US Open 2026: Shelton vs Zverev, Sabalenka vs Rybakina, and How We Got Here

Ben Shelton beat Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Zverev beat Karen Khachanov to set the men's final. Aryna Sabalenka went through Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina came through Coco Gauff to set the women's. Ian joins Anastasia to recap the quarterfinals and semifinals, including Shelton's 3:33 a.m. win over Carlos Alcaraz, Khachanov's run past Alexander Blockx, and Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen at the net. They also get into the walkouts, how much fans are told about the players on court, and both finals. Recorded before the women's and men's finals.Chapters00:00 Introduction and episode overview02:13 US Open atmosphere and player performances04:14 Behind the scenes: industry events, brand activations, and media coverage07:15 The first week and fan engagement12:18 Quarterfinal recap and standout moments20:15 Semifinal matchups and player form30:15 Walkouts and match build-up40:24 Fan knowledge and media representation50:19 Final thoughts on the men's and women's finalsLinks:Shop the Ground Pass Hat - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/shopOjai Tennis Shop - https://theojai.net/merch/UTR Next Gen account - https://www.instagram.com/utrnextgen/💬 Don’t forget to give us a leave is a 5 ⭐️ rating and drop us a comment Want to Support Ground Pass - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/supportGround Pass Shop - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/shop Where You can Find us Online:Substack - https://groundpass.substack.com Website - www.groundpasspodcast.com Email - groundpasspodcast@gmail.com Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ground_pass Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/groundpass.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ground_pass Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GroundPass TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@groundpasspodcast X: https://x.com/groundpasspodDisclaimer: This video does not contain a paid for advertisement. PR samples are denoted by the term ‘ad - gifted’. Links containing ad affiliate links are denoted by a '*'. This means that if you click on an affiliate link, go through to the retailer and purchase an item, we will receive a small percentage of your purchase. Check out our website for a full disclaimer: https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/about  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.