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          ICYMI at US Open: Young stars steal the spotlight on rainy Day 2

          • Lisa Altobelli, ESPNAug 29, 2017, 06:56 PM

          While the rain came Tuesday, there was still some spectacular tennis on Day 2 of the US Open. Tournament top seeds Rafael Nadal and Karolina Pliskova both rolled in straight sets, as did 22-year-old American hopeful Madison Keys.

          Roger Federer made it a little more interesting (understatement) after going the five-set distance in a thriller against an impressive Frances Tiafoe, another young American at age 19, before rallying for the win. Let's just say we see a promising future for the electrifying Tiafoe, and man, he will be fun to watch.

          And as if one 19-year-old phenom wasn't enough, we got another in Naomi Osaka of Japan. So what do we know about her? Well for starters, we know she knocked off defending champ Angelique Kerber, which is the first time that has happened since Svetlana Kuznetsova lost in the first round in 2005. We know she has an incredible power serve, topping out at 125 mph. And we know she's aware of today's moment, saying, "I grew up watching the greatest players play on [Arthur Ashe] court, so to win a match on it felt really special."

          Which other bright young things will emerge during this Open? Only time will tell, but for now, we'll catch you up on the matches that did happen and a few dividends from the drizzle.

          Precipitation perks

          What to do when the drops fall and you don't have tickets to Arthur Ashe Stadium, in all its retractable-roof glory? Open organizers comforted the masses (or at least the first 75 fans) with teddy bears and bedazzled hats that you never knew you needed in your life. But hey, free stuff!

          Speaking of free, while it's pure joy just to hang with one half of our favorite 16-time doubles' Grand Slam-winning, chest-bumping twins, Bob Bryan also embraced the wet weather by handing out tix to the women's final.

          And the best benefit of the rain? This one's for all the ladies in the house:

          Racketing it up a notch

          Federer doesn't have tension when it comes to tensions. That's because he trusts that his rackets are strung to perfection the day of tournament action.

          Ron Yu estimates he has strung 70,000 rackets in his life, 10 percent of which have been for Roger Federer, a client since 2004. Federer pays tens of thousands of dollars for the gold package, which includes roadside stringing service for the four majors and the eight most important tournaments under that. Here, Yu talks about the tension conversation with Federer.

          Darren Rovell, ESPN Senior Writer7y ago

          While we're on Fed, guess who was neither shaken nor stirred by his five-set battle with Tiafoe? We kid. That match was everything.

          On Tuesdays, we wear pink

          Forgive Nadal for getting the day of the "Mean Girls" memo confused. He more than made up for it with a commanding win over Dusan Lajovic, which pleased him.

          What didn't please him? The crowd noise with the roof closed, as he said, "Being honest, it's a little bit too much."

          Hey, welcome to New York.

          Dress for success?

          Transitioning from Nadal's 1990s neon to the 1970s eye-popping color block, these Pharrell-designed duds seem to be everywhere at this Open. Besides the aforementioned Kerber-Osaka match, during which both women rocked the look, the men's throwback threads also are something to behold. Are they a poly-blend? Was the Costanza shrinkage-incident considered? No, not that shrinkage! Yankees' uniforms, y'all.

          But the most vital question comes down to next-gen hopeful Alexander Zverev vs. icon Bjorn Borg, asking our favorite line from anyone who has ever picked up an Us Weekly.

          OK, one last rain-delay image -- to haunt your dreams

          You can't. Look. Away.