Many eyes will be on Louis Armstrong Stadium at the US Open in New York this morning for the first ever competitive matches since the stadium’s impressive rebuild. The building was dedicated yesterday and christened with an exhibition match and a concert, but today is where the shoes hit the hardcourts.
Young American Sebastian Korda takes on Argentina’s Facundo Bagnis in the opener on Armstrong. Three other Americans will have a chance to win on Armstrong today, as Kristie Ahn faces Ons Jabeur, Chicago’s Evan King plays Stefano Travaglia and Ernesto Escobedo finishes up the day against Marc Polmans of Austria. Yesterday, Escobedo had the support of a jam-packed Court 11 crowd cheering the American all the way to a frenetic 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) victory over top qualifying seed Jozef Kozalik that left Escobedo nearly speechless. After the match, I asked him what were the keys to his victory, and he replied with “I have absolutely no idea right now,” and then with a smile on his face, proclaiming that “it’s such a special place to play.”
Ernesto Escobedo, 2018 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic.com)
