Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️☀️
Today’s tennis mood: Optimistic for an affordable U.S. Open future and still bummed about a disappointing Stan Wawrinka U.S. Open present.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
🎾 On tap: It’s on to round two in Monterrey and Winston-Salem. Mattia Bellucci vs. Luciano Darderi and Daniil Medvedev vs. Martin Damm should be quite interesting, but I’m particularly curious about Arthur Fery vs. Cruz Hewitt. And, at the U.S. Open, it’s a continuation of the first round of qualifying. At the Philly Open, I interviewed 19-year-old Tereza Valentova about how much has happened in such a short time, why the Svitolina loss is stuck in her head, and what it’s like playing for the powerhouse that is Czechia. Story coming soon!
🎾 The People’s Mayor: That’s Zohran Mamdani. He’s heard the call to intervene on U.S. Open ticket prices and has secured 1,000 tickets at $100 apiece.
🎾 One to watch: Arthur Fery vs. Cruz Hewitt (2nd round - ATP 250 - Winston-Salem): Watch this one for the newcomer vs. the young gun. First-time match-ups can be fascinating while the two players feel each other out. For this one, add the fact that they are both new to their relative spots in pro tennis: Fery a new major semifinalist and Hewitt a new pro. See whether Fery’s all-court style is too much to handle or if Hewitt’s blistering groundies can get the job done.
The record: This will be the first time Arthur Fery and Cruz Hewitt face each other.
On the line: Cruz Hewitt is playing with house money right now, so he can feel free to swing away. If anything, he just wants to prove he belongs on the pro tour and not in the juniors, where his fellow 17-year-olds are playing. Meanwhile, Fery has a bit more pressure in trying to show that his semifinal Wimbledon run wasn’t a fluke.
🎾 🏆 🎤 YOUR CALL
(Yesterday’s poll results: 66% of you wanted Stefanos Tsitsipas to defeat Jenson Brooksby. Tsitsipas won 6-4, 7-6.)
And that’s game.
