Scratched in the Apple

They're playing the qualifying rounds of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, but the big news at this point is who's dropped out of the main draw. We already knew that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Dominic Thiem weren't coming, but now both the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, have begged off with leg injuries. (I suspect pride injuries as well.)

And the highest-ranked American woman in the field, Sofia Kenin, has breakhtrough Covid, and she's out.

I still couldn't give you a decent guess as to who will win the women's trophy on September 11. But three possibilities have now been eliminated. Kenin especially had been plausible.

For the men, it's all about beating Snidely Whiplash. And it's still going to be up to the Little Four: three -evs and a Tsitsi-.