*By Kavitha Shastry*
We're down to the final matches of this year's U.S. Open, with the four women still in the running for the ladies' singles title facing off in the semifinals Thursday night.
And for Todd Martin, a finalist in New York in 1999 and currently the president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, it's basically a story of Serena Williams...and everybody else.
"I wouldn't go so far as to say it's Serena's tournament to win or lose, but she has gotten to that stage in the tournament where she's the only one who's ever won a Major before, and she's playing really well," Martin said in an interview on Cheddar Thursday.
"She's reasserted herself as, really, the best player in the game."
Williams, who's going for her seventh U.S. Open title, came into this year's event as the 17th seed but was considered by many to be a favorite to win. So far she's defeated her sister Venus, herself a two-time champion, and eighth seed Karolina Pliskova, the runner-up in 2016.
Williams kicks off Thursday's singles action against Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova, who's playing in her first ever Grand Slam semi. The 19th seed may be the heavy underdog, but she's had a good run in New York, dismissing defending champion Sloane Stephens in straight sets in their quarterfinal.
In the second match-up of the night, 14th-seeded American Madison Keys, who lost to Stephens in last year's final, faces rising star Naomi Osaka of Japan. Keys has won all three of the pair's previous meetings, but Osaka, with her first career title at a tournament in Indian Wells, Calif., earlier this year and a win over Serena in Miami, cannot be counted out.
As for the men, who contest their semifinal matches on Friday, there's a little more star power in the mix.
Three-time champion Rafael Nadal, winner in 2017, is coming off a marathon quarterfinal against Austria's Dominic Thiem and will face Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro, who earned his first and so far only Major title in New York in 2009.
Martin said this match will be one to watch.
"On paper, you would say Nadal has the edge. He's won so many Majors, he's in good form right now, and he's really and truly the best fighter in our sport," Martin said.
"However, match-up-wise, Del Potro is 6'6", he's playing at a high level. Nadal's lefty game matching up with Del Potro's height, it's neutralized a little bit...I wouldn't be a bit surprised if there was a minor upset with Del Potro winning that match."
The second men's semi though may be less of a challenge. Former world #1 Novak Djokovic, coming off a title at Wimbledon this year, will take on Japan's Kei Nishikori, a finalist in 2014.
Martin said the favorite is clear.
"Djokovic, when he's right in the head and in the body, he's the best player in the world, and I think he's in a pretty good place right now. I expect him to win the tournament, but there's a few more matches left to be played."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/tennis-legend-todd-martin-previews-us-open-semi-finals).
Wine manufacturer Yellow Tail can’t buy a national ad during the Super Bowl ー but that won't stop the company from getting its “Tastes like Happy” campaign out to the public in spectacular fashion. To skirt the category exclusivity hold that Anheuser-Busch InBev ($BUD) has on the Big Game, Yellow Tail bought 81 local ads ー which cover about 90 percent of the nation.
Millions of people around the world are getting ready for the Super Bowl on Sunday. And while the day is all fun and games, there's still a serious discussion happening about player safety. Now, two leading sports brands have teamed up to design new, state-of-the-art equipment using 3D printing. Joe DeSimone, co-founder and CEO of Carbon, stopped by Cheddar with more on how technology is making football more safe, head to toe.
Luke Wilson is taking a short break from Hollywood. A commercial break. The "Rushmore" and "Old School" actor is starring in his first Super Bowl commercial, and he says the 30-second Colgate spot will probably get more views than any of his movies. "I think more people will see this than any movie I've ever been in for sure," Wilson told Cheddar on Friday.
Draftkings CEO Jason Robins told Cheddar that New Jersey residents alone could wager as much as $100 million on the Super Bowl, the first time sports betting will be legal there for the big game.
Although it has 3 million customers, home security company SimpliSafe isn’t a household name yet. It’s hoping that will change on Sunday after its first Super Bowl ad airs.“In a market where people are trying to lock you in a contract or harvest your data, we’re trying to keep you safe,” brand creative director Wade Devers told Cheddar. “There aren’t really a lot of places you can reach the number of people you can reach like the Super Bowl.”
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Feb. 1, 2019.
On Super Bowl Sunday, the Hallmark Channel will be home to the sixth annual Kitten Bowl, the annual matchup of cat-letes held to benefit the North Shore Animal League. Beth Stern, host of the Kitten Bowl and spokesperson for North Shore (and wife to Howard), brought a pair of 12-week Siamese kittens to Cheddar Thursday to help promote a new event this year: the first-ever Cat Bowl.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019.
Super Bowl Sunday is the ー well ー Super Bowl of building brand awareness, particularly for food and beverage companies. This year, Pepsi and Frito-Lay, both units of PepsiCO ($PEP), are once again among the snack giants planning to use the 100 million-plus members of the expected television audience to launch new products and elevate brands in their respective portfolios. Frito-Lay CMO Jen Saenz spoke to Cheddar Tuesday alongside Greg Lyons, the CMO for Pepsi, which is known for its Super Bowl ads and social media engagement tied to the Big Game.
Apple is planning a subscription service that would function like Netflix for games, according to people familiar with the matter. The iPhone maker has also discussed partnering with developers as a publisher, which could signal ambitions to assume distribution and marketing costs for games.
