BOUNCING AROUND

A year after riding his brilliant serve to the US Open semifinals, exciting American talent Ben Shelton bounced former champion Dominic Thiem out of Flushing Meadows on the first day, bringing an end to the Austrian’s stellar career.

Shelton, who boasts a serve that kicks like a mule on landing, was always going to be well-received as a local favourite but it was not only the barracking he received that gave him a buzz.

The 21-year-old, who defeated Thiem 6-4 6-2 6-2, was happy to see fans in attendance given the freedom to move around the stands and grounds at will, but he was certain some of his rivals will be less than impressed.

“I noticed it, but once the point starts, I don’t notice it,” he said.

“I guess with (all the) college tennis I’ve played (and) this UTS Tour as well, there’s a lot of situations where I’ve been in that’s a lot crazier than a couple of people walking with drinks back to their seat, (carrying) Honey Deuces.

“I don’t really mind it. I’m sure some players will be annoyed with it this week and maybe stop playing or hold up as long as they can (but) I don’t really care.”

Aussie star Alexei Popyrin, who carried his good form from the Montreal Masters to Flushing Meadows when defeating Soonwoo Kwon 7-5 6-2 6-3, said he took a little while to get used to the movement.

“If anything, I was more frustrated by a few things on the court that … we have to get used to (with) the people and the free movement and stuff like that,” he said.

“It was a little bit difficult at the start to get used to it but … once I got my head into it, it was easy. (Alexander) Bublik was playing on the court next to me, and you know he is, and the crowd gets involved with everything. I’ve played a lot on the outside courts, so you get used.”

Gauff, who entered the US Open searching for her best form, posted a convincing 6-2 6-0 victory over Varvara Gracheva on Arthur Ashe Stadium and clearly had no issues with the movement.

“It doesn’t really bother me. There’s sometimes (where) maybe somebody is wearing a white shirt or something. Only today I told my opponent to wait for a second for this person to sit down. Usually it doesn’t bother me,” she said.

“Sometimes it is weird when there are so many people because then there’s people coming on the side and the back and that. For me, whatever (the) fan experience, I think, is fine.

“As long as the umpires stay accommodating when players want to wait, because everybody has their preference, and it is sometimes difficult depending on the colour of somebody’s shirt, that you lose the ball when they toss it up as a returner.

“I think the fan experience is important. Those (first) three games sometimes go, like, 20 minutes, so I think it’s a great thing.”

Meanwhile Novak Djokovic began his campaign to win a record 25th Grand Slam title with a straight-sets win over Radu Albo.

The four-time champion, playing for the first time since claiming Olympic gold two weeks ago, defeated the Moldovan qualifier 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.

Djokovic arrived on Arthur Ashe Stadium for his 40th career night match at the tournament with two gold bags slung over his shoulder in a nod to his recent Olympic success in Paris.

The 37-year-old, who has lost his Australian and French Open titles this year, was barely troubled by 138th-ranked Albot who has never defeated a top 10 player.

His straightforward victory was also a record 78th on the sport’s biggest court. “The night sessions here are the best in the world and since the roof was added, it’s got even louder,” said Djokovic.

“There’s an incredible energy and with the new rule this year that the crowd can move around, there are lot of things happening.”

Second seed Djokovic broke for a 3-2 lead in the opener and was a break to the good in the third game of the second.

Albot rallied to level but the Serb superstar raced away with the next four games to open a two sets lead.

Djokovic broke again for a 4-3 lead in the third and wrapped up victory shortly before midnight.

– with AFP

THE PARTY COURT WILL BE BACK AT MELBOURNE PARK

The US Open has always been known as a more laid-back grand slam, with fans happy to down a few cold ones and then indulge in some hollering from the stands.

And the relaxation of laws related to marijuana in New York prompted some players to complain a year ago about trying to serve out sets without inhaling as the scent of the green weed wafted across courts.

But there is no party court, per se, which is an innovation Australian Open organisers introduced on an outside court at Melbourne Park this year in an experiment that drew mixed reviews initially but appeared to reasonably well-received.

Australian Open boss Craig Tiley, in an interview with Clay Magazine, has promised the push to make tennis a more fan-friendly environment will continue in 2025.

“This past year we tested crowd movement during the games. We tested the bar on the court, which probably took a few days to get used to, but then the fans loved it,” he said.

“(We are) just trying to bring the fans and the players a lot closer together. We built a whole lot more shade for our fans on all the courts, because we have an ultimate objective of having every seat in the shade.

“And so, you know, each year we will do some things that give the fans a very different experience and it’ll be no different for 2025.”

HONEY DEUCE COCKTAILS COVER THE COST OF THE PRIZE MONEY

Those ‘Honey Deuces’ Ben Shelton was referring to earlier?

Let’s just say that while Pimm’s and Lemonade is a favourite at Wimbledon, the US Open’s cocktail of choice is the pick of the slams. And it is priced accordingly.

In a city where a takeaway latte is costing on average A$12 at the moment, the price for the signature cocktail at Flushing Meadows this year is US$23, which converts to $34 Australian. At that price, they would want to be good.

But they are popular and reap in a windfall, as an American sports and business reporter pointed out when noting the tournament sold 450,000 of them last year at a price of $22, which brought in $9.9 million. That equates to A$14.6 million, which is some sweet juice.

At a time when players are wrestling with tennis bodies for greater prizemoney to enable those ranked outside the top 100 a chance to make a living, it is worth noting this more than doubles the A$5.3 million on offer to the winners of the men’s and women’s singles.