By Chris Oddo | Thursday September 1, 2016
The first four days of the 2016 U.S. Open have been very good for the Americans.
Photo Source: Getty Images
The first week of the U.S. Open is always full of surprises, and this year has been no exception. As Day 4 draws to a close we take a look at the four biggest breakout stories of the first four days.
1. Jared Donaldson
Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe get a ton more hype than 19-year-old Jared Donaldson, and that’s fine. But as we write this on Day 4, he’s the only American teenager left in the draw and he’s very close to closing in on a two sets to love lead over Viktor Troicki (UPDATE: Donaldson takes out Troicki in straight sets and will face Ivo Karlovic or Donald Young in the third round). Donaldson, a tall, rangy player with good pop on the serve and a very solid backhand, also upset No. 12-seeded David Goffin in the first round. He’s a player that is clearly headed in the right direction.
2. CiCi Bellis
At 15, CiCi Bellis became the youngest player to reach the second round at the U.S. Open in 18 years when she shocked No.12-seeded Dominika Cibulkova in the first round. That was 2014. The 2016 version of CiCi Bellis is even better. Bellis knocked off Shelby Rogers to reach the third round on Day 3, and will square off with Angelique Kerber in a third-round match. Yes, odds are slim that she’ll get through that one, but the progress of Bellis is certainly worth noting. She’s impressively powerful for her smallish frame, and she plays with moxie. Bellis is energetic, hungry, determined and focused. It’s hard to say what her upside as a pro will be given her size limitations, but if the diminutive Dominika Cibulkova can reach a Grand Slam final, why can’t Bellis?
3. Ryan Harrison
It’s hard to believe that Ryan Harrison is just 24, it feels like he’s been around forever. Unfortunately for the Louisiana native, times have been tough for Harrison for a while now. Back in 2011, when Harrison beat Milos Raonic at Indian Wells, it actually felt like it was the American who might have a brighter future. But five years later Raonic has been to a Wimbledon final and held a Top-5 ranking. Harrison? After peaking at 43 in 2012, he hasn’t been inside the Top 100 in over two years. That could change in New York. Harrison knocked off Raonic in the second round and he’ll face Marcos Baghdatis for a shot in the second week at a major for the first time. Even if he doesn’t break though, it’s been a great U.S. Open for Harrison, who made it through qualifiers with his younger brother Christian and got engaged to be married earlier this year.
“Life is great,” Harrison said on Wednesday. “This will be a U.S. Open to remember on so many different occasions. First one, being engaged. First one me and my brother both competed in. How cool is it to have him with me at the Open?”
4. Andy Roddick
We know what you’re saying: “Wait, isn’t Andy Roddick retired?” Yes, he sure is, but Roddick became the breakout, lo-fi star of the 2016 U.S. Open with his off-the-cuff Periscope play-by-play of Thursday’s Serena Williams vs. Vania King match. Sponsored by Chase now, Roddick’s Periscope ramblings are an interesting play in the commentary space. It’s just Roddick sitting at a desk in his man cave, but once you get used to the spare aesthetics and dial into Roddick’s voice, there are myriad kernels of wisdom to be had.
Exhibit A, Roddick on the Arthur Ashe roof:
“Do I like the roof? I don’t like playing U.S. Open indoors. I don’t. I get it from a business perspective… I hated, down in Australia, going from the conditions where it was over 100 degrees and the ball was flying and jumping and you can get the ball to move, to going with the roof when it gets humid, everything slows down, the air is more dense, the ball doesn’t travel through quite as much. It felt like a different tennis tournament. As a Player I hated it when conditions changed.”
Roddick on Serena’s longevity:
“Her being in the prime of her career, being young and not playing a full schedule, not committing in my eyes to playing a lot. I was convinced that it was the wrong play and there she is still out there four years after I retired and still playing great tennis, so for all the critics of Serena’s schedule throughout the years, she did know better the whole time. Spacing it out, keeping herself engaged mentally, not kind of burning out like we’ve seen a lot… She’s been a great strategist, not just on the tennis court… also as far as scheduling and not maxing out and making sure she’s engaged and focused every time she’s out there. She got a lot of criticism early in her career as far as her schedule and not being committed enough to the game and those were probably the same critics that are praising her now.”