in the shadows this near end [Applause] 15 Australian player who's helping Jordan Thompson as well we've all been watching late last night as I'm assuming you've got c as a half over to him for this one but generally speaking the Aussies are already always a pretty tight-knit Bunch yeah they've got a little wind in their sales here at the US Open Fitness I'm not sure if it's full fitness after to it's not yeah game picked up that players who stood on the medal stand from uh Paris including the bronze medalist MTI all eliminated early another move the structured point of course he got a fair bit of attention for Center when he was unable to compete in the Olympic Games due to a T [Music] 154 in New York because he didn't play any leadup tournament steady on the hard quarter between Paris and flushing met two [Applause] saved all three saved remember the covered in clay when he got there more unusual celebrations title winner on tour this year c c strikes early the artillery to stay with the Italian he having to find workarounds and I think that slice backand Lee is probably a good place to start he might need to try a little bit of the get a low short chip to Center's two-hander and see what happens that something I hope we'll see from honnell and now he's just reacting to the awesome action coming off the center's racket literally a few feet from one another going through the paces this morning a seriously good level the reason there's a one next to Center's name hand slice is pretty good and that was probably useful for center to see some of that in warmup see it's been a fast start 15 just behind his right shoulder Team USA to China for the qualifying round in a little about a week's time nice 13 watch o Connell it's it's such a classic style of Play It's of course modern with the rackets and Technology but his swings do look like they're out of the textbook as well his forehand beautiful technique but it's not fully modernized a ton of wrist lag in the last second the wrist accelerates and it's like you've got one Big C from the the big swing and you got your wrist doing an additional C which is a multiplier effect and that's where the power comes from to generate Top Spin on the for him but his wrist doesn't do a lot of the work the bigger muscles and Center at the Google Play Store interesting exchange already after for only four games 15 L you want to interpret that he was sounding pretty despondent already perhaps disp a little bit unfair but a realization that he's going to Sharp yeah 11 winners and just three unforced errors Moro encouraging to swing out the next two games basically saying this set's over mate Get Yourself Loose shake off whatever is is right now and get ready for the second set keep your feet moving and the response was I feel like I have to redline my game and that's of course you only have one chance and that's to just get red hot risking everything this illustration of the point you're making Jim faction around the the outside courts as well and the the other show courts big day isn't it third round action of the something we talk about a lot but if you start on a Monday of these tournaments but it is magnificent to be there the tennis has been magnificent so far from striking the ball cleanly is moving well complete dominance so far he's Cas rude I never let the facts get in the way of a good story 13 15 beautiful feel that time and vision two second nature to him the way it is for someone like alarz where it's all Instinct and improv let's all 15 multiple Masters 1000s those are the the biggest strongest richest events on the tour ring points as well conell ranked 87 at the moment [Applause] 14 15 from the world number one opening set the team will be really pleased with his progress so far see how mconnell gets on 15 [Applause] [Music] in career prize money but when you Hammer tize that out over 10 12 years of trying it's not a lot of money putting away if you can stay out here fall their way the way that Center has he's he's created it he's earned it o Connell works every bit as hard as yanic Center and is it just he at a busy few hours he was here watching poer in last night m some stuff to put away that gives him a little bit of a nest egg you've been grinding for many many years and you get a chance to basically earn 10% credit to the organizations and to the top players for suggesting that in the first [Applause] place it's only going to go up from here ESPN just signed a$2 billion renewal with the USA for 12 years of coverage so the gross revenue it's the life blood for someone like Christopher oconnell you mentioned the importance of the top top 100 ranking that's sort of speculate to accumulate performance coach mind coach chance to get on the board get a lead here for oon good grinding good patience not redlining there was he take a train or a car and play a professional tournament get points and a little bit of money good job there to get on the [Applause] board 15 [Applause] it's a good point you make talking about the the health of American tennis in the previous match with Lindsay devonport who's in a perfect position to sort of sa by not having to get in airplanes and move around like that also the fact that their coaches can watch them oh crossed up there there were even badminton courts forer talico this year I think they're on to something the Italians made the final in Paris final of Wimbledon into the second week here in New [Applause] York is this Connors and harus what are we see in [Applause] here oh he missed the for after all that can you believe it [Applause] figure someone with amazing credentials coaching the likes of jokovic at a similar age and he had moved and lived that the coaching Carousel starts turning Center clearly didn't like what had happened in the offseason and the outcome it gave him in the Australian he didn't feel like he' made the progress clearly get his movement more sound that was all well before kill joined the pre in the grasscourt season so it was [Applause] [Applause] 15 many stars as you probably notice it doesn't run in the setting a break in hand looks like he's going to consolidate quite comfortably here at love not quite pass there but Center feeling perfect time to try out some new tricks if you're in a comfortable match like this G extends his lead this one G focuses throughout the of the Season Jim will be to finish the year as number one he's in a pretty good position isn't he keeps his lead nice in the in the race over a th point lead over alarz who was in second place jokovic number seven of course no points in the Olympics so he got an amazing achievement and Milestone to make so much to him but that doesn't help him it's in early October oh my goodness let me show you [Music] something decided to skip New York 4 lead smoke Shi forand I don't know if we'll see Rafa play other than exhibition tennis in North America again I hope we do hard press to find a bigger Rafa fan than me we'll see we'll hope for the [Applause] best what do we see him next year he's kind of left the door open hasn't he he didn't uh he didn't want to do well once C had worked his way back into that game set number two 3-2 unforced errors for the world number one clean ball today Log on the Fire Ace number 10 two years ago right we know what his Top Gear is his Top Gear is y c the data backs it up doesn't itally you say levelheaded reach that event at the end of every season season that's a big deal as well is great because it gives me the pressure of trying to qualify for for the year own championships which a lot of players do there's always that stressful so how how do Center differ from aliz when it comes to having better bad days is content to play defense if he needs to if he recognizes that he's not sharp with his offensive weapons he can fall back and use that amazing movement and he can be consistent and he can wait people out and that is a Hallmark of they had the ability to play front foot and back foot tennis as it was needed and all tennis players will tell you they have about 5 days a year where Everything feels great when they're in the zone and the rest of it is just about managing what you have on the day it's a mindset that he is not quite found the way that Center has it's really nice to get to G the C car the high end of yanic Center and Carlos alarz in the low end there would be a narrower band for Yan Center I don't think if Center and alcarez both play their absolute best that Center is quite as good he's not quite as Dynamic if they're both treeing both in the zone through another's doing it better absolutely seems to be just taking along nicely that former champion after entertaining us all with his post match interviews [Music] how quickly did Center get up to that oh that's the combination Perfection expecting another Sledgehammer aren't you f l beautiful Stu off speed serve for Center gets up high on aell that sliced back hand is all he could do to get it back in play the volley suboptimal for Center but the lob Perfection from the Aussie advantage cener game impressive conclusion [Applause] to hit even bigger he's having more time on the ball and he's pumping the forehand and backhand significantly faster today that's one there he needed get 4 15 get to the change over still with a chance I don't know what I'm going to do but you're just taunting you will everyone else oh my go look that Ripper [Applause] to give him credit for sing around in this second set 15 so one down three to go so just looking to [Music] almost 15 power and precision 1450 13 PA set number [Applause] two come two get this third set underway Under Pressure early in both sets 15 has to start here with a hold 15 history repeating itself 15 an impressive save it's rough you one we almost always would pick to be involved would be a quarter opponent potentially of yanic Center but has been like all all season so it's hard to see that deor carrying an injury still not perfectly placed cuz you would like his chances in that section he's the highest seed Tommy Paul as it time for an American to break the drought everything's on the table here but gave a a red hot Mev I'm just not sure that anyone can match what this guy is bringing to the table if he's playing his surrounding the positive drugs test from earlier in the year and all the questions that he's had to answer in the buildups of the tournament 14 most of us felt like it would be a phenomenal effort was treated for that in match [Applause] touch shutting the door in Cincinnati didn't halt his progress there won that title but if he gets into some physical matches here later in the tournament how will his hip hold up is a question that will that will get answered in the quarterfinals there in Montreal bothering him on and off throughout Cincinnati 15 that's what makes this the efforts required in winning gold in Paris was out s 2002 I've just been corrected thank you Jenny goodness someone's listening to usly No mes for Novak this year no just misses that one Novak didn't get a major but he got his major goal achieved I think he made no bones about what he needed out of 2024 and he got it on the board a good pick up was forced oon to [Applause] serving at a very high percentage nearly 70% first serves in play it's getting late early here as Yogi bar would say how late were you here till uh it was around 2: I think right that sort of territory 2: a.m. that session's going to get off on [Applause] 30 return that a b back anes produced today still come back with interest sh miss the forand incredible back hand from a deep position a good fight Center serving at 3-2 in the third to focus naturally on C use it to keep building through the remainder this season oh a special back out it's been a great week great tournament for Chris o Connell victories necessarily not yet anyway but in the season where he's trying to consolidate his place in the top 100 he's doing and uh we'll see where he goes from there it's always interesting me to me as well because you know we we have so much focus on the end of the season naturally talking about the top guys in the sport but using right now for his ranking you know you get to use your best tournaments the best of R system and on your own if you can sense of Pride there travel the most for the longest periods around the world during the tour [Applause] [Applause] draws he needs to draw in something big here bye-bye [Music] look the synopsis here is is pretty simple almost like batting practice for him in a way and that's because oconnell can't really hurt him [Applause] going a lot of time in that backand corner forward pass for Yan here in New York 64 62 into the last 16 and he's done it pretty quickly just under two hours too much power and too much quality for Christopher okon in straights