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Welcome to the U.S. Open briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament.
On day five of the U.S. Open 2024, a series of exits in the men’s draw asked questions of upsets, and a doubles match made a fashion statement.
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What makes an upset an upset?
After just two rounds of this year’s U.S Open, the men’s event had lost 14 out of its 32 seeds. Shocking, in theory. But look closer, and a lot of the upsets are in rankings difference only. Many of the defeats aren’t that surprising at all. Novak Djokovic’s stunning defeat to Alexei Popyrin didn’t happen until round three.
Carlos Alcaraz, the No. 3 going out to Botic van de Zandschulp is the exception. Otherwise, No. 15 seed Holger Rune’s form meant that a defeat to Brandon Nakashima was in the post, likewise No. 19 Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jakub Menisk. No. 16 Sebastian Korda’s wrist injury looked to recur against Tomas Machac, while No. 21 Sebastian Baez retired against Tallon Griekspoor.
Holger Rune’s season was a premonition of his early exit in New York (Mike Stobe / Getty Images)
Even bigger names like Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 11) and Hubert Hurkacz (No. 7) telegraphed their early exits with recent struggles for form and fitness respectively.
The main takeaway is that away from the very elite, there really isn’t much between the players from about No. 11 to No. 50. And probably even further down than that. Seedings might not quite be the predictor of results they once were.
Charlie Eccleshare
Why are so many tennis players wearing the same outfits?
I am a lowly writer. My wardrobe has barely changed since I was 16, back in the 1980s. I looked like I walked out of a J. Crew or L.L. Bean catalog back then and still do, many, many years later.
So I am hardly qualified to apply for membership of the fashion police, though I do agree with the women who have told Coco Gauff that her outfit for this tournament is “12 out of 10.” Marta Kostyuk’s looks pretty sharp, too. Naomi Osaka is on another level. And if only I had the pipes to pull off the sleeveless kits of Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Carlos Alcaraz.
That said, I have a modest request. Can we please stop dressing players in the same clothing? I know why this is done. The big clothing manufacturers like to release new lines around the Grand Slams. So they dress their human billboards in said clothing for maximum exposure. I get it.
But sometimes it’s overkill — like when it’s impossible to distinguish two players facing each other. If you could tell Katie Volynets from Caroline Wozniacki when they faced each other in their black Adidas tennis dresses at Indian Wells this year, wearing matching visors and blonde ponytails, kudos to you.
Friday brought Jasmine Paolini, Sara Errani, Harriet Dart and Diane Parry to the court for doubles in matching peach and gray kits. Doubles pairs wearing the same kits is perfectly normal. Two different teams matching? That’s another story. Would a different color have been so much to ask? Please. Please.
Matt Futterman
An element of surprise for Alcaraz and Badosa?
Another day at the U.S. Open, another case of a player seemingly underestimating their opponent. There is more data and video available than ever before, but in tennis it feels like some of the star names are still coming into their matches underprepared.
After his shock loss to Botic van de Zandschulp on Thursday, Alcaraz admitted that he thought it was going to be easier. “I thought he was going to give me more points. I’m going to say more free points, you know. He didn’t make a lot of mistakes that I thought he was going to do. So it was confusing a little bit.”
Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse was a couple of points from knocking out the Spanish No. 26 seed, Paula Badosa (Luke Hales / Getty Images)
Paula Badosa, the Spanish No 26 seed, said something similar after narrowly avoiding an upset against Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse. “’I think (Ruse) played an insane level,” Badosa said after her 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(8) win. “I was even confused at the beginning. I wasn’t expecting it.”
As the shocks continue at this tournament, surely players are going to soon stop being “confused” by their opponents’ level?
Charlie Eccleshare
Shot of the day
Recommended reading
U.S. Open men’s draw 2024
U.S. Open women’s draw 2024
Tell us what you noticed on the fifth day…
(Top photo, Naomi Osaka: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
