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[vector_icon icon=”fas fa-microphone”] Match Recap from Announcer Andy Taylor, Voice of the US Open
Denis Shapovalov advances to the Quarterfinals
After losing the first set in a love tiebreak, Denis Shapovalov knew he’d have to inject greater intensity against 3-time Major Quarterfinalist David Goffin. So, he took a break. Took a leak. Returned to the court. And simply out-hustled one of the fittest, steadiest ball strikers on Tour.
With tonight’s victory, Shapovalov earns three new stripes:
- First win over David Goffin
- Grand Slam Quarterfinal debut
- Becomes the first Canadian man to reach the US Open Quarterfinals in the Open Era
Chills. Can Felix Auger-Aliassime and Vasek Pospisil join him tomorrow? And by the way – DAMN, Canada. Bianca Andreescu last year. Three Canucks in the Final 16 this year. Tossing back a highball of steaming maple syrup in your honor.
Empathy for the World #1
By the way, no one can relate to Novak Djokovic right now more than Denis Shapovalov. If you missed it, Novak eliminated himself from the US Open this afternoon – defaulted after inadvertently striking a linesperson in the throat with a ball. Back in 2017, when Denis was just 17-years-old, he crushed a ball in frustration during his Davis Cup match with Kyle Edmund. The ball fractured a bone in chair umpire Arnaud Gabas’ left eye.
The entire incident was a wake-up call for Denis when it came to policing his own on-court conduct. The ITF fined him $7,000. But most importantly, Denis was authentically ashamed of himself. Shame can be a powerful motivator. That 17-year-old kid is now a 21-year-old Grand Slam Quarterfinalist, who earned his 7th career top-10 victory tonight on the sport’s biggest stage.
Head to Head: Second meeting between these two players
[12] Denis Shapovalov -17- (CAN) | Round-4 Announcer Introduction
3-years-ago, as an 18-year-old qualifier, he made his Arthur Ashe Stadium debut – defeating World #12 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga en-route to the 4th Round. Tonight, he’s back – after a dramatic, deciding set victory on Friday. From Canada, Davis Cup Finalist Denis Shapovalov.
- R4 — W | [7] David Goffin -10- (BEL) | Score: 6-7(0), 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
- R3 — W | [19] Taylor Fritz -25- (USA) | Score: 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 | RECAP
- R2 — W | Soonwoo Kwon -73- (KOR) | Score: 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
- R1 — W | Sebastian Korda -205- (USA) | Score: 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
[7] David Goffin -10- (BEL) | Round-4 Announcer Introduction
The number-7 seed in this year’s draw, he is a 3-time Grand Slam Quarterfinalist, owns 4 ATP Singles titles, and has been ranked as high as World #7. Back in the US Open’s Round of 16 for the fourth year in-a-row – From Belgium, David Goffin.
- R4 — W | [12] Denis Shapovalov -17- (CAN) | Score: 7-6(0), 3-6, 4-6, 3-6
- R3 — W | [26] Filip Krajinovic -26- (SRB) | Score: 6-1, 7-6(5), 6-4
- R2 — W | Lloyd Harris -95- (RSA) | Score: 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
- R1 — W | Reilly Opelka -35- (USA) | Score: 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-1, 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.
