🌯 Day 9 wrap-up

Temperature’s continued to rise on court again as we get to the final stages of the championship. Here’s a 2 min wrap-up.

🙋‍♀️ Women first…

Aryna Sabalenka reached her third consecutive US Open semifinal and fourth of the year, defeating Qinwen Zheng 6-1, 6-4. She praised her own performance and maintained her impressive hard court winning streak of 12 matches, having never lost a Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Madison Keys also advanced to the semifinals by ending Marketa Vondrousova's 11-match Grand Slam win streak with a 6-1, 6-4 victory. Keys expressed her love for playing in front of a home crowd and acknowledged the challenge posed by Sabalenka in the upcoming match.

In the other semifinal Coco Gauff, with a 16-1 record over the summer faces Karolina Muchova in a rematch, aiming to replicate her previous victory. Muchova recognizes Gauff's athleticism and determination but remains focused on her own game plan.

🙋‍♂️ And on the men’s side...

Andrey Rublev faced another Grand Slam quarterfinal disappointment at the US Open, losing to his friend Daniil Medvedev, making it 0-9 for him in Slam quarterfinals. Medvedev won 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in a match where both struggled with the heat.

Carlos Alcaraz, on the other hand, continued his title defense by defeating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Zverev, fatigued from his late-night win over Jannick Sinner, couldn't offer much resistance.

Alcaraz has won 12 consecutive matches at the US Open and is 2-0 against Medvedev this year, his next opponent in the semifinals. In the other semifinal, young brash American Ben Shelton takes on the Mr. Impossible Novak Djokovic.

🥵  Hot tennis

Yesterday we saw Daniil Medvdev & Andrey Rublev almost dying on court due to the heat. At one point Medvedev turn to camera after towelling off to say “one player is going to die and then they will see”.

At the US Open, players faced scorching heat and oppressive humidity, with numerous players expressing concerns about their safety due to extreme conditions.

New York has experienced a late summer heatwave, making matches uncomfortable for athletes and spectators alike. The tournament organisers decided to partially close the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof when the heat and humidity became unbearable.

Introductions of the roof closure rules has been a move following concerns about the increasing heat levels at tennis slams. The US Open, in particular, has seen a nearly 3°F rise in temperature over the past 35 years.

While retractable roofs were introduced in recent years, they were primarily used for rain, leading to issues with air circulation and visibility. The extreme weather conditions at the US Open have sparked debate and raised questions about player welfare and the impact of climate change on tennis.

Heat is nothing new for players but it’s a debate highlighted further by the issue of climate change. Players of the past never got this much attention…

Check out what could be the hottest final ever? Andre Agassi vs Stefan Edberg | Washington 1995 Final

 ⏰ Shot Clock

👩‍🍼 Mom’s are back. Angelique Kerber is set to be preparing for January 2024 comeback. The former world No.1, who gave birth to a baby girl Liana in February, plans to play two tournaments before entering the Australian Open, which she won in 2016.

🤳 Nick Kyrgios gives promising knee injury update, strangely from his bathroom. With a bathroom selfie on his Instagram Stories Kyrgios shared a hopeful update on his recovery process. "Made progress today. First time running intervals without significant knee pain”. He also weighed in with his prediction on Shelton vs Djokovic semifinal sarcastically tweeting “In my professional opinion. Novak.”

❤️‍🩹 Naomi Osaka returns to the US Open after almost two years. The two-time US Open champion made a glammed-up return on Wednesday, participating in a US Open Mental Health Forum alongside Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. Osaka aims to return to tour for the Australian Open 2023.

🇺🇸 Donald Trump and the US Open. Once a love match, now out of love. The Guardian covers the history of Trump at the US Open and how the relationship has soured over time. The last time he visited the US Open after his 2015 presidential campaign kickoff he was meet with a chorus of boos.

🤩 Amanda Anisimova has returned to tennis training this week in South Florida. 22-year old Anisimova, former world no.21, 2xWTA champion and French Open Semifinalist, was spotted training at the Barry University campus tennis courts in Miami Shores, Florida. She said, “Second day back at it… changed perspective.”