U.S. Open
The Sporting Scene
What Qinwen Zheng Could Mean for Tennis, and for China
The player known as Queenwen won Olympic Gold, and is moving through the early rounds of the U.S. Open.
By Louisa Thomas
The Sporting Scene
With Novak Djokovic, It Is Always a Struggle
In the U.S. Open final, against Daniil Medvedev, he battled and even seemed to tire before, as usual, emerging victorious.
By Louisa Thomas
The Sporting Scene
How Coco Gauff Flipped Her Game to Win the U.S. Open
In Saturday’s final, the champion overcame Aryna Sabalenka’s formidable power with indefatigable defense.
By Gerald Marzorati
The Sporting Scene
Ben Shelton’s Spectacular Serves
The young American player has inherited the mantle of the big servers of the past—and it’s thrilling to watch.
By Gerald Marzorati
The Sporting Scene
Coco Gauff’s Glorious Progress
Gauff has the charisma and talent to be not just a champion but a star, and this summer she has played better than ever before.
By Gerald Marzorati
The Sporting Scene
What Makes Carlos Alcaraz So Good
The nineteen-year-old, who just won the U.S. Open and became the No. 1 men’s player in the world, has a whole host of skills. But his speed is essential, and unmatched.
By Gerald Marzorati
The Sporting Scene
Mind Games at the U.S. Open Women’s Final
Along with their agility and power, Iga Świątek and Ons Jabeur brought to the court an openness about processing the pressures of the sport.
By Louisa Thomas
The Sporting Scene
Frances Tiafoe Is More Than a Good Story
The son of immigrants from Sierra Leone, Tiafoe is the first Black American to make the men’s semifinals at the U.S. Open since Arthur Ashe did it fifty years ago.
By Louisa Thomas
The Sporting Scene
The Moments from Serena Williams’s Career That I’ll Never Forget
Williams, who lost possibly her last match on Friday night, made herself felt beyond the game as arguably no player ever has.
By Gerald Marzorati
Daily Cartoon
Daily Cartoon: Monday, August 29th
“Hey, buddy, where can I catch the 7 train?”
By Johnny DiNapoli
The Sporting Scene
Djokovic Finally Won the Crowd, but Daniil Medvedev Won the U.S. Open
Medvedev’s victory felt like tennis thrusting itself toward a future of fresh champions. It’s time.
By Gerald Marzorati
The Sporting Scene
A Tennis Fairy Tale in New York
In a U.S. Open final with no precedent, the qualifier Emma Raducanu held her nerve to see off Leylah Fernandez.
By Louisa Thomas
The Sporting Scene
The Joyful Teen-Agers Who Have Taken Over the U.S. Open
Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez have brought a feeling of possibility to a sport where the spotlight has lately shone on just a handful of players.
By Louisa Thomas
The Sporting Scene
The U.S. Open Is Open Once Again
For a fan, the day sessions of tennis’s Grand Slams are like nothing else, even—or especially—now.
By Gerald Marzorati
The Sporting Scene
Without Fans, the Drama of the U.S. Open Came from Within
During four hours of unpredictable tennis, the men’s final between Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev represented the game stripped to its essentials: a court, a ball, two challengers.
By Louisa Thomas
The Sporting Scene
Naomi Osaka Adjusts, and Wins One of the Best U.S. Open Finals in Years
With a change of tactics, Osaka came from behind to defeat Victoria Azarenka in a match that featured terrific hard-court baseline tennis.
By Gerald Marzorati
The Sporting Scene
The Best Way to Watch Serena Williams at the U.S. Open, Where She Has Nothing Left to Prove
Fans want to see Williams win a twenty-fourth major and make history. But that is the wrong way to watch her play now.
By Gerald Marzorati
The Sporting Scene
The Fractured World of Tennis Amid a Prolonged Pandemic
The coronavirus has illuminated the stark divides in a global game—and spurred new efforts to bridge them.
By Louisa Thomas
The Sporting Scene
Rafael Nadal Defeats Daniil Medvedev in the Best U.S. Open Men’s Final of This Century
The match will be remembered as a moment of arrival for Medvedev, but it will also figure in the ongoing reëvaluation of Nadal as one of the greatest hard-court players of all time.
By Gerald Marzorati
The Sporting Scene
In Her U.S. Open Victory, Bianca Andreescu Shows the Swagger That Serena Williams Brought to Women’s Tennis
Before 2019, Andreescu was mostly unknown. On Saturday, in defeating Williams, she carried herself like a queen.
By Louisa Thomas