We break down the first two rounds of the 2026 Australian Open on both the ATP and WTA tours.

From why the top seeds largely survived, to what the early exits of several Next Gen players really mean, to the subtle differences between tour professionals and rising talent — this episode goes deep on what actually matters after Week 1 in Melbourne.

Topics include:
• Why Grand Slams expose young players differently than regular tour events  
• Fonseca & Alex Eala’s early exits and what to make of them  
• Serve development as the real separator on tour  
• Madison Keys, Pegula, and the American litmus test  
• Crowd dynamics at the Happy Slam  
• Men’s draw chalk and what it sets up for the Round of 32  
• Early thoughts on Tiafoe vs De Minaur, Zverev vs Norrie, Shelton’s form, and more  

🎾 Hosted by Alvin Owusu & Torrey Hawkins  

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The 2026 tennis season is officially underway, and we’re kicking it off with our full Australian Open Draw Show.

In this episode of Best of Three, we break down:

• The women’s draw first – contenders, dangerous floaters, and early-round landmines

• The men’s draw second – blockbuster first rounds, brutal sections, and who really got tested

• Which seeds are vulnerable

• Which unseeded players could blow things up

• And what the draw tells us about how this tournament might actually unfold

If you’re filling out a bracket, losing sleep over first-round matchups, or just love tournament strategy, this one’s for you.

🎾 Hosted by Alvin Owusu & Torrey Hawkins

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American women’s tennis is quietly stacked—and complicated.

In this special State of the Union episode of Best of Three, Alvin Owusu and Torrey Hawkins break down where US women’s tennis really stands heading into the new season.

They dig into:

• Coco Gauff’s evolution into a consistent Grand Slam force (and what still limits her ceiling)
• Amanda Anisimova’s comeback year, mental toughness, and why her pedigree matters
• Jessica Pegula’s consistency, her realistic Grand Slam window, and what her next phase looks like
• Why development curves matter more than rankings alone
• Which young Americans are trending toward the top 10—and which might be leveling out
• The importance of early winning, time on tour, and making real adjustments to your game
• Why players like Eva Jovovich and Ashlyn Krueger could change the conversation
• What separates “top-50 good” from true championship contenders

This isn’t hot-take tennis talk. It’s a coach-level, long-arc conversation about development, pressure, injuries, money, confidence, and what it actually takes to win at the highest level.

If you care about the future of American tennis—or just love understanding how elite players are built—this one goes deep.

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American men’s tennis looks stable at the top — but stability isn’t the same as momentum.

In this State of the Union episode, Alvin and Torrey take a wide-angle look at where U.S. men’s tennis stands heading into the next season. They break down the established core (Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe), assess Ben Shelton’s rapid ascent, and ask the harder question: what happens after this generation?

The conversation spans ceiling vs. longevity, talent vs. professionalism, and why depth alone doesn’t solve the problem. They also dig into emerging names like Learner Tien and Ethan Quinn, debate wild cards like Jensen Brooksby, and define the “worry line” that quietly separates contenders from placeholders.

This isn’t rankings talk. It’s about trajectory, pressure, and who actually has the tools — mentally and physically — to push American tennis forward.

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Why does Jannik Sinner feel inevitable—especially indoors?

In this episode of Best of Three, Alvin Owusu is joined by Patrick Parr for a deep dive into what actually separates Sinner from the rest of the ATP field. This isn’t about forehands or backhands. It’s about skiing, pressure, stillness, and why tennis feels slow to him.

We unpack:

• How Sinner’s elite skiing background shaped his movement, balance, and mental calm
• Why indoor tennis removes chaos—and why that heavily favors Sinner
• The difference between Sinner’s inward focus and Alcaraz’s crowd-fed chaos
• Why long rallies don’t drain Sinner—they settle him
• How other sports (soccer, basketball, squash, boxing) quietly shape elite tennis players
• What it might take for the next generation to disrupt Sinner’s dominance

This conversation goes beyond rankings and trophies. It’s about how athletes are built, not just trained—and why some players feel unshakeable once they lock in.

🎧 Best of Three is a tennis podcast for fans who want to understand the game more deeply—from tactics to psychology to the weird paths that create greatness.

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In Part 4 of our ATP 2025 Year-End Review, we look at the players aged 27–29 — the most complicated group in men’s tennis. They were supposed to take over from Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer. Then came The New Two.

We dive into:

• Zverev’s stagnant ceiling and why the next dip could get ugly

• Fritz maximizing every ounce but needing just one more gear

• Medvedev’s “one more run” and what actual change looks like

• Tsitsipas falling fast — is a comeback even realistic?

• Rublev as the gatekeeper fighting off the kids behind him

This isn’t the future. This is now, and this era might define whether the ATP becomes a true three-tier fight — contenders, chasers, and casualties.

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What is a tennis player’s prime anymore? This week, we dig into the emerging “middle class” on the ATP Tour — the 25–26 year olds who are stepping into the best years of their tennis lives. Alex de Minaur, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Casper Ruud, Denis Shapovalov, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina — where are they headed in 2026 and beyond?

We break down:

• The science and mythology of peak vs prime in tennis

• Why longevity has shifted the curve into weird territory

• Who among this group has another level to unlock

• Who is at risk of getting passed by the next wave

• Why this cohort may set the tone for the ATP’s future depth

Prime isn’t guaranteed… it must be defended.

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What if you were good enough to be a Grand Slam contender… in any other era?

Part 2 of our ATP Year-End Review looks at the players aged 22–24 — the cohort stuck directly behind Alcaraz and Sinner. This is the group that knows the assignment: solve the best duo men’s tennis has seen in 20 years… or sit in the waiting room forever.

We dive into:

• Ben Shelton — the competitive mutant who has climbed faster than his skill set was “supposed” to  

• Flavio Cobolli — burning competitive fire plus a late-season breakout that changes everything  

• Jack Draper — elite results, still searching for the identity that unlocks it all  

• Holger Rune — consistency is nice… but where are the big Slam runs?  

Plus the truth they all face: there’s no “waiting out” the top anymore. The future is happening in real time.

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The men’s game is finally entering a new era — and the heat is coming from below. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner may be the “new two” at the top of the ATP mountain, but the base has started to rumble. In this episode, Torrey and Alvin break down the youngest wave of challengers ready to push the sport forward.

We dig into the rapid rise of Learner Tien, the firepower of João Fonseca, the big-man upside of Jakub Mensik, and the smooth-handed swagger of Alex Michelsen. What did each show us in 2025? And who actually has the goods to force the future to arrive sooner?

Along the way we talk:

– Why Davis Cup reminded us the tour is deeper than headlines let on  

– Why Mensik’s Miami run raised expectations… and pressure  

– Whether Fonseca avoids the Rublev plateau  

– How Tien can skyrocket just by adding a serve  

– What Michelsen must learn now that he’s among the big boys  

Can anyone touch the top in the next 24 months? We make our predictions and put the stopwatch on the future.

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The 2025 WTA season is in the books, and it might be the clearest sign yet that women’s tennis has officially entered a new era. Arena Sabalenka finished as the undisputed force at the top, Coco Gauff found another gear, Amanda Anisimova became a two-slam finalist, and a wave of young talent made serious noise.

Alvin and Torrey break down:

• Why Sabalenka’s “Serena 2.0” season was both dominant and revealing

• Whether Coco Gauff actually has another level — and what that could mean for 2026

• The case for Amanda Anisimova as a true long-term contender

• Players poised to break into the Top 8 next year (Mirra Andreeva, Qinwen Zheng, Naomi Osaka…?)

• Who’s rising, who’s falling, and why style matchups matter more than ever

• Stock Up / Stock Down

• Our favorite matches and storylines of the year

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