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Good morning. Three years ago, Emma Raducanu’s goal was to win one qualifying match at the US Open and use the prize money to replace her AirPods. She went on to win the whole thing and collect a $2.5 million dollar check. Anything is possible when you lose your Airpods. Now let’s dive in.
— Daniel
ATP
F off dude
X
What Frances Tiafoe was feeling after his loss to Jannik Sinner in the Cincinnati (ATP 1000) final yesterday is likely what Andy Roddick everyone on tour felt during Federer’s prime years. The Italian world No. 1 has been hogging the trophies this year, with Cincinnati being his fifth.
In terms of Sinner’s morale, he will certainly be pleased about this title, not only because it comes three days after his 23rd birthday, but also because it’s a good sign for his body. Sinner couldn’t represent his country in Paris due to a hip injury, so getting through a grueling week in Cincinnati likely means he’s in great shape heading into his favorite tournament, the US Open.
Between Alcaraz, who has won the last two slams, Djokovic, who is fresh off of his Olympic gold, and an in-form Sinner, there’s no doubt that this year’s Open will be one to remember.
Who ya got?
Trivia
Who holds the record for being the youngest male player to ever win a grand slam title?
A. Rafael Nadal
B. Michael Chang
C. Carlos Alcaraz
D. Boris Becker
Find out at the bottom!
WTA
Feels like Serena
@Sabanewsss/X
Aryna Sabalenka got arguably the highest compliment from her opponent after winning the Cincinnati Open (WTA 1000) yesterday. American Jess Pegula said, “Funny, Andrew [Krasny] said Aryna, and I thought he said Serena, but it felt like Serena today with the way you were serving, so I don’t know, I may have wanted Serena instead.”
Yesterday’s match marked Sabalenka’s 100th career WTA 1000 win, her first title since winning the Australian Open earlier this year, and solidified herself as one of the favorites heading into this year’s US Open.
But before she starts to focus on New York, she plans to celebrate this win first. "I will treat myself with a tequila, with my cocktail, which is margarita, really a great one."
I think so too 🍹
Grand Slam
How to do the US Open right
USOpen.org
Headed to the Open this year? Legendary tennis reporter and journalist Jon Wertheim crowdsourced a list of hacks, pointers and recommendations to get the most out of the slam. Here’s a few that caught my eye:
💰 Money Hack: “Go to U.S. Open Qualifying Week. It’s like free access to MLB spring training. It’s like getting into the arena to watch your favorite band’s sound check. For free!"
👶🏼 Rising Stars: “Make time for the boys and girls single finals (on Saturday this year). In just the past [eight] years you would have seen [Taylor] Fritz, [Tommy] Paul, [Miomir] Kecmanović, [Félix] Auger-Aliassime, [Lorenzo] Musetti, Kenin, Gauff, [Amanda] Anisimova and Xiyu Wang.”
🥡 For Foodies: “Take the 7 train one stop further and have lunch in downtown Flushing Chinatown. Some of the best Chinese food in the country.”
🌇 For the Gram: “If you’re in the top tier, head up to the back row of Arthur Ashe stadium on the west side for a tremendous view of the sunset over the city just before the night session begins.”
Check out the complete list here.
Around the Net
More News, Memes and Throwbacks
@kr9pton9lul/X
"Sometimes I can play doubles well. But in principle, four people on the court disturbs me."
$75 million. That’s the total prize money payout at the US Open this year, the largest in tennis history. Both singles champions will earn a whopping $3.6 million, a 20% bump from last year.“
There are some parts of my body, they’ve never seen the sun” -Andrey Rublev. Who has the worst tan lines? Rublev, Tsitsipas, Radacanu, or… Tiafoe?
After a dramatic, fairytale run at the Olympics, Andy Murray finally hung his rackets up. His Twitter bio now says, “I played tennis. I now play golf”, accompanied by a photo of a golf course.
Stefanos Tsitsipas ended his coaching partnership with his father for the second time after an early loss in Montreal. The Greek delivered the news on X, saying “I prefer to keep my father in his role as a father, and only as a father”. He won 11 tour-level titles with his father alongside him. I guess the bird is finally ready to leave the nest.
Thanks for reading!
DP 🤠
Trivia Answer
B. Michael Chang
Associated Press
At just 17 years and 109 days, Michael Chang became the youngest man to win a grand slam title at the 1989 French Open.
The Beautiful Game
Featuring the most scenic courts around the world!
The Enchantment Resort, Arizona
This week, we’re at the Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Arizona. Something about the contrast of the smooth U-shaped walls and the jagged red-rock is really pleasing.
If you’ve played somewhere beautiful and have a photo that you’d like to be featured, reply to this email or text it to (425) 463-9820!