My Experience at the US Open     

Hello everyone, I am Xavier Samuel, the part-time tennis writer for The SoBros Network. If you know anything about tennis, then you would know that the US Open started on Monday, August 28th, and I went! So, I’m here to tell you about it.

The Practice Courts

To start the day off, my Father and I headed over to the practice courts. But what first caught my eye was Sir Andy Murray! Hitting it strong, he was destroying his practice partner. His volleys were amazing! Seeing all the action up close was just unreal. Soon after, Jessica Pegula (No. 3) and Samsonova (No. 15) stepped on P1. Of course, some of the highest ranked women’s tennis players were playing great, and that’s all I can really say. Right next to Andy Murray was Taylor Fritz. And boy was his serve on fire! Every one of them had to be at least over 125 mph! If you watched McEnroe’s places on ESPN+, you saw his serve was faster than a Nascar! But what really caught my eye was the reigning champion, world no.1, Carlos Alcaraz! From his hammer serves and behind-the-back volleys (which he did one), it was the best tennis I ever saw. And he waved at me! After our first journey throughout Billie Jean King Tennis Center, we went to the walkway and got two autographs. One from Hubert Hurkacz (No. 17) and another from Cameron Norrie (No.16).

JJ Wolf vs. Zhizhen Zhang

The first match we saw was JJ Wolf vs. Zhizhen Zhang. JJ started off strong with a 135 mph serve, which was breathtaking to see from around 10 feet away. With Zhang winning the first two sets, it was not looking good for Wolf. But in the end, Zhang has a head-to-head record with JJ Wolf (that means he won two previous matches against the other player).

Francis Tiafoe (No. 10) vs. Learner Tien

WOW, my first match in Arthur Ashe Stadium! I had butterflies in my stomach (in a good way). The stadium is huge, and filled with people cheering. Even though we were up high, it felt like we were in front row seats compared to watching it on TV. The Big Foe was dominating Tien, winning five games in a row! We just got there at the end, but still saw some great games. In the end, Tiafoe had won, but that was kinda good for Tien. He said he learned a great lesson. After Tiafoe won, he sent out signed tennis balls. I tried to catch one, but he hit to the other side. Either way, my experience at Arthur Ashe was great!

Tommy Paul (No. 14) vs. Stefano Travaglia

The Jersey Boy is at it again with his powerful, Alcaraz-beating serve! With winning the first two sets, he is on fire. His forehand was unbelievable! Even though Paul lost the third set, that’s no problem – he came back and beat Stefano 6-1 in the 4th set.

Ajla Tomljanović vs Panna Udvardy

Netflix “Break Point” Star, Alja Tomjanović has returned! Starting off strong, Udvardy won the first set, but then Ajla came back strong with her Serena beating shots. From her powerful forehand to her unstoppable backhands, she won the next two sets, and the whole game. Of course, straight from an injury, she wasn’t in her full form, but just enough to beat Panna. I can’t believe I saw a TV star!

Christopher Eubanks no.28 vs. Soon-woo Kwon

Wimbledon quarter finalist, Chris Eubanks is at it again with Kwon, looking for revenge from the Australian Open. With Eubanks winning the first two sets, he was off to a great start. Oops, jinxed it, he got bageled (6-0) in the third set. Don’t worry, he won the 4th set! It was so amazing to see how giant he was in real life, he was almost taller than Shaq!

Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 7) vs. Milos Raonic

Why such a fancy tennis court? Welcome to Louis Armstrong Stadium! Tsitsipas is off to a great start, with winning the first set 6-2. His powerful groundstroke was very helpful against Raonic, but one wasn’t as good when Milos hit it straight back at full force, and since Stefanos was not protecting the line, he didn’t get it back. Even with three aces, and eight winners, Milos lost the first set, as I said. Raonic was no problem to Tsitsipas, as he won in straight sets. That was the last match my Dad and I watched, and I loved it!

Extras!

My Dad and me got a peak at Felix Auger Aliassime and Mackenzie McDonald, but we weren’t happy with Felix as we saw when we went home he lost! Then, we went to the Wilson store, and we saw at least seven stringers stringing non-stop! It was so cool to see how they string the racquets! Overall, it was a great experience.

Pictures!