Showing posts with label Flushing Meadows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Flushing Meadows. Show all posts
Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Monday, 22 September 2025
CAPTAIN AGASSI GUIDES TEAM WORLD TO LAVER CUP GLORY
Andre Agassi has long had a flair for the dramatic.
Born amidst Las Vegas neon, bred amidst the oft-suffocating dorm-room tennis academy life, he emerged in the late ‘80s like some acid-washed fever dream, an image-is-everything, camera-ready superstar; all forehand, flash and mullet.
Or so we thought.
With Fab Four cohorts Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and Michael Chang, he helped bring in a whole new fandom, the sport’s MTV-endorsed answer to the fast-fading Tennis Boom years, jean shorts subbed for Stan Smiths and all-tennis-whites. There he was, falling to his knees on the lawns of the All England Club, the 1992 Wimbledon champion; in Flushing Meadows in ‘95, the first unseeded US Open titlist in the Open Era; in Melbourne, in his AO debut toppling Sampras in the title match. Their storied baseliner vs. serve-and-volleyer contrast would produce an otherworldly rivalry.
But it was in the tail-end of his playing career that we were first introduced to the Andre Agassi we know today, the deep-think sage with the uncanny ability to see the game from unthought-of angles. A new generation of players got their first taste of that this week as Agassi, now 55 and without all that hair, stepped back into the tennis fold as a first-time Laver Cup captain, taking over from John McEnroe as a courtside mentor for Team World.
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| Team World Captain Andre Agassi takes a moment to absorb his debut Laver Cup victory |
Agassi himself said he didn’t know what to expect in his new role, that the whole thing would be an in-real-time, on-the-job learning experience. He went into it, he insisted, with a closed-mouth/open-ears approach, and his players were quick to respond.
“Andre is such a legend of the game. You always hear so much about him,” said the towering power-server Reilly Opelka, 6-foot-11. “The consensus is that he’s just this incredibly nice human being and incredibly intelligent. He gives back to the game and is happy to spread knowledge.”
McEnroe, beloved by his players, waited five years to get his first Laver Cup title, a trophy named for his boyhood idol, the two-time calendar-year Grand Slam champ Rod Laver. Here comes Agassi, who slides in a takes it all in his first go-round. On Sunday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco, in the eighth edition of the global showdown, Team World put the finishing touches on a dramatic 15-9 triumph over Yannick Noah’s Team Europe, securing its third Laver Cup in four years.
“Everybody played a part in making this one of the most memorable weeks I’ve ever spent on a tennis court.” — Team World captain Andre Agassi
It came down to the final match. Of course it did. That Agassi flair for the dramatic again. Appropriately, it was a Californian who played the role of hero. Taylor Fritz, who a night earlier had taken down Carlos Alcaraz in his first-ever win over a world No. 1, took down No. 3 Alexander Zverev in thrilling fashion, 6-3, 7-6(4). It was sweet redemption for the 27-year-old, who was on the other end of things last year in Berlin against Alcaraz.
“Seeing these guys on the bench getting pumped up, seeing a legend of the sport like Andre jumping out of his seat cheering for me, it’s just impossible not to be so fired up giving everything I have every point,” said Fritz. “It was a great feeling to clinch it in the end.”
There was a red-shirted mob scene afterward, Agassi and onetime rival Patrick Rafter, now his vice-captain, in the bum-rush with their delirious charges, most of whom weren’t yet born when they were making their names on the tour. There was Fritz and Argentine Francisco Cerundolo and the 19-year-old Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca. There was the rock-solid Aussie Alex de Minaur, team alternate Jenson Brooksby and valuable last-minute additions Opelka and Alex Michelsen, all of whom had stepped up in a big way.
“Everybody played a part in making this one of the most memorable weeks I’ve ever spent on a tennis court,” said Agassi during a celebratory post-match presser. “Just unflappable. They never stopped believing. They laid their heart on the line. On paper, a lot of people said they didn’t see an inroad to pulling this off, but we shocked the world.”
De Minaur then stepped in: “No, we shocked Team Europe.”
“That’s a good point,” said Agassi. “It’s the champagne.”
- Richard Osborn
Monday, 8 September 2025
Sunday, 7 September 2025
Thursday, 4 September 2025
Monday, 25 August 2025
LATE NIGHT DRAMA AS BIZZARE SCENES UNFOLD DURING DANIIL MEDVEDEV'S US OPEN MATCH
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| Medvedev loses his cool: this was the show he put on at the US Open. Photo: Getty |
The opening night session of the US Open 2025 at Flushing Meadows turned into pure chaos as Daniil Medvedev staged a dramatic comeback in the third set, against Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi, in a match that had everything—frustration, controversy, and even an unprecedented court invasion.
Bonzi came out firing, stunning the Russian top seed by taking the first two sets 6-3, 7-5. For Medvedev, who had already suffered a shocking first-round exit at this year’s French Open against Cameron Norrie, the prospect of another early Grand Slam disaster loomed large. For the first time in his career, he was staring at a first-round loss in New York.
Known for his raw emotions, Medvedev let his frustrations spill over throughout the night. At one point, he openly mocked Bonzi’s fist-pump celebrations, clearly trying to rattle his opponent while venting his own pent-up anger. For the Russian, the night session in New York has often been a stage of high octane drama—and this match was no different.
But the most bizarre twist came on match point for Bonzi. Just as the Frenchman prepared to serve, a photographer infiltrated the court in an unprecedented interruption. The incident forced the chair umpire to replay the point, awarding Bonzi a first serve back—a decision that sent Medvedev into an absolute meltdown.
The Russian’s protests fueled the already electric atmosphere inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. For over six long minutes, the match was halted as the crowd erupted in chants of “second serve!” and relentlessly booed, refusing to calm down.
When play finally resumed, the chaos seemed to weigh heavily on Bonzi. Distracted and rattled, he dropped the next two points, handing Medvedev a crucial break opportunity. Sensing his chance, the former US Open champion pounced, breaking serve to stay alive and flipping the momentum at the brink of defeat.
Medevedev dragged the match into a tie-breaker to stay afloat in the first round match, and secured two set points in a dramatic turnaround. Medevedev converted his second one and took the third set to keep his chances alive. Even fellow tennis players Taylor Fritz and Genie Bouchard took to twitter to voice their emotions.
And Taylor Fritz turned out to be right, as Medvedev breezed through the fourth set 6-0, as Bonzi struggled physically and mentally to stay in the match. He called for the physio to attend to his knee, and the focused and zoned in player that he was for the first two and a half sets, quickly crumbled under the lights.
- Vivek Devane
Wednesday, 30 October 2024
ARYNA SABALENKA APOLOGIES TO PHOTOGRAPHER AS ONS JABEUR INTERVIEWS BEFORE WTA FINALS
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| Aryna Sablaneka and Ons Jabeur react to the drama in Riyadh. (Image: @Ons_Jabeur |
World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka might be better off sticking to tennis.
Aryna Sablaneka might currently be rated as the world’s best female tennis player but it seems a career switch to football is off the cards. The Belarusian is currently out in Riyadh for the WTA Finals, where she’ll be looking to cap a superb season.
The 26-year-old successfully defended her Australian Open title in January, and then backed that up with a first US Open win in September.
Her victory at Flushing Meadows elevated her to world No.1 above Iga Swiatek for the first time.
However for all her current prowess with a racket in her hand, it seems Sabalenka isn’t too reliable with a ball at her feet. The star took part in a promotional event in Saudi, where she had the task of taking a penalty with a number of ‘points targets’ on the goal in front of her.
Also participating was Ons Jabeur, despite not having qualified for the finals this year. And before her rival stepped up, the Tunisian star declared “she wants to try the other one,” with Sabalenka seemingly aiming at a gap near the top corner.
However, the three-time Slam winner contrived to shank her effort off to the right and comfortably wide of the goal. To make matters worse, the ball hit a photographer who had positioned herself to the side of the post, ready to get the money shot.
A mortified Sabalenka immediately rushed over to the female, who was fortunate the ball bounced off her head and didn’t make contact with her expensive camera. “I am so sorry,” she said, holding up her hands in embarrassment.
The photographer signalled that she was ok, but that didn’t stop Jabeur from getting in on the act. “Tell her you don’t have insurance,” she said, only for the woman involved to reply “No no it’s fine.”
The world No.31 wasn’t about to let Sabalenka get away scot-free though, and posted video footage of the incident on her X account. Along with two laughter emojis, she captioned it “Our world number one is doing serious damage in Riyadh,” and tagged her fellow professional for good measure.
Sabalenka gets her WTA Finals campaign underway on Saturday with a match against Qinwen Zheng. She’ll complete the group stages with further matches against Jasmine Paolini and Elena Ryabinka.
The pre-tournament favourite is out to capture the title for the first time. She’s only once made the final, surprisingly beaten by French player Caroline Garcia in straight sets in 2022.
- FRASER WATSON
Tuesday, 27 August 2024
US OPEN: HARRIET DART EASES TO WIN, JAN CHOINSKI OUT ON DEBUT
Britain's Harriet Dart breezed into the second round of the U.S. Open on Monday with a straight sets win over Chloe Paquet, though her compatriot Jan Choinski fell to a heartbreaking defeat in five sets on his main-draw debut at Flushing Meadows.
Dart, the British No. 3, won 6-2, 6-1 against her French opponent, showing a newfound power in her service games which have traditionally been a weakness for the 28-year-old.
Her game started later than expected as a result of Choinski's epic, the British men's No. 10 falling just short against Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena.
Choinski earned his first-ever spot in the main draw by winning three qualifying matches but it looked as though his stay would be short after a number of unforced errors saw him down two sets.
An impressive recovery ensued and Choinski had five break points to start the fifth set. He was unable to convert any of them, however, and Carballes Baena took advantage with a break of his own in the next game which proved to be the decisive blow.
"All in all, I'm happy how I performed in this match and it's something I can build on in the future for sure," Choinski said.
Several other Brits begin their campaigns in New York on Tuesday, including Katie Boulter, Emma Raducanu, Jack Draper and Dan Evans.
- ESPN
Monday, 11 September 2023
DJOKOVIC WINS US OPEN FOR RECORD EQUALLING 24TH GRAND SLAM
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| Reuters |
Novak Djokovic would not let Daniil Medvedev spoil his date with history a second time as he battled past the Russian 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3 to win the U.S. Open on Sunday and equal Margaret Court's record haul of 24 Grand Slams.
Djokovic's victory, his fourth in 10 Flushing Meadows finals, capped another remarkable season after his wins at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, and he will return to the top of the world rankings when they are updated later on Monday.
No man has won a calendar Grand Slam in 54 years, though Djokovic came close once again, losing in five sets to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.
But for the moment he is savouring his 24th Slam.
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