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Welcome to the U.S. Open briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament.
On day eleven of the U.S. Open 2024, a mixed doubles triumph and tribute, and an illustration of turning points in tennis.
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Sara Errani can do it in mixed doubles too
Olympic gold with Jasmine Paolini. A French Open final with the same player. And now, a mixed doubles title. Sara Errani is back on the doubles scene in 2024.
That Roland Garros final was Errani’s first Grand Slam final in just under ten years, going back to Wimbledon in 2014, where she won the title with Roberta Vinci. That Wimbledon final was Errani’s eighth Grand Slam final in a three-year period in which she and Vinci won five Grand Slam titles, including the U.S. Open in 2012.
Back in New York, this time with Andrea Vavassori in the mixed doubles, the Italian duo faced Taylor Townsend and Donald Young, in Young’s last tournament before retirement. Townsend was coming off the back of winning the Wimbledon title in women’s doubles. But Errani and Vavassori triumphed, recovering from being broken at 6-5 on Errani’s serve to sweep the tiebreak 7-0, before closing out the second set 7-5.
“To share this moment with Andrea is so special,” Errani, 37, said. “I know Donald, we played juniors together. Congrats for your career, Donald.”
Townsend also gave a tribute to Young, crediting him for his visibility as a Black tennis player, and for the impact he had on her own career.
“This isn’t the trophy that we wanted,” Townsend said.
“But at the end of the day, I’m the only Black woman left in the tournament. And ultimately, I just hope that Donald and I standing here today, Frances (Tiafoe) in the semifinals, Coco (Gauff) being the defending champion, just shows people that look like us that it’s possible.
“Standing here today with Donald means the world to me because he’s been in my life forever. I don’t honestly know if I’d be here today if it wasn’t for him and his family.”
James Hansen
The small margins of a semifinal?
Aryna Sabalenka had been here before — facing an American crowd under lights, with a lead, and feeling that lead start to slip away. 12 months ago, the Belarusian led Coco Gauff 1-0, winning the first set 6-2. Gauff won the next two sets and the title.
As Matt Futterman details, Sabalenka found herself in a similar scenario against Emma Navarro, serving for the match at 5-4 with a crowd she had mostly silenced finally screaming the house down on Arthur Ashe. This time, she got to a tiebreak from 5-6 down, picked up the tools that had taken her to the brink of victory, and got over the line.
GO DEEPER
Aryna Sabalenka beats Emma Navarro to reach second U.S. Open final in a row
For Karolina Muchova, still fresh off her return from wrist surgery, everything was going according to plan. She was routing American world No. 6 Jessica Pegula, and at 6-1, 2-0, 30-40 on Pegula’s serve, the Czech could see a Grand Slam final.
Tennis doesn’t work like that. After slinging Pegula wide with a forehand approach as she had done all night, Muchova came into the net to put the ball away. Pegula eked out a slice forehand, with a little more angle than Muchova had prepared for, and she had to stretch for a volley which was difficult, but not extraordinary. Quite a lot of shots she had hit that night — and would hit, even after that point — were in the extraordinary category.
She didn’t control the ball, and it dropped long. That proved to be the match, even though there were sixteen games to go. The small margins of a semifinal, as Charlie Eccleshare explains below.
GO DEEPER
Jessica Pegula beats Karolina Muchova in thriller to reach U.S. Open final
James Hansen
More British hopes alongside Jack Draper?
British hopes have been kept alive at this year’s U.S. Open by Jack Draper, and there was success in the girls event on Thursday too.
The British pair Mingge Xu and Mika Stojsavljevic both won through to the semifinals, each beating American players to get there. Xu took out the No. 2 seed and highly rated Tyra Grant in three close sets, while Stojsavljevic eased past Annika Penickova in straight sets.
Xu, 16 and Stojsavljevic, 15, then teamed up for the doubles, but were defeated in a match tiebreak by Emily Sartz-Lunde and Malak El Allami. The British pair could yet meet in the girls’ singles final, if they can get past Wakana Sonobe of Japan and America’s Iva Jovic — who came within a few points of knocking No. 29 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova out of the main draw — respectively. Stojsavljevic beat Sonobe in both the Wimbledon and U.S. Open girls events last year.
Mika Stojsavljevic has beaten Wakana Sobe in their previous two meetings. (Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
Charlie Eccleshare
Recommended reading
U.S. Open men’s draw 2024
U.S. Open women’s draw 2024
Tell us what you noticed on the 11th day…
(Top photo of Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
