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Sometimes, the desire of tournament organisers to put the biggest names on primetime is an annoyance, but other times it works quite well. Today, for example, when our most enticing match is also our first.
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Jasmine Paolini has had an amazing year, coming from nowhere to reach the last two major finals, a bouncing bundle of joy and aggression who can scarcely believe what’s happening to her. But in Karolina Muchová she meets an opponent whose clever deployment of spins, angles, power and pace makes her a one-off for whom it’s difficult to plan. Or, in other words, this could be an absolute classic.
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Following them on Armstrong, Jack Draper – whose win over Botic van de Zandschulp, conqueror of Carlos Alcaraz, gives him the number three seed’s passage through the draw – meets Tomas Machac. Draper knows what a chance this is for him, but the pressure isn’t too great because he also knows there’ll be many more such chances. His swinging lefty serve and his certainty that he belongs make him a serious threat … but to get to this point, Machac has despatched Fabio Fognini, Seb Korda and David Goffin in straight sets and all of his best grand slam performances have come in 2024. He too believes this can be his moment.
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Also on Armstrong is Caroline Wozniacki v Beatriz Haddad-Maia and Alex de Minaur v Jordan Thompson – decent! – while our day-dig on Ashe brings Diana Shnaider v Jessica Pegula and Nuno Borges v Daniil Medvedev. So, eyes down for another banging day of lovely tennis. Awesome! Let’s go!
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Play: 11am local, 4pm BST
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Main Events
Paolini cemented her place easily and it's amazing how good she has suddenly become. The talent was there, of course, but it's been there for years — she's 28! — and I can't remember the last time a player has shone this bright so late in her career.
This match is truly high fashion. Anna Wintour enjoys it too.
Paolini made two errors and was down 0-30. She then barely managed to keep a second serve from going over the net at 0-40, then her return went out but Muchova found it at 30-40, as the Italian took the early lead and broke to go up 2-1.
An ace just over the line puts Paolini at 30-0, then Muchova makes a running forehand pass down the line. A beautiful shot. Then, at 30-30, Muchova hit a good approach but ended up conceding a point, from which Paolini sealed the hold with a powerful forehand, but Muchova will be frustrated that she didn't raise on break point after giving it her all in the rallies, but at 1-1 it's already starting to take shape.
Muchova wins 1-0 And I expect her to really attack Paolini's serve.
I can't wait for this matchI think Muchova will want to keep Paolini moving, but she's so good at moving that I wouldn't be surprised to see her get drawn into the net periodically, rather than just running back and forth and launching attacks. I imagine Paolini will want to smash forehands into the corners.
Our players will compete at Armstrong. And the good news is that Martina is on board with Kyodo News.
In her post-match press conference, Gauff said she believes her problem is mental, not technical, and that she can serve 30 times in training and make them all. But I don't know if you can separate these things, because we all saw her with her shoulders slumped yesterday, and the issue may be exacerbated by match situations, but it's certainly there.
On TV, they're discussing Coco Gauff, whose performance yesterday was not exactly the easiest to watch. Laura Robson suggested she take the rest of the season off to address technical deficiencies in her serve, and Martina agreed that it might be a smart plan. She thinks that looking back at her career, she didn't take time off because she didn't know she could, but now that she knows she can, it might be good for Gauff to take time off.
Also in progress:
preamble
Welcome everyone to Day 8 of the US Open 2024!
The desire of tournament organizers to broadcast big names in prime time can sometimes be annoying, but sometimes it works very well – for example today, the match that is most attractive to us is also the first one.
Jasmine Paolini has had a great year. She appeared out of nowhere, full of joy and aggression, unable to believe what was happening to her. But she faces an opponent in Karolina Muchova whose use of spin, angles, power and pace makes her unique and difficult to plan for. In other words, this could be an absolute classic.
Following Armstrong will be Jack Draper, who advanced from the draw as the third seed with a win over Botich van de Zantschulp, who had beaten Carlos Alcaraz. Draper knows what an opportunity this is for him, but the pressure isn't too great because he also knows there will be many more opportunities like this. His left-handed swing serve and the confidence that he deserves this tournament make him a big threat. But to get to this tournament, Maczak has beaten Fabio Fognini, Seb Korda and David Goffin in straight sets, and all of his best performances at Grand Slams have come in 2024. He, too, believes that now is his chance.
Also on Armstrong, we'll have Caroline Wozniacki vs Beatrice Haddad Maia and Alex de Minaur vs Jordan Thompson. Great matches! Meanwhile, on Ashe, we'll have Diana Schnyder vs Jessica Pegula and Nuno Borges vs Daniil Medvedev. So, stay tuned for another great day of tennis. Awesome! Let's get started!
Play time: 11am local time, 4pm BST
