On August 25, the biggest tennis tournament hosted by the U.S each year began. The best tennis players from around the world, men and women, come to the U.S. Open hoping to be crowned champion. This year there were many headlines heading into the tournament, including, a favorite to win on the men’s side, Rafael Nadal, withdrew from the competition due to a wrist injury. Also, Cici Bellis made her first U.S. Open appearance at a very young age. At just 15, Bellis not only made her first appearance, but recorded her first win, beating 12^th seed Dominika Cibulkova 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. When interviewed by Newsday, Bellis said, “I never thought I would be practicing or sharing a court with a player I watch on TV frequently. I mean, it’s crazy, but I love it.” Bellis is the youngest player to win at the U.S. Open since Anna Kournikova back in 1996.

On the men’s side, the tournament has been nothing short of exciting. From upsets to intense matches between two powerhouses, the men have managed to keep the fans on the edge of their seat.  Gael Monfils has been the dark horse on the men’s side. 20^th ranked Monfils has made his way to the quarter-finals after defeating 12^th seeded Richard Gasquet and 7^th seeded Grigor Dimitrov, amongst others. However, Monfils’ tournament run ended last night when he lost to 2^nd seed Rodger Federer 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 5,-7, 2-6. Monfils has not been the only one fighting his way through the tournament. 1 seed Novak Djokivic fought off a surging 8 seed, Andy Murray, to earn a spot in the semifinals. Djokovic, the favorite to win the tournament, won 7-6, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 last night in one of the best matches of the tournament so far. With the match ending after midnight, fatigue played a major part in the match, but Djokovic showed us why he is the 1 seed by pushing through. Novak will play 10^th seed Kei Nishikori for a chance to play in the Championship.

The women have not let us down either. With primetime matches along with a few surprises, the women have been nothing short of entertaining. While tournament favorites such as Carolina Wozniacki and Serena Williams have made their way to the semifinals, there are still a few dark horses left in the tournament. Shaui Peng, an unranked player from China, has fought her way all the way to the semifinals where she will play Carolina Wozniacki for a chance to play in the championship match. Along with the dark horses, there have been some great matches between powerhouses. 10^th seeded Carolina Wozniacki defeated 5^th seeded Maria Sharapova 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. This knocked one of the favorites, Sharapova, out of the competition.

So far, the 2014 U.S. Open has been very entertaining. With the women’s championship being played on September 7^th and the men’s final on September 8^th, the tournament is bound to culminate in 2 thrilling matches.