US Open

Getting Israeli players back to the top of the tennis landscape

The days of big-name Israelis playing in the baking hot sun or in the late-night chill of Queens, NY, in front of flag-waving, cheering Israeli supporters, are a distant memory.

|ByHOWARD BLAS
YONI ERLICH (left) and Dudi Sela (right) – playing together in the Davis Cup in 2013 – icons of Israeli tennis whose successors are hopefully just around the corner.
CALIFORNIA NATIVE Kaylan Bigun was a strong contender to win the US Open Junior Tournament, coming in as the second seed, but he fell in the quarterfinals.

Family, faith, and forehands: Rising Jewish star Kaylan Bigun’s New York experience

Despite a tough quarterfinal exit, Kaylan Bigun’s tennis journey is marked by family support, connections to Israel, and excitement for his upcoming college career at UCLA.

|ByHOWARD BLAS
ARGENTINE-JEWISH tennis star Diego Schwartzman holds a collage he was presented with following his last-ever match at the US open, a loss to Gael Monfils ahead of his impending retirement.

Schwartzman grateful during Grand Slam swan song

Diego Schwartzman played his last Grand Slam match at the 2024 US Open, receiving a heartfelt send-off from fans as he prepares to retire in 2025.

|ByHOWARD BLAS
VALERIE GLOZMAN, who is connected to her Jewish roots, was knocked out of the qualifying for the main draw at the US Open, but the 17-year-old will feature in the junior tournament.

Valerie Glozman hits the Big Apple

Glozman, the USTA Girls’ 18s national singles runner-up, received a wild card into the qualifying tournament.

|ByHOWARD BLAS

US Open serves kosher food, hosts Jewish prayer quorums

“Having kosher food at the US Open means you don’t feel excluded. You are part of the crowd,” said visitor Eli Feit.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2023ByHOWARD BLAS
‘KNISHES FOR sale!’ Prime Kosher Sports offerings.

Israeli quads tennis star Guy Sasson shares his 1st US Open experience

The 43-year-old Sasson shared the very emotional experience of playing on such a big stage as equals with such tennis greats as US Open finalists Djokovic and Danil Medvedev.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023ByHOWARD BLAS
GUY SASSON of Israel competes with doubles partner Koji Sugeno of Japan during their first-round match at the US Open Quads event in Queens, New York.

American junior Glozman serves on 2nd US Open, Jewish heritage

Glozman’s successful year continued when the then No. 2 ranked player in the country won the prestigious FILA Easter Bowl tournament.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023ByHOWARD BLAS
VALERIE GLOZMAN – the daughter of a Ukrainian Jewish father and a Taiwanese mother – has played in the qualifying events of both women and junior events at the US Open for the past two years.

US Open ejects fan for using Adolf Hitler regime phrase

CNN reported that the fan uttered a phrase from the German national anthem, which since has been removed, that became a rallying cry under Hitler during World War II.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2023ByREUTERS
A tennis racket and two tennis balls on a court

Former Israeli tennis stars reflect on US Open

What do you do post retirement when your job WAS playing in the US Open?

AUGUST 31, 2023ByHOWARD BLAS
THE WRITER (left) runs into retired Israel tennis legend Andy Ram (right) grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York this week.

Swinging into action at the US Open

Fans flock to Flushing Meadows for last Grand Slam of the year • No Israeli players in main draw

AUGUST 24, 2023ByHOWARD BLAS
WITH PREVIOUS quarterfinal runs at the US Open – in 2017 and 2019 – Jewish-Argentinian Diego Schwartzman will look to break out of a recent slump and make some noise in this year’s tournament, which gets under way next week.

Tennis fans, here's why you should buy tickets to the US Open

The US Open features more than 900 matches, counting singles, doubles, youth, wheelchair, and so on over two weeks. If you never thought about spending a day at a tennis tournament, grab this chance.

JUNE 23, 2023ByMICHAEL LEVIN
Daniil Medvedev of Russia celebrates after his match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia (not pictured) in the men's singles final on day fourteen of the 2021 US Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, in Flushing, New York, on September 12, 2021.

Alcaraz rediscovers the joy of tennis at US Open

The New York crowd had taken the Spanish teen to their hearts last year when he became the youngest man to reach a US Open quarter-final.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2022ByREUTERS
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning the US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - September 11, 2022.

The wonderful world of Juniors; More Israelis coming next year?

The US Open Junior competition draws less attention than the seniors but provides a look into the future of tennis.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022ByHOWARD BLAS
VALERIE GLOZMAN competes at the US Open Junior tournament. The 15-year-old American lost to the No. 1 seed, Sofia Costlulas of Belgium, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Dudi Sela bows out at US Open qualifying

Sela entered the qualifiers at the US Open thanks to his protective ranking. He came to New York hoping to advance past the first round of the qualifiers

AUGUST 26, 2022ByHOWARD BLAS
DUDI SELA posing with fans.

Israel’s Erlich and tennis’s old guard keep up with youth

Jonathan Erlich, Israel’s 44-years-old Davis Cup captain, is the oldest player in the US open that is full of up-and-coming youngsters.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021ByHOWARD BLAS
AT 44 years OLD, Israeli doubles specialist Jonathan Erlich is more than double the age of many of his opponents these days, but still is competitive on the ATP Tour.