US Open: For lack of winning strokes - all Americans out
There were no Americans among the last four players at the US Open 2022. In the rounds before it looked very good.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Sep 08, 2022, 08:55 pm
You should have come up with that before the US Open 2022: that Frances Tiafoe is the last and, due to the general constellation in the men's tableau, still quite valid hope for a US home win in Flushing Meadows. No, on the men's side, Taylor Fritz in particular was seen as responsible, a healthy Reilly Opelka of course, with some reservations old master John Isner, maybe a little Tommy Paul or even younger candidates like Jenson Brooksby or Sebastian Korda.
So now it has become Tiafoe, who can calculate good chances against Carlos Alcaraz on Friday. The 19-year-old Spaniard has two five-set matches behind him, while Tiafoe made his quarter-final task against Andrey Rublev relatively quick and painless. A possible final against either Casper Ruud or Karen Khachanov? Everything is possible there too. Ruud has already reached the final in Roland Garros this year. However, the Norwegian is far from being the clear favourite.
Garcia kicks out two Americans
A priori, however, the hopes of the women were much greater. And up to the round of 16, things had a lot of potential from the USA's point of view: Four aspirants were there with Coco Gauff, Danielle Collins, Alison Riske-Amritraj and Jessica Pegula. All set. And now they're all gone.
Aryna Sabalenka first took on Danielle Collins, Caroline Garcia then took two local heroes out of the competition with Riske-Amritraj and Gauff. Last night Jessica Pegula failed because of industry leader Iga Swiatek. Sloane Stephens remains the last American to win the last major of a tennis year for another year. It was 2017.
Gauff athletically top, not yet playfully
At this point, the opinion has been expressed from time to time that it is primarily up to Gauff to save American and women's tennis in general. But the US Open also showed that Gauff is not that far in terms of play. Athletically there are no problems, since Gauff acts on an equal footing with Iga Swiatek, i.e. at the top. But the still only 18-year-old simply has too few weapons. Not to say: none. Unless the first serve celebrates happy origins.
Collins, in turn, is characterized by her fighting spirit. ESPN commentators, especially Mary Joe Fernandez, asked Sabalenka where he was in the third set of the match. And speaking of winning shots to count on: Pegula, the currently top-ranked American, is missing, as is Riske-Amritraj.
So Frances Tiafoe will have to judge. And his burden is even heavier than that of the women: As is well known, Andy Roddick was the last American to win a Grand Slam title in singles at the US Open in 2003.
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