Break Point (2023) s01e09 Episode Script
Under Pressure
1
[signs creaking]
[computer] Training started.
- ["Star-Spangled Banner" playing]
- Come on. Get back on.
[coach] Last one. It's all mental now.
Foe, 30 seconds. Go, come on!
[Tiafoe] If you get a chance
to change your life,
you got to grab it with both hands.
I'm putting the world of pressure
on me right now.
[coach] Push! Don't quit!
[Tiafoe] Don't fuck it up.
[intense music playing]
I'm Frances Tiafoe,
and I'm a professional tennis player.
[clacks]
[commentator]
Frances Tiafoe, 24 years old.
His parents immigrated
from war-torn Sierra Leone.
[Moratoglou] To see this kid
become a professional tennis player
is one of the most
incredible stories in our sport.
[commentator 1]
His father was the maintenance man
at the club where
he fell in love with tennis.
Frances represents, better than anyone,
the American dream.
[commentator]
He's got the athleticism and the artistry
but he hasn't yet developed
on the biggest of stages.
[Tiafoe] I want to show the world
what I can do.
That's my goal.
[cheering]
[tense music playing]
[commentator] Final major of the year
and the pressure
is at vertigo-inducing heights.
[intense music playing]
And as we say, no pressure, no diamonds.
[cheering]
[commentator 1] Ons Jabeur,
she's been particularly impressive
the last couple of months.
[exclaims]
[commentator 2]
She is into the round of 16.
[commentator 3] Done and dusted.
A 13th win for Aryna Sabalenka.
Iga Świątek, she's still the
overwhelming favorite to lift this title.
[commentator 1] It has been
a terrific year for Świątek.
[fan] Grazie, Matteo!
[umpire] Game, set, match!
[commentator 3]
Didn't really give Brooksby a chance.
[Moratoglou]
US tennis is in a difficult situation.
[commentator 2] Casper Ruud takes out
Tommy Paul of the United States.
You have no top players for the US.
It's difficult to swallow.
[intense music playing]
[commentator 1] Not to be today
for J.J. Wolf, but he'll be back.
This is what they're trying to battle.
[commentator] All eyes now are firmly
on the last American man left in the draw:
Frances Tiafoe.
[music fades]
- Damn!
- [woman laughs]
Thanks. [laughing]
Oh, man.
[commentator] Tiafoe has been solid
through the first couple of rounds.
[commentator 2] He's lost quite a few
tight matches over the last few months.
[commentator 3] And sometimes
concentration will be the problem,
a little bit up and down.
[announcer] All right, let's find out
how loud this place can get
as we welcome our players.
On first, from these United States
of America, Frances Tiafoe!
[cheering]
[intense music playing]
Frances sometimes has had these peaks
and valleys over the course of his career.
He's played these big matches
so close for a long time
and always come out
on the losing end of it.
To be fair, he's much better than that.
I don't know if he's
consistent enough for a slam
because you have to be mentally there
the entire time, but I hope he does it.
[commentator] Match point.
What a finish!
And what a win for Frances Tiafoe!
Goes into the last 16 of the US Open.
[Ferreira] When I started with Frances,
I think he was ranked about 80.
He's done well to get where he is now,
but he has the ability to get even higher.
Ha! Yeah.
[Ferreira] He's obviously very unique.
He's always laughing and joking around.
He's everybody's friend,
but it's also been sometimes maybe
the difficulties of working with him.
You have to try to see if there's a way
to figure out how to reset on the serve.
I thought the level was a joke.
[Ferreira] It's been three sets
serving like shit.
You just made it much harder
than it could have been.
Instead of being a little bit negative,
just reset and save basics.
[Tiafoe] Wayne's been good
for my development.
He's got that old-school mentality.
If you keep not really trying to fix it,
you'll keep having the same problem.
[Ferreira] We worked on a lot, but I think
the most important has been focus.
He's had to change a little bit
of his personality and the fun side
to try to get a little bit more serious.
He has the ability to do it.
[relaxing electronic music playing]
Why are you doing it like that?
Do a kissy face.
Frances and I started dating
when we were 17.
Oh, my gosh. Seven years now.
We both came from
a pretty tough background,
but we always had this saying,
"Let's always change our lives."
[laughing] It's so blurry.
[Ayan] For this week specifically,
we need to mitigate distractions,
so we're not going for dinners.
We're just going to lock in for two weeks
and see how far we can push this.
If he can mentally focus and stay
locked in, he can really do this.
One week can change your entire life,
so let's see what happens
in the next round.
[music fading]
[electronic music pulsing]
[commentator 1] It's another hot
and humid day in the Big Apple.
This year, there's been one player who has
been setting the women's game alight.
[commentator 2] Yes, she's been human,
she's lost a couple matches,
but she's been virtually unbeatable.
[commentator 3] And now the question is,
can she continue
her brilliance on this big stage?
- Why aren't we doing this?
- [crew] Do you want to give us a clap?
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Ooh, shiny!
Okay, let's get focused.
[hypnotic electronic music playing]
[Świątek] At school, when I was younger,
I wasn't the most popular.
But I didn't really care that much
about socializing.
[crowd chanting] Iga, Iga, Iga!
[cheering]
[commentator] Sensational Świątek
continues her incredible run.
- [crew] What's your ranking?
- Well, I'm first. [laughs]
[commentator] Iga Świątek has been
on a tear through this season
that has seen her win eight titles.
[commentator 2]
Iga has been on fire all year.
[in Polish] Thank you all!
What's there to say
that's not great about Iga?
[commentator]
This kid is something else, something new.
[crew] Talk me through the tournaments
you've won this year.
But you can check it on Wikipedia.
Okay, Doha, Indian Wells, Miami,
Stuttgart, Rome, Roland-Garros.
Is it too much talking? [laughs]
- [tense electronic music pulsing]
- [crowd cheering]
[Nguyen] Thirty-seven consecutive wins,
not losing for over 130 days.
It's the longest win streak
we've seen in the century.
The amount of things she's achieved
already and she's only 21
very impressive.
[photographer] Parfait. Merci!
[Wiktorowski]
She moves like a cat on court.
I can say she's trained like a bull
in the same time, cat and the bull.
Like a machine, she will do everything
in order to be the best. I like that.
[peaceful music playing]
But when you see
a perfect picture of someone,
when they show you that
they have everything under control,
do they really?
[crew]
What's it like being world number one?
Um
[band playing Polish national anthem]
[soft electronic music playing]
[Świątek]
I feel like everybody is chasing me.
[heart beating over music]
[Wiktorowski]
It's one story to get to the top.
It's another story to be able
to keep this position.
[Świątek]
I have a lot going on in my mind.
[city noises in background]
[Świątek] I think we should hurry.
[Świątek]
New York is not my kind of city.
Oh, yeah! My face!
I should have a different expression
when I'm in Times Square.
[peaceful electronic music playing]
I'm not a fan of the big, loud stuff.
It can distract me.
US Open is tricky for me.
- My head is going to be a mess.
- [music fades]
And I feel like this is the hardest thing
that I have to do.
[Berrettini] I never sweat so much.
We were talking about Rome, then
I never want to play you
in Rome again, bro.
- It was already four years ago, huh?
- That's what's crazy, bro.
You used to be young.
[trainer]
Let's go, big Foe! You got this today!
- You got this.
- [Tiafoe laughs]
[fan] Tiafoe! We love Tiafoe!
- [fan 2] Big Foe!
- [fan 3] Frances! Frances!
[Tiafoe] I won't let this get to my head.
[fan] Good job, good job, good job!
I know where I came from,
and that just keeps me super grounded.
I have one crazy story.
[peaceful electronic music playing]
My mom and dad were both
from Sierra Leone, West Africa.
They came to the States in the early '90s
and had me and my twin brother, Franklin.
My mom was a nurse who worked two jobs,
and my dad was a maintenance worker
at a tennis center.
Sometimes, my mom worked through
the night, and I'd stay at the center.
That's why I was able
to play tennis for free.
[Frances] We won't hit you.
We're talented enough.
Does it look cooler
when it's just above you?
[brothers laughing]
[Frances] My dad always encouraged
me and my brother to play.
I was constantly around it and, you know,
I just fell in love with the game.
- [Franklin] Oh, yeah, that's a good shot.
- [Frances chuckles]
[Frances Sr.] For somebody to go pro,
you gotta pay like $40,000 a year,
just to be here,
and my yearly salary is not even that.
At a young age,
I tried to make them understand
that you can't have an opportunity like
this and don't make the best out of it.
[Frances] Where I grew up, tennis was very
inaccessible for Black people, you know?
I mean, I'd be an idiot not to take
this opportunity right in front of me.
Good. Right here. Finish right here.
[commentator] Rafa Nadal, a game away
from maintaining an impeccable record
at Grand Slam level so far this season.
Spaniard's fans ready to celebrate.
Two match points.
- [fan exclaims]
- [umpire] Game, set
[commentator] Back to business,
another straight sets win for the Spaniard
which puts him in the fourth round
with Frances Tiafoe.
[intense electronic music pounding]
Damn, this dude, this dude's 92 titles,
22 Grand Slams.
This, that, blah, blah, blah.
You're like, goddamn!
[host] Next up, Frances Tiafoe. What do
you feel the level needs to be for that?
[Nadal] He's very charismatic, very fast.
I need to keep playing better and better
to hope to give myself a chance
to keep going.
[host] Congratulations,
Rafa, and good luck.
[crowd cheering]
[Tiafoe]
Nothing but love and respect for him.
We got a date and he has
to come see me, so let's do it.
[intense music rises, fades]
[tense electronic music playing]
[in Polish] Come on, focus.
Relax and let's go.
[Świątek]
Winning the US Open can change your life,
but it still feels like it's a long way
to win the tournament.
[Ryszczuk in Polish]
One, two. Well done.
I switched coaches
at the end of last year.
That was a pretty big step.
[Ryszczuk] Two times.
More attention on the cones.
[in English] I'm the strength
and conditioning coach
and physiotherapist for Iga.
I need a lot of data.
[in Polish] Okay, I am measuring.
[in English]
Her heart rate, quality of sleep.
We check how she feels stress,
what's her mood,
to know when to push and when to stop.
For the new people,
she is like emotionally closed.
You need to earn her trust.
[in Polish] Stronger.
[ball thuds]
I was hoping when they filmed,
for once you wouldn't hit the ceiling.
[Świątek in Polish] Well
bad design!
[in English] Go step-by-step, work
with people that are believing in you.
I teach Iga breathing techniques,
meditation,
that help her to navigate
tension and stress
so that she's able to cut it off.
[in Polish] Listen, when you have
the momentum, forget about emotions.
[Świątek in Polish] I lost momentum in
the half of the second set, it was gone.
[Abramowicz] But being a champion
is about finishing.
Remember, tennis is about winning
the last point of the match.
[in English] This relationship
sometimes is intense.
She's a very strong and very witty person.
[stylist] How's the length for you?
Do you want to take quite a bit?
I would say
[Abramowicz] We just have to make sure
that she's able to tie it back up.
[in Polish] I refuse to subordinate
my hair to sport, when everything else is.
[Świątek in English] I want
to really improve my mentality
to make right decisions on court.
I'm trying to find the right balance.
[Wiktorowski] Mental toughness is key.
Everywhere we go,
we go to win the tournament.
We are not tourists.
["Mount Everest" by Labrinth playing]
Mount Everest ain't got shit on me ♪
Mount Everest ain't got shit on me ♪
'Cause I'm on top of the world ♪
I'm on top of the world ♪
Yeah ♪
[commentator] We're ready to go.
It's day eight at the US Open.
Rafael Nadal and Frances Tiafoe
doing battle on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
[Tiafoe] If you want to be great and have
your name remembered in this game,
these are the type of players
you have to beat.
You got to be ready for the moment.
[song continues]
[groans]
I'm so pumped up for today.
Comin' after this motherfucker, bro.
I wouldn't see any reason
why you wouldn't.
[Ferreira] I've never really seen him
so excited about something.
Being at the US Open, being in the fourth
round and playing Rafa on center court,
those are things as a kid when you grow up
playing tennis that you dream about.
[music fades]
But he's the underdog.
It's not going to be easy.
[intense electronic music playing]
Go get 'em. Play to win.
- You can do this. Nothing to lose.
- For sure.
- [commentator] From humble beginnings
- [gritty music playing]
to putting on a show
on the biggest stage we have in our sport.
[commentator 2] This could be some match.
Is there any way that Frances Tiafoe
is ready to beat Rafa Nadal?
[commentator 1] He has to defy the odds.
[crew] Three, two, one!
[announcer] New York,
please welcome the players
for today's next fourth round match.
From the United States, Frances Tiafoe.
[cheering]
[tense electronic music playing]
And from Spain, Rafael Nadal.
[cheering]
[commentator 2] Will the occasion
get to this guy or will Nadal get to him?
Here we go.
[umpire] Play.
[cheering]
- [commentator 1] This is big-time tennis.
- [umpire] 15-love.
[commentator 1] You better watch out.
[crowd roars]
[commentator 1] He starts to leather
that forehand down the line.
[umpire] Game, Nadal.
[commentator 2] Tiafoe said,
"I'm definitely going to come after him."
[umpire] Game, Tiafoe.
[commentator 1]
He's come in here all guns blazing.
[cheering]
[commentator 2] Set point.
[Tiafoe] I've watched this guy play
for so long,
and I've never even broken his serve.
[umpire] Game, first set, Tiafoe.
[commentator 2]
Rejoice, kids. He's taken the first set.
[Ferreira] Frances is playing probably
the best that I'd seen him play,
but you can't come out against Rafa
and expect him to give you the match.
[cheering]
[Tiafoe] He's the one for a reason,
playing every point as hard as he can.
- [Nadal groans]
- [crowd cheers]
[Tiafoe] He's just an animal.
[intense electronic music playing]
[crowd roaring]
[umpire] Game, Nadal.
[commentator 1]
The pressure increases for Tiafoe.
Set point.
[umpire] Please.
Fault!
Game, and second set.
[commentator 2] Double fault on set point.
[umpire] One set all.
[Ferreira] Anybody can be a great tennis
player when things are going well.
Only true champions can find ways
to win when their day's not so good.
I want him to remember where he came
from and the struggles that he had.
[umpire] Time.
[intense electronic music playing]
[Ferreira] I don't want him to ever forget
that he still has to fight those fights.
[cheering]
[cheering]
[Tiafoe] I know where I came from.
I know how hard my parents worked.
[commentator 2] Set point for Tiafoe!
- [commentator 1] How about that?
- [commentator 2 laughs]
[commentator 2] That finishes it!
One set away from
the biggest win of his career.
[umpire] Six games to four.
[Tiafoe] I'm gonna really have
to dig deep, play aggressive.
Either you're gonna take it,
or it's gonna be taken from you.
[crowd roaring]
[commentator 1]
Well, well, well! What a game!
[crowd cheering]
That is a piece of art right there!
- [umpire] Game, Tiafoe!
- [commentator 2] He went big!
[umpire] five games to three,
fourth set.
[cheering]
[Tiafoe] I was taking him to the wire.
It's kill or be killed.
[commentator 2] Match point for Frances.
[tense electronic music playing]
[cheering]
[umpire] 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
[commentator 1]
Boy, did he give everything.
For this man, this win is beyond special.
[pensive electronic music playing]
[Tiafoe] Disbelief.
[crowd noises fade]
The world stopped.
Couldn't hear anything.
Absolute disbelief.
[noise resumes]
[commentator 2] Feel it, kid.
Oh, this is some moment, huh?
One of the most liked players
in both locker rooms
comes up with a historic win.
The great Rafa Nadal leaves the US Open.
[Tiafoe] So good.
Everything from the seven years that
I've known him flushed through my head.
I was like, whoa, what? We're here!
[Tiafoe] Happy to see you, baby.
Thank you.
[Ayan] No one expected him
to do anything like that.
- Thanks. Thank you.
- That was so good.
He shocked the entire tennis world.
- Yeah!
- Whoo!
- Let's go!
- Let's fucking go!
What's up, baby?
There was just so much love everywhere.
Don't look at me, bro.
I'm fighting back tears.
[Tiafoe] I'm tagged in all these things.
You start realizing the magnitude
of what you're doing.
Yeah, this is crazy.
[fans cheering]
[sportscaster] Welcome, Frances! [laughs]
- Congratulations!
- How long have you been waiting for this?
Yeah. Long, long time, man.
[sportscaster] Incredible effort today.
Wayne! Where you at?
We're waiting for you. Downstairs gym.
[Ferreira] Frances beat Rafa out there.
He didn't lose any focus and intensity.
He really showed him
that he's a great tennis player.
- Give me some love.
- Come on, man!
- How good do you feel right now?
- Crazy. I never want to play him again.
Let's get your shit. Let's go.
We've got further to go. Right? Yeah?
- You hear me?
- Let's do it. Yeah.
[Ferreira] I'm trying in my ways
to help him reset and refocus
because I truly believe
he could win the whole US Open.
[cheering]
[Ayan] Obviously the tournament's
not over, but you beat Rafa.
You take a little moment to enjoy that.
- [cheering]
- [music pounding]
Hey, Rafael Nadal fans!
[music fades]
[commentator 1]
It's quarterfinals day at the US Open
and things are starting to hot up.
[commentator 2]
What an effort from Berrettini.
He's doing everything he can
to stay in this match.
That forehand does it!
Ruud into the semis!
Alja Tomljanović
has had an incredible run,
but Ons is the one who moves through.
[commentator 3] Nick Kyrgios,
he is the talk of the town,
fighting and scrapping.
- [tense electronic music playing]
- Not a good soundtrack for Kyrgios. Oh.
[commentator 3]
The racket handled that reasonably well.
[ball clattering]
[intense music pounding]
[commentator 1] Some big-name players
of the tournament have been sent packing.
So, the path is now wide open
for the young guns.
Alcaraz books his ticket to the last four
in the most remarkable fashion.
[commentator 2] Obviously this place
is going to go crazy for Frances Tiafoe.
[commentator 1] After that
jaw-dropping win against Rafa,
he's got all of America rooting for him.
[commentator 2] He's playing
the kind of tennis that can win majors.
There it is!
Tiafoe beats Andrey Rublev
and is in the US Open semis!
[commentator] The game
got away from her there,
but Iga just gets down to business.
Świątek into the US Open semis
for the first time.
[commentator] What an evening
we have in store for you tonight.
Iga Świątek, Aryna Sabalenka,
two of the biggest powerful hitters
in the WTA.
[Świątek] In important moments,
I'm in my own bubble.
I don't want to be too overwhelmed
or too stressed.
I'm trying to force my mind
to think that it's nothing special.
[cheering]
[announcer] New York,
please welcome the players
for tonight's semi-final.
[man] Oh!
Every girl who's playing against me
is out there to beat me.
[announcer] World number six,
Aryna Sabalenka.
Yeah, Iga is the target for me.
I'll be able to beat her.
[dramatic music fades]
[commentator 1] That's a terrific serve.
[umpire] Point, Sabalenka.
[tense music playing]
[commentator 1]
Big-time hitting from Sabalenka.
Keeping the pressure on Świątek.
[commentator 2] Sabalenka trying
to reach her first major final!
[Navratilova]
It takes a lot of mental toughness.
Can you just get out there and keep
pushing away the people
that want to take your crown away?
[suspenseful electronic music playing]
[Świątek]
I'm kind of thinking what I should change.
Trying to look
from a different perspective.
[umpire] Time.
[music intensifies]
[crowd roaring]
[commentator 1] It's really been
a different Iga Świątek
from that first set.
[commentator 2]
Wanna know why she's number one?
Match point.
[cheering]
Number one will play
for the US Open title!
[Świątek] For me, it's a chance to prove
to myself and everybody else
that I can be world number one
for many years.
[announcer] Iga Świątek!
[Abramowicz in Polish] You played in
a setting that is uncomfortable for you.
[in Polish]
I'm happy that my mind finally activated.
[Abramowicz]
That's why we work on it. Right?
But now I'm going to bed
to watch a TV series.
[peaceful electronic music playing]
- [mother] Frances don't want meat soup.
- [Ayan] At all.
Give that to him, I'll give him
some more if he needs more.
[indistinct chatter]
[Alphina]
Almighty Father, we thank you for family.
We thank you for long life,
we thank you for good health.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
It was so funny:
one of my co-workers said to me,
"So your son beat Nadal!"
That's all they know.
[Ayan] Were people reaching out to you
from Sierra Leone?
Oh, yeah. Even the President
and the First Lady were watching.
- And they were posting it. Everything.
- No, that's crazy!
Yeah, the world definitely stopped
for a moment.
[Alphina] Mm-hmm.
He came from so far to get to this point.
I'm like, man, he's gonna do things.
[Frances Sr.] You've proved to everybody
that you can do it.
So now let's see what's next.
Yeah. I don't take this moment
for granted.
- I'm gonna give everything I got.
- You have to.
[Ayan] He's been working so hard
and now he's in the semi-final.
This is a huge deal.
He has a little bit more expectation
because we know what he can do.
[suspenseful music in background]
[commentator 1]
Let's get into today's matches.
Frances Tiafoe against Carlos Alcaraz.
The electric Spaniard.
[exclaiming]
[in Spanish]
I'm Carlos Alcaraz, I'm 19 years old.
Carlos, I mean, he's special.
[Roddick] He's lightning fast.
[commentator] Oh, my word! Extraordinary!
The athleticism is through the roof.
[Annacone] This kid beat Novak and Rafa
back-to-back to win a title.
That doesn't happen. Just doesn't happen.
[commentator] Oh, yes!
That is crazy, man.
He's on some other shit, man.
[exclaims]
[Tiafoe] It's gonna be a dog fight.
[in Spanish]
No. No, I don't feel pressure.
[peaceful electronic music playing]
[commentator 1] What an evening
we have in store for you tonight.
The anticipation around the grounds
over the last half an hour
has been quite something.
[commentator 2] No question about it,
everyone was very excited
about tonight's match with Frances Tiafoe,
an American, in the semi-finals.
[commentator 3]
Tiafoe, the first Black man to reach
a US Open semifinal in 50 years.
Arthur Ashe did it in 1972.
[Ferreira] You have to be the aggressor.
Play the same way you have done
the last few matches.
You've got to go after the ball.
You cannot be tentative.
You cannot push and cannot change the way
you've been playing. Same intensity.
- Good luck, bro. Same thing, eh.
- Play to win.
- Play to win. Huge opportunity.
- Let's go.
[commentator 2] There hasn't been
an American in a long time,
since Andy Roddick in 2006.
In the semis, you realize, like, six sets
away from being a Grand Slam champion.
[suspenseful music playing]
It always feels different. It's intense.
[commentator 1]
The American carrying home hopes
to get the second semi-final underway.
[crowd roaring]
A sizable roar for the American.
He leads, four-three.
[intense electronic music playing]
[cheering]
An ignominious way
for a set to come to an end,
but what a big set it could be
for Frances Tiafoe.
[umpire] Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
Ready for play.
[intense electronic music pulsing]
[crowd roaring]
[commentator 1] Having dropped the first,
Carlos Alcaraz answers in some style
by taking the second
and levels things up here.
It's a set apiece.
A real drop in level from the American,
but Carlos Alcaraz is one set away
from his maiden major final.
[Tiafoe] I'm getting my ass kicked,
third set down, 6-1.
Down an early break.
You know, I got this packed crowd
stood behind me
and Michelle Obama front row,
leaving her crib to come and watch me.
I'm not gonna not try my ass off.
Like, I'm gonna put my heart on the line.
Tiafoe, you get the sense, is going to
have to come up with something special.
[commentator 2] Nice!
[cheering]
[tense music playing]
[cheering]
[commentator 1] A spark was needed,
and a spark may have been found.
I'm putting my heart on the fucking line!
I'm putting my heart on the fucking line!
Let's go!
- [umpire] Out!
- [cheering]
[umpire] Game and fourth set, Tiafoe,
by seven games to six.
Two sets all.
Let's go!
Yeah!
[Tiafoe] Every kid is gonna tell you,
"I wanna win Grand Slams.
I wanna be world number one."
Do I want that? For sure.
But for me, it's bigger than that, man.
Like, when I'm playing matches,
I got young kids wanting to be that.
That's what it's all about.
[umpire] Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
Final set.
[electronic music playing]
[music intensifies]
[cheering]
[commentator 1]
Another monumental cheer
because the American
is still standing in the fifth.
Oh, my goodness!
Have you ever seen a lob as good as that?
Match point.
[crowd roaring]
Carlos Alcaraz is into
his first major final.
He becomes just the second teenager
in the Open era
to reach the US Open final.
[host] Ladies and gentlemen,
can we hear it
for Carlos Alcaraz
and Frances Tiafoe, please?
[crowd roaring]
[pensive electronic music playing]
Frances
I think I speak for everybody here tonight
when I say thank you
for that performance tonight.
What would you like to say to this crowd?
[crowd cheering]
I gave it I gave it everything I had.
I came here wanting to win the US Open.
I feel like I let you guys down.
Uh This one really hurts.
This one really, really hurts.
[host] You didn't let anybody down.
Believe me.
[Tiafoe] I'm gonna come back and win
this thing one day. I'm sorry, guys.
[cheering]
[commentator 2] He's got his friends here,
his family here, his coach is here,
his girlfriend, his NBA buddies here.
[contemplative music rising]
Yeah, that hurt a lot.
[indistinct chatter]
I'm happy that I did it with, you know,
loved ones around, family, team.
That meant a lot to me.
[Ferreira] Are you disappointed?
And you should be.
- But we're not leaving disappointed.
- No.
[Ferreira]
We're leaving with our heads so high.
[Tiafoe] Yeah.
[Ferreira] And you leave here
feeling like a million bucks.
I think sometimes
he struggled a little bit on the belief
of if he could be that guy.
You know, could he win a slam?
Could he be top 10?
Could he be number one in the world?
You ready? She's ready.
Now he believes that he has
the ability to win a grand slam.
And that's the key.
- We are both very proud of you.
- I appreciate it.
You did not let anybody down tonight.
Don't even let that spirit come over you.
- Thank you.
- You were amazing. You have been amazing.
- You made us all so proud.
- That means a lot.
[Ayan] I think he's starting to see
what tennis has given him,
the places it's taken him,
the people he's been able to meet.
[man] Thank you all for coming!
Thank you all for coming!
I never really felt like I was
the last American going, I felt like
I felt it was so much bigger than that.
Looking in that stadium and seeing
a lot of people of color watching tennis,
that's what meant a lot to me
more than anything.
- Great job, go win this thing.
- Thanks. I'll do it.
You'll be number one in the world.
You deserve it.
- Thank you very much, man. Appreciate it.
- Yeah, man, thank you.
- You're amazing. Don't forget it.
- Amen.
[pensive electronic music playing]
[Tiafoe] Now, I want to create
more moments like that.
I want to keep inspiring people.
[intense electronic music playing]
[commentator 1] All right, here we go.
This US Open Women's singles final.
Iga Świątek and Ons Jabeur.
- [crew] What's Ons like as an opponent?
- Is she gonna see that?
[Świątek] She's really tough.
She's gonna play it to win.
[Jabeur]
This final is going to be very difficult.
The image of Iga winning all the matches
scares most of the players on tour.
But I am hungry to win.
We're not friends anymore.
It's warrior mode.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator 1] Iga Świątek is
the number one player in the world,
and Ons Jabeur is
the number two player in the world.
[commentator 2] We couldn't have hoped
for a whole lot more of a women's final.
The best two players
in the world fighting for this title.
[Świątek] It's the US Open.
I don't wanna think about
all the things that may
really stress me. [laughs]
POLAND
[umpire] First set
[commentator 1] This place is full of fans
ready to cheer for both these players.
[umpire] Please.
[intense electronic music playing]
[umpire] Game, Świątek.
[commentator 1]
Great start for the number one!
[crowd cheering]
[commentator 2] Love the way
that Ons has settled down.
[Świątek] I want to really feel that
my opponent is under pressure.
[commentator 2] So good from Świątek.
[commentator 1] Iga Świątek
with the opening set in half an hour.
[Świątek] This is the best kind
of scenario I could imagine.
- [cheering]
- [umpire] Game, Miss Świątek.
[Świątek] But the crowd,
pretty annoying.
[hecklers shouting]
[umpire] Please, ready for play.
- [man] Iga!
- [scattered heckling]
[umpire]
Ladies and gentlemen, for both players?
[commentator 2] Just so much talking
and noise and people yelling out.
[electronic music pulsing]
[commentator 2] She's getting distracted.
[crowd roars]
[Świątek] She really uses
the energy from the crowd.
She suddenly changed
the momentum totally.
[crowd roaring]
I put a lot of energy
to not see the screen
and the only time I look at the screen,
there was Matthew Perry in the audience.
I love Friends. So that's the only thing
that could distract me, you know?
[commentator 2]
Świątek is now under a bit of pressure.
[commentator 1]
See how she handles this.
[crowd roaring]
Jabeur has caught fire
and she's back on serve.
[Świątek]
My head is with all its thoughts.
[commentator 2]
Match has started to turn.
- [crowd roaring]
- [Świątek] It's hard to focus.
[cheering]
[commentator 1]
Tiebreak and we're into overtime.
[commentator 2] There's so much tension.
Get it, get it!
What's Świątek thinking right now?
- [fateful music playing]
- [noises fade]
[Świątek] I have to relax,
push these thoughts away.
- [umpire] Match point.
- [crowd cheering]
Come on, Iga!
- [crowd noises fade]
- [suspenseful music playing]
[crowd cheering]
Iga Świątek!
Second major title of the year.
The 21-year-old, far and away
the world's number one.
[tranquil electronic music playing]
[upbeat music playing]
Her team has tried to get her
to realize her greatness.
[Świątek] I never really thought
that's gonna be possible for me.
I feel something surreal happened.
[host] Ladies and gentlemen,
Iga Świątek!
It's like a dream come true and I'm 21.
So I should have more dreams, right?
She's still a kid,
but she has all the tools in the toolkit
to dominate for a long time.
She's a leader for us and she pushes
a lot of players to do better.
[Annacone] Tennis looks like
it's in awfully good hands.
I feel like this is the achievement
that you can really enjoy
for the rest of your life, you know?
So I'm looking forward
to rest of my life. [laughs]
[Annacone] The WTA and ATP finals
are the culmination of the year.
[laughing]
[Fritz] The tournament everyone
has their sights set on.
- [fan] Rafa!
- [announcer] Aryna Sabalenka!
[Navratilova]
Kudos to her to get to the finals
[exclaims]
because this year she was a mess.
[roars]
Sometimes there's something
deeper than tennis going on.
- [bomb explodes]
- [reporter] It is war in Ukraine.
I am from Belarus.
I just hope for the peace.
Honestly, I thought that
I'm gonna stop playing tennis.
[in Russian] This is not all right.
[in English] But I cannot quit.
[shouting]
I have to keep going.
[intense music playing]
I have to fight.
[quirky electronic music playing]
[signs creaking]
[computer] Training started.
- ["Star-Spangled Banner" playing]
- Come on. Get back on.
[coach] Last one. It's all mental now.
Foe, 30 seconds. Go, come on!
[Tiafoe] If you get a chance
to change your life,
you got to grab it with both hands.
I'm putting the world of pressure
on me right now.
[coach] Push! Don't quit!
[Tiafoe] Don't fuck it up.
[intense music playing]
I'm Frances Tiafoe,
and I'm a professional tennis player.
[clacks]
[commentator]
Frances Tiafoe, 24 years old.
His parents immigrated
from war-torn Sierra Leone.
[Moratoglou] To see this kid
become a professional tennis player
is one of the most
incredible stories in our sport.
[commentator 1]
His father was the maintenance man
at the club where
he fell in love with tennis.
Frances represents, better than anyone,
the American dream.
[commentator]
He's got the athleticism and the artistry
but he hasn't yet developed
on the biggest of stages.
[Tiafoe] I want to show the world
what I can do.
That's my goal.
[cheering]
[tense music playing]
[commentator] Final major of the year
and the pressure
is at vertigo-inducing heights.
[intense music playing]
And as we say, no pressure, no diamonds.
[cheering]
[commentator 1] Ons Jabeur,
she's been particularly impressive
the last couple of months.
[exclaims]
[commentator 2]
She is into the round of 16.
[commentator 3] Done and dusted.
A 13th win for Aryna Sabalenka.
Iga Świątek, she's still the
overwhelming favorite to lift this title.
[commentator 1] It has been
a terrific year for Świątek.
[fan] Grazie, Matteo!
[umpire] Game, set, match!
[commentator 3]
Didn't really give Brooksby a chance.
[Moratoglou]
US tennis is in a difficult situation.
[commentator 2] Casper Ruud takes out
Tommy Paul of the United States.
You have no top players for the US.
It's difficult to swallow.
[intense music playing]
[commentator 1] Not to be today
for J.J. Wolf, but he'll be back.
This is what they're trying to battle.
[commentator] All eyes now are firmly
on the last American man left in the draw:
Frances Tiafoe.
[music fades]
- Damn!
- [woman laughs]
Thanks. [laughing]
Oh, man.
[commentator] Tiafoe has been solid
through the first couple of rounds.
[commentator 2] He's lost quite a few
tight matches over the last few months.
[commentator 3] And sometimes
concentration will be the problem,
a little bit up and down.
[announcer] All right, let's find out
how loud this place can get
as we welcome our players.
On first, from these United States
of America, Frances Tiafoe!
[cheering]
[intense music playing]
Frances sometimes has had these peaks
and valleys over the course of his career.
He's played these big matches
so close for a long time
and always come out
on the losing end of it.
To be fair, he's much better than that.
I don't know if he's
consistent enough for a slam
because you have to be mentally there
the entire time, but I hope he does it.
[commentator] Match point.
What a finish!
And what a win for Frances Tiafoe!
Goes into the last 16 of the US Open.
[Ferreira] When I started with Frances,
I think he was ranked about 80.
He's done well to get where he is now,
but he has the ability to get even higher.
Ha! Yeah.
[Ferreira] He's obviously very unique.
He's always laughing and joking around.
He's everybody's friend,
but it's also been sometimes maybe
the difficulties of working with him.
You have to try to see if there's a way
to figure out how to reset on the serve.
I thought the level was a joke.
[Ferreira] It's been three sets
serving like shit.
You just made it much harder
than it could have been.
Instead of being a little bit negative,
just reset and save basics.
[Tiafoe] Wayne's been good
for my development.
He's got that old-school mentality.
If you keep not really trying to fix it,
you'll keep having the same problem.
[Ferreira] We worked on a lot, but I think
the most important has been focus.
He's had to change a little bit
of his personality and the fun side
to try to get a little bit more serious.
He has the ability to do it.
[relaxing electronic music playing]
Why are you doing it like that?
Do a kissy face.
Frances and I started dating
when we were 17.
Oh, my gosh. Seven years now.
We both came from
a pretty tough background,
but we always had this saying,
"Let's always change our lives."
[laughing] It's so blurry.
[Ayan] For this week specifically,
we need to mitigate distractions,
so we're not going for dinners.
We're just going to lock in for two weeks
and see how far we can push this.
If he can mentally focus and stay
locked in, he can really do this.
One week can change your entire life,
so let's see what happens
in the next round.
[music fading]
[electronic music pulsing]
[commentator 1] It's another hot
and humid day in the Big Apple.
This year, there's been one player who has
been setting the women's game alight.
[commentator 2] Yes, she's been human,
she's lost a couple matches,
but she's been virtually unbeatable.
[commentator 3] And now the question is,
can she continue
her brilliance on this big stage?
- Why aren't we doing this?
- [crew] Do you want to give us a clap?
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Ooh, shiny!
Okay, let's get focused.
[hypnotic electronic music playing]
[Świątek] At school, when I was younger,
I wasn't the most popular.
But I didn't really care that much
about socializing.
[crowd chanting] Iga, Iga, Iga!
[cheering]
[commentator] Sensational Świątek
continues her incredible run.
- [crew] What's your ranking?
- Well, I'm first. [laughs]
[commentator] Iga Świątek has been
on a tear through this season
that has seen her win eight titles.
[commentator 2]
Iga has been on fire all year.
[in Polish] Thank you all!
What's there to say
that's not great about Iga?
[commentator]
This kid is something else, something new.
[crew] Talk me through the tournaments
you've won this year.
But you can check it on Wikipedia.
Okay, Doha, Indian Wells, Miami,
Stuttgart, Rome, Roland-Garros.
Is it too much talking? [laughs]
- [tense electronic music pulsing]
- [crowd cheering]
[Nguyen] Thirty-seven consecutive wins,
not losing for over 130 days.
It's the longest win streak
we've seen in the century.
The amount of things she's achieved
already and she's only 21
very impressive.
[photographer] Parfait. Merci!
[Wiktorowski]
She moves like a cat on court.
I can say she's trained like a bull
in the same time, cat and the bull.
Like a machine, she will do everything
in order to be the best. I like that.
[peaceful music playing]
But when you see
a perfect picture of someone,
when they show you that
they have everything under control,
do they really?
[crew]
What's it like being world number one?
Um
[band playing Polish national anthem]
[soft electronic music playing]
[Świątek]
I feel like everybody is chasing me.
[heart beating over music]
[Wiktorowski]
It's one story to get to the top.
It's another story to be able
to keep this position.
[Świątek]
I have a lot going on in my mind.
[city noises in background]
[Świątek] I think we should hurry.
[Świątek]
New York is not my kind of city.
Oh, yeah! My face!
I should have a different expression
when I'm in Times Square.
[peaceful electronic music playing]
I'm not a fan of the big, loud stuff.
It can distract me.
US Open is tricky for me.
- My head is going to be a mess.
- [music fades]
And I feel like this is the hardest thing
that I have to do.
[Berrettini] I never sweat so much.
We were talking about Rome, then
I never want to play you
in Rome again, bro.
- It was already four years ago, huh?
- That's what's crazy, bro.
You used to be young.
[trainer]
Let's go, big Foe! You got this today!
- You got this.
- [Tiafoe laughs]
[fan] Tiafoe! We love Tiafoe!
- [fan 2] Big Foe!
- [fan 3] Frances! Frances!
[Tiafoe] I won't let this get to my head.
[fan] Good job, good job, good job!
I know where I came from,
and that just keeps me super grounded.
I have one crazy story.
[peaceful electronic music playing]
My mom and dad were both
from Sierra Leone, West Africa.
They came to the States in the early '90s
and had me and my twin brother, Franklin.
My mom was a nurse who worked two jobs,
and my dad was a maintenance worker
at a tennis center.
Sometimes, my mom worked through
the night, and I'd stay at the center.
That's why I was able
to play tennis for free.
[Frances] We won't hit you.
We're talented enough.
Does it look cooler
when it's just above you?
[brothers laughing]
[Frances] My dad always encouraged
me and my brother to play.
I was constantly around it and, you know,
I just fell in love with the game.
- [Franklin] Oh, yeah, that's a good shot.
- [Frances chuckles]
[Frances Sr.] For somebody to go pro,
you gotta pay like $40,000 a year,
just to be here,
and my yearly salary is not even that.
At a young age,
I tried to make them understand
that you can't have an opportunity like
this and don't make the best out of it.
[Frances] Where I grew up, tennis was very
inaccessible for Black people, you know?
I mean, I'd be an idiot not to take
this opportunity right in front of me.
Good. Right here. Finish right here.
[commentator] Rafa Nadal, a game away
from maintaining an impeccable record
at Grand Slam level so far this season.
Spaniard's fans ready to celebrate.
Two match points.
- [fan exclaims]
- [umpire] Game, set
[commentator] Back to business,
another straight sets win for the Spaniard
which puts him in the fourth round
with Frances Tiafoe.
[intense electronic music pounding]
Damn, this dude, this dude's 92 titles,
22 Grand Slams.
This, that, blah, blah, blah.
You're like, goddamn!
[host] Next up, Frances Tiafoe. What do
you feel the level needs to be for that?
[Nadal] He's very charismatic, very fast.
I need to keep playing better and better
to hope to give myself a chance
to keep going.
[host] Congratulations,
Rafa, and good luck.
[crowd cheering]
[Tiafoe]
Nothing but love and respect for him.
We got a date and he has
to come see me, so let's do it.
[intense music rises, fades]
[tense electronic music playing]
[in Polish] Come on, focus.
Relax and let's go.
[Świątek]
Winning the US Open can change your life,
but it still feels like it's a long way
to win the tournament.
[Ryszczuk in Polish]
One, two. Well done.
I switched coaches
at the end of last year.
That was a pretty big step.
[Ryszczuk] Two times.
More attention on the cones.
[in English] I'm the strength
and conditioning coach
and physiotherapist for Iga.
I need a lot of data.
[in Polish] Okay, I am measuring.
[in English]
Her heart rate, quality of sleep.
We check how she feels stress,
what's her mood,
to know when to push and when to stop.
For the new people,
she is like emotionally closed.
You need to earn her trust.
[in Polish] Stronger.
[ball thuds]
I was hoping when they filmed,
for once you wouldn't hit the ceiling.
[Świątek in Polish] Well
bad design!
[in English] Go step-by-step, work
with people that are believing in you.
I teach Iga breathing techniques,
meditation,
that help her to navigate
tension and stress
so that she's able to cut it off.
[in Polish] Listen, when you have
the momentum, forget about emotions.
[Świątek in Polish] I lost momentum in
the half of the second set, it was gone.
[Abramowicz] But being a champion
is about finishing.
Remember, tennis is about winning
the last point of the match.
[in English] This relationship
sometimes is intense.
She's a very strong and very witty person.
[stylist] How's the length for you?
Do you want to take quite a bit?
I would say
[Abramowicz] We just have to make sure
that she's able to tie it back up.
[in Polish] I refuse to subordinate
my hair to sport, when everything else is.
[Świątek in English] I want
to really improve my mentality
to make right decisions on court.
I'm trying to find the right balance.
[Wiktorowski] Mental toughness is key.
Everywhere we go,
we go to win the tournament.
We are not tourists.
["Mount Everest" by Labrinth playing]
Mount Everest ain't got shit on me ♪
Mount Everest ain't got shit on me ♪
'Cause I'm on top of the world ♪
I'm on top of the world ♪
Yeah ♪
[commentator] We're ready to go.
It's day eight at the US Open.
Rafael Nadal and Frances Tiafoe
doing battle on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
[Tiafoe] If you want to be great and have
your name remembered in this game,
these are the type of players
you have to beat.
You got to be ready for the moment.
[song continues]
[groans]
I'm so pumped up for today.
Comin' after this motherfucker, bro.
I wouldn't see any reason
why you wouldn't.
[Ferreira] I've never really seen him
so excited about something.
Being at the US Open, being in the fourth
round and playing Rafa on center court,
those are things as a kid when you grow up
playing tennis that you dream about.
[music fades]
But he's the underdog.
It's not going to be easy.
[intense electronic music playing]
Go get 'em. Play to win.
- You can do this. Nothing to lose.
- For sure.
- [commentator] From humble beginnings
- [gritty music playing]
to putting on a show
on the biggest stage we have in our sport.
[commentator 2] This could be some match.
Is there any way that Frances Tiafoe
is ready to beat Rafa Nadal?
[commentator 1] He has to defy the odds.
[crew] Three, two, one!
[announcer] New York,
please welcome the players
for today's next fourth round match.
From the United States, Frances Tiafoe.
[cheering]
[tense electronic music playing]
And from Spain, Rafael Nadal.
[cheering]
[commentator 2] Will the occasion
get to this guy or will Nadal get to him?
Here we go.
[umpire] Play.
[cheering]
- [commentator 1] This is big-time tennis.
- [umpire] 15-love.
[commentator 1] You better watch out.
[crowd roars]
[commentator 1] He starts to leather
that forehand down the line.
[umpire] Game, Nadal.
[commentator 2] Tiafoe said,
"I'm definitely going to come after him."
[umpire] Game, Tiafoe.
[commentator 1]
He's come in here all guns blazing.
[cheering]
[commentator 2] Set point.
[Tiafoe] I've watched this guy play
for so long,
and I've never even broken his serve.
[umpire] Game, first set, Tiafoe.
[commentator 2]
Rejoice, kids. He's taken the first set.
[Ferreira] Frances is playing probably
the best that I'd seen him play,
but you can't come out against Rafa
and expect him to give you the match.
[cheering]
[Tiafoe] He's the one for a reason,
playing every point as hard as he can.
- [Nadal groans]
- [crowd cheers]
[Tiafoe] He's just an animal.
[intense electronic music playing]
[crowd roaring]
[umpire] Game, Nadal.
[commentator 1]
The pressure increases for Tiafoe.
Set point.
[umpire] Please.
Fault!
Game, and second set.
[commentator 2] Double fault on set point.
[umpire] One set all.
[Ferreira] Anybody can be a great tennis
player when things are going well.
Only true champions can find ways
to win when their day's not so good.
I want him to remember where he came
from and the struggles that he had.
[umpire] Time.
[intense electronic music playing]
[Ferreira] I don't want him to ever forget
that he still has to fight those fights.
[cheering]
[cheering]
[Tiafoe] I know where I came from.
I know how hard my parents worked.
[commentator 2] Set point for Tiafoe!
- [commentator 1] How about that?
- [commentator 2 laughs]
[commentator 2] That finishes it!
One set away from
the biggest win of his career.
[umpire] Six games to four.
[Tiafoe] I'm gonna really have
to dig deep, play aggressive.
Either you're gonna take it,
or it's gonna be taken from you.
[crowd roaring]
[commentator 1]
Well, well, well! What a game!
[crowd cheering]
That is a piece of art right there!
- [umpire] Game, Tiafoe!
- [commentator 2] He went big!
[umpire] five games to three,
fourth set.
[cheering]
[Tiafoe] I was taking him to the wire.
It's kill or be killed.
[commentator 2] Match point for Frances.
[tense electronic music playing]
[cheering]
[umpire] 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
[commentator 1]
Boy, did he give everything.
For this man, this win is beyond special.
[pensive electronic music playing]
[Tiafoe] Disbelief.
[crowd noises fade]
The world stopped.
Couldn't hear anything.
Absolute disbelief.
[noise resumes]
[commentator 2] Feel it, kid.
Oh, this is some moment, huh?
One of the most liked players
in both locker rooms
comes up with a historic win.
The great Rafa Nadal leaves the US Open.
[Tiafoe] So good.
Everything from the seven years that
I've known him flushed through my head.
I was like, whoa, what? We're here!
[Tiafoe] Happy to see you, baby.
Thank you.
[Ayan] No one expected him
to do anything like that.
- Thanks. Thank you.
- That was so good.
He shocked the entire tennis world.
- Yeah!
- Whoo!
- Let's go!
- Let's fucking go!
What's up, baby?
There was just so much love everywhere.
Don't look at me, bro.
I'm fighting back tears.
[Tiafoe] I'm tagged in all these things.
You start realizing the magnitude
of what you're doing.
Yeah, this is crazy.
[fans cheering]
[sportscaster] Welcome, Frances! [laughs]
- Congratulations!
- How long have you been waiting for this?
Yeah. Long, long time, man.
[sportscaster] Incredible effort today.
Wayne! Where you at?
We're waiting for you. Downstairs gym.
[Ferreira] Frances beat Rafa out there.
He didn't lose any focus and intensity.
He really showed him
that he's a great tennis player.
- Give me some love.
- Come on, man!
- How good do you feel right now?
- Crazy. I never want to play him again.
Let's get your shit. Let's go.
We've got further to go. Right? Yeah?
- You hear me?
- Let's do it. Yeah.
[Ferreira] I'm trying in my ways
to help him reset and refocus
because I truly believe
he could win the whole US Open.
[cheering]
[Ayan] Obviously the tournament's
not over, but you beat Rafa.
You take a little moment to enjoy that.
- [cheering]
- [music pounding]
Hey, Rafael Nadal fans!
[music fades]
[commentator 1]
It's quarterfinals day at the US Open
and things are starting to hot up.
[commentator 2]
What an effort from Berrettini.
He's doing everything he can
to stay in this match.
That forehand does it!
Ruud into the semis!
Alja Tomljanović
has had an incredible run,
but Ons is the one who moves through.
[commentator 3] Nick Kyrgios,
he is the talk of the town,
fighting and scrapping.
- [tense electronic music playing]
- Not a good soundtrack for Kyrgios. Oh.
[commentator 3]
The racket handled that reasonably well.
[ball clattering]
[intense music pounding]
[commentator 1] Some big-name players
of the tournament have been sent packing.
So, the path is now wide open
for the young guns.
Alcaraz books his ticket to the last four
in the most remarkable fashion.
[commentator 2] Obviously this place
is going to go crazy for Frances Tiafoe.
[commentator 1] After that
jaw-dropping win against Rafa,
he's got all of America rooting for him.
[commentator 2] He's playing
the kind of tennis that can win majors.
There it is!
Tiafoe beats Andrey Rublev
and is in the US Open semis!
[commentator] The game
got away from her there,
but Iga just gets down to business.
Świątek into the US Open semis
for the first time.
[commentator] What an evening
we have in store for you tonight.
Iga Świątek, Aryna Sabalenka,
two of the biggest powerful hitters
in the WTA.
[Świątek] In important moments,
I'm in my own bubble.
I don't want to be too overwhelmed
or too stressed.
I'm trying to force my mind
to think that it's nothing special.
[cheering]
[announcer] New York,
please welcome the players
for tonight's semi-final.
[man] Oh!
Every girl who's playing against me
is out there to beat me.
[announcer] World number six,
Aryna Sabalenka.
Yeah, Iga is the target for me.
I'll be able to beat her.
[dramatic music fades]
[commentator 1] That's a terrific serve.
[umpire] Point, Sabalenka.
[tense music playing]
[commentator 1]
Big-time hitting from Sabalenka.
Keeping the pressure on Świątek.
[commentator 2] Sabalenka trying
to reach her first major final!
[Navratilova]
It takes a lot of mental toughness.
Can you just get out there and keep
pushing away the people
that want to take your crown away?
[suspenseful electronic music playing]
[Świątek]
I'm kind of thinking what I should change.
Trying to look
from a different perspective.
[umpire] Time.
[music intensifies]
[crowd roaring]
[commentator 1] It's really been
a different Iga Świątek
from that first set.
[commentator 2]
Wanna know why she's number one?
Match point.
[cheering]
Number one will play
for the US Open title!
[Świątek] For me, it's a chance to prove
to myself and everybody else
that I can be world number one
for many years.
[announcer] Iga Świątek!
[Abramowicz in Polish] You played in
a setting that is uncomfortable for you.
[in Polish]
I'm happy that my mind finally activated.
[Abramowicz]
That's why we work on it. Right?
But now I'm going to bed
to watch a TV series.
[peaceful electronic music playing]
- [mother] Frances don't want meat soup.
- [Ayan] At all.
Give that to him, I'll give him
some more if he needs more.
[indistinct chatter]
[Alphina]
Almighty Father, we thank you for family.
We thank you for long life,
we thank you for good health.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
It was so funny:
one of my co-workers said to me,
"So your son beat Nadal!"
That's all they know.
[Ayan] Were people reaching out to you
from Sierra Leone?
Oh, yeah. Even the President
and the First Lady were watching.
- And they were posting it. Everything.
- No, that's crazy!
Yeah, the world definitely stopped
for a moment.
[Alphina] Mm-hmm.
He came from so far to get to this point.
I'm like, man, he's gonna do things.
[Frances Sr.] You've proved to everybody
that you can do it.
So now let's see what's next.
Yeah. I don't take this moment
for granted.
- I'm gonna give everything I got.
- You have to.
[Ayan] He's been working so hard
and now he's in the semi-final.
This is a huge deal.
He has a little bit more expectation
because we know what he can do.
[suspenseful music in background]
[commentator 1]
Let's get into today's matches.
Frances Tiafoe against Carlos Alcaraz.
The electric Spaniard.
[exclaiming]
[in Spanish]
I'm Carlos Alcaraz, I'm 19 years old.
Carlos, I mean, he's special.
[Roddick] He's lightning fast.
[commentator] Oh, my word! Extraordinary!
The athleticism is through the roof.
[Annacone] This kid beat Novak and Rafa
back-to-back to win a title.
That doesn't happen. Just doesn't happen.
[commentator] Oh, yes!
That is crazy, man.
He's on some other shit, man.
[exclaims]
[Tiafoe] It's gonna be a dog fight.
[in Spanish]
No. No, I don't feel pressure.
[peaceful electronic music playing]
[commentator 1] What an evening
we have in store for you tonight.
The anticipation around the grounds
over the last half an hour
has been quite something.
[commentator 2] No question about it,
everyone was very excited
about tonight's match with Frances Tiafoe,
an American, in the semi-finals.
[commentator 3]
Tiafoe, the first Black man to reach
a US Open semifinal in 50 years.
Arthur Ashe did it in 1972.
[Ferreira] You have to be the aggressor.
Play the same way you have done
the last few matches.
You've got to go after the ball.
You cannot be tentative.
You cannot push and cannot change the way
you've been playing. Same intensity.
- Good luck, bro. Same thing, eh.
- Play to win.
- Play to win. Huge opportunity.
- Let's go.
[commentator 2] There hasn't been
an American in a long time,
since Andy Roddick in 2006.
In the semis, you realize, like, six sets
away from being a Grand Slam champion.
[suspenseful music playing]
It always feels different. It's intense.
[commentator 1]
The American carrying home hopes
to get the second semi-final underway.
[crowd roaring]
A sizable roar for the American.
He leads, four-three.
[intense electronic music playing]
[cheering]
An ignominious way
for a set to come to an end,
but what a big set it could be
for Frances Tiafoe.
[umpire] Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
Ready for play.
[intense electronic music pulsing]
[crowd roaring]
[commentator 1] Having dropped the first,
Carlos Alcaraz answers in some style
by taking the second
and levels things up here.
It's a set apiece.
A real drop in level from the American,
but Carlos Alcaraz is one set away
from his maiden major final.
[Tiafoe] I'm getting my ass kicked,
third set down, 6-1.
Down an early break.
You know, I got this packed crowd
stood behind me
and Michelle Obama front row,
leaving her crib to come and watch me.
I'm not gonna not try my ass off.
Like, I'm gonna put my heart on the line.
Tiafoe, you get the sense, is going to
have to come up with something special.
[commentator 2] Nice!
[cheering]
[tense music playing]
[cheering]
[commentator 1] A spark was needed,
and a spark may have been found.
I'm putting my heart on the fucking line!
I'm putting my heart on the fucking line!
Let's go!
- [umpire] Out!
- [cheering]
[umpire] Game and fourth set, Tiafoe,
by seven games to six.
Two sets all.
Let's go!
Yeah!
[Tiafoe] Every kid is gonna tell you,
"I wanna win Grand Slams.
I wanna be world number one."
Do I want that? For sure.
But for me, it's bigger than that, man.
Like, when I'm playing matches,
I got young kids wanting to be that.
That's what it's all about.
[umpire] Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
Final set.
[electronic music playing]
[music intensifies]
[cheering]
[commentator 1]
Another monumental cheer
because the American
is still standing in the fifth.
Oh, my goodness!
Have you ever seen a lob as good as that?
Match point.
[crowd roaring]
Carlos Alcaraz is into
his first major final.
He becomes just the second teenager
in the Open era
to reach the US Open final.
[host] Ladies and gentlemen,
can we hear it
for Carlos Alcaraz
and Frances Tiafoe, please?
[crowd roaring]
[pensive electronic music playing]
Frances
I think I speak for everybody here tonight
when I say thank you
for that performance tonight.
What would you like to say to this crowd?
[crowd cheering]
I gave it I gave it everything I had.
I came here wanting to win the US Open.
I feel like I let you guys down.
Uh This one really hurts.
This one really, really hurts.
[host] You didn't let anybody down.
Believe me.
[Tiafoe] I'm gonna come back and win
this thing one day. I'm sorry, guys.
[cheering]
[commentator 2] He's got his friends here,
his family here, his coach is here,
his girlfriend, his NBA buddies here.
[contemplative music rising]
Yeah, that hurt a lot.
[indistinct chatter]
I'm happy that I did it with, you know,
loved ones around, family, team.
That meant a lot to me.
[Ferreira] Are you disappointed?
And you should be.
- But we're not leaving disappointed.
- No.
[Ferreira]
We're leaving with our heads so high.
[Tiafoe] Yeah.
[Ferreira] And you leave here
feeling like a million bucks.
I think sometimes
he struggled a little bit on the belief
of if he could be that guy.
You know, could he win a slam?
Could he be top 10?
Could he be number one in the world?
You ready? She's ready.
Now he believes that he has
the ability to win a grand slam.
And that's the key.
- We are both very proud of you.
- I appreciate it.
You did not let anybody down tonight.
Don't even let that spirit come over you.
- Thank you.
- You were amazing. You have been amazing.
- You made us all so proud.
- That means a lot.
[Ayan] I think he's starting to see
what tennis has given him,
the places it's taken him,
the people he's been able to meet.
[man] Thank you all for coming!
Thank you all for coming!
I never really felt like I was
the last American going, I felt like
I felt it was so much bigger than that.
Looking in that stadium and seeing
a lot of people of color watching tennis,
that's what meant a lot to me
more than anything.
- Great job, go win this thing.
- Thanks. I'll do it.
You'll be number one in the world.
You deserve it.
- Thank you very much, man. Appreciate it.
- Yeah, man, thank you.
- You're amazing. Don't forget it.
- Amen.
[pensive electronic music playing]
[Tiafoe] Now, I want to create
more moments like that.
I want to keep inspiring people.
[intense electronic music playing]
[commentator 1] All right, here we go.
This US Open Women's singles final.
Iga Świątek and Ons Jabeur.
- [crew] What's Ons like as an opponent?
- Is she gonna see that?
[Świątek] She's really tough.
She's gonna play it to win.
[Jabeur]
This final is going to be very difficult.
The image of Iga winning all the matches
scares most of the players on tour.
But I am hungry to win.
We're not friends anymore.
It's warrior mode.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator 1] Iga Świątek is
the number one player in the world,
and Ons Jabeur is
the number two player in the world.
[commentator 2] We couldn't have hoped
for a whole lot more of a women's final.
The best two players
in the world fighting for this title.
[Świątek] It's the US Open.
I don't wanna think about
all the things that may
really stress me. [laughs]
POLAND
[umpire] First set
[commentator 1] This place is full of fans
ready to cheer for both these players.
[umpire] Please.
[intense electronic music playing]
[umpire] Game, Świątek.
[commentator 1]
Great start for the number one!
[crowd cheering]
[commentator 2] Love the way
that Ons has settled down.
[Świątek] I want to really feel that
my opponent is under pressure.
[commentator 2] So good from Świątek.
[commentator 1] Iga Świątek
with the opening set in half an hour.
[Świątek] This is the best kind
of scenario I could imagine.
- [cheering]
- [umpire] Game, Miss Świątek.
[Świątek] But the crowd,
pretty annoying.
[hecklers shouting]
[umpire] Please, ready for play.
- [man] Iga!
- [scattered heckling]
[umpire]
Ladies and gentlemen, for both players?
[commentator 2] Just so much talking
and noise and people yelling out.
[electronic music pulsing]
[commentator 2] She's getting distracted.
[crowd roars]
[Świątek] She really uses
the energy from the crowd.
She suddenly changed
the momentum totally.
[crowd roaring]
I put a lot of energy
to not see the screen
and the only time I look at the screen,
there was Matthew Perry in the audience.
I love Friends. So that's the only thing
that could distract me, you know?
[commentator 2]
Świątek is now under a bit of pressure.
[commentator 1]
See how she handles this.
[crowd roaring]
Jabeur has caught fire
and she's back on serve.
[Świątek]
My head is with all its thoughts.
[commentator 2]
Match has started to turn.
- [crowd roaring]
- [Świątek] It's hard to focus.
[cheering]
[commentator 1]
Tiebreak and we're into overtime.
[commentator 2] There's so much tension.
Get it, get it!
What's Świątek thinking right now?
- [fateful music playing]
- [noises fade]
[Świątek] I have to relax,
push these thoughts away.
- [umpire] Match point.
- [crowd cheering]
Come on, Iga!
- [crowd noises fade]
- [suspenseful music playing]
[crowd cheering]
Iga Świątek!
Second major title of the year.
The 21-year-old, far and away
the world's number one.
[tranquil electronic music playing]
[upbeat music playing]
Her team has tried to get her
to realize her greatness.
[Świątek] I never really thought
that's gonna be possible for me.
I feel something surreal happened.
[host] Ladies and gentlemen,
Iga Świątek!
It's like a dream come true and I'm 21.
So I should have more dreams, right?
She's still a kid,
but she has all the tools in the toolkit
to dominate for a long time.
She's a leader for us and she pushes
a lot of players to do better.
[Annacone] Tennis looks like
it's in awfully good hands.
I feel like this is the achievement
that you can really enjoy
for the rest of your life, you know?
So I'm looking forward
to rest of my life. [laughs]
[Annacone] The WTA and ATP finals
are the culmination of the year.
[laughing]
[Fritz] The tournament everyone
has their sights set on.
- [fan] Rafa!
- [announcer] Aryna Sabalenka!
[Navratilova]
Kudos to her to get to the finals
[exclaims]
because this year she was a mess.
[roars]
Sometimes there's something
deeper than tennis going on.
- [bomb explodes]
- [reporter] It is war in Ukraine.
I am from Belarus.
I just hope for the peace.
Honestly, I thought that
I'm gonna stop playing tennis.
[in Russian] This is not all right.
[in English] But I cannot quit.
[shouting]
I have to keep going.
[intense music playing]
I have to fight.
[quirky electronic music playing]