Court 5 at the United States Open overflowed with spectators on Monday, many standing on their tiptoes, craning their necks and waiting in lines at the small side court to get a glimpse of a teenager who holds some hope for the future of American men’s tennis.
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Zachary Svajda is only 16, but until full-body cramps overtook him early in the third set against the veteran Paolo Lorenzi, he was the better player. ...

“For sure, he is much better than I was at age 16,” the 37-year-old Lorenzi said.

Grass does strange things to people. For some, even the very best, it can reduce them to gibbering wrecks and render their otherwise unstoppable games both vulnerable and flimsy. And then there are others.
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Alison Riske falls into the 'others' category, especially this year. The new champion of the Libema Open in the Netherlands (of which more in a moment) had had a good start to the year (she was the runner up in Shenzhen) and then it all ground to a halt during the clay court season. But then her toes touched the green grass of Surbiton a couple of weeks ago. No one has been able to stop her since.