…Thanks to our friends at Chase, we’re doing a special US Open Only edition of the newsletter today. And if you caught the BenCaraz match (I don’t actually know if anyone else is calling it that, but I am) on Tuesday ni— I mean, Wednesday morning, you know how special this tournament has proven to be. Highly recommend thumbing through this OffBall carousel if you want a good laugh. 

Landry Shamet is lowkey better at shooting photos than he is at threes (which he’s very, very good at). The Knicks’ guard was at the Open this week and I am begging him to develop these photos ASAP. Also, Jordan was there. So were Tyler, Melo, Jose, and Deuce. And oh yeah, KAT– OK, everyone was there. Except Josh, who was there in spirit. 

I am very surprised to see retired players who are entering their pickleball eras, and the New York Times’ Lizzy Goodman, was, too. She wrote about the pickleball vs tennis era, and how some players, like tennis GOAT Andre Agassi, isn’t totally choosing sides. “I refuse to sabotage my enjoyment by actually competing on any form of a regular basis,” he said. I’m going to start using “I refuse to sabotage my enjoyment…” as a way of saying no to stuff, by the way. 

It’s about time we got a tennis Scorigami tracker. Scorigami, which refers to a score that’s never happened before, is one of my favorite stupid (positive) little things to track. Thankfully Lev Akabas at Club Sportico has got us.

If you haven’t been, the pure incandescence of the US Open is hard to portray via the written word—not for a better writer than me, perhaps, but you’re stuck with me. Nonetheless, since it certainly deserves the homage, I will attempt to describe it.

When you go to the US Open, the energy and events of the day put you in a blissful trance. The little inconveniences (cumulative Honey Deuce and merch stand lines in the hot sun, for example) don’t matter. Time is barely moving on those grounds. 

Many sporting events spike your adrenaline in a hurried, anxious way. You feel like you need to get inside the arena, to your seat, to locate the bathroom, immediately. At the US Open, the serene vibes will have you dilly-dallying. And it’s not that you aren’t interested in watching the matches. You’ll find your seat in time. And with ease. That’s just how it goes at the US Open for some reason.

When I first came last week, for the second round, I did not experience that quiet intensity tennis brings that I love so much. However, when I went back for the third round, we were so back. We watched Carlos Alcaraz-Tommy Paul, and aside from the sometimes secondhand embarrassment I felt watching Alcaraz playing with his food (love you, TP, I’m sorry), it was a blast. Side note regarding Tommy Paul: his now wife, Paige Paul, who did a pop-up for her clothing brand, has been one of the best parts of the off-court happenings at the Open. 

My colleague, Bella, and I were so locked in, the US Open put us on the radio. The woman interviewing us (I could not see or hear anything really so I can’t credit her) asked me if Flavio Cobolli was my favorite player because I thought he was cute (I replied  there are many reasons to love Flavio).  

That same day, I got to chat with UNC lacrosse star Chloe Humphrey in the Chase Lounge, over some (free, thank you Chase) Matcha and snacks. 

And I learned the importance of reading signs. I’m sorry, Chase, I learned my lesson, please don’t ban me. 

The biggest learning I’ve had from this year’s particular US Open, is that we all need to be a little bit more like Carlos Alcaraz. Not vomiting from exhaustion, of course, but smiling through a tough loss for the ages. 

But there’s plenty more tennis — and life learnings, I’m sure — left. We’ve still got semis and then finals (presented by Chase) which legally have to** include one American at this point the way. More on that below. 

**That isn’t true, but there is a good chance both of them feature at least one American. Plus, if you believe hard enough, anything can happen.

I don’t really have the word count (read: you don’t have the attention span these days to listen to me) to get into each of the eight remaining players, and most of you lot are Yankees anyways, so if you’re looking for a reason to believe, I’m going to give you a couple for each American player.  

Jessica Pegula. She’s 32. She’s fierce. She’s shading people online. She says she’s only got a few years left in the tank, so now’s the time. 

Also many people think she has the best kit of the tournament. Perhaps even a winning kit. 

Coco Gauff. Coco is incredibly thoughtful and reflective. I wasn’t doing it like that at 22, I’ll tell you that much. She’s just the kind of athlete you can’t help but root for. She won the US Open in 2023, so it’s about time to run it back. Side note: If you’re into word play (or jewelry), she’s been rocking a blue Sapphire “C” necklace as part of her partnership with Chase.  

Ben Shelton. This man has become more important to me than anyone else on this earth. At least for the next few days. After his historic match with Alcaraz that nearly saw the sun rise, it became apparent to me that he is our best chance at victory. His serve is insane. 

Plus, I cannot get enough of him and his NWSL girlfriend, Trinity Rodman. I’m scrolling and liking every post. 

Frances Tiafoe. I saved the best story for last. Big Foe will face Ben tomorrow in the semis (a match I’m calling BigBen, let’s get that going). So, one of them has to lose, which is terrible news. However, this also means that one of them has to win, which is great news.  But Frances is sort of the people’s champ. He’s an amazing shoulder to cry on, even in the midst of his own celebrations. He’s got the celebrity vote for sure. And the story of how he slept in an office at the Junior Tennis Champs Center will make you fall in love with him immediately.