BIG HOPES FOR BIG FOE: Years ago, when sounds of sexual delight from a nearby apartment drifted onto his court at a Sarasota Challenger, Frances Tiafoe famously quipped, “It can’t be that good!”
Monday night, we were tempted to say: “Tiafoe can’t be this good!”
Big Foe came back from the brink of defeat to beat the hard-hitting 6’ 7” Martin Damm Jr. 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, displaying power, lightning speed, clutch serves, McEnroe-like touch volleys and I-won’t-be-rattled composure.
Here was the package of elite-level skills and athleticism we first saw on a back court at Roland Garros when, as a kid, Tiafoe battled a now-forgotten German junior.
Over the years, he’s had many great runs. He broke into the Top Ten, and twice reached the US Open semis. But his career has been tumultuous. Yes, there were valuable years with Wayne Ferreira, but somehow Frances never seemed to put it all together.
Before this year’s Open, he compared himself now to where he was a year ago, saying, “I’m not the same person, not even close.” He added, “I’ve just got to be a pro every day, even the days I don’t feel like it.”
We saw that new Foe Monday night.
On Louis Armstrong, he unleashed a series of amazing gets and imposing winners. But, unlike sometimes in the past, he didn’t play to the crowd, or overreact. He stuck to the business plan.
With southpaw Damm blasting 28 aces and 72 winners, Tiafoe stayed composed, limited himself to eight unforced errors over the final two sets, and found the decisive break in the fifth.
Defeat stared him in the eye. He didn’t panic. He reached the late-night finish line.
And don’t forget: Tiafoe arrived in New York fresh off a superb Cincinnati run where he reached the final before falling to Arthur Fils.
He’ll next play Japan’s Rei Sakamoto.
Will Tiafoe win six more matches and lift the US Open trophy? The betting markets give him just over a 3% shot.
Then again, you never know with Big Foe.
PERFECT 13: So far, so good for American tennis. All 13 seeded Americans are still alive.
SECURITY, PLEASE: Security guards have had a curious role in tennis history. Both outside an Australian Open locker room and at Wimbledon in the off-season, they denied the august Roger Federer entry. When Pete Sampras was once told he needed an ID, the 14-Slam champion replied, “I am the ID.” And a contract for one of Maria Sharapova’s Midwestern exhibitions called for eight security guards – and all of them had to be armed.
At this year’s Open, one security guard carefully checked Stefanos Tsitsipas’ credential three times before finally asking, “Tsitsipas, huh?”
“Yes, sir,” replied the Greek.
“My wife loves your quotes.”
Tennis’ philosopher king thanked him.
Then came the kicker: “She uses them when she wants to tell me I’m making no sense.”
BTW: Tsitsipas’ wisdom may never make it onto a Hallmark card, and his breezy musings are hardly Zen-like insights or existential truths. But, take ’em or leave ’em, they are pure Tsitsipas. Here are a few:
“The center of a donut is 100% fat free.”
“We’re all pretty bizarre, some of us are just better at hiding it.”
“Slow down and take a moment to appreciate the beauty around you. In a world that’s constantly moving at lightning speed, embracing slowness is a superpower.”
VISIONS OF VENUS: We know a lot about the elder Williams. She has a planetary name, but long has been a bright star. Her place in the tennis heavens as a brave trailblazer and seven-time Slam winner will never dim.
She knows how to strike a pose. Who can match her astounding longevity: busting onto the world stage at just 14 – and still packing arenas at 46.
A while ago, she told us, “This old cat still has a lot of tricks up her sleeve.”
More recently, the star who has a net worth of $95 million, revealed why she keeps playing: “There really are great benefits. The insurance is amazing, since I get MRIs every month – those get expensive.”
The recent good news is that the woman who once told us, “I heard being married is tough. You have to stick around, be supportive, listen. It seems really hard,” recently got married – to Italian actor Andrea Preti.
The good news? She’s looking great, fans still crave to see her, and soon she’ll be playing doubles alongside Serena.
Plus, in the second set of her first-round match against former Australian Open champion, Sofia Kenin, Venus managed to get seven set points. She even led 6-2 in the tiebreak.
The bad news? She couldn’t convert any of them.
She just doesn’t have the lightning speed, consistently fierce groundies and devastating serves she used to and has dropped to No. 618. Kenin won the final six points and prevailed 6-2, 7-6(6).
And Venus has now lost 14 singles matches in a row.
THE OTHER SWISS: The US Open, perhaps justifiably, perhaps not, is riding a wave of sports and entertainment demand. Ticket prices are stratospheric – and they’re selling. The Open has become a three-week sports and entertainment juggernaut. The USTA’s new CEO, Craig Tiley, said the US Open will become a kind of tennis Disneyland.
That’s another discussion.
But the initial decision not to give Stan Wawrinka a wildcard was, shall we say, a perplexing call. Roger Federer was treated as a prince, Stan was a pauper. Never mind that he’s a former US Open champion who won three Slams and an Olympic doubles gold medal and reached No. 3.
Fortunately, Patrick Kypson dropped out and Stan got his wildcard, interrupted hiking trip and flew to New York, where he played his final Slam match before a packed Grandstand crowd, losing to Matteo Berrettini 7-6(4), 7-6(3), 6-0.
We can’t really say the Swiss has been the forgotten man of tennis. But he certainly wasn’t the most prominent player with the initials S.W. – Serena can easily make that claim.
More importantly, few great players have spent so much of their careers in the shadow of a supernova.
His fellow Swiss, Federer, soared, appearing on the Today Show and the covers of Time and GQ. Inside Tennis featured him on our cover 21 times. Wawrinka, we confess, didn’t ever appear.
Stan, who emerged from a small farming community, never had a snappy, over-the-top personality. He didn’t come from a big tennis nation, and the fan base in his homeland were crazed Federerians.
Still, in his prime, his thunderous one-handed backhand was one of the very best of this or any era, back to Andre Agassi, Guga Kuerten, Jimmy Connors, Ken Rosewall and Don Budge. Combine that with Stan’s powerful forehand, and it was said that Stan was the game’s best offensive player from the baseline.
And when it came to nicknames, Wawrinka was an all-time great: Stan the Man, the Diesel, the Bison, and, best of all, Stanimal. Plus, how can you not muse on his celebrated tattoo: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
More than this, Wawrinka managed his long career with a quiet dignity. He struggled to come back from devastating injuries. He shrugged off a cruel, below-the-belt barb from Nick Kyrgios, continually displayed his love of the game, and accepted his role as a kind of second-tier, Tonto-like sidekick to his countryman, the most adored player in tennis.
Perhaps most of all, he stood up when the ATP was adrift in a moral desert.
In 2019, as much of tennis remained silent amid the controversy surrounding ATP board member Justin Gimelstob, Wawrinka wrote a remarkable letter to The Times of London. He spoke of a “worrying decline in moral standards,” and insisted, “There is no place in our sport for those who behave like Justin.” He said the lack of response from people within tennis was “alarming.”
The son of a farmer wrote that his parents and tennis had taught him about “integrity and honesty” and to stand up for what he believed in.
And he did.
Stan never had Roger’s elegance or adulation. He never became a global brand or “where’s my crown?” tennis royalty.
But he won three Slams, beating the reigning No. 1 in each final. He won Olympic gold, alongside Roger. He endured injuries and spoke up at a decisive moment when the silence was loud.
And Monday, when the Grandstand was packed, the Big Apple gave him the big farewell he deserved.
I loved the glint in his eye. His barrel chest impressed. His power was a blur. His dignity and stature were undeniable. Was he Federer? No. He was Stan the Man – the other Swiss.
THE 5% KID: At 15, Sebastian Gorzny reportedly was given just a 5% chance of surviving a brain infection. Now the 22-year-old former Fountain Valley native, ranked No. 731, saved five match points to stun No. 38 Raphaël Collignon in his first-ever ATP match. His reward? Daniil Medvedev.
NAOMI MAKES NEWS – AND WEARS IT: Naomi Osaka has long understood the power of the entrance. During her 2020 US Open championship run, she walked onto Ashe wearing a different mask each day that bore the name of a victim of racial violence. More recently, she’s stunned us with extraordinary Japanese-themed outfits. But Monday night she took tennis fashion somewhere else entirely. Her lavish “Who Decides War?” gown and hoodie actually featured newspaper clippings chronicling her own career. Naomi didn’t just make news. She wore it.
SLOANE AGAIN: A year ago, Sloane Stephens’ career seemed all but over. The 2017 US Open champ was doing TV commentating. Her ranking dropped to 1090. Now ranked No. 209, she arrived in New York and crushed No. 38 Clara Tauson 6-4, 6-1 for her first Slam win since 2024. Next up: No. 11 Marta Kostyuk.
BOLD, BOUNDING BRANDON: The surging Brandon Nakashima, now coached by Wayne Ferreira, crushed Argentina’s Sebastian Báez 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 in 89 minutes. Next up: fellow Southern Californian Alex Michelsen.
TIDY TAYLOR: Taylor Townsend dismissed No. 20 Maja Chwalińska, last year’s Roland Garros runner-up, 6-2, 6-3. Next it’s Taylor vs. Taylah — 20-year-old Australian Taylah Preston.
WHERE’S MARY? For eight days, Roger has been everywhere and Monday night he got his Hall of Fame ring on Ashe Stadium. As best as we can tell, his fellow 2026 inductee, Mary Carillo, was nowhere to be seen.
