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[vector_icon icon=”fas fa-microphone”] Match Recap from Announcer Andy Taylor, Voice of the US Open
Yulia Putintseva advances to first US Open Quarterfinal
Big result for 2010’s US Open Junior Finalist. Now 25-years-old, Yulia is no stranger to week-2 of a Major. A 2-time Quarterfinalist at Roland Garros – in 2016, she upset World #14 Carla Suarez Navarro before falling to Serena Williams. Two years later, Madison Keys proved the foil. 2020’s “New York Bubble / Pandemic Slam” marks her first Major Quarterfinal with clean sneakers.
And surprise: Another American stands in the way of Yulia’s first Grand Slam Semifinal. Earlier on Armstrong, Jennifer Brady knocked-out 2016 Champion Angelique Kerber in straight sets. Two weeks ago in Kentucky, Brady won the first stateside event since the global sports lockdown began. She never lost a set there either. Right now, the 41st-ranked American is a barreling freight train without air brakes…or a whistle.
Today’s opening 4th-Rounder on Ashe had a little of everything. Moments of dominance from both. Mind-numbing deuce marathons. Medical timeouts. Extended potty breaks. And a winner who overcame service demons not once, but twice. In the first set, Putintseva needed a do-over after failing to serve out the set the first time. Then, up two breaks in the decider, it happened again. To overcome the yips twice in a critical match with week-2 of a Major on the line…that should provide confidence in the Quarters. We’ll find out on Tuesday.
Head to Head: First meeting between these two players
[23] Yulia Putintseva -35- (KAZ) | Round-4 Announcer Introduction
In 2019, she won her debut WTA Singles title and earned her first career victory over a World #1. From Kazakhstan, 2-time Roland Garros Quarterfinalist — Yulia Putintseva.
- R4 — W | [8] Petra Martic -15- (CRO) | Score: 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
- R3 — W | Aliaksandra Sasnovich -51- (BLR) | Score: 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
- R2 — W | Vera Lapko -298- (BLR) | Score: 6-3, 6-3
- R1 — W | Robin Montgomery -593- (USA) | Score: 6-1, 6-3
[8] Petra Martic -15- (CRO) | Round-4 Announcer Introduction
Last season, she captured her first WTA Singles title, made her Grand Slam Quarterfinal debut at Roland Garros, and cracked the WTA’s top-15 for the first time. From Croatia, Petra Martic.
- R4 — L | [23] Yulia Putintseva -35- (KAZ) | Score: 3-6, 6-2, 4-6
- R3 — W | Varvara Gracheva -102- (RUS) | Score: 6-3, 6-3
- R2 — W | Kateryna Bondarenko -132- (UKR) | Score: 6-3, 6-4
- R1 — W | Tereza Martincova -136- (CZE) | Score: 5-7, 6-2, 6-4
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.
Announcer 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.
