Faulkner

Felix has ice in his veins. FAA vs Alcaraz! Frances loves to show off that body. I am not mad about it.

Oof. Felix and that horrific error on that second set point. He would have had *nightmares* about that one if he hadn’t won that third set in a TB. Really entertaining match.

John McEnroe calling Felix and Frances “these two young bucks”—his ass better be careful.

And she’s so obsessed with the breast milk too. There’s a lot to unpack there about her issues and insecurities surrounding motherhood.

Candiace and her reckless, nasty mouth are back in full force! Mia’s backstory is harrowing.

edit

She certainly likes Leylah more than she likes another young Canadian.

Totally. I hate the USO crowds, especially in the early rounds or when an American plays, but it definitely makes a huge distance. And I must say Angie often is frosty at the net when she loses (understandably, champions hate to lose, but not always very sportsmanlike), but it was a nice gesture for her walk around the net to give Leylah a big smile and a hug. She seemed to really respect Leylah, clapping at some of her more impressive shots. And I’m sure Angie was flattered when Leylah said she’d been inspired by Angie as a lefty.

From Nadine Coyle’s IG re: Sarah:

That’s what I’m liking about this U.S. Open. Even when the pundits or some of us have given up on these younger or less experienced players—oh, they should have closed it out in straights, the veteran will prevail if this goes the distance (Botic vdS), or they couldn’t possibly beat two champions in a row (Leylah)—they haven’t given up on themselves. They’ve shown a lot of FIGHT and problem solving, which is fun to watch.

This guy is 5-1 up in the fifth, and I’m still not sure he’ll pull it off. He pulled it off… finally. With a lot of help from Diego, of course. Medvedev is gonna devour him, but still. Cool story.

I hate watching underdog players perform so well throughout the match, and just blow it when victory is in sight. See: Botic van de Zandschulp.

This one definitely hurts.

“Mr. Washington” from Florida 🇺🇸

Sock was playing out of his mind that first set, and now he can barely move?

Wow at Shelby Rogers coming back to beat Ash Barty. What caused Ash to unravel from up 5-2 (double break lead) in the third? I missed it.

A mildly interesting stat that I wouldn’t have noticed on my own:

Like so many, I woke up every morning to that guy as a kid. Here’s a fun moment that’s making the rounds in tribute.

Novak looks shaky this tournament. I’m sure not having played since the Olympics has a lot to do with it. Not enough matches under his belt. But Novak is always a bit off at the USO. The heat isn’t the issue this year. Kei is letting Novak off the hook in this fourth game of the second set.

Fernando, an architect and interior designer from Mexico City 🇲🇽

Ryan O’Connell, creator and star of Special, will co-write and co-produce the series and and also join the cast as a “pop-culture nerd with cerebral palsy.” https://deadline.com/2021/09/queer-as-folk-ryan-oconnell-cast-peacock-reimagination-1234826543/

Naomi says she doesn’t know when she’s gonna play her next tennis match. She’s taking a break for a while.