Tennis fans at CHS were filled with anticipation on Sunday, Sept. 10 as they watched number two seed Rafael Nadal of Spain defeat Daniil Medvedev of Russia in the men’s singles finals of the U.S. Open Tournament.

At the conclusion of this match, Nadal, who had won his fourth US Open title, had won 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4. According to TennisIndustry.org, over 1.25 million people tuned into the tournament on their television or radio. Among those viewers were CHS students, who had their own opinions on the final match of the grand slam tournament. 

Senior Heather Griffin of Wall is a three year varsity starter for Wall High School’s tennis team. As a player and fan, she looks forward to watching the U.S. Open every year. She was even able to buy tickets to the earlier matches of the tournament.

“Both players really played a great match,” Griffin said. “Both Nadal and Medvedev fought really hard so regardless of the outcome, it was such a great championship to watch.”

Many other matches were played that led to the men’s singles championship. Senior Colin Martin of Middletown was able to view some of the excitement first-hand. 

“I watch a lot of tennis so I look forward to every big tournament, but especially the U.S. Open because it’s so close to home. This year, I actually went to see some of it which was awesome,” Martin said.

The tournament climaxed as the championship match ended with a four hour and 51 minute five set match, according to tennis.com. Griffin explained that she was glad that she had the opportunity to witness the matches that led up to this moment. 

“Getting to go to the U.S. Open and watch the players close up was so amazing, and I hope to go again in the future,” she said.