Thanks for your patience as we finished up our US Open wrap! One of our birthdays coincided with Rolex inviting a certain president to the tournament, and we conscientiously objected. Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz are your winners (for the first time together). The tournament was a barnburner on the women’s side, a fantastic cap to a year which saw four different Slam winners and a few players rewriting their own stories. On the men’s side, Alcaraz faced only 10 break points (a record) and pushed a dominant Sinner into rethinking his own game. As is our wont, we talk extensively about other things … including using Mary Carillo’s commentary as an example of the necessary risk of expanding sports commentary into something more worldly and immediate.  01:46 Aryna Sabalenka wins with smarts and steadiness 08:56 Animisova-Osaka, now that was a moment 18:27 The Townsend-Krejcikova match was a stunner 21:31 Mary Carillo and the risk of telling the truth 35:47 Carlos figures out Jannik (7 of the last 8 times) 42:19 Thanks, Rolex! The USTA makes a problem worse  50:34 Breaking down the prize money increase 55:45 Allez Félix!   64:50 Novak and everyone else 71:11 Duchess of Kent, Wimbledon icon, dies at 92