The US Open is a commonly watched tennis tournament that occurred Aug 18–Sep 7 in New York City, NY.
The winner for Men’s Singles was Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Jannik Sinner in the finals. The winner for the Women’s Singles was Aryna Sabalenka, who beat Amanda Anisimova in the finals. Both games were intense—the men’s lasting 2 hours and 42 minutes and the women’s lasting 1 hour and 34 minutes.
Charles Later, a Senior at Skyline, said, “I actually like Sabalenka. I mean, there [are] some people who don’t really like her, because she’s a bit annoying and she kind of plays just by muscling the ball a lot. But, you know, that’s a valid strategy.”
Later also said, “Alcaraz just played an amazing, phenomenal tournament.”
A lot of people (like Later, Francesca Stevanoni, and Isaak Ahlbom) wanted Sinner to beat Alcaraz.
“I wanted Sinner to win, so that wasn’t great,” said Francesca Stevanoni, who is on the Skyline Women’s Tennis Team.
Later said, “[Sinner’s] playing style is more relatable to me and I also think that it’s kind of a downer that Alcaraz just keeps on beating him over and over.”
Some people (like Ahlbom and Later) wanted Anisimova to win, but they weren’t as upset about it as when Alcaraz beat Sinner. This might have been the case because the rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner is such a big deal.
Ahlbom said before the finals, “I want either Osaka or Anisimova to win.”
Later said, “I wanted Amanda Anisimova to win, because she’s from the US. I think that it would have been a comeback from her Wimbledon loss where she lost 6-0, 6-0, which was kind of a big deal because I think that’s the first time that’s ever happened.” “
When people watch tennis, they usually watch singles matches significantly more than doubles matches because of how well known the singles players are.
Issak Ahlbom, a tennis coach at Salt Lake Tennis and Health Club, said, “Part of it is the storylines. I think it’s interesting to watch who’s gonna make a run. There have been a couple of times, like in 2021, Emma Raducanu wasn’t even in the main draw of the tournament. So she had to play three rounds to actually get inside the tournament, and then she ended up winning the entire thing, kind of out of nowhere.”
Tennis is a sport where underdogs can easily come out on top, and following who is doing well and who is rising into the top ranks can be invigorating.
Later said, “It’s really fast paced and it’s super competitive, and there’s lots of history behind a lot of the rivalries.”
