight used adidas shirts and wristbands and socks and hats. Fans pleaded for his Babolat racquets, one even saying that brother Ryan was giving his away earlier in the day after he qualified, but Christian said “He breaks more racquets than me.” Â Christian was overjoyed with the career saving victory and thanked the fans for their support before he left the court.
Sekou Bangoura was also attempting to qualify for his first major main draw and was on serve at 4-5 with the far more experienced 31 year old Mischa Zverev and was leading 30-love when he suddenly double-faulted. The tension of the moment got to Bangoura on a packed court 17 and then he lost that game on a brilliant Zverev drop volley. Bangoura looked tight the rest of the way and lost meekly 64 62. Â It was new territory for Bangoura playing in the final round of a Grand Slam qualifying tournament and this experience will surely help him in the future. Bangoura looked sensational in the first two rounds but he looked nervous and half of himself yesterday unfortunately.
Noah Rubin gave it everything he had vs the much bigger and stronger Karen Khachanov at a full house court 11, forcing a third set with some brilliant play late in the second set. Rubin broke back to get it back on serve at 5-4 but quickly fell behind 0-30 in the final game. Rubin got it back to 30-40 but then double faulted by an inch or two on match point. Rubin was all class in defeat as he and Khachanov embraced at the net. It was the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen at a quali match on court 11 and a lot bigger then most court 11 matches during the first week.
Radek Stepanek dominated a tiny French lefty by the name of Axel Michon. Stepanek still looks like a potent ATP force at age 37.
A couple of interesting rumors are floating around at the Open: Kei Nishikori, who has been stagnant in the rankings for the last year or two is supposedly on the verge of replacing his coaches Michael Chang and Dante Bottini. Team Kei is said to be considering options. Also there is word that Novak Djokovic may soon sever ties with Boris Becker and Milos Raonic will also soon break up with John McEnroe.
To see more photos of the day go to the Facebook pages of Scoop Malinowski or Tennis Prose.
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Andrew Miller · August 27, 2016 at 11:44 am
Raonic has Moya, is fine. Great year. Anyone else stepping it up during matches? Catch Minella from Luxembourg?
Scoop Malinowski · August 27, 2016 at 11:46 am
This is the first year I didn’t see Mandy Minella play qualies. She is a beauty who always has big loud animated support from mostly males. Happy to see she qualified again, she has also missed out a few years too. I didn’t hear her ardent fans singing to her like in other years. “Mandy Minella! Mandy Minella!”
Dan Markowitz · August 27, 2016 at 12:18 pm
Talked to Chris Mayotte who was out there yesterday watching Rubin v Karachanov and I was singing the Russian’s praises and he said he doesn’t think he’ll be a top player because his forehand stroke is too long and whippy and he’ll get exploited by the better players.
Nice post, Scoop.
Andrew Miller · August 27, 2016 at 12:24 pm
Scoop, exactly re Minella. I had never heard of her then noticed how she has a pretty good record if making slam draws. I just dont pay enough attention to women’s tour outside of the top 50.
Really glad Townsend made it. Such a talented player in terms of what she can do with the ball. I saw Asha Mo. lost final rd of qualies too. Oudin also, had no idea on the health issues she has faced since her breakout. Nice to see her playing more on her terms.
Remarkable what Christian Harrison has done. Sheesh. He has some serious fight back in him to drop sets then reel off win after win, get the sense that maybe his big brother is feeding off not only the support of his fiance and newfound enthusiasm from the crowd or new teammates who help him like Baker and Novikov, or WTT mates , but seeing his brother will himself into a formidable force alongside him.
I think we have said this before but it is worth repeating. A lot of top players rely on their entourage such as their significant other their stringer coach family friends etc, teammates countrymen etc. When that group is at peace the player can dig deep because they are playing for a lot more and feel capable of delivering.
Or off court life transfers over into life on court. When that is going well the on court results line up.
catherine bell · August 27, 2016 at 1:05 pm
Andrew-
Interesting point about entourages as support groups etc but of course it does introduce a whole new mass of variables affecting a player’s performance – some of them not directly controllable.
And of course things work the other way too – ie trouble in the entourage translates to trouble on court. Tennis never stops being a sport of individuals.
In the old days players didn’t tend to have entourages because they couldn’t afford them. Not sure which is better 🙂
Andrew Miller · August 27, 2016 at 7:18 pm
catherine, no doubt it’s a lonely game. I’ve never seen Harrison so happy ever – happy with his off court life with fiance McHale, happy to see his brother punching through to the US Open 1st round, happy to be part of a winning WTT team (you get the sense, maybe, he would have enjoyed the team environment of U.S. NCAA tennis), happy to have taken the harder road to the US Open – Harrison’s played mostly the qualifying draws to ATP tournaments rather than the challengers this summer and more often than not experienced success (whether making it to main draws or winning rounds on the way). He’s done it on the doubles side, the singles side, the WTT side – every side there is.
The guy is firing on all cylinders for once and as much as I’d love to say, well, it has everything to do with him on the court. Sure – a lot of things are going right for him and he’s serving really well, which frees him up to take chances on the return game. Standard fare in the tennis world.
But is it really controversial to say, well, he’s actually pretty happy? Happy to be winning (winning cures a lot of things) but reiforced also by seeing others around him succeed and then feed back into what he’s doing?
That’s why I say he’s got nothing to lose in the main draw and no one should want to play him or Christian really. Christian because he’s hungry – hungry to take on other players and push himself beyond the setbacks of the last few years that have sidelined him from the sport. Ryan because he’s got a lot of wind at his sails.
He’s not the same guy Stahovsky faced – he’s now confidant and with that confidence based on some real (however perceived as modest) achievement. The crowd feels that too and they love it. He’s not letting himself down these days.
Good luck to whoever faces him. They will need it.
Andrew Miller · August 27, 2016 at 7:30 pm
catherine, I guess entourage isn’t the right word here. Maybe it’s just community and context. He’s being propelled these days, to me at least, by something more – as if he’s glad to be part of the sport. Probably being freed of having to wave the flag or be the next biggest thing has really allowed him to figure out what he wants from the game.
It used to be he was a spokesman for us tennis future. Now that the baton is passed to Johnson, Fritz, Tiafoe and others, Harrison is playing some of the best tennis of his career. I’ve thought for a long time that Harrison had to move away from trying to be us tennis’ future and just double down on becoming a better player and best version of himself out there. He’s there.
Andrew Miller · August 27, 2016 at 7:33 pm
For what it’s worth, DY had a pretty good WTT season also and seemed to love the team aspect of it. Maybe like Dan says no one cares about WTT. But we actually have to ask the players about their take on it, and I think they like it a lot. Most U.S. cities down have tournaments anymore, and WTT is all we have!
Scoop Malinowski · August 27, 2016 at 8:46 pm
WTT is good. It’s like a minor league training camp mini tour. It helps players loosen up and enjoy the lighter side of being on a team. I think it only helps and have never heard a player bad mouth WTT though it’s probably sacrilege to criticize BJK 🙂
Scoop Malinowski · August 27, 2016 at 8:50 pm
Andrew: I agree. C Harrison’s comeback rates as incredible as just about any other. This kid was dead in the water with all the injuries and surgeries (seven). To get a WC into qualies and to win three tough matches is a Herculean heroic effort. It’s awe inspiring. Harrison’s comeback from the abyss is also nothing short of incredible. These Harrison’s are incredibly resilient durable tough fighters. They have willed their way back to relevance from total irrelevance.
Scoop Malinowski · August 27, 2016 at 8:54 pm
Catherine: Player entourages are a key to success. And player happiness and comfort. It’s a lonely cruel business and to have a team around is important, especially a quality of team that can inspire and evoke a player to be relaxed to summon his or her best tennis. Kyrgios is so funny and relaxed, I think he has a great team. I think all the players know how to pick their entourages. The girls are more sheltered. Like Bencic yesterday was with her hitting partner and father. That has to get boring after a while, having your father around always. A lot of the female players have a parent around. Wozniacki’s a veteran but her father is always around and with her. That’s got to be stifling. But it worked for Graf.
Scoop Malinowski · August 27, 2016 at 8:56 pm
Sock vs Fritz first round rematch of their Aussie Open five setter. Get your popcorn ready.
Andrew Miller · August 27, 2016 at 9:53 pm
Sock should beat Fritz. Sock’s coming off an Olympic gold and Fritz doesn’t have the same momentum. But indeed a popcorn match.
catherine bell · August 27, 2016 at 11:50 pm
Scoop
Agree about women players – bit different. And yes, entourages are fine when they’re good. Not so when too many hangers on.
But Graf and father ? There were lots of problems there I recall,although reconciled in the end.
catherine bell · August 28, 2016 at 8:12 am
Oh – a PS on entourages.
After she’d won some tournament recently (can’t recall which) Simona H said she was going to slim down her entourage and have only 2 or 3 people in her box courtside.
Well, guess what ? At the next tournament a photo clip showed her box stuffed to bursting with her ‘entourage’.
She didn’t win that one. 🙂
Andrew Miller · August 28, 2016 at 9:09 am
Catherine, I was trying to say that there is harmony between Harrisons on and off court life. There’s a bounce in the guy’s step these days. He is a leader in his dubs matches and he stepped it up in wtt . I think he looks around him and sees a lot of love.
Not that that matters for everyone. Apparently djokovic likes when a crowd turns in him ot is in favor of his opponent some Jedi mind trick I guess.
To each their own.
Scoop Malinowski · August 28, 2016 at 10:08 am
Sock has a history of playing bad at the US Open but I believe he will be super UP to beat young whippersnapper Fritz –
Scoop Malinowski · August 28, 2016 at 10:13 am
Halep seems like the kind of very nice person who just can’t give the heave-ho to her hangers ons – Certain players are just too nice – Caro Sabatini etc –
catherine bell · August 28, 2016 at 10:13 am
Andrew
I’m not that familiar with Harrison so wouldn’t comment although I read what’s posted here.
Of course I’d agree with the general theme of on and off court harmony. However-one of the most lopsided W’don women’s finals of all time was won by a player who experienced extreme personal turbulence during the tournament – as you say, to each their own 🙂
I was responding more to Scoop – and looking at ‘entourages’ from my perspective, as one who was around before they became a feature of the game.
Simona’s remark and its consequences amused me a bit – I wondered why she mentioned her entourage at all and if perhaps she was feeling slightly suffocated by others’demands. That can happen. And can be distracting.
Andrew Miller · August 28, 2016 at 12:14 pm
catherine agreed. I don’t want to typecast players, they have their own stories and my theories are just that. i just notice that Harrison is happier these days – not the scowling guy I’m used to. He seems closer to the “break out” Harrison that Scoop described in his 2010 Tennis Prose comments, of a player on the verge of his best is yet to come tennis.
Scoop re: Sock, agreed. I don’t think he’s going to let anyone rain on his parade and I don’t think he wants his Australian 1st round seem like a fluke. We underestimate Sock – he has plenty of tricks up his sleeve and he enjoys watching opponents underestimate him. They play lights out and suddenly their lights out is not enough and Sock capitalizes. Sure in best of five his level seems to punch down, but Sock has had more high pressure matches than Fritz this year, a lot more with Davis Cup etc. Don’t think that goes to waste for a second.
Sock likes proving people wrong. He likes it when people say he has no backhand because he’ll hit one just to show that he can on occasion do it. But he won’t need it. Something that’s hard to get at PEOPLE LIKE SOCK AND NO ONE KNOWS FRITZ YET. Fans at the US Open go to Sock’s matches to see Sock and no one else. They’ll appreciate Fritz and the young players will know him. But in terms of fans’ memories at the US Open, people are behind Sock. I guarantee you he will draw on this.
Only thing that could get him is an injury. But if he’s feeling good out there, Sock should get out of it with a win in 4 sets no more than that.
Andrew Miller · August 28, 2016 at 12:16 pm
Halep is fierce! Just not at slams.
catherine bell · August 28, 2016 at 12:54 pm
Andrew –
Shame Simona’s not fierce at what she earns her living doing 🙂
Scoop – yes, Simona’s probably a bit like those players who find it really hard to say no in case they hurt people.
Hangers-on swarm like locusts at GS events – gimme, gimme, gimme. Very sharp at targetting players – male and female.
Sabatini used to do a sort of fade – leave people standing there empty handed and wondering why.
Steffi ? Impregnable barriers.
Scoop Malinowski · August 28, 2016 at 1:33 pm
Sock is a great player and his volcanic eruption in singles is going to happen soon – But Fritz is very dangerous and Sock better be ready for a war – I predict he will be ready – Agree that fans like Sock he is a very likable player and a good sport as he showed vs Hewitt in Hopman Cup when Hewitt hit an ace they called out and then Sock said no it was good – then he suggested Hewitt to challenge the call which he did and won and got the ace – Hewitt was shocked and appreciated it – Sock is all class and fast becoming a crowd favorite and American tennis hero –
Andrew Miller · August 28, 2016 at 2:53 pm
Scoop, Sock can work a crowd. I’ve seen it – I saw him down in the match, suddenly talks a little to the crowd and starts pulling shots out of nowhere.
That’s the kind of stuff he will bring into his match. If Fritz had this, the rapport with the folks in the stands, the experience in front of foreign crowds rooting against him, the olympic gold, then sure – I’d say this is Fritz’ match to lose.
I don’t see it. I think the match is completely on Sock’s racquet and I think that’s probably where he wants it. Dont think for a second he doesn’t prefer going up 2-0 in the head to head with Fritz with both wins at slams.
There are only a few matchups for US men in 1st round that are unfavorbale.
Mmoh-Chardy. Chardy’s just too tough. Mmoh will need a miracle. Maybe he’ll get it, but Chardy’s just too good.
Isner-Tiafoe. I think this is too much for Tiafoe for the 1st round. I like Tiafoe a lot, but 1st round US Open against Isner? I mean, too much. Best thing about this match is it should make Tiafoe want to have a higher ranking next slam so he doesn’t face Isner 1st round.
Donaldson-Goffin. The hardest matchup for any US player in the 1st round. Donaldson makes it through, it would be even more impressive than if Tiafoe or Mmoh win.
No other concerns for round 1 for the u.s. players, every other match is pretty tough but winnable, even for guys that have never beaten their opponents. The US Open surroundings should kick them up a level.
Scoop Malinowski · August 28, 2016 at 7:50 pm
Fritz is very very smart Andrew – He figures out and avenges losses – Lost to Tiafoe four times as a junior and lost again in IW in three sets but finally figured Tiafoe out and beat him two week ago 63 61 – Sock better be ready for an even tougher battle with Fritz than their Aussie clash – But then again Fritz lost two close three setters this year to Stepanek – Still hasn’t figured out Stepanek yet -But I think Sock will be sufficiently threatened by Fritz and will prevail in five sets again – But who knows it’s supposed to be high 80s tomorrow and Sock has a history of cramps at US Open – Heat could factor into this match and Fritz could use fake injury timeouts which also bother Sock – Sock has shown he gets upset and distracted by fake injury timeouts used by opponents –
Andrew Miller · August 28, 2016 at 9:03 pm
Scoop, Sock’s going to want to 2-0 Fritz. He may be joking with the crowd but Sock badly wants to make his mark.
Scoop Malinowski · August 29, 2016 at 8:27 am
Andrew: The last thing any established player wants to do is lose to a kid- it’s the ultimate embarrassment and humiliation for any serious tennis player – Sock will be up for the Fritz challenge –