US Open Predictions

ATP

US Open Prediction: Men’s Singles

My Pick: Carlos Alcaraz. The best of 5 sets format gives Carlos time to problem solve when things aren’t going well. He’s proven in the last two slams that he can turn matches around (watch the French Open final highlights again), and find a way to win.

While the Spaniard didn’t play a lead up tournament due to the Olympics, he’ll find his rhythm through a favorable first three rounds. His route after that is Korda ➡️ Hurkacz ➡️ Sinner/Medvedev ➡️ Djokovic/Tiafoe (my sleeper pick).

Speaking of Djokovic, it was reported that he ended his training session with Holger Rune early after feeling some discomfort, likely in the knee that he recently had meniscus surgery on. While Carlos isn’t in Novak’s half, a less than 100% Djokovic gives me more confidence in Carlos over 5 sets against the GOAT.

Who you got?

Trivia

The fastest way to go over budget at the US Open is by having a few too many Honey Deuces, their iconic cocktail. How much revenue did the US Open generate from Honey Deuce sales in 2023?

A. $1.4 million

B. $5.2 million

C. $9.9 million

D. $16.1 million

Find out at the bottom!

WTA

US Open Prediction: Women’s Singles

My Pick: Aryna Sabalenka. Fresh off of her title in Cincinnati, last year’s finalist is in top form. Sabalenka’s hard-hitting game translates well to the quick courts at Flushing Meadows, which makes it feel like she controls the outcome.

The Belarusian’s draw heats up in the third round, where she could face 29th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. Head-to-head they are 3-3, with Alexandrova winning two of the last three encounters. If Aryna gets through, her path to the title could look something like Keys ➡️ Zheng/Kasatkina ➡️ Krejcikova/Gauff/Navarro ➡️ Rybakina/Swiatek/Andreeva.

There are multiple names for many of the successive rounds because it feels like anything can happen in this draw. If Sabalenka is the last one standing, the title in New York would be her second major of the year and third overall.

Will she get that $3.6M pay day? If not, who ya got?

You can find all of the US Open draws here.

News

Sinner’s doping scandal

If the party started at 8:00pm, I’ve arrived at like 1:24am. Apologies. I’m talking about the biggest story in tennis the last 7 days: Jannik Sinner failed two drug tests earlier this year, was found effectively not-guilty in his case, and was only stripped of $325k in prize money and 400 ranking points from Indian Wells.

For those who have only seen the headlines, here’s a bit more detail. Sinner tested positive on March 10th and 18th for clostebol, an anabolic steroid and banned substance. The story goes, his physiotherapist had a cut on his finger, and used a product that contained clostebol to help it heal. He subsequently gave Sinner a massage on his back and applied treatments to his feet, which allowed the substance to enter the Italian’s system.

Sinner was provisionally suspended for these results, but successfully appealed and was allowed to continue competing on the tour.

Fast forward to today, players like Nick Kyrgios and Denis Shapovalov heavily criticized Sinner’s light punishment. "Ridiculous -- whether it was accidental or planned," Kyrgios posted. "You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance ... you should be gone for 2 years. Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream.... Yeah nice 🙄"

Sparing you every little detail of the case, here’s my quick take: this is gross negligence on Jannik’s trainer and physiotherapist, who he rightfully parted ways with already. And for those who are up in arms on the fact that he failed twice, the tests were only eight days apart. Based on everything I’ve read and listened to, this doesn’t seem like intentional doping. Should he have at least gotten suspended for some time? Perhaps.

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if this media nightmare will affect Sinner’s play at the US Open. The world No.1 is known for being extremely composed on court, but this story and now inevitable night session hecklers could be enough to make him falter.

Around the Net

More News, Memes and Throwbacks

A young Naomi Osaka watching Rafael Nadal at the 2006 US Open

• Peter Lundgren, iconic coach of Roger Federer in his early years, then Marat Safin, Marcos Baghdatis, Grigor Dimitrov and Stan Wawrinka, passed away at the age of 59. This ATP article does a great job of sharing his impact on people and the sport.

• ESPN Films released a 30 for 30 documentary on Michael Chang titled “American Son”. The story details Chang's improbable and rapid rise to tennis stardom, his immigrant upbringing, and how that shaped him. You can find it on ESPN.

• Eliot Spizzirri and Maya Joint, both Texas Longhorns, qualified for the main draw of the US Open. Do fans at the University of Texas tell players to “hook ’em” on the court?

• American Shelby Rogers announced on social media that she will retire after the US Open. The 31-year-old, who hit a career-high ranking of No. 30 in 2022, will play her final tournament at her home Grand Slam this week.

Answer

C. A whopping $9.9 million

Here’s the breakdown:

450,000 Honey Dueces Sold x $22 each = $9.9 million

Enough to easily cover the prize money for this year’s men’s and women’s singles champions. And you wonder why players seek more prize money…

The Beautiful Game

Doing “Swim & Tennis Club” right

Thank you to a reader for this week’s submission! This is the Emerald Bay Beach Court in Laguna, CA. Instead of coming out to the court, all of the neighbors can judge watch you from their patios. That’s a lot of pressure.

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!