[divider style=”solid” color=”#cccccc” opacity=”0.5″ icon=”arrow-down” icon_color=”#666666″ icon_size=”15″ placement=”up”]
[vector_icon icon=”fas fa-microphone”] Match Recap from Announcer Andy Taylor, Voice of the US Open
Daniil Medvedev returns to the Quarterfinals
Make it back-to-back US Open Quarterfinals for last year’s Finalist Daniil Medvedev. Love him or hate him, Daniil’s run to the 2019 title match was extraordinary. That Summer, he reached the Finals in Washington D.C. and Montreal – won Cincinnati – then earned six victories in Flushing before going toe-to-toe with Nadal in the Final. It was amazing the Russian could stand for more than 5-minutes, let alone go 5-sets.
Obviously, thanks to a global pandemic, this is an entirely different tournament. Hell, it’s an alternative universe. Before the “New York Bubble” Western & Southern Open, Medvedev’s last match was in mid-February: A Quarterfinal loss to Gilles Simon in Marseille. Since the sport’s return, he’s 6-1 and hasn’t lost a set in all of his victories.
Tonight was an absolute thrashing of Frances Tiafoe — who was back in Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time since his thrilling 5-setter with Roger Federer three years ago. A Quarterfinalist at the 2018 Australian Open, tonight was Tiafoe’s first trip to the US Open Round of 16. That’s a big deal. While he didn’t have a solid showing — no doubt Coach Wayne Ferreira will preach for Big Foe to trust the process.
Tough test for Medvedev next — He’ll face compatriot Andrey Rublev, who Roger Federer predicted would be the one to watch in 2020. At the start of the season, Andrey won back-to-back titles in Doha and Adelaide. Should be a high-level, go-for-broke, entertaining match on Wednesday.
Head to Head: Third main draw meeting between these two players
[3] Daniil Medvedev -05- (RUS) | Round-4 Announcer Introduction
Last Summer, he was unstoppable. He reached the Finals in Washington D.C., Montreal, won the title in Cincinnati, and played a 5-set thriller in the championship match here in New York. From Russia, 2019 US Open Finalist Daniil Medvedev.
- R4 — W | Frances Tiafoe -82- (USA) | Score: 6-4, 6-1, 6-0-
- R3 — W | J.J. Wolf -138- (USA) | Score: 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 | RECAP
- R2 — W | Christopher O’Connell -116- (AUS) | Score: 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
- R1 — W | Federico Delbonis -79- (ARG) | Score: 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 | RECAP
Frances Tiafoe -82- (USA) | Round-4 Announcer Introduction
3-years-ago, at just 19-years-old, he made his Arthur Ashe Stadium night session debut – taking 5-time US Open Champion Roger Federer to a thrilling 5th and deciding set. Tonight, he’s through to the 4th Round of the US Open for the first time. From College Park, Maryland – Frances Tiafoe.
- R4 — L | [3] Daniil Medvedev -05- (RUS) | Score: 4-6, 1-6, 0-6
- R3 — W | Marton Fucsovics -66- (HUN) | Score: 6-2, 6-3, 6-2
- R2 — W | John Millman -43- (AUS) | Score: 7-6(6), 3-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3
- R1 — W | Andreas Seppi -89- (USA) | Score: 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 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.
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.
