The US Open debrief: Five big questions, five big answers

NEW YORK -- How much fun was that?

For nearly three weeks, nonstop drama unfolded at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

From the revamped mixed doubles tournament to Amanda Anisimova avenging her Wimbledon loss against Iga Swiatek to Aryna Sabalenka successfully defending her US Open title and cementing her status at the top of the women’s game, these three weeks in New York were loaded with intrigue.

Sabalenka’s win was another reminder of her stature, but it also came in a season that once again delivered four different Grand Slam champions, further solidifying the remarkable parity on the Hologic WTA Tour.

That balance has become a defining theme of the post-Serena era. Since Williams won three majors in 2015, four different winners in a season has happened seven times in nine years. (Only three majors were played in 2020 because of the pandemic.)

The exceptions? Swiatek and Sabalenka, who each captured two in 2022 and 2024, respectively.

To make sense of it all, we posed five big questions from New York and let Brad Kallet and Greg Garber take it from there.

Is Naomi Osaka truly back among the elite?

GG: Brad, I’ll be honest. When Naomi Osaka nearly beat Swiatek at last year’s French Open -- she was serving at 5-3 in the third and had a match point -- I thought she’d go on to win the US Open. Her return to the elite levels of the game took longer than I thought, but after two full seasons since becoming a mother, she’s officially back. You could see the fire in her eyes when she beat No. 3 seed Coco Gauff in the fourth round and two-time semifinalist Karolina Muchova in the quarters. With new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski in her corner, mark her down as one of the favorites four months from now in Melbourne.

BK: Couldn’t agree more, Greg. And what impressed me most was her poise and attitude, the joy she was having on the court. With a fresh perspective, she seemed to embrace and appreciate the moment, and that showed in her game. After her win over Muchova, Osaka admitted she felt pressure to return to form post-childbirth, a la Belinda Bencic at Wimbledon, and she seemed relieved to get that monkey off her back and return to a Slam semifinal. She appears to be primed for a huge 2025 -- great news for tennis, because it’s better when she’s at her best.

Did Taylor Townsend just have her true breakout moment?

GG: Some harsh words from Jelena Ostapenko thrust Taylor Townsend into the headlines, but she handled it with restraint and class. And then she went out and played more tennis. After losing in the second round of mixed doubles with Ben Shelton, Townsend took out Ostapenko and No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva in singles before losing a tough three-setter to Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round. And then, pairing with Katerina Siniakova, the No. 1 seeds made it all the way to the doubles final, where they lost to Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe. That’s a total of 12 matches -- and a huge boost to the Taylor Townsend brand.

“Definitely never been to a place like this,” Townsend told reporters. “I feel like this tournament changed my life in terms of exposure. I mean, my social media followers have quadrupled. It's crazy.

“I really feel like the type of tennis that I played, and just the person and the player that I am now, really gained a lot of respect in the locker room amongst my counterparts. Even Novak [Djokovic] said something to me. Jannik [Sinner] said something to me. Like, ‘Hey, you played really well. Keep going, keep going.’”

BK: Dare I say that Townsend was the MVP of the tournament? I know, hard to make that claim considering the performances of Sabalenka, Anisimova, Osaka and Jessica Pegula.

But in so many ways, this was Townsend’s coming-out party. She became the darling of the tournament, showing maturity in the face of an uncomfortable situation that went viral, and then had Louis Armstrong Stadium sounding like the Stones at Madison Square Garden during her match with Krejcikova. To follow that up with a run to the doubles final says a lot about not only her talent, but her character.

Down to her on-court interviews and press conferences, she pressed all the right buttons over these three weeks, and her rise in popularity is long overdue.

“I’m exactly where I need to be,” she said after dropping that heartbreaking fourth-rounder.

I’m excited to see where she goes next.

Are the Czechs still the deepest force in women’s tennis?

GG: I am continually impressed with the Czech Republic players. Three of them -- Krejcikova, Marketa Vondrousova and Muchova -- all made the quarterfinals. All three of them were battling some kind of injury or fatigue, but it was a reminder how good they are. And don’t forget Siniakova, who reached the doubles final with Townsend. And there’s more where that came from. Sisters Jana and Alena Kovackova, 15 and 17, respectively, won the girls’ doubles title.

BK: Muchova is just so solid -- always a threat to win in New York -- and I couldn’t get over Krejcikova’s toughness and resolve against Townsend. She didn’t bat an eye in saving eight hard-fought match points, with 14,000-plus fans on the edge of their seats hoping she’d flub one to give the American the match. What a competitor, and you understand why she’s a two-time major champion. It was a shame that Vondrousova couldn’t go against Sabalenka in the quarters, but it was a hell of a week for her, with wins over two Top 10 players.

Did the new mixed doubles format deliver?

GG: How do you entice the world’s best singles players to play doubles? Move the mixed doubles tournament to the week leading into singles play, let them pick their partners -- and throw in $1 million for the winners. It was great to see all those crazy combinations (Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz!), but it’s no coincidence that actual doubles players prevailed in the end. Italians Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori defended their title by defeating Swiatek and Casper Ruud 6-3, 5-7, [10-6].

BK: Maybe the format wasn’t perfect, and perhaps it can be tweaked in years to come, but you can’t argue that the revamped mixed doubles tourney wasn’t a huge success. It was affordable, it was packed -- I can’t tell you how many people in my neighborhood in New York told me they were going -- and we saw some fascinating combinations and ridiculous star power. It was like an All-Star Game that actually meant something.

And it had the perfect outcome, in my opinion, with the doubles specialists getting it done and showing off their specific skills and craftsmanship. Huge win for the Open.

How will Petra Kvitova and Caroline Garcia be remembered?

GG: I’m going to miss Kvitova and Garcia. They played their last Grand Slam matches on the first Monday, losing in the first round.

Kvitova was a two-time Wimbledon champion.

“It was long a journey to get to the top 100,” she said. “It was many years playing under the pressure as well as being top 10 for a long time. Being Grand Slam champion, it’s great pressure to have, for sure. It was a lot of pressure overall in my tennis career. But I enjoyed it. I think I did it quite well.”

Garcia was an aggressive, athletic talent who won the WTA Finals in 2022 and 10 other tournaments.

“It was a great run,” Garcia said. “I did a great thing on court, and I went until what I could achieve. I’m very happy and in peace with my decision to move forward with my life and close the chapter of being a tennis player.”

BK: It’s always sad when you lose great talents and great champions, not to mention likable and engaging personalities. Kvitova and Garcia were fantastic players and terrific ambassadors for the sport, and there’s no question they’ll continue to be. Garcia hosts a terrific podcast, Tennis Insider Club, and I’m sure we’ll continue to see Kvitova around the game.

Congrats to both on their fantastic careers, and I wish them a fulfilling next chapter in retirement. Well-deserved and well-earned.

Click here to read article