US Open SmashTalk: is American tennis “back”?

Published by Tennismash

(L-R) CoCo Vandeweghe, Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens are home-grown stars through to the quarterfinals of the US Open; Getty Images
With five local players through to the US Open quarterfinals, is American tennis enjoying a resurgence?

It’s been a while since there have been this many American players featuring this deep at a Grand Slam tournament.

Does it represent a return to the glory days of tennis in the United States? Our Tennismash team of Paul Moore, Vivienne Christie, Matt Trollope and Leigh Rogers give their thoughts in today’s edition of the US Open SmashTalk.

Also on the agenda: rising stars v established stars, Karolina Pliskova’s favouritism and the Day 9 schedule.

Agree or disagree with our panel? Have your say on Facebook and Twitter using #SmashTalk.

With five Americans into the US Open quarterfinals – Venus, Keys, Vandeweghe, Stephens and Querrey – is it safe to say that American tennis is “back”?

Moore: No. There’s no doubt that American tennis is looking stronger than it has done for a while. But where is the bona fide heir to Serena and Venus? (and before you say Madison Keys, tell me what she’s actually won). And what about on the men’s side? There is nobody coming through who looks like they could be a world beater. Basically, it’s looking good, but it’s not looking dominant.

Christie: To a point. Serena Williams’ superstar antics have overshadowed a comparatively meagre time for US tennis in recent years, so the fact that four women have reached the final eight in her absence points to a long-awaited depth in the women’s game. I’m less convinced about the men. From 19 starters in the singles draw, only Sam Querrey has reached this stage. Sure, it backs up his semifinal run at Wimbledon but he’s also benefited from a wide-open half of the draw.

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Trollope: It’s certainly in a promising place, especially on the women’s side. The US have always had numbers in the top 100; they’ve just struggled to get everyone succeeding simultaneously – with the exception of the incredible Williams sisters – since the glory days of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Hopefully this can stimulate some more interest in the game in the world’s biggest market, where tennis is now considered a “niche” sport after being one of the most popular in the 1970s and 80s.

Rogers: There is, or has been, no crisis in American tennis – it is just harder for one nation to dominate like they might have in previous generations. When you have smaller countries like Latvia and Estonia represented in a quarterfinal line-up and three Grand Slam nations not, it highlights that the game is more global than ever and unpredictability is the new norm. So American tennis isn’t ‘back’ – they are just having an exceptional run here.

Do you prefer watching established stars, or rising stars, succeed on the Grand Slam stage?

Moore: Everyone loves a bit of nostalgia and the established stars certainly sell tickets, but tennis needs fresh blood. What’s more, it needs that blood to perform on the big stages. I was hoping Shapovalov would make a Becker-esque run through the draw, but alas it was not to be. However, the energy players like him bring to the game is essential to securing the long-term future of the sport.

Christie: Or C – all of the above? Established stars create the sentiment; young stars add the excitement. That we’ve had talented generations overlapping this season simply highlights a time for tennis fans to cherish. Besides, it seems wrong to favour one group over the other when so many young stars show how they’ve learned from their predecessors’ superstar ways.

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Trollope: It depends how long the established stars have been succeeding. It’s almost redundant to say the Big Four have been amazing for tennis, but I must admit that I was starting to get a little impatient to see some new talent emerging to challenge them. That seems to have happened this year, and it’s been a breath of fresh air. Shapovalov, Zverev, Kyrgios, Kokkinakis and co. are all great to watch, and Rublev v Nadal is a stellar quarterfinal due to the generational difference. Then again, when you see someone like Delpo winning the way he did today, it’s pretty heart-warming.

Rogers: Of course it is exciting to see rising stars like Andrey Rublev make career-best runs, but it is the established stars I most want to succeed. Venus, Petra, Delpo, Roger, Rafa – these are the stories of perseverance that are the most captivating.

Is Karolina Pliskova the favourite for the women’s title?

Moore: In a weird way I don’t think so. Yes, she walloped Jennifer Brady, but she should be walloping Jennifer Brady. If she does the same thing to CoCo then yes, she becomes the favourite. Until then, my money is on Venus Williams making it third time lucky in 2017 on home soil.

Christie: Statistically, yes. She’s world No.1, the 2016 finalist and after the match point she saved against Zhang Shuai in the third round, she flew through the fourth round against Jennifer Brady. But it all seems a bit too straightforward; I can’t help thinking that all those factors for Pliskova could be cancelled out by some inspired colleagues in career-best form.

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Trollope: When you save a match point to win, it frees you up psychologically, as we saw when Pliskova returned to destroy Jennifer Brady in her next match in just 46 minutes. Still, I’m not sure I see her getting past CoCo as easily, if at all.

Rogers: Why are we even questioning whether the world No.1 is a favourite? Pliskova deserves more respect than this. She has earned her No.1 ranking and although she is yet to win a Grand Slam title, there should be no doubt she has the talent to do so. Don’t be fooled by her shaky form in the earlier rounds either – this is Pliskova’s title to win.

What piques your interest most on the Day 9 schedule?

Moore: It’s not the strongest quarterfinals day in US Open history, is it? Like everyone else, Venus v Petra is the obvious match to keep an eye on. That said, I’m kind of intrigued to see if Diego Schwartzman can carry on doing what he does and find a way past Busta. I don’t think he will, but then I didn’t think he would beat Cilic or Pouille either.

Christie: The fact that all five matches contested between Petra Kvitova and Venus Williams spanned three sets points to the quality we can expect in their quarterfinal. Their most recent encounter was in the third round of Wimbledon 2014, where Petra was the winner of the best women’s match for years. Fan reaction will be as intriguing as the actual tennis: does Venus’ status as a home favourite loved for her longevity eclipse the overwhelmingly positive sentiment in Petra’s stunning return?

Trollope: Venus v Petra. Women’s tennis has been crying out for rivalries, and here we have one – two major champions, a Grand Slam quarterfinal, prime time on Ashe, and a history of close matches between them. It’s the highlight of the Tuesday schedule.

Rogers: There is only one blockbuster on the schedule to be excited about – Venus Williams v Petra Kvitova. No offense to the other quarterfinalists, but none have the x-factor of these two stars. Remarkably they have only played five times before, with Williams’ sole win in 2012. It will be fascinating to see how this meeting unfolds.

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