Important events
Badosa to serve, and …play.
Badosa and Wang are practicing on the field; Wang looks nervous.
Like Navarro, Badosa hails from New York – although she didn’t stop there – and she also feels a strong sense of belonging when she’s in this competition. She’ll feel like she can win this thing too – worse players than her – no matter how impregnable Sabalenka seems.
Every time I see Martina on screen it gives me a little burst of joy. Stay healthy, champ.
Badosa, remember, has had such severe back problems that she was told she might never play again, and has also struggled with depression. It’s inspiring and energizing to see her throw such joyful punches, and if she can keep it up, I don’t see how Wang can beat her.
A little background information about Badosa…
Preamble
Yo dudes and welcome to the US Open 2024 – day seven!
So here we are, aren’t we? After a first week of ridiculous action all over the show, we’ve now descended – or ascended – into ridiculous action on the show courts, and there’s plenty of that.
We start with Armstrong featuring the heart-warming resurrection of Paula Badosa, rehabilitated and imposing her plucky power-hitting in invigorating fashion. There’s a good chance she’s too much for Yafan Wang, but it doesn’t take much to unsettle a game as big as hers under pressure – and there’s plenty of that here.
Meanwhile, we start with Ashe with a potential belter. Andrey Rublev wants it so badly you can feel it across the Atlantic, but he hasn’t quite found what it takes to beat a better player when it really matters. And while Griggzy Dimitrov isn’t, he is a smart and stylish player who has improved with age and, given the players who have gone, he will be wondering if he can force something he thought had eluded him.
Otherwise we will have an exciting battle between Casper Ruud and the emerging Taylor Fritz, while Brandon Nakashima, also in form, tries to beat Alexander Zverev.
And Ashe’s day session ends with a potentially nasty row for the champion. Coco Gauff isn’t playing as well as she did last year, while Emma Navarro has never played better. At 23, there’s a sense that she’s finding her feet, with her best Grand Slam performances coming in 2024. At Wimbledon, she couldn’t handle the heat when things got heated, beating Gauff easily before taking a last eight that Jasmine Paolini trumped. But she’s a local from New York, New York, and is much happier on the hardcourt than on the grass, so don’t be surprised if she does something special again today.
Play: 11am local time, 4pm BST