Cincinnati Made History, and the US Open is here

Two 1000s ran back to back with no gap, so this episode is a two-parter. We recorded it during the Cincinnati men's final, with the score running underneath us the whole time.

Act one is Cincinnati. Arthur Fils and Frances Tiafoe met in the first ATP Masters 1000 final between two Black players. Anastasia finally tells the story of how the King of New York nickname started on Court 12 in 2023 and how it got away from her. Nick makes the case for Sara Bejlek, who is twenty, left-handed, and beat three major champions on her way to the semifinals. And we get into Brandon Nakashima, who made a final in January, got forgotten, then made two more deep runs in three weeks.

Act two is New York. Jannik Sinner is out. Jack Draper is out. Carlos Alcaraz is back from a wrist injury and playing mixed doubles with Serena Williams. And Fan Week starts Monday, which is free, and which has quietly become the entire US Open for a lot of fans who cannot afford the main draw anymore.

We also cover Kei Nishikori's last US Open, who to watch in qualifying, what a grounds pass actually costs now, and which ESPN tier gets you the match you want instead of the one a network picked for you.

▶ Our US Open Guide - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/us-open-guide

Chapters:

00:15 Introduction

03:01 Why Arthur Fils is the King of New York

06:13 Cincinnati Open mini recap

08:21 Serena Williams and Venus Williams back playing doubles

11:09 Sara Bejlek reemerges

13:51 Brandon Nakashima back on the rise