{"id":339977,"date":"2026-09-07T15:48:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T15:48:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/339977\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T15:48:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T15:48:27","slug":"u-s-open-recap-day-8-an-ambidextrous-tennis-prospect-comes-to-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/339977\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Open recap Day 8: An ambidextrous tennis prospect comes to New York"},"content":{"rendered":"

Follow The Athletic\u2019s U.S. Open coverage<\/a><\/p>\n

The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 U.S. Open<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Welcome to the U.S. Open briefing, where The Athletic\u00a0will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament.<\/p>\n

On Day 8, a rare sight on the U.S. Open\u2019s outside courts, a perfect record for a U.S. favorite and a champion\u2019s unlikely superpower.<\/p>\n

How did an ambidextrous tennis prospect arrive at the U.S. Open?<\/p>\n

Sunday at the U.S. Open, Court 6 played host to something unique before the night session began. Fans sitting on the benches and end bleachers witnessed Teodor Davidov, the 16-year-old American wild card, play ambidextrous tennis during his junior boys\u2019 singles first-round match against South Africa\u2019s Connor Doig.<\/p>\n

Davidov hits two forehands, changing hands depending on where the ball is hit. He also uses left- and right-handed serves for hitting toward the deuce and ad courts respectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s crazy,\u201d said one fan in the bleachers about Davidov\u2019s distinctive style.<\/p>\n

Davidov originally started playing tennis as a righty, with a regulation forehand and backhand. When he started using a left-handed forehand as a practice tool for his backhand, Kalin, his dad and coach, noticed that his son could play as a lefty.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad saw that I was pretty coordinated with the left hand, so it popped up an idea for him to start training me with two forehands, two serves, and just slowly but surely, lots of practice,\u201d Davidov said during an interview.<\/p>\n

It depends on the match which side Davidov prefers. Against Doig, Davidov admitted it wasn\u2019t his best performance. He lost 7-6(4), 6-3, dropping a break advantage in the opening set. Davidov tallied 58 unforced errors for the match with only seven winners, and struggled on his second serve, only winning 41 percent of points.<\/p>\n

As the match progressed, Doig attacked Davidov\u2019s lefty side, which didn\u2019t have the same pace as the right-handed forehand. One of many examples came when Davidov served down 3-2 in the second set. Leading 30-0, Davidov served right-handed. Doig hit a powerful return to his lefty side, so Davidov was forced to change hands quickly before dumping a left-handed forehand in the net.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\u201cMy lefty, I didn\u2019t think I was hitting it enough,\u201d Davidov said. \u201cThe righty, I was making more errors than usual.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davidov, who trains at the Inspiration Academy in Bradenton, Fla., earned his first ATP ranking points in February when he qualified into the ITF M15 tournament in Naples, Fla. He won two main-draw matches on the third tier of professional men\u2019s tennis.<\/p>\n

Asked whether he has plans to become a full-time right- or left-handed player, Davidov gave a simple \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ambidextrous approach is here to stay as he continues to play ITF junior tournaments, as well as a smattering of pro events.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Lukas Weese<\/p>\n

Why does Frances Tiafoe love Louis Armstrong Stadium?<\/p>\n

Players have a favorite court at every Grand Slam. At the U.S. Open, some folks like to park themselves on Arthur Ashe Stadium \u2014 generally, those are the ones who think they\u2019ll end up there on finals weekend anyways \u2014 while others prefer the vibes on the smaller stadium courts.<\/p>\n

Iga \u015awi\u0105tek talked this week about how she\u2019s enjoyed her two matches on Grandstand, because it\u2019s a bit quieter than the tournament\u2019s main stage. Court 17, now known as Stadium 17, is often used as an incubator for young Americans.<\/p>\n

Nobody owns Louis Armstrong Stadium, the second-largest stage, like Frances Tiafoe. Tournament organizers like to schedule big personalities that can whip a more intimate crowd into a frenzy over there.<\/p>\n

That makes Tiafoe and the No. 2 stage a perfect match \u2014 literally. The No. 11 seed improved to a perfect 10-0 on Louis Armstrong Stadium on Sunday by winning one of the most-anticipated matches of the tournament against a resurgent Daniil Medvedev. His 7-6(1), 6-4, 7-6(6) win was the latest example of the inspired tennis he\u2019s been playing lately, marked in part by his efficiency.<\/p>\n

Tiafoe has made at least the third round at a Grand Slam 19 times in his career, but this is just the fourth such tournament where he\u2019s won three consecutive matches in straight sets.<\/p>\n

\"Frances<\/p>\n

\n Frances Tiafoe has won 10 consecutive matches on Louis Armstrong Stadium at the U.S. Open. (Matthew Stockman \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Still, this is Tiafoe, and just because he\u2019s efficient doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s being boring. His match against Medvedev electrified a rapturous crowd on Louis Armstrong, which in the third set stopped admitting fans because the stands were so packed.<\/p>\n

The third-set tiebreak brought a few of the most exciting minutes of the U.S. Open this year. Trailing 6-5 on Medvedev\u2019s serve, Tiafoe came into the net to go toe-to-toe with Medvedev \u2014 despite the fact that he\u2019d missed on a backhand approach shot in the previous point. This time, he outfoxed the Russian with his reflexes and touch to rouse the crowd into a chorus of \u201cLet\u2019s go, Foe!\u201d Take a look at that shot a bit further down.<\/p>\n

Then, with a flick of his wrist from the back corner of the court, he sent a crosscourt backhand zipping low just over the net to land at Medvedev\u2019s feet and set up match point. Medvedev sent a forehand into the net, and it was Tiafoe\u2019s turn to roar.<\/p>\n

He faces his countryman Alex Michelsen next, the world No. 46 who beat No. 27 seed Tom\u00e1s Mart\u00edn Etcheverry 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-4 to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time in his career. The 22-year-old might not yet have much sway with the tournament, but he might want to put in a request for that match to be on any court other than Louis Armstrong Stadium.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Ava Wallace<\/p>\n

How did a Wimbledon champion build a superpower that comes from adversity?<\/p>\n

Linda Noskov\u00e1<\/a> is developing quite the superpower.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the sort of superpower that anyone in tennis would really choose to have, but it\u2019s valuable nonetheless.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Go back to the Wimbledon final. Noskov\u00e1 is up 6-2, 5-2 over her Czech compatriot and friend, Karol\u00edna Muchov\u00e1<\/a>, in mid-July. She squanders five match points, and loses the second set 7-5.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 21-year-old goes off court for a toilet break, but really just to get some quiet. She sees the trophy. She gathers herself and wins the final set 6-3 to become the Wimbledon champion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Flash forward to Sunday\u2019s fourth-round match at the U.S. Open against Ukraine\u2019s Marta Kostyuk, a rematch of a Wimbledon semifinal. Noskov\u00e1 is serving at 7-5, 5-4. She\u2019s up 40-15. But then the error bug starts to bite. Kostyuk, who has been building a banner season, surges and wins the next three games. Louis Armstrong Stadium explodes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Noskov\u00e1 goes off court, ostensibly for a toilet break. Really, it\u2019s just to escape the noise.<\/p>\n

No, she didn\u2019t think about Wimbledon, she said. That part of it isn\u2019t such a great memory. She told herself to start thinking about how she needed to play and what was coming next.<\/p>\n

The result was a 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 win. It included a few more misses on match points, but for Noskov\u00e1, that is seemingly no big deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to restart. I had to refocus, kind of put it behind me, which was not easy at all, especially since Marta started, you know, very well in the third,\u201d she said when it was over. \u201cIt\u2019s always the most important thing to kind of get yourself back mentally after such opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for what\u2019s next \u2013 a duel with the world No. 1 and two-time defending champion, Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Taylor Townsend 6-3, 6-4 in a seesawing match full of breaks of serve.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Matt Futterman<\/p>\n

How did Carlos Alcaraz send a message to the rest of the draw?<\/p>\n

Carlos Alcaraz appears to have his flow back.<\/p>\n

The 23-year-old looked more like his pre-wrist injury self than he has all tournament on Sunday in a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win against American Tommy Paul. The fluidity, timing and pop were back in his game and, most notably of all, everything seemed to come naturally to Alcaraz once again.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, beating Tommy Paul is always great feedback to see where you are. Just really happy about everything I\u2019ve done today,\u201d Alcaraz said in a news conference after.<\/p>\n

Unintended Paul shade aside, Alcaraz is right \u2014 he holds a 7-2 record over the American, who hasn\u2019t beaten him since 2023. The last time they played, Alcaraz vanquished him in straight sets in a fourth-round match on his way to winning the Australian Open title this year. Beating Paul here must have felt like a good omen.<\/p>\n

Not that he needs them. Alcaraz was dominant Sunday, and never looked more comfortable than early in the second set, when he went on a run of winning 14 out of 17 points. That run encapsulated a break at love in the second game, where it was as if Alcaraz had Paul on puppet strings.<\/p>\n

At 0-0, Paul clipped the net with a forehand and the ball bounced high, so Alcaraz bounded forward to crack a forehand down the line. Two points later, Alcaraz chipped a return back then floated over to his forehand side to rifle a shot crosscourt that just clipped the line, for the type of jaw-dropping winner that only Alcaraz can produce. At 0-40, he made his way to the same spot halfway up the court where Paul had once again clipped the net to put away another sitter.<\/p>\n

This time, the Spaniard seemed to pause for a millisecond, as if rummaging through his spice drawer, deciding which flavor to dust onto this shot. He went with an inside-out forehand before calmly walking back to the baseline to get ready to serve. Why should he celebrate? That\u2019s regular Alcaraz stuff, after all.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Ava Wallace<\/p>\n

Other notable results on Day 8:
\nThree more American successes started with Jessica Pegula (3), who got through another tricky match against Romania\u2019s\u00a0Sorana C\u00eerstea (16), winning 6-3, 6-4.
\nBen Shelton (8) rolled past Greece\u2019s Stefanos Tsitsipas\u00a06-2, 6-3, 6-4, to set up a quarterfinal with Alcaraz.
\nEmma Navarro (26)\u00a0rolled too, defeating Russia\u2019s\u00a0Anna Kalinskaya (21) 6-4, 6-2 to set up her quarterfinal \u2014 against Pegula.
\nShot\u00a0of the day<\/p>\n

Down set point against a master of turning the screw in five sets, Frances Tiafoe came up with some magic in his hands at the net:<\/p>\n

\"\"Drop Shots<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf1f How Iva Jovi\u0107 and Alex Eala<\/a>, the 18- and 21-year-old rising stars of women\u2019s tennis, lit up primetime at the U.S. Open.<\/p>\n

\u2694\ufe0f At this tournament, some players have cruised while others have clawed. Is it better to be battle-tested<\/a>?<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udea7 The players might be the stars, but at this U.S. Open more than any other, their coaches are in the sponsorship spotlight<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u231b Relive the 1991 U.S. Open fourth-round match<\/a> that went down in history and ended a friendship.<\/p>\n

Up next: Fourth round continues<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfbe Women\u2019s singles: Iga \u015awi\u0105tek (8) vs. Zheng Qinwen (Q)<\/p>\n

11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Unlimited<\/p>\n

Just over two years ago, China\u2019s Zheng Qinwen stunned Iga \u015awi\u0105tek in their 2024 Paris Olympics semifinal, ending the Polish six-time Grand Slam champion\u2019s 25-match win streak at Roland Garros in an upset win. From there, Zheng took the gold medal; since then, both players have had to reckon with rebuilding. \u015awi\u0105tek\u2019s journey to remould her tennis is seemingly close to fruition; Zheng\u2019s run from qualifying to the fourth round here is her best run since a series of layoffs due to a chronic elbow injury.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfbe Men\u2019s singles: Francisco Cer\u00fandolo (24) vs. Alexander Blockx (28)<\/p>\n

1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN \/ ABC, ESPN Unlimited<\/p>\n

A classic tennis dynamic here: Two players coming off serious upsets trying to back up their success. In the previous round, Argentina\u2019s Cer\u00fandolo stunned 2024 finalist Taylor Fritz from two sets down, and Belgium\u2019s Blockx surged past 2026 French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli in four sets. Their half of the men\u2019s draw is wide open, and both players have given Alexander Zverev, the favorite in that section, trouble in the past.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfbe Women\u2019s singles: Naomi Osaka (13) vs. Elena Rybakina (2)<\/p>\n

Not before 2:30 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN Unlimited<\/p>\n

Naomi Osaka\u2019s run to the U.S. Open semifinals last year rubber-stamped her return to the upper echelons of tennis. A match against world No. 2 Elena Rybakina is exactly what the four-time major champion wants as she seeks to maximise this phase of her career. For Rybakina, it has far more immediate importance: Win and she will be one victory away from reaching world No. 1 for the first time.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfbe Women\u2019s singles: Iva Jovi\u0107 (14) vs. Coco Gauff (4)<\/p>\n

7 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Unlimited<\/p>\n

Coco Gauff, 22, has a fine record of showing rising stars even younger than her that there are levels to this game. Iva Jovi\u0107, 18, gave Gauff one of her tougher tests at the Italian Open, pushing her to three sets and having chances to defeat her fellow American in straights. A fizzing atmosphere at Arthur Ashe Stadium should make this night-session match a thriller.<\/p>\n

U.S. Open 2026 women\u2019s bracketU.S. Open 2026 men\u2019s bracket<\/p>\n

Tell us what you noticed on the eighth day\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Follow The Athletic\u2019s U.S. Open coverage The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 U.S. Open. Welcome to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":339978,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[17,9,11,10,23,15547],"class_list":["post-339977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-culture","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-sports-business","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=339977"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339977\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/339978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=339977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=339977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=339977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}