2026 US Open Day 4 Recap

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To the mini book, your date podcast for the biggest story of our results and our first

from the next world games, third days and ten for third day full of the 2026 US Open.

Now, officially in the books we of course kicked off round two singles play in both the

men's and women's singles draw on today's podcast.

Want to break down all of the intriguing round two results we saw on Fold on Wednesday.

But where I have to start this recap podcast is with one of our final round one matches

that of course was pushed onto Wednesday's calendar because of the rain, twelfth seated

Rafa Hodar, a top eight, maybe top five contender for the title given the relative state

of the field given the absence of sinners, certainly given the upset of no back joke of

it's the upset of Arthur Fees in round number one already.

He was climbing up that contender power rankings as we approached the start of Wednesday's

play and yet the twelfth seated Hodar, who I would remind everyone is top ten in the

points race right now.

The 19 year old, pretty clearly your breakout star of 2026.

He hands us his first head scratch and result of 2026.

Hodar not only eliminated in the opening round, he drops a six to six one six one decision

to big hit and Boo Young Chow Kete and look there is no podcast who will stand harder

for the upside of the Boo man than me here on the mini break podcast feed.

Go watch Boo play one match in person.

His ability to strike the tennis ball is just different than even the best of the best

in the field alongside of him when he is in rhythm, when he is confident.

There is a sound that comes off of that racket, a pace he can generate with ease.

Top ball belongs on the biggest stages that ball belongs competing against the best our

sport has to offer.

But two one in one against a guy who has been unimpeachably excellent, maybe the surest

thing against lesser than him by ranking competition this season like two one in one, it was

stunning and more than anything what was so surprising is that nothing seemed to be working.

Or if you are not sure, the guy who right now you look at the tennis abstract stats

leader board, he is fourth tied for third, excuse me, by break percentage on the season.

Trails just marida and alcaraz but his 29.9% break percentage again, 30 is the demarcation

line of best of the best ever like you are talking to doll, you are talking joke of it, you

are talking alcaraz, peak center, those are the guys who clip that 30% mark.

You might be good, you are rarely that good.

Rafa is broke, serve 29.9% of the time in the two level matches, he has played the season

against the boom man, zero.

Let me say that again, zero break points.

Bullost just six points behind the first serve, he lost just 15 points on serve overall,

how many 14 plus 8 is 22, he played 11 service games, he lost 15 points on serve.

Again, a credit to the boom man who was striking the ball brilliantly, who was so aggressive

in that first strike and did what you have to do against Rafa at this stage of his career

because as great as the wing span is, as much pace as he can generate if all he has to

do is get his mits on the ball.

And he's a good anticipate, I just don't think he's that quick yet, I don't think he's

that sound in and out of corners in particular.

And that's where Bu forced him to live throughout the course of this match, playing first

strike, getting forward.

How many of those 37 unforced heirs for Rafa Houdar was because he felt that pressure

knowing that Bu was looking to take off and play big on every second, every third shot,

every opportunity he had to hit with his feet set was an aggressive redirect into a corner

somewhere.

Bu executed well, but you just felt like in the face of that Rafa rushed through everything

and frustration showing from Rafa throughout obviously as it was a match where he hit 15

winners against 37 unforced heirs and it certainly felt like that.

It felt like the first three, four shots the error was going to come for Rafa played.

I thought faster than he needed to now.

It's a credit to Bu who sped him up.

But again, Rafa, finding that 75% here, finding that ability to just work your way into

a match before things really start to click on the forehandling before Bu's level slows

down.

He didn't find that gear in this match.

He didn't allow himself a runway to just put returns in play with depth.

I mean, he tried to do that for a little bit, but Bu was just teeing off on first forehand.

And again, it's a credit to Bu who served lights out who executed the game plan flawlessly.

But you didn't see Rafa change up his return positioning.

Like he didn't try to take the ball earlier.

I thought more than anything, you should have taken seven steps back and just be like,

you know what, I'm just going to take a massive whack at this return of serve.

And rather than just try and rush the ball back and take time away from you by beating

you to the spot, like that return wasn't working.

Maybe try just a different return position.

But more than anything, the forehand was out of sorts and perhaps that's why he thought,

no, that's not going to work for me because I can't find rhythm on the forehand.

Zero break points is stunning for a guy who has been one of the five best returners on

the tour this season and who does find ways to put returns in play with depth and hold

his ground and rush anyone.

Those returns just weren't landing with the requisite depth.

And, you know, again, he was asked about it.

Was he something under the weather physically?

Was it a fatigue thing with all the matches and he has played over a hundred matches since

turning pro last May?

Like there's a lot of wear and tear on the 19 year olds body.

He just didn't have it today.

And I guess for someone so power-centric, you're going to throw in a stinker like this

every once in a while when you just don't have that range.

But what's so amazing is we just, we haven't seen a match like this from Rafa before.

And I was there in college.

Like I didn't see a match like this from him either.

The matches he lost, like, or was competitive the way.

Again, go watch him versus Timo Lague that pushed him to three sets.

Like that match was just incredible tennis.

Obviously, he loses the match against Stanford last season, but that was a default.

That wasn't because he was playing particularly poorly, although wasn't playing particularly

great either, and that frustration kind of leaked over.

But again, when he gets frustrated, he hits himself out of match and finding a way to slow

down the way Alcarez will slow down and just play a little higher and heavy.

Sinner's the exception.

Sinner doesn't slow down because Sinner doesn't need to slow down.

Sinner just is fucking ruthless.

It's just how is he going to beat you this day?

He will be slow and steady pace in the corners or is he blitzing you because he's on another

level today.

Rafa still has to find that gear.

Now guess what?

Boyle R alert folks, if you're asking me to sell any Rafa Houdar positions, that's not

happening today because it's so much easier.

Ask Annie Coach.

It is so much easier to have to coach someone to slow down than it is to try and manufacture

a speed that you just don't know if someone's going to be capable of playing with.

We know Rafa is capable of the speed and that, and if we coach you can say, well, okay,

one, we got to speed up the movement.

That's a physical, that's a controllable, that's work in the gym, that's a 19 year old

growing into his body.

And I do think the first step is, even if he's not the most fluid, has the instinct to

get forward, has the instinct to knock off Follies.

I think he's going to get better at doing that as well, learning a little bit better touch

when moving forward.

So it doesn't always have to be the drive.

But I love that the drive is the inherent default for him when driving away that first

Follie.

But finding that 75% gear to where the sets don't look like this to one one.

By the way, I'm not going to over react.

It's one result.

And what has otherwise been a guy who 19 years old was outside the top 100 and he's currently

sitting ninth in the points race.

It was striking.

It was striking to see because look, Boo was great on the grass, hasn't had the greatest

build up.

He's been a little burnt out.

Like I know the boom, Boo and people around his team can spend some time in the road with

him and had the option to stick around, didn't took some time off after Lincoln, after playing

so much during the grass and everything.

And again, a lucky loser into the main draw.

Boo, who of course had that career high of 64, is dealt with some injuries.

The 24 year old is sitting at 113 right now in the live rankings.

It's a massive victory for him and an opportunity now to work his way back into the top 100

with obviously the Asian swing coming up and you wonder, will he get wild cards into events

in China just by virtue of again having some events at home soil.

If he doesn't, certainly we'll want to be in the mix for qualifying and that much more

easy by the way to just justify whatever it is you're offering to him with this sort

of result and just builds up that confidence coming up to a stretch where again he finally

gets to play at home so over the first time in the season.

Look again, I said this yesterday, I tweeted this during Wednesday's action excuse me

as well as to this on the yesterday show but now you just line it up again.

No sinner at the event from the start.

I'll get to how Carlos Alcarez looked and after that first set you felt doubly good about

this tape and then he looked better and better and better concerning for the rest of the

field but it's as vulnerable as Alcarez will ever be entering a major given he has not

struck a ball since the spring.

So no sinner the most possible and not saying Alcarez still won't be better than the field

but you're never going to get him more vulnerable than this joke of itch out and round one

canada excuse me since the night of champ Arthur feasts out and round one the breakout

star of the season Rafa Houdar out in round number one no fun second he's out with injury

as well.

Zverev pushed a five sets in his opening match.

I know we lost Brandon Nakashima today but it was two in American Alex Michelson the

Cranbrook tennis classic champion shout out but I will say it again if an American man

is ever going to win a major in this next 15 year stretch we'll say with sinner Alcarez

Houdar fun second etc all as good as they already are and in particular if they're ever

going to do it on home soil this is the one like if your Taylor Fritz especially the

given he's in that top half of the draw with Zverev and Tiafo Paul all the others are

in the bottom with Alcarez but for Taylor Fritz and Shelton that bottom half with Alcarez

but if your Taylor Fritz in particular this is the one the draw has opened up for you the

opportunity is there for him to at the very least push towards the final again he has been

better than Zverev and their head to head for the last two years and now the opportunity

to beat him on that stage to get back to that final should very well be there for him.

The draw has opened up there's just no other way of looking at it and if not now I just

don't know when there will be a better opportunity for the American men and so I still think

through these first four days that is one of those themes that is just permeating through

everything I am watching is just like okay there's another opportunity okay like Francis

looked a lot better in his straight set victory today Tommy I know was pushed to force

that against Prismage Prismage look good Tommy was still better this is the opportunity

this is the moment for the American men and certainly anything short of a semi final one

semi finalist anything short of that is just straight up disappointment Fritz getting

to the finals the success who he faces in that final what that looks like will deal with

those circumstances should they arise but someone's got to get to championship weekend

the draw is too open and there are too many playing too well for them not to and now another

top seed again you could argue four of the top six right in no center joke bitch eliminated

fecin hodara eliminated like I don't know if you had fecin hodara as five and six but they

are right there in the mix on any tier with Taylor Fritz with if Francis with a bend with

how they were all playing entering this us open and two of those guys are now out of the

mix four of those guys excuse me are out of the mix with center joke bitch those two out

it's just I know I keep reiterating it but it is a theme that I am I'm just feeling at each

moments as this major continues to unfold but that was the big round one storyline everything else

ostipenko got eliminated as well not to write off that women's upset but name the relevant ostipenko

result in 2026 I'll wait that was everything coming out of round one and to me that's the biggest

story line still coming out of day number four is the opportunities there and a lot of these seeds

are looking the part by the way right now and in particular gets me to storyline number two

I mean the top women's seeds are just cruising and we had a bunch of women's seeds by the way

pushed to three sets in Wednesdays action there round two battles in fact Svitalina,

Alexandra of a Kalinskaya, Navarro, Anley all pushed to thirds all of them victorious in the

round two battles Svitalina probably should have one in straight sets but my joint down a set

and I want to say other four three or five four just kind of said fuck it and started playing with

a pace that quite frankly I didn't know she had within her in the backhand line in particular she

just said green light I'm swinging on everything and if I lose at least I'm losing on my turns and

she just started landing everything started taking these massive wax from the baseline fights off

a match point with a brilliant backhand line winner that again I didn't know she had in her

couple of big sir like AST to fight off a match point on one of them in the second set my joint

was awesome in this match and in fact showed me a different upside I didn't know she had

boy that first set though was really intimidating off the rack of Alina Svitalina I thought she

was gonna run my joint off out the gym and again it was a credit to Maya who raised her level you saw

top 25 tennis within Maya certainly throughout the last set and a half in that battle Svitalina survived

in the face of it again she's moving so well there's just more aggression from her from the

baseline than ever before she gets through in three sets again Alexandra Ova winning a match in three

sets like she's starting to get hot and when she's hitting line drive tennis she can beat anyone ask

Arena Svabilanka in Canada Caland Sky of three sets of her Shinu and leave from a set down she was

one of her better matches I've seen her play three sets over Donna Vakage to hold seed with that

number 29 next to her name and then I'm a freaking Navarro man her versus Katie McNally was

awesome tennis McNally just got the better of Navarro by sneaking in every time she got Navarro

stretched every time she saw Navarro open up the grip and turn in particular to the backhand slice

McNally snuck forward and Katie with a unique skill set to knock up those transition

volleys in a way few other players men's or women's game are capable to do with that sort of

consistency and I love that MMA the adjustment okay I'm just not gonna do that anymore like I'm not

hitting that slice floating center if I'm hitting the slice I'm gonna try and go for that slice

line winner hasn't worked since the 70s but it did work at times fire up the sky lob or I'm just

gonna fucking hit through this ball and get dip something low at you force you to pop up that

second ball and then take you with those two past combinations she did that ruthlessly

efficiently down the course of sets two and three and just a little too much juice behind her first

surface for him got better reads on the McNally serve as well just started hitting that return

hitting through that return more by picking the spots better um but again all of those seats

fiddling Alex Indrava counts guy Navarro Lee all through in three sets in fact other than

osteophenco yet no women seats knocked out on Wednesday and you look sabbelanka there was no

laps in concentration obviously the big story sabbelanka getting frustrated with a question from

the athletics map of butterman who asked about the distractions of week one do they you know how do

you block out those distractions now that play has started of course sabbelanka is irritable right now

for the second straight season despite being number one covered a cover in it she hasn't one

a major entering the years final major in the pressure that accumulates accordingly you're just

gonna be on edge all of the best competitors would be i didn't hate i understood the premise from

butterman even if i don't think he asked the question in the way he was intending to communicate

but there were no questions for sabbelanka on the court one in one and it was the sort of

fuck you i'm editing this point right now firepower that she can play with that no one else can match

when she's at her best um yeah i a chinko was poorly positioned to even attempt to match it but

she was one in one pagula's looked awesome through four sets of tennis three in one just blitz

through sonia canning picture spots so well plus wonder to death and just kind of not enough juice

from on her own serve to really hit pagula off of any spot it just feels like we are so thoroughly

on a sabbelanka pagula collision course for the third consecutive year in new york um

noscava slow starts but then once she finds her rhythm she's blitzing through people form one over

terror rudy if you blinked you missed muhova's one and oh for bolter that match was like 45 minutes

sabbelanka i think was 52 minutes like what are we talking about here two match these top

seats are fucking cruising caustic one in five schneider one in six kerstea back informed two in

five and what should be her final major we're not talking about that enough um palini even four and

one hell even layla Fernandez four and one over so on kaya i mean hell even the other matches

like towns in one one and one rakim over one three and oh all i'm saying is it is a blockbuster

blockbuster set of round of six uh round of 32 matches in the top half of the drive and you look

across the board the only ones you'd skip like i think there's only one you'd skip right sabbelanka

versus uh versus rakim over all due respect to kamehra rakim over yes she got the victory of a

trecicoga followed it up well with the three and a win over select miteva her backhand can absorb

pace her serve is a hanging curveball for sabbelanka to tee off against him she's starting to tee off

on some returns once again so you skip that one but towns in schneider battle of the left east

towns and able to play aggressive tennis but schneider a little more goose still behind the ball

still that's must watch caustic versus the big hitting alexandrova in brilliant ball striking of

anly versus the line drive relentlessness of noscava in pagula Fernandez in palini versus kerstea

again like jesson palini has been a top a play to the last two seasons this is kerstea's last dance

to the other they both held seed 16 and 19 respectively uh respectively in spitalena versus calenskyah

held seeds in navar over smuhova like again you've got six of your eight matchups we held seed

the other one it features tailler towns in like we know how good she can be in new york in particular

the lefty who plays with real firepower who knocked out lensky of course earlier in the tournament she's

earned her spot again sabbelanka's gonna blitzrakumof in my opinion but sabbelanka you you know

hasn't been a sure of a thing i suppose over these last couple of months but seven again six of eight

are seedverse seed seven of eight no no description needed for how easily compelling they are in the

eighth one features the two-time defending champion in arena sabbelanka is probably going to be one

of the matches on arthur ash even if it's not needed for arthur ash on them but she's the two-time

defending champion you get my point it's loaded and this is what we've been hoping for us again with

the margins as thin as they've been at the top like again you you would lean a caustic over an

aliexandrova but aliexandrova just beat sabbelanka so there's a reason to believe in that you'd

certainly lean noscova over and lee tough to make the case for and lee you take pagul over for

andas but that's the moment you do that is when lay the frananda's pounces and what didn't for

andas beat pagul in dc not this season but the year before you can make cases for everyone is the

point i'm trying to make and by the way can anyone slow down carolina mucava like nivaros played a

couple of three-set matches on john mcnelli so maybe you say okay that one might just be a mucava

blitzing but maybe not man amnavaro's made quarter finals here in york and vano varo's made semi-finals

of a major before like we know nivaros knows how to navigate three sets and can pass well enough in

the face she just got a taste of attacking tenison kady mcnelli played against a lot of backhand

slice not a bad de facto look at what it's going to take to face off against a mucava game style

even if i think there's more topspin and mcnelli's attacking a little more line drive centric for mucava

there eight seven very good matches and then a rena sabbelanka but still it's a loaded round three

that's just the top half of the draw we're still looking at a world where it's like answering a

barton kava tell me some of a tag around two today is going to be fricking awesome but like you could

have excuse me you could whom i think who's going to play keys it was the maddie keys match oh

chinwen maddie keys round three this fiontech versus boze kava mertens versus osaka like rebaka

inverse sockery were bringing back the early twenty twenty it's going to be a loaded round three and

i think we're going to get the best first is the best which more than anything is what we need i

need a pecking order slam to try and help me sort some things out in the women's game and all

things are lining up towards exactly that here as we progress towards week number two of the years

final major so it's going to be a loaded round three the top seeds are cruising on the women's side

i mean like again other than we have five seats surviving three sets do you want me to do ten minutes

on and lee and how i love how her kick serve forehand inside in combination works for her i love

how sharp her edges are from the ground even if the second serve can be attackable so can everyone

else's like i'm still a believer in wang shin you although she was a maker break all star probably

leaning more towards break than make but we'll always have january um

again i already gave you my thoughts on the my adjoined performance so that's everything really

on the women's side more than anything else though it is going to be a loaded round three of

women's results and then of course on the men's side uh we did have some monumental upsets on the day

i mentioned the hodar one already but how about the fact that on the day we saw Alex michelson the cranbrook

tennis classic champion six three six four six four knocks out brand to knock ushima

that one was a little puzzling certainly given how well not kashima had played throughout the

course and honestly you go and watch the match they were competitive sets man um three four and

four i think only one of them featured a double break um there are two breaks have served within

and i believe it was that opening uh no i think it was that second set where an akashima did manage

to get a break on the board but it was everything you hoped Alex michelson will be at his best the

serve the plus one the absorption of pace and beaten to the spot he anticipates so well and when

you try and pressure his backhand wing his ability to absorb on that wing his ability to move that

back hand around the court anywhere get outside the ball flattened out line play the slice play the

drop shot uses his length so well moving forward plays the swinging ball you let him load on that

big forehand very unpredictable where he's going to go with it was a little easier for him to pull

the forehand cross and it was for Brandon and it just felt like Brandon wanted to play the inside

out of forehand too frequently which is just pacing to michelson's backhand corner especially when

he can anticipate it well that's going to be a problem for you i mean again like the match was

close a lot of first serves a lot of plus one ten is michelson just had more ways of hurting Brandon

in this match than vice versa and you know i saw the point like how big of an upset is this really

well it is an upset even though these two had both been floating in that 28 to 42 range in the

rankings for much of the last 12 months had been the case for the last two Brandon had separated

himself and you do what he did over three consecutive events in DC Cincinnati Canada respectively like

you've earned a degree of respect beating who he beat to beat affrits to beat a demon hour to

earn real victories along the way like as good as michelson was in krambrook as funnest is final

with fernley was in his high of the level as that was it wasn't a win like like the victories Brandon

has had and yet neither of them have made a slam quarter final before like that always should have

been looming in the back of our head as it was by the way when trying to make the case for

how high should Brandon be as a top contender coming into this us open it just felt a little one

i like here's the thing i thought Brandon returned well i thought he held his ground well i just

thought it was a bad match up because Brandon wants to play that inside out forehand and

it just was not gaining traction michelson had answers for always with his own backhand response and

you know again accordingly um now it looks michelson manages to pull off the straight set upset and

you look again that's two now in the joke the two maybe you gave them well again Brandon

jokovic one one of mariana navona daniel marita aliex michelson or tomas martin

natcheveri is making the round of sixteen uh now moving forward um one of those guys again marita

michelson etcheveri navona one of them is making the round of sixteen in that jokovic section of the draw

wouldn't have had that on my bingo card in fact did not have that on my bingo card massive

opportunities now for both medvedev and teafo like if your teafo get back to the us open semi's if

you're deniel medvedev you just got to get from the gods like the the draw has opened up for you

way in a way it hasn't had a major in years like even to have learned or tn as you're round of

sixteen opponent i think i'd rather have uh would you rather have this version of teafo or

january's version of tn as you're round of sixteen opponent it tells of the who would be that

quarter final opponent it's up just again for france it's more than anything especially as he

escaped martin dom and round number one and now gets through and straights it's himself over

sakamoto like you got you get out of jail free card in that first set two sets to one down facing

a big serving lefty who you just don't have a lot of options within it you got yourself out of that

jam i mean there's still medvedev looming but the opportunity is certainly there for france

teapot to get himself back to another semi final in new york the draw could not have opened up more

widely on the other half and yet in his section by the way all of our seeds medvedev rindra kinesh

fascio teapo those are your round three battles there as well again michael sin knocking out

knock ishima michael sin just smooth with it man he's very good at tennis it doesn't always

look the most aesthetically pleasing but he is very good at tennis michael sin the three set

straight set victory over knock ishima and then the aforementioned daniel marita man daniel

marita's just found it there's no offense or buts about it he has been one of the breakout stars

of this twenty twenty six season and for marita add another signature victory i suppose to the

resumand the guy who quarterfinaled of course canada um one a couple of matches and sincey now

he knocks out and re rubla six seven six two six four six four his four ends just a flick of the wrist

like not a ton of backhand not a ton of backswing not too complicated just kind of flicks that ball up

and it comes in high and heavy he's able to get outside the ball he's able to drive it line the

backhand smooth there is some pace to that first serve as well moves very well asks a lot of good

questions of opponents and again you look for marita in his six seven six two six four six four

win over rubla was broken just once based only six break point chances in the match

didn't come forward that frequently but that's not his game again just kind of maneuver deep behind

that baseline so good at absorbing pace so good at playing with depth into the outer thirds as

well that he'll sneak one behind you as well just again i don't know what he's great at but daniel

marita is good at a lot of things in that forehand it's just it's different i kind of like it i

like he doesn't load on it that heavily but it he has the requisite top spin the requisite action

on that a tough loss for rubla especially after he survived the five set thriller and round number one

but huge win for daniel marita just to continue to consolidate his rise here this summer by the way

marita no surprise up to a new career high 38 still just 21 years old daniel marita's put

himself in a very good spot as he moves forward and certainly again if in a season without

how dark he may be your newcomer break out star of this most improved i should say of this 2026

season still those were your two ups that's on the day naka shima ruble of eliminated so far you've

had seven seeds eliminated from the men's field five seeds eliminated from the women's and again

no serious contenders another names you would have put on your even honorable mentions of title

contenders for this us open women's side none of them eliminated through the first four days of play

obviously you can't say that on the men's side with joke bitch fees hoodar down naka shima all

eliminated through day number four other than that though again yes a couple of upsets so big other

than that there but none of the men's matches even went the distance on day number four that were

in round number none of the round two matches he did have carlo selcor as who slow out of the gates

but the six love second set and then just started playing the return with a little bit more

depth had for you paralyzed the point where the drop shot became its typical brand of effective it

just felt like he was moving more comfortably throughout the course of rallies in the face of

that far via peace as well by the end of the match he looked like Carlos fricking alcharez and

that is a scary scary prospect certainly for the rest of the field moving forward and look it was

always going to take a couple of matches you could argue alcharez again more vulnerable and week one

than in week number two even as the competition continues to improve he's getting better and better

it's a scary prospect but leaving our draw preview he was my pick to win the title by default

I don't know if it's going to be by default by the end of this next match he started to look like

Carlos fricking alcharez again even if the hair is a little long and the starts are a little slower

than perhaps you would have expected but he gets through medvedev never really threatened

Seb Gorsi played I don't know why he was so happy to play the slice backhand I wonder if I

saw his fingers heavily taped if there's a bad blister that made it more difficult for him to

hit through the backhand have been there myself so know that pain Gorsi served big played tricky

could never really threaten medvedev with any sort of consistency of pace can't say the same about

who be our cots absolutely threatened Ben Shelton again I don't remember Ben's toss being so far

behind his head I don't like it like I just feel like he's not hitting the serve as big as he

will need to moving forward in this tournament forehand look and find backhand look and find

he's electric energy wise every time he steps on to the court and that's just competes so

fucking well 63577675 again pushed but Shelton threw ultimately in four sets over her cots

you had Francis again 3 6 and 5 in the face of Arre Sakamoto well I'm still buying

buying in on but Francis is hitting his forehand in particular his forehand return better than

he's ever hit it before in his career Francis is playing really well and I should have mentioned it

only Francis Tiafo can pull off a pink like that because he's electric because he is that

exceptional because he does compete like a man who should be seen and so again I like the fit

for Francis I would love to see any of myself any of my siblings any of my buddies in my club

tennis circle try to pull that off in fact that should be our next we should do fancy football league

and the punishment is then our next hitting trip lose just got to dry wear that the entire time and

just accept all the because again Francis is good enough to do it and he looks sharp sharp as

always booblick sharp and inshate said win over Manorino LaHachka I actually thought Toby Samuel

played really well um Toby's forehand can be a missile I think I undersold how big that weapon

can be when he's swinging big but LaHachka just fires missiles at you at all moments he's through

and straights I thought Tommy played well I just thought I'm continuing to believe in Dino

Prisman's the backhand has gotten better he's fit when he has time that forehand is a weapon it

was real it was fun physical tennis between he and Tommy Tommy's forehand's looking really good

always more comfortable playing it inside up and more than anything it's just as a move for Tommy

just there's a fluidity to Tommy him alka razz like it's a very short list of players who can move

the way Tommy Paul moves across the cordon the attacking Tennessee plays behind that combination

of movement as well always impressive so again good stuff from Tommy Vashiro straight set winter

earth foreset winter rinder kinesh straight sets at chivari foresetso verjek firmly

pretty sound day for all the men she's pushed but not to five sets again no match is going

the distance and then by the way how about the woo man woo wee bait um want to talk about another

brilliant ball striker woo 756 361 over duck worth him vs alka razz

mmm are we talking about shot making um shapavall of by the way quietly through a third round

straight set win for him over lukevan asha where is Dennis shapavall right now in the live rankings

if you guessed 48th you would be correct uh next up for shapo uh a date oh versus Ben shelton

hmm interesting interesting there'd be some big hit in that one looking forward to it ct

pons by the way consolidates his round one victory with a foreset win over Lloyd Harris marion

and nivona similarly fore sets over baritone to back up the upset of jokovic in round number one

that's everything on the men's and women's side again coming out of day number four for

on half of round of 16 play just an update on where the american stand because didn't give it

to give you that clean update after day number three uh but i think the americans are in a pretty

good spot you look on the women's side four and three overall today but the seeds pagula nivara

lee all the dancing towns and making the most of the draw i said it in our draw preview given

shidruk will in skuh third round should be the expectation for her lo and behold here she is in

the third round tenon mcnelly each knocked off by fellow americans not much you can do their

slow and stevens knocked out by marty kosjuk certainly not a bad loss 15 and 15 overall doesn't sound

like a great top line number but with the seeds looking as good as they've looked and the amount

of american on american crimes it feels like we've had uh nisimofan kruger cannon and venus

i can keep going the point is i think the american women are a really good spot because obviously

we're going to judge them by how they do in week number two and the seeds have put themselves

in the position to make some serious and always coming in week number two on the men's side

14 and 10 now after day number four shelton tiafou paul all advancing naka shima knocked out but

at the expense of a fellow american in alix michael sin tough one for goersney but even to get

that first win at a major already a winning event for him and they get knocked out by seven cedet

neal med that i've no harm in in that loss again blanche night the only disappointing one boss

of a red e like you felt like he had a real opportunity in round number one but even him coming back

from injury qualifying into the main draw that feels like a victory the men 14 and 10 overall it's

a pretty sound top line number and again yes we lost naka shima he's the first seed to lose and

it was at the hands of a fellow american so pretty happy with how the americans have performed thus

far in this us open of course last but not least the players with the college ties no shock the

headliners as always Schneider navaro they always look good at the majors they have for the women

once again swan connect up by Fernandez but the women seven and nine overall you still have

john john you still have start up sava in action here today in around number two for the men

again you lost a seed two seeds the virginia seeds in hodar and naka shima that one hurts because

both felt well positioned to not only reach week two but do some things in week number two and yet

shelton advancing vashiro and rinder kinesh holding seed goersney gets his first win Samuel gets his

first win firmly was down two sets to one and five two in that four set or four one whatever it

was and he found around one victory 13 and 18 overall doesn't sound great but again i think the

college men have been pretty sound so far here in at this us open and again that's everything

coming out of day number four now probably listening this is day five it's underway it's not the

most loaded schedule anisimoviverstacker can lily tanger serve be the biggest weapon on the court

how many opportunities will she have to actually hit through her one handed back in which i think

is a real weapon another great litmus test for okay is an isimov dominant is she in finalist form

once again goffbedosa just a couple of big names who doesn't want to match up like that another good

test for osaka taken on the vet catteriness and yaka of a partonkova vrs. maria and then the big

ones junction went opportunity to get back to the top 100 opportunity rip off a fifth consecutive win

for the first time since she was one of the five best players in the world at n 2024 oh and two

against puton sava they've yet to play a match against one another on hard court so looking forward

to that opportunity for chin when on the main side look we're on retirement watch for la mont

guy elvars learner you're watching that hatchenov has f a a on upset alert like again great litmus test

how real should we take philix as a contender for contention not even the title but just contention

at this open boob vrs. michael zang i'm going to be watching that this is where i follow up vrs. helice

demon vrs. bvd uh bvdz just again it's it you're watching for things what is demon's form at this

point of the event uh that's what i'll be watching most closely on day number five but with things

setting up how they how they have and again i talked about all the women's matchups but are

reluctant on the men's side you have a sheldon chapo you have lachechka cizzi pass alcharez vrs. wu

tomie vrs. bbublik the rematch a lot of good battles setting up for this middle weekend of singles

action and giving us labor day weekend here in the states that's what you want you want good tennis

when people are going to be watching think we'll have that opportunity here as this uh us open

continues to unfold that said that's where things set after day number four now again hopefully we

will be back on a better recording schedule as we approach day number five excuse me day number five

so recap second half of our round two recently can i have these daily recap of course because of the

tireless efforts of our super producer daniel westoff a shout out to him a shout out of course as well

to the support we get from our friends at the laurels spring school to learn more about why they

continue to rank amongst the five online schooling options in the country visible will spring stuff

day that's a four fantastic super producer daniel westoff our friend at the laurels spring school

from all of us here at both track records and the belief podcast network on the coasts out stress

that's the break