By Scoop Malinowski
Got a Biofile with Yibing Wu, who rose up the rankings fast after winning US Open junior but was then injured for like two years and now he’s healthy again and winning Challengers left and right, including Indianapolis saving six match points in the final vs Kovacevic. Awesome Biofile too, stay tuned. Wu, ranked 178 now, defeated Richard Berankis today 64 63,
I watched some of the Iga Swiatek practice with Petra Martic on Armstrong and Iga looked at her best, snapping winners off first serves and really hitting the ball clean and winners all over the place. She’s my pick to win the tournament based on what I saw today.
Another young Polish Maia Chwalinska lost the first set 1-6 but stormed back to beat a Croatian player in three sets. Chwalinska has a soft serve but she’s a magician on the baseline, with different shots and spins. She had a huge fanbase after the match requesting autographs and photos.
Kyrgios practiced again with Sock on Ashe. Shapovalov was with Khachanov. Fritz was with Nadal.
Denis Shapovalov went to the outer courts to watch his girlfriend from Sweden Bjorklund play and win vs Dolehide 63 in the third. Shapo rushed out of there after the conclusion. I think Jonas Bjorkman is coaching Bjorklund as he was outside the court after, looking like a coach.
Fernando Verdasco looked powerful today beating Gianluca Mager, to set up the veteran’s showdown tomorrow vs Mikhail Kukushkin, who needed three sets to beat Nico Kicker.
Zhizhen Shang looked powerful in disposing of veteran grinder with the bad outfits Marco Trungelitti of Argentina. With his full beard and obscure and wacky colorful outfits by Lala, Trungelitti looks like a public park player but he has all the shots. Zhang was just more powerful today. Interesting player to watch this Zhang,
Kayla Day was a rising star young American about five years ago, then she vanished for years. Now she’s back with a new coach, Cecil Mamiit, and she looked like a terror today in crushing I. Bara 61 61. Day, a lefty, looks a little heavy but she plays with intensity and hits a heavy ball. Don’t be surprised if Day makes the main draw and does some damage.
Antoine Bellier of Switzerland, a big serving lefty, had Paul Dubb in a stranglehold up a set and break but Jubb is a fighter and plays with big passion and he fought back to steal the match 57 64 64. Bellier was coached by the old journeyman from the previous era Jean Rene Lisnard. Jubb is fun to watch.
The most impressive player today was Gilles Simon, who won 61 in the third vs Michael Mmoh after being down a set and break. Simon is as smooth and crafty and consistent as ever. He’s a joy to watch. Remember, he beat Federer the first two times he played him, that’s a very rare accomplishment.
Whitney Osuigwe won the first set vs her opponent and then barfed up a puddle of vomit in the first game of the second set which caused a ten minute plus delay as the attendants had to clean up the mess which extended about six feet across the baseline. Dozens of towels and plastic bags were needed for the job. Osuigwe, the very attractive former Wimbledon junior champ, recovered and won 64 76. Sorry, I only have pictured of the clean up job.
Another stolen match was Liz Cabrera coming back from a set and break down and Olga Danilovic serving for the match. Cabrera was too steady and lefty Olga’s double faults and unreliable ground strokes were her downfall.
Dudi Sela popped out of his time machine but lost 63 63 vs Uchida. Where have you been Dude?
I was watching Coccarietto vs the teen Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva and noticed how each of their boxes do the new silent communication to the player, an affirmative nod, like Uh huh, yes, keep going. The Italian was supported by Fed Cup cap Tatiana Garbin who also silently communicated to be cool, relax. It’s funny how tennis players are almost like puppets and certain coaches or box figures are like puppet masters. The Italian won 76 64 and did the finger to her temple many times in the match, as if saying, “My superior intelligence won that point for me.” Player and box communication is always entertaining to watch.
Christine McHale lost to Bonaventure 63 61 and retired after the match, there was a ceremony so presumably it was all arranged pre-match. McHale had a very good career but has been quiet with minor results for three years. She is one of the rare USTA Eastern section players to make it as a pro. She was once ranked around 20 something in the world and had a few big wins here and there. I remember one was beating Wozniacki, I think in Cincy.
18 year old American Ashlyn Krueger lost the first set to Renata Zarazua 75 but rebounded to win 75 60 on court 17. The Texan was coached by Michael Joyce for a while about a year ago.
I asked another friend who was there yesterday, Who impressed you most? His reply: “Jess Pegula hitting, she was crushing it and no errors. Ons hitting with Sakkari. Also Kyrgios hitting with Sock. And this guy Geoffrey Blancaneaux. Iga was almost flawless.”
The rock star moment of the day was seeing the hysteria caused by breathless tennis fans seeing Lorenzo Sonego and Matteo Berrettini walk out from Ashe to the grandstand for practice. It was like seeing Bjorn Borg at his peak or the Beatles. Berrettini now wears Boss attire and Asics shoes. Sonego was smiling at the pandemonium the mere sight of Berrettini created.
Gilles Simon · Iga Swiatek · Kayla Day · Maia Chwalinska · US Open
Scoop Malinowski · August 25, 2022 at 8:51 am
PavvyG Dear @Stacey_Allaster just one question I need answering please. You applied to the US Govt for exemptions in 2020 and 2021 for players to be able to play the @usopen (both granted).
Why then in 2022 wouldn’t you apply for an exemption to enable a 3 time US Open winner to play? https://pic.twitter.com/QZxwa1UxMY
Scoop Malinowski · August 25, 2022 at 8:55 am
Jo King…
It would be a disaster if:
– unvaccinated player won the tournament sposored by a vaccine manufacturer
– Russian won in the country that imposed sanction against Russia
– player who had chosen not to get vaccinated played in the country where citizens had no choice.
It doesn’t matter that it’s against CDC recommendations, it doesn’t matter that UK still imports oil and gas from Russia (8%), it doesn’t matter that it was against the law in Australia.
Manipulations, hypocrisy, breaking the law.
It’s not politics at all. Right.
Just wow.
Scoop Malinowski · August 25, 2022 at 9:19 am
@pavyg
·
The conflict of interest that the @usopen have now been exposed with their last minute lucrative sponsorship deal with Moderna is blatant.
I think @Stacey_Allaster knows other stuff will now come out too. One thing could save her and that is for her to finally do the right thing.
Sam · August 25, 2022 at 10:42 am
Well, apparently Djokovic has withdrawn from the U.S. Open. While the signs were obvious for some time, “pro tennis” has now officially become a complete joke. There’s basically no reason—at least for a casual fan like me—to follow it anymore.
I think pro wrestling has more credibility than “pro” tennis at this point. 😛
They might as well just add evening wear, swimsuit, and interview portions to the tennis competitions now. That’s about how “legitimate” tennis has become. 🤡
Scoop Malinowski · August 25, 2022 at 11:04 am
Agree Sam, pro tennis is at a low point now. The tennis media’s top reporter doesn’t produce any quality articles but he does ask Grand Slam champions homosexually perverted questions in press conferences minutes after winning their first Grand Slam. The greatest champion in sports history has been treated like a disease. I don’t know if pro tennis will survive this obscene corruption and hypocrisy. Pickleball may make tennis an irrelevant niche sport like UFC did to boxing. Muhammad Ali never had to face and overcome the conspiring corrupt forces that Novak Djokovic has. It’s despicable.
Scoop Malinowski · August 25, 2022 at 11:18 am
@Tennispuneet 36m
Banned from AO
Banned from countless M1000s
Points stripped at Wimbledon
Banned from US Open
This is how you you knock the goat 🐐 off his perch and make him fall down the rankings.
This is how you allow Rafa to overtake in Slams and become YE1
Tennis is damned folks
Scoop Malinowski · August 25, 2022 at 12:12 pm
@ClayTravis
30m
The covid shot doesn’t work to prevent infection or stop spread and is completely unnecessary for young, healthy people. Djokovic is giving up his second major tennis tourney to stand against covid shot mandates. This is what true courage & bravery from an athlete looks like.
Scoop Malinowski · August 25, 2022 at 8:38 pm
Mats Wilander: “The GOAT race between the Big 3 is becoming irrelevant because Novak is not allowed to play. We will just remember that the three greatest players on the men’s side of all time happened to play at the same time.”
“Our wretched species is so made that those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.” – Voltaire
“The average man is a conformist, accepting miseries & disasters with the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain.” – Colin Wilson
Sam · August 26, 2022 at 3:18 pm
I don’t know if pro tennis will survive this obscene corruption and hypocrisy.
Hopefully it won’t!!! 😁 If enough fans stop buying tickets and watching, who knows what might happen?
On a positive note, as many others have said, at this point Djokovic is bigger than tennis. Tennis needs him a lot more than he needs it. And by courageously refusing the jabs (aka, the death shots
☠️), he’s now become a legend in more ways than one. 💪
This is how you allow Rafa to overtake in Slams and become YE1 Tennis is damned folks
Actually, Scoop, this is how you pretend to have Princess Rafa win the Slam count and gain the #1 ranking. But it’s all about as legit as a fourteen-dollar bill! 🤥 Intelligent people should not accept this fiction any more than they should accept the coronation of Resident [sic] Biden. 🇨🇳
Oh, great quotes by Voltaire and Wilson (and Wilander too). I’m going to save those! 👍
Scoop Malinowski · August 26, 2022 at 3:36 pm
Sam, Hopefully nike and babolat are not interfering with the natural evolution of tennis but you have to wonder who are the figures behind the curtain who are obviously manipulating Rafa back to no. 1 and the slam count lead?