A Slice of the Big Apple: US Open Day 15

Posted by Ryan Woodring · Updated Aug 10, 2018

Rising From the Ashes

I won't bore everyone with phoenix analogies, or trivia about the National Tennis Center being located on a rehabbed ash dump/landfill. Still, it's fitting considering Marin Cilic's bumpy road to his first Grand Slam title. After years of up-and-down results, Cilic faced his most difficult hurdle of all when he was suspended last year for accidentally taking a banned substance. The suspension may have been a blessing in disguise as Cilic used the off time to evaluate his game and work with new coach Goran Ivanisevic. In the end, Cilic rose to the occasion, scoring a mostly drama-free, straight sets win over a game Kei Nishikori. For now, the US Open trophy is surely the centerpiece of Cilic's perseverance and achievement, but more than ever, I'm curious to see what another season of Grand Slam tennis brings for him, Nishikori, and the other rising stars.

Federer's Proxy Win

Though Federer didn't win, and didn't even make the final, he still sort of deserves some credit according to Google Translate. I actually stumbled across this on Twitter yesterday, but it was too late for the daily update. Typing Marin Čilić's name into Google's Translate service yields an English translation of… Roger Federer!

R.I.P. Grandstand

The Grandstand Court is set to be demolished following the end of the 2014 US Open with a new 8,000 seat Grandstand to be constructed for the 2015 US Open. The Grandstand was originally part of the Singer Bowl—a large outdoor exhibition site constructed for the 1964 World's Fair—that was renovated and divided to form Louis Armstrong Stadium and the attached Grandstand. The demolition and relocation of the Grandstand is part of a $550 million renovation plan that includes putting retractable roofs over Ashe and Armstrong Arenas.

Goodnight CBS

CBS closed out its last ever broadcast of the US Open at the end of the men's final. ESPN, who offered the bulk of the coverage this year, will take over as the full-time broadcaster for next year's Open.