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[vector_icon icon=”fas fa-microphone”] Match Recap from Announcer Andy Taylor, Voice of the US Open
Petra Kvitova advances to Round-3
Petra Kvitova is a 2-time Wimbledon Champion, an Australian Open Finalist, and has reached the Semifinals at every Major — except the US Open. Which is crazy. The decorated southpaw enjoys tremendous success on hard courts globally. In fact, a majority of her 27 titles reflect wins on this surface, including her WTA Finals victory in 2011. Speaking from personal experience, she owns the Premier-5 event in Doha – where she captured the title in 2018, then returned to reach the Final last February.
So far, her crowning US Open achievement happened 11-years-ago. At the time, she was just 19-years-old and ranked outside the top-70. In the 3rd-Round, she earned her first career victory over a World #1, defeating Dinara Safina in a deciding set tiebreak. That said, over the past 12-years, two Quarterfinal runs remain her best US Open results.
With today’s 1st-set recovery and convincing win over Kateryna Kozlova, Petra is only three victories away from achieving a US Open best. Considering the pandemic-impacted draw – that “best” isn’t good enough. This year, she is more than equipped to capture her third Major.
Head to Head: First meeting between these two players
[6] Petra Kvitova -12- (CZE) | Round-2 Announcer Introduction
She is a 2-time Wimbledon Champion. A 3-time Grand Slam Finalist. Earned Olympic Bronze in Rio. And has led her country to a remarkable 6 Fed Cup titles. From the Czech Republic, Petra Kvitova.
- R2 — W | Kateryna Kozlova -99- (UKR) | Score: 7-6(3), 6-2
- R1 — W | Irina-Camelia Begu -73- (ROU) | Score: 6-3, 6-2
Kateryna Kozlova -99- (UKR) | Round-2 Announcer Introduction
Ranked as high as World #62, she’s reached one WTA Final. And three years ago, won her first career Grand Slam main draw match right here at the US Open. From Ukraine, Kateryna Kozlova.
- R1 — L | [6] Petra Kvitova -12- (CZE) | Score: 6-7(3), 2-6
- R1 — W | Whitney Osuigwe -143- (USA) | Score: 6-3, 7-5
A New Reality | 2020 US Open Tennis Championships
In late February and early March, announcer Andy Taylor compèred two of the final professional tennis events before the global coronavirus pandemic put the skids on the 2020 season. In Doha, he hosted Aryna Sabalenka’s relentless run to the Qatar Total Open title. Then in Honolulu, he emceed Team USA’s Davis Cup Qualifier victory over Uzbekistan. Including Bob and Mike Bryan’s final professional match.
As U.S. coronavirus cases continued to mount, the day following Team USA’s 4-0 victory, all professional sports came to a grinding halt. Over the next five months, as Americans stayed home and “socially distanced,” nearly 6-million contracted the illness. Tragically, over 180-thousand perished. Worldwide, COVID-19 killed over 840-thousand and sickened 25-million (at the time of this writing).
New York hosts the resumption of the 2020 tennis season
Early on, New York City was the epicenter of COVID’s outbreak. The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center became prime real estate for New York’s coordinated pandemic response. Additionally, the state used Louis Armstrong Stadium as a warehouse to pack meals for patients, front-line workers and students dependent on the city’s school lunch program.
In late July, after New York “flattened the curve,” Governor Cuomo green-lighted the USTA’s plans to resume the 2020 tennis season in Flushing. Without fans. Without qualifying. Rather, the Western & Southern Open moved from Cincinnati to the grounds of the US Open. Furthermore, the USTA implemented strict COVID-19 testing policies. It limited the number in each player’s entourage. Additionally, it created a protective “Bubble” for all tournament participants at nearby hotels and on-site.
Andy Taylor | 19th US Open Tennis Championships
After a five month pause, with the coronavirus “politicized” and still spreading unchecked through portions of the population, Andy was hesitant when asked to be a part of the sport’s return. However, after carefully considering the USTA’s extensive health and safety protocols, he soon realized the US Open could in fact be one of the safest environments to avoid COVID’s spread.
Masks are mandatory. For crew, testing occurs every fourth day. To ensure best broadcast quality, the USTA understood that Arthur Ashe Stadium’s announcer would need to work without a mask. Therefore, they isolated Andy in his own booth. Thus, keeping production team members free from aerosols emitted during player introductions.
Rather than fly, Andy drove to Flushing. He uses his own vehicle to shuttle back and forth from the hotel to the venue, which limits his exposure to others. Additionally, this allowed Andy to bring his own hot plate and coffee machine, completely eliminating the need for others to bring him meals and supplies. Essentially, the Voice of the US Open is working from a bubble within “The Bubble.” Responsibly limiting contact with colleagues and players as much as humanly possible.
A new Grand Slam Global Pandemic Presentation
With the global emphasis on social distancing to avoid further outbreaks of COVID-19, the world of sport production is reinventing “the show” by harnessing new technologies that have emerged over the past decade. As always, the core goal is to meet fans where they are.
In other words, with fans exclusively watching on television – or on-the-go through mobile devices – the 2020 US Open “stadium show” is now geared toward the camera, rather than the ticket holder. This year, Andy and the stadium production team are working closely with ESPN to integrate the broadcast and stadium presentations. Instead of narrating player introductions exclusively for fans on site, intros and all aspects of the stadium show are now part of the broadcast product streamed to fans worldwide.
The true creator is necessity, who is the mother of our invention.
Jowett | English translation of Plato’s “Republic”
Live sport presentation is a brave new world. Through perseverance and bold experimentation, the US Open continues to innovate; determined to feed each tennis fan’s hunger after five months of the world’s new and humbling collective-reality.
