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We are now halfway through the final Grand Slam of the 2023 tennis calendar.
It’s time check in on the action from the US Open at Flushing Meadows and there are plenty of storylines to follow.
Ben and Mike discuss the mental resiliency shown once more by 23-time slam champion Novak Djokovic as he seeks a fourth title in New York, while Carlos Alcaraz has advanced unscathed and looks to defend his crown.
Ben discussed the toughness from Djokovic, facing a 2-0 hole in sets against Laslo Djere.
“Novak finds a way to firstly not panic, reset, and mentally lock in,” says Ben.
“It’s another testament to the fact of how strong Novak is in the best-of-five format, that he rallies from down two sets to love and wins that match and is now into his 57th major quarterfinal.”
The American men have emerged with three players into the final eight for the first time since 2005 – the hosts chat about the prospects of Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, and Ben Shelton.
In the meantime, Iga Swiatek will officially lose her world number one ranking after 75 weeks, as she fell to Jelena Ostapenko.
Read also: Sharapova Discusses Equality in Tennis and Personal Challenges at UNMATCHED Conference
Coco Gauff continues her incredible summer hard court run and Mike explains why he’s a big fan of Qinwen Zheng.
“We’ve been talking about her for some time – great movement on the court against Ons Jabeur playing very aggressively, which I think is something her coach Wim Fissette is pushing her to do more and more,” says McIntyre.
“This is a player that I feel is another one of the young ones on the tour that is going to have a great future.”
It was a challenging final slam of the year for Canadians as none of them advanced past the opening round in singles.
The pair look at what has plagued results of late, particularly for Felix Auger-Aliassiame, while holding out hope for Leylah Fernandez and Gaby Dabrowski in doubles.
Plus, one of Canada’s biggest rock bands of all time has a new single!
We premier ‘Bumblebee’ by The Tragically Hip to close out our episode.
All of that and more on our latest MPC!
Listen to our newest episode of Match Point Canada, available on Megaphone, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify below. Enjoy!
