8 minute read
Friday Sept
Frances Tiafoe Reaches U.S. Open Semifinal, Makes History Along The Way
By JOE MASTERS
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CONTRIBUTING WRITER
As he emphatically punched his racket towards the sky in celebration after defeating number nine ranked Russian Andrey Rublev, 24 year-old phenom Frances Tiafoe inched closer to immortality, making history along the way.
A crowd of more than 20,000 eagerly packed into Arthur Ashe Stadium last Wednesday afternoon to watch Tiafoe, fresh off defeating world number two ranked Rafael Nadal in four sets. He did not disappoint.
Tiafoe took down the uber-talented Rublev in straight sets, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (0), 6-4 to reach the U.S. Open semifinals and become the first American male since Andy Roddick to accomplish the feat in 2006. Back then, George W. Bush was the president, the iPhone was just a concept and “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter was the No. 1 song in America. This achievement comes days after Tiafoe became the first American man to defeat ageless wonder Rafael Nadal in a major tournament since James Blake in 2005, also in the U.S. Open.
What is most incredible is that Tiafoe’s historic win makes him the first African-American man to reach a U.S. Open semifinal appearance since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
For Tiafoe, and those closest to the star, this has been a long time coming. Komi Akli, Tiafoe’s personal coach at the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) in College Park, Md., has known him since he was just five years old.
“He has been training for this for a long time, to get to this level, to maintain the level of the quality he’s playing at,” Akli said.
Akli also recounts training alongside a 15-year-old Tiafoe at the Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship, a major tournament for tennis’s rising stars around the world. Just being there was an accomplishment on its own, but what happened during the tournament, Akli remembers, made him realize the special player Tiafoe could become.
“He broke all his strings, he broke his shoe. He had to use my racket to finish and win the whole match. That’s when I knew. He doesn’t care, he just plays,” Akli said. Lost amongst the dazzling slices, crafty volleys and powerful serves, Tiafoe’s ascension serves as a beacon of hope for the next generation of American tennis players, specifically African-Americans. According to a 2013 USTA report, 77% of all tennis participants are white, 14% are Latino and 9% are Black. While there have been prominent figures in the past, Tiafoe’s success on the courts in a new era of digital media and advanced socialization has a chance to pay incredible dividends for those that will come after him.
“It means a lot for not even just African-American players but just the whole nation,” said Akli.
Tiafoe is also at the ripe age of 24, at the same time when the top forces for last two decades (Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal) have shown signs of slowing down due to injury or vaccination issues in the Serbian’s case. With his youth, a new found consistency and dominance at his side, Tiafoe looks primed to be at the center of the new wave of tennis stars, while also serving as an usher for the next generation.
Tiafoe’s run ended Friday night when he fell to #3 Carlos Alcaraz in a thrilling five set match. Akli, however, does not want the focus to be on the loss.
“We are still celebrating. This has been a big week for him, we are so proud of him and we are so proud of JTCC.”
COURTESY OF TWITTER
Although Tiafoe was eliminated, his impact was great at the U.S. Open.
A Beginners Guide to Formula 1
By LILLIAN VERDI
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
What is Formula 1 (F1)? To some, it’s just a bunch of colorful race cars driving at crazy speeds around oddly shaped tracks. Others may not know what F1 is at all. Those who’ve been fans for years will automatically answer that it is one of the best sports in the world.
F1, in very simple terms, is the highest level of international auto racing. In 1950, the first ever F1 race (or Grand Prix) was held at Britain’s Silverstone Circuit. In that first season, there were only seven races. In the 2022 season, 10 teams will compete in 22 races.
In F1, both teams and individual drivers are aiming to win their respective championship titles.
Drivers work towards the World Drivers’ Championship (WDC). If they finish a race in one of the top 10 places, they earn points, which are then added to their end-ofseason total. This accumulation of points is what decides who wins the WDC and is crowned world champion. Teams win the World Constructors’ Championship (WCC) for engineering and building the best cars. The team with the highest number of combined points from their two drivers wins the WCC, seeing as those cars made it possible for their drivers to win the most races.
F1 cars are engineering marvels that consist of two main components: the chassis and the engine. The chassis is the car’s main structure. It has the engine (behind the driver), gearbox, suspension and outer body panels mounted onto it. A 1000 horsepower, 1.6 liter, V6 turbocharged engine is the approved engine for this season. These things, along with many other components, allow F1 cars to achieve speeds of up to 235 mph (275 kph). But who are these incredible drivers achieving such high speeds? Here’s a list of the 10 teams/20 drivers currently competing in the 2022 season: 1) Scuderia Ferrari with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz 2) Mercedes-AMG Petronas with Sir Lewis Hamilton and George Russell 3) Red Bull Racing with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez 4) McLaren with Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris 5) Alpine F1 Team with Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso 6) Scuderia AlphaTauri with Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda 7)Cognizant Aston Martin with Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll 8) Williams with Nicholas Latifi and Alexander Albon 9) Alfa Romeo Orlen Racing with Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou 10) Haas F1 with Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen.
From March to November (with a short break in August), drivers go head to head from Friday through Sunday every race weekend. A typical weekend schedule starts on Friday with two practice sessions, where drivers familiarize themselves with the track and analyze fuel consumption and what types of tires are best for that race. On Saturday, there is a third practice session and the qualifying phases (Q1, Q2 and Q3). During qualifying, drivers work towards the fastest lap times to start as close to the front as possible. In Q1, all 20 drivers compete and the slowest five are eliminated. In Q2, the last five are also eliminated. Q3 decides the grid positions for the remaining 10 drivers. This is the most intense of the three qualifying sessions because all 10 drivers are fighting to get pole position (first place).
Sunday is race day! After one formation lap to fire up fans, drivers roll up to the starting line, then the red lights go out and away they go. Diehard fans line the stands, waving banners and holding signs in support of their favorite teams and drivers. In 2022, 1.4 million viewers will watch from home, pacing across their living rooms. Whether they’ve been watching for years or are new to the fanbase, every fan will agree, F1 is a highly addictive sport.
If you want to learn more than just these basic facts about F1 and become one of the millions of enthusiastic fans, “Formula 1: Drive to Survive,” a dramatic docu series about F1 on Netflix is a great place to start for new fans.
Men’s Cross Country
Fordham Fiasco 3rd/7 Teams
Women’s Cross Country
Fordham Fiasco 3rd/7 teams
Football
Fordham 52 Monmouth 49
Volleyball
Fordham 2 Montana State 3
Fordham 3 North Dakota State 0
Men’s Soccer
Fordham 2 UMBC 2
–Compiled by Maddie Bimonte
Fordham 0 Loyola Maryland 0
Women’s Soccer
Fordham 1 Quinnipiac 3
Fordham 0 Columbia 4
Water Polo
Princeton Invitational Fordham 18 Cal Lutheran 11
Fordham 17 St. Francis Brooklyn 8
Fordham 12 Princeton 13
Golf
Ryan Lee Memorial 12th/17 Teams
News & Notes
Last week, Fordham Women’s Basketball released their 202223 non-conference schedule, consisting of 13 games. Seven of those will be played at home, while four will be on the road. The remaining two will be played as a part of the Las Vegas Holiday Classic during Thanksgiving weekend. Starting Nov. 3, the Rams will face off at home against Kutztown University moving on to events against Yale University and St. Peter’s University. Next, the Rams will hit the road to face the University of Maryland and Princeton University, before returning back to the Rose Hill Gym for a matchup against Wagner University. For Thanksgiving weekend, Fordham travels to Las Vegas, featuring matchups between Washington University and South Dakota University. The rest of the schedule rounds out with games between Fairfield University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Seton Hall University and Post University. The rest of the away games feature Manhattan College and the University of Maine.
Football Plays Homecoming Game This Week
Fordham Football will play their annual Homecoming game this week on Saturday against the University of Albany. As the first home game for the season, the Rams are coming off of two big wins to start the season, against Wagner College and Monmouth University. The game starts at 1 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and WFUV 90.7 FM.
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