Down 0-3 in the first, Elise Mertens fights back against Caty McNally

In most cases, education takes places in private, skills and knowledge gained discreetly. But for tennis players, education also happens in public, evaluation subject to a range of factors that can even distract from the coursework. For 18-year-old Caty McNally, a promising American from Cincinnati, the last two US Opens have surely provided her with a wide range of learning opportunities.

Twelve months ago in New York, McNally extended Serena Williams to three sets in a second round match. This year, McNally went one step further, reaching the third round. Yesterday, in a match suspended Thursday night due to rain, she beat 21st-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova in a third-set tiebreaker.

Today, in the third round, McNally lost to 18th-ranked Elise Mertens, 7-5, 6-1.

Welcome to pro tennis. One minute, you’re going the distance with the greatest ever inside the biggest tennis stadium in the world. Snap your fingers and you’re on fan-free Court 11, dismantled by a relatively unknown veteran in straight sets.

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The start of this match gave little indication it would go that way. McNally swiftly took the first three games, showcasing the variety that makes her one of the WTA’s most intriguing young prospects.  A slice backhand approach, a fine lob and several penetrating forehands all put Mertens on the defensive, most notably on her weaker forehand.

The word for Mertens: sturdy. Her flat groundstrokes remind me of another solid top 30 craftsman, Roberto Bautista Agut. Meager as those shots were early on, Mertens may have been frustrated, but she didn’t show it. “My energy was a little bit low,” said Mertens. “She’s a really good striker. When she plays that forehand, it’s a really good shot.” From 0-3 down, Mertens began to move closer inside the court and captured 12 of the next 14 points to level the set.  Said Mertens, “I was awakened and started to play more aggressive.”

Then came the stretch that will leave McNally kicking herself. She weathered the Mertens resurgence with a pair of fine games on her serve.  McNally in transition is a rare and pleasing site. A sharp forehand volley at 4-4, 30-all boosted her into a higher gear. Mertens served at 4-5. At 30-30, another constricted forehand lined its way into the net and gave McNally a set point.

On that first set point, Mertens struck a service winner down the T. At deuce, another netted Mertens forehand.  Set point number two for McNally saw her net a backhand return.

Here now, the McNally learning process. The style she’s building is based on the sustained application of pressure. Though all players seek to do this, these days most of them, including Mertens, make that happen with depth and power. McNally’s approach is different, revolving around court position, taking balls early and making her way to net.  When returning, McNally tends to stand in closer than a great many players.

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Those two set point opportunities gone, the common tennis seesaw effect took place. As Mertens’ quality of play improved, McNally began to fizzle. With McNally serving at 5-all, 30-40, Mertens hung tough, extracted an error through a 15-ball rally and closed out the 56-minute set in the next game. “It was a close one,” said Mertens, “it could have gone either way in the first set."

From there, it was all Mertens. She broke McNally to start the second set and earned the insurance break at 1-3, aided by McNally’s seventh double-fault of the match and two badly misfired forehands. “I didn’t make any more mistakes,” said Mertens.

Back to the McNally education. A short-term investor might have wondered if McNally should have stood further back on both of those two points and given herself a chance to get the ball in play, simply in the interest of winning today.  But from having studied many of McNally’s stylistic ancestors – such as Martina Navratilova and Pete Sampras – I applaud the long-term strategy.

Today, though, Mertens is the one who earned the biggest cheers.