By Jane Voigt
America is abuzz about American tennis at this U.S. Open. And why not?
For the first time since 2005 three American men made the quarterfinals: Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, and Ben Shelton. Then the least likely to have advanced — the 20-year-old and unseeded Shelton — rose to the occasion, landing in the semifinals. Arthur Ashe Stadium exploded with a spirit reminiscent of the 1980s and 1990s when John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, and Pete Sampras held down the sport, awaiting the emergence of the Williams sisters and Andy Roddick, who remains the last American male to win the Open in 2003.
Twenty years is a long time to wait. Now is the time to seize the moment. Engines on. Electrolytes consumed.
On the women’s side, Coco Gauff (No. 6) will be primed to make her way to the finals when she meets Karolina Muchova (No. 10) Thursday evening. On the other side of the draw Madison Keys, a 3-time U.S. Open semifinalist, is also psyched up to take her best shot at Aryna Sabalenka, the 2-seed and new world number one come Monday.
The news gets better. Americans Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram (on opposing teams) will pound away in the men’s doubles semifinals while compatriots Jessica Pegula and Krajicek are one match from the mixed doubles crown come Saturday.
Of course, defeat stares them all in the face. Ben Shelton’s task against 23-time Grand Slam Champion Novak Djokovic is daunting. But Shelton’s exuberant mindset, his go-for-broke attitude, and his left-handed finesse could bring the Serbian to his knees, thwarting yet another attempt to secure a record-breaking 24 major titles. It happened in 2021 when Daniil Medvedev snatched the ultimate glory from Djokovic who, at the time, was a match away from a calendar-year Grand Slam.
Madison Keys’s challenge won’t so much be her ability to out-hit Sabalenka, but her steadiness of mind and conviction to compete no matter what happens during the match. Nonetheless, she has been locked in, only having dropped one set so far. Additionally Sabalenka stumbled at this stage of the Open in 2021 against Leylah Fernandez and in 2022 against Iga Swiatek.
In Keys favor: she’s coming in under the radar.
“Honestly, it’s been great,” Keys said, according to the Australian Open website. “I love that none of you talk about me anymore. I don’t have press requests. It’s a lot off my plate,” she added with a smile after her quarterfinal victory.
Additionally Keys is coming in stronger than ever. Marketa Vondrousova, the reigning Wimbledon champion, could not convert nine break point chances against Keys in that match.
“Today I felt like I was under so much pressure from the first point,” Vondrousova said. “The power, you know, it’s so fast. If you play to the forehand or to the backhand it doesn’t matter. I feel like you don’t know where she’s gonna play.”
The expectations for Keys to win a major began to build in 2015, when she reached her first major semifinal at The Australian Open. In October 2016, she reached her highest ranking: number 7. In 2017, she faced her good friend and compatriot Sloane Stephens in the U.S. Open final. It was a lopsided loss for Keys: 6-3, 6-0.
At 28, however, a more serene and caring nature has steadied Keys. She accepts more of the day-in and day-out trappings of the sport and its lifestyle. She has slowed her pace of play, as well. Usually seen rushing from the deuce to add sides of the court when serving, she now seems to purposefully back off, breathing deeply and considering an up-coming point. She wears that maturity well. She will have to bring it to Arthur Ashe tonight against Sabalenka.
In contrast Coco Gauff is not coming in under the radar. She is the hottest hit on any tennis court. Losing in the first round of Wimbledon struck a sour note that began to taste sweeter and sweeter as the summer rolled on. She won the D.C. Open, her first WTA 500 title and first hard-court title in America. She then went on to win the Western & Southern Tennis Championships in Cincinnati, her first WTA 1000 title.
Gauff is at home on Arthur Ashe Stadium’s court. She’s entertaining during and after her matches, a consistent reminder that relentless hard work pays off and can be fun.
She meets the same woman she beat in the Cincinnati final: Muchova. The Czech star was not at her best in America’s Midwest that day. Tonight she will pressure Gauff from all sides with a beautiful game of power, finesse, and variety. In fact, Muchova has so many skills to show off she sometimes seems to fumble points because too many choices float in her mind.
Like Gauff, Muchova’s time awaits. She has spent less time on court, as well, when compared to Gauff. Yes she is wired for more, but pressure can even tire a teen under these circumstances. It might not be physical in nature, either, although she has maintained steely concentration on court even when her coaching box wouldn’t shut up.
Be prepared for raucous crowds inside Arthur Ashe. Be prepared for America to stand by Gauff and Keys in a big way, which is the only way this bigger-than-life Grand Slam knows how to be.
Tennis with an Accent 