US Open Day 6 takeaways: Gauff and Osaka’s heartfelt moment steals the spotlight

The beautiful moment between Naomi Osaka and “Coco” Gauff represented the best of tennis. But that isn’t the only thing that made Saturday an incredible day at the US Open, with lots of new names and exciting matches.

Let’s start with the best moment of the day. If the matchup between world No. 1 Naomi Osaka and Cori “Coco” Gauff didn’t quite live up to the performance hype (6-3, 6-0), it transcended tennis with the amount of sportsmanship on display afterwards.

Gauff was understandably disappointed with the results, after having the crowd at her feet since her meteoric, thrilling rise at Wimbledon. The 15-year-old’s love for the sport and ability to connect with the crowd has enthralled since she defeated Venus Williams at the grass slam.

Osaka acknowledged how far both players have made it and asked her younger competitor to share her post-match interview, which had not only both of them in tears, but the Arthur Ashe crowd (and the crowd at home) emotionally overcome as well. I’ll let their words speak for themselves:

https://twitter.com/SloaneStephens/status/1167959554929246209

Osaka has said she sees many similarities between the two of them in press conferences. Gauff has progressed deep into two grand slams this year, and although her appearances are limited due to her age, she’s clearly one of the biggest stars already in tennis and will rise through the rankings fast. Expect big things from the American superstar in the future.

https://twitter.com/usopen/status/1167983412239642624

Naomi Osaka looks poised to defend her US Open title as she faces No. 13 Belinda Bencic on Monday.

If that wasn’t enough emotional impact, earlier in the day, USA’s Taylor Townsend continued to have the home crowd on their feet with her phenomenal run. While bigger names (Sloane Stephens, Danielle Collins, Sonya Kenin) have already been defeated, the 23-year-old is capitalizing on her rousing momentum, defeating Romanian Sorana Cîrstea in commanding fashion, 7-5, 6-2. I can’t say enough about Townsend’s inspiring run.

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, Townsend’s compatriot Khristie Ahn became the tournament’s giant-slayer by taking out 2017 French Open champ Jelena Ostapenko, also in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5. The 27-year-old Ahn battled through a leg injury and forced a multitude of errors from the Latvian, and will now face her biggest challenge yet, No. 25 Elise Mertens.

The WTA player of the year, Bianca Andreescu, did it again, producing the upset with an authoritative win over former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, 6-4, 6-4. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: I wouldn’t be surprised if she goes all the way to the final and even locks in her first grand slam. Andreescu has belief in spades and shows no signs of slowing down. She remains my dark horse pick for the title.

“It’s hard to play against Andreescu, because she’s got everything,” said former player Virginia Wade, commentating on the match, according to Tennis.com.

Nick Kyrgios’s fiery run at the US Open came to a screeching halt Saturday night, in a tight (and controversy-free) match won by a small margin (at least for the first two sets) by Russia’s Andrey Rublev, 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-3. It was an exciting event and Kyrgios’s unpredictable energy will be missed for the rest of the tournament.

Tennis titan Rafael Nadal had no problem dispatching NextGen talent Hyeon Chung in three sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Wearing the color of Rome, purple, he looked like a gladiator fixed on taking the title, but he will need to get through the challenge of Marin Čilić next, who will not be easy and won the title back in 2014.

The Croatian disappointed the partisan crowd by defeating USA’s John Isner in four tough sets, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4.

Speaking of Rome, the city’s Matteo Berrettini — part of a crop of talented Italians making inroads into the ATP — produced another win by defeating Alexei Popyrin, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-6(2). At age 23, he faces 21-year-old Rublev in the Round of 16.

One NextGen sensation who wasn’t so lucky was Denis Shapovalov, who was ousted by Tour veteran Gael Monfils, who is finding his form again, outlasting him in a five-set thriller, 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3.

“I think people love me because I play with my heart. I fight. It’s always something special with me,” Monfils said according to ATP. “You never know how and what I can do on the court. I think that’s why the people like that, a little bit [of] mystery part of me.

“I like the way I am now. I like the way the crowd is behind me. I love the energy here. I’m happy.”

There’s been plenty of criticism for NextGen darling Alexander Zverev as of late, but he produced his personal best at the US Open, progressing to the fourth round at the slam for the first time with a four-set win over Aljaž Bedene, 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-3, 7-6(3). Zverev’s achievements culminated in last year’s ATP Finals win — in addition to his three Masters 1000’s — but he’s disappointed fans by exhausting himself in slams with five setters. Getting the win in four is a positive sign that the German is on the mend after dealing with personal issues this year.

He will be challenged in the next round by Diego Schwartzman, who ended home country Tennys Sandgren’s hopes on Saturday, 6-4, 6-1, 6-3.

The Round of 16 gets underway on Sunday and we’re into the second week of the last slam of the year, all viewable on ESPN. Stay tuned here for all your US Open and tennis action. For my predictions for the final slam of the year, listen to Just End the Suffering podcast here.