US Open Fan Week Day 2

Tuesday was the second day of Fan Week at the US Open. Along with qualifying-round matches for those players seeking to get into the main draw, the Open introduced a new format for mixed doubles last year, which they have continued this year. The mixed doubles competition has not attracted all that much interest for a while now, and the thinking was obviously to create an environment where most of the top "names" (as in the top-ranked singles players) would want to participate in mixed doubles, which in turn would draw in the crowds.

We won't go into all the scoring differences between "classic" doubles and the new-fangled mixed doubles scoring, but the new version makes it a far easier process to win a championship. We are not sure whether this should be deemed a Grand Slam Championship, but we have to admit it can be fun to watch. There is also the big plus that the Open can charge separate admission to these matches, creating a new revenue stream for the more prestigious tennis events.

Following are some of what could be seen on Day 2 of Fan Week at the US Open.

That's Alexander Zverev warming up prior to going on court to play doubles with partner Taylor Townsend. As we mentioned yesterday, you can often see the stars of the game up close as they practice for upcoming matches. You can see that those who got there early enough had clear, open views from behind Zverev, while others had to look through fencing. Still, if you were any closer, you'd be on the court with him!

Zverev definitely brought the big serve with him, regularly hitting upwards of 130 mph.

It must be said that a lot of the fun of watching great singles players compete in doubles is seeing that while they often will hit the amazing shot, they are a lot more fallible than when they play singles. Most just do not play doubles enough to have a good feel for the court, or for what their partner will be doing. Compared to established doubles players and teams, they are frequently out of position, and their lack of experience translates to a lack of confidence in what they are doing, which is a recipe for losing. Taylor Townsend is one of the top doubles players in the world today, but even though Zverev had her as his partner, the two went down in the first round in straight sets to the more established doubles pair of Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, 4-2, 4-2 (we told you that they were using different scoring!).

A pair of top-ranked singles players did not fare very well in mixed doubles, with Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic going out in the first round. The doubles pair of Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten defeated them, 1-4, 4-2, (10)-(2). Once again, there is a learning curve for scoring this "Grand Slam mixed doubles championship tournament." In this case, with the teams splitting the first two sets, the match was decided by a 10-point tiebreaker.

That's Serena Williams returning serve, who paired up with another fan favorite, Carlos Alcaraz, to play in the mixed doubles. The two were greeted by the biggest crowd of the day — as you can see, not an empty seat behind them.

Along with being perhaps the greatest singles player in women's tennis history, Serena won a lot of doubles championships (often alongside sister Venus). Here she totally takes over a point, hitting an overhead winner while Alcaraz looks on. It is nice that the two had sorta matching outfits.

This is the first we've seen Carlos since he took time out from the game due to an injured wrist. He seems to be sporting a buffed-up, long-haired Samson-type image.

We're not sure how she will do in the singles next week, but it's great to see the fire still burning in Serena. While she and Alcaraz got through the first round, they were eliminated in straight sets in the next round, played later in the day (once again, the format is rather nouvelle).

Lest we forget, the qualifying rounds were being played on most courts at the Tennis Center other than Ashe and Armstrong. One of the more compelling matches was played in front of a full house on Court 17, where Grigor Dimitrov handily defeated Lorenzo Giustino 6-0, 6-3. Dimitrov, once ranked as high as No. 3 in the world, is presently ranked No. 135, but that is due mainly to being sidelined with an injury for a lengthy period of time. The 35-year-old Bulgarian plays with a compelling style that is well worth watching... and frankly, he is the type of player, at this point in his career, who should be given wild-card entrance to events such as the US Open. As shown in the photo here, it seems like Dimitrov is serious about jumping back into Grand Slam contention.

Written by Florida Tennis contributor Todd Pechter. Photo credits: pechterphotos.com.

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