Please enable JavaScript to view key events.Deuce. Muchova’s backhand slice hits the net and bounces up for Townsend to unleash a powerful backhand shot. Muchova reaches it, but it drops on her side and she fails to return it over the net.Correction. Townsend’s stance when receiving a serve is not like that of a cricket batter. It’s difficult to describe, but it’s almost like she’s fencing. Both shoulders are pointed towards the court, but one foot is positioned significantly ahead of the other. Both knees are bent before she takes a spring and a step, almost attacking the baseline. She is down 40-30 as Muchova serves to tie the set.Now Muchova has three break points. She was given an easy opportunity with the last point. A slow return allowed Townsend to charge towards the net. However, she hesitated and couldn’t decide whether to smash, drop, or play to the corner. In the end, she fluffed the shot and hit it straight into the net.Muchova then breaks back. 2-3 in the first set.Townsend breaks and takes a 3-1 lead in the first set. She had to work hard for it. Muchova figured out that serving to Townsend’s body would counter her unique receiving stance. The score went from 0-40 to 30-40, but Muchova hit a long forehand shot and failed to hold her serve.Townsend hits a powerful forehand winner across the court. It’s not just about the power, it was perfectly placed. She now has three break points to take control of the first set.Townsend holds and wins the game. She leads the first set 2-1.Meanwhile, Wang and Schmiedlova have both held their serves and are tied at 2-2.There are noisy planes flying overhead in New York. Both players have shown their irritation but can still focus on the game at hand. They just exchanged a rally of 19 shots, with Townsend finishing it off with a forehand winner. She is deadly when she unloads on her forehand. A smash at the net brings the score to 40-15.It’s worth noting that Queens has a lot of planes flying overhead. Photo: Javier García/ShutterstockUpdate at 16.40 BSTMuchova holds. The first set is tied at 1-1. It’s been an entertaining match so far.Townsend brings it to deuce with a fantastic return. Her approach to returning serves is interesting, starting with an almost exaggerated batting stance similar to cricket. One foot in front of the other, staring down the line. It’s working for her, as she now has a break point.Townsend aces to win the first game. She is leading Muchova 1-0.Muchova was the runner-up at this year’s French Open.I have already switched sides. I believe Muchova (10) against the American Townsend could be the one to watch. In the opening exchange, Townsend had the serve on game point but fell short on her backhand winner, hitting the net. This first game has already had multiple deuce exchanges. As I said, this is the match to keep an eye on.We have our first game of the day. At least the first one I’ve seen. Schmiedlova holds her serve against Wang and takes a 1-0 lead.In case you missed it, Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the next round. Bryan Armen Graham covered the match and wrote a report about it:There are a few matches getting underway as we speak:Women’s singles:Men’s doubles:Women’s doubles:Update at 16.06 BSTI’ve always wondered what it’s like to play against a friend in a top-level tennis match. Do they hold grudges off the court? Do they exchange personal comments during the heat of the battle?Swiatek and Juvan are reportedly good friends. We’ll find out later what kind of energy they share on the court.We said goodbye to a legend yesterday. As this article begins, “John Isner’s career fittingly ended with a final-set tiebreaker.”The 38-year-old American retired after a 17-year career when he lost to fellow American Michael Mmoh 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (7).Isner’s most famous contribution to the game is his participation in the longest match in tennis history. In the first round of Wimbledon in 2018, he played a marathon match against Nicolas Mahut that lasted 11 hours and five minutes and ended with a 70-68 score in the fifth set. Isner, of course, emerged as the winner. He retires with a career-high ranking of No. 8, but it’s that grueling match that will be remembered the most.There are some other exciting matches today. I missed the games that started after midnight on my side (London time). Not the best start.Crowd favorite Coco Gauff will face Elise Mertens from Belgium. That should be an intense match.Another American, Taylor Fritz, will take on Jakub Mensik. And of course, Novak Djokovic will play against his countryman, Laslo Djere.All of these matches will start once I’ve finished, but if you’re in a different time zone or just coming back from a night out, they are definitely worth watching.PreambleDaniel GallanHello everyone and welcome to the third round of the US Open. We have some exciting matches this afternoon and evening, with my personal favorite being the showdown between American Frances Tiafoe and French player Adrian Mannarino. It’s the 10th and 22nd seeds going head to head at 18:30 BST/13:30 EST. But there’s a bigger name in action.Defending champion and top-ranked player Iga Swiatek from Poland will face unseeded Kaja Juvan from Slovenia. That match will start around 17:15 BST/12:15 EST.There are also some British players involved. Neal Skupski, alongside his Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof, forms the top-ranked men’s doubles pair. Heather Watson will represent Britain in the women’s doubles, partnering with Anna Danilina from Kazakhstan.There will be a lot going on, and I’ll be keeping a close eye on it all. If you have any thoughts or opinions, feel free to reach out to me.I hope everyone has had a great Friday. Let’s get started…
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