Results: US 2020 Elections

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We provide results and updates of major events leading to the United States 2020 General Elections in November — including primaries, endorsements, conventions, polling of significance, and major and final announcements.

On Results and Updates for the 2020 United States General Elections

ISSUES • Politics, Governance, Election

PLACE • All 50 states, United States

DATES • February 2 – November 3, 2020

ORGANIZATIONS • Democratic Party of the United States, Republican Party of the United States, and Office of the President of the United States.

On Results and Updates for the 2020 United States General Elections

ISSUES • Politics, Governance, Election

PLACE • All 50 states, United States

DATES • February 2 – November 3, 2020

ORGANIZATIONS • Democratic Party of the United States, Republican Party of the United States, and Office of the President of the United States.

State of State

As discussed in our Publiks Events preview of the tournament, the 2020 edition of the Australian Open began with most of the top players on both tours arriving haven taken full advantage of the preparatory Australian hardcourt mini-season. The vast majority of pundits and fans were expecting significant runs from Simona Halep, Daniil Medvedev, Gael Monfils, Naomi Osaka, Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka, and Andrey Rublev among others. And the inaugural ATP Cup had featured the season’s first match between the #1 and #2 players of the men’s tour, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic — which several hoped would be a preview of a semi or final at the Aussie Open. Roger Federer did decide to prepare out of competition, but Serena Williams won the ASB Classic tournament in New Zealand, with evident plans to repeat the feat in Melbourne, for what would be her twenty-fourth singles slam trophy.

But by the end of the first week of competition, the complexion of the tournament had changed. Osaka, the defending women’s champion, had fallen in straight sets to the rising 15-year-old talent, Cori Gauff, who had earlier in the week defeated 7-time slam champion Venus Williams in a first-round repeat of their meeting at the 2019 US Open. And Serena Williams lost in a deciding third set against Qiang Wang of China during their third round encounter, the result being all the more surprising when compared to their last encounter at a 2019 US Open quarterfinals, where Williams had prevailed 6-1, 6-0.

Meanwhile, the losses of strong prospects Stefanos Tsitsipas and Denis Shapovalov was followed by a stern five-set testing of Federer by a fiercely competitive John Millman,who was drawing from both his Australian home crowd and memories of a prior win against Federer on a similarly big stage at the 2018 US Open.

Tournament play at the beginning of the second week was, suddenly and tragically, further altered by the news of the passing of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, at the age of 41, from a helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight others, including his own 13-year-old daughter. Fans of the player and sport in California learned of the news by late morning Pacific Standard Time, while most Australian Open players were likely asleep or just waking and rising. Hours later, tributes from top players and legends in tennis began to pour in, most notably from Novak Djokovic, who publicly mourned Bryant as both friend and mentor.

“My heart truly mourns over the news today. Kobe was a great mentor and friend. There are not enough words to express my deepest sympathies to the Bryants and every family suffering from this tragedy.

May God bless you and your Gianna. Thank you for being there for me and inspiring the entire world. Thank you for showing all of us athletes how to compete and respect sport. Thank you for the greatest legacy you leave behind with us. I’ll never forget your smile spreading positive energy everywhere you went. You and your daughter will live forever ♾ in our hearts ❤️ RIP amico mio. Ti voglio bene.” — Novak Djokovic, #2 men’s player, personal post, Sunday 26 January 2020

Though form continued to hold in the match wins of Nadal over Nick Kyrgios, Djokovic over Diego Schwartzman, Federer over Marton Fucsovics, Thiem over Monfils, and Alexander Zverev over Rublev, Wawrinka’s upset over Medvedev and Garbine Muguruza’s over Kiki Bertens were of note, indicating a possible resurgence of form for both multiple slam champions.

In Muguruza’s case, those indications seemed to be bearing out. She was among the quarterfinals victors on the women’s draw, steeling herself and her shots through a game Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and thus joined a sublime Halep, surprising but well-known tough talent Sofia Kenin, and home-crowd favorite and #1 women’s player Ashleigh Barty to the semifinals lineup. On Thursday, Barty did indeed take Kenin, a fighter with court smarts, very seriously, but was eventually defeated by a Kenin on a mission. While Halep did test Muguruza’s refound ability to steel and steer her winners within the lines, but also fell to produce a final that few had predicted at the outset of this tournament.

On the men’s side, Wawrinka’s resurgent form held for only the first set in his quarterfinals encounter, after which Zverev imposed his clinically powerful serve, relentless reach and loping but deadly athleticism on the outcome of the remaining three sets. Two of the other quarterfinals followed form, but only in the result. Djokovic’s victory over Milos Raonic was as clear-visioned as it was straightforward. Federer, on the other hand, required a display of legendary fighting spirit to save seven match points in his five-set thriller against Tennys Sandgren.

For the first semifinal, played Thursday night, Djokovic and Federer faced off in a much-anticipated 50th match between the two. The result was a straights-sets victory for Djokovic, only partly due to Federer’s ability to recover from fatigue and a leg strain from prior matches. The Swiss did offer strong play in carrying out a strategy of focusing primarily on holding his service games through the set, then going aggressively for his returns and groundstrokes, seeking early winners as well as early or hopefully decisive return breaks. Djokovic at first buckled, then eventually broke back and held firm when those challenges came, brandishing a serve that was the equal of Federer’s. When coupled with his well-established proficiency with his groundstrokes, including a now legendary return, the Serb applied enough pressure to end the first two sets in his favor, and a two-sets-to-love lead proved to be a daunting task for his opponent. Thus far, Djokovic has made a habit of recognizing any elite-caliber challenge from across the net, focusing on what is required of him, and executing enough to come through. He thus finds himself in another grand slam final.

The second semifinal proved a bit more vigorous, featuring two of the more notable among the touted “next gen” players, Thiem and Zverev. In the previous quarterfinal round, Thiem was able to upset the #1 men’s player, Nadal, in a match of grueling baseline rallies, high tension, and the elite toughness to recover from inevitable lapses. When one talks of tests in tennis, there are few sterner than coming through Nadal. And that experience seemed to have been a factor in his eventual defeat of Zverev in the ensuing semifinal.

A significantly poorer ratio of winners to unforced errors from Thiem (5:13, while Zverev maintained an even 6:6) cost him the first set. But that decisive statistic improved considerably by the next set (9:5 versus 8:8), where Zverev’s reliance on a combination of his powerful serve, comparatively safer ground-stroking and proficient net approaches could not prevent a concession of two breaks to the Austrian. That dynamic left it to Thiem to make his often bolder shots during the bigger, tenser moments — and he did so more often, enough to win the last two tiebreaks and advance to the finals.

The final two matches of the Australian Open singles main-draw tournament were then set. On the women’s side, Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain was focused on adding to her two slam trophies (the 2016 French and the 2017 Wimbledon) against Sofia Kenin, an American set on continuing her string of upsets.

In the end, the experience the American had fighting for several of her prior matches, free from any expectations but her own, was decisive. Kenin came back from both a lost first set and 0-40 at 2-2 in the third set — where she won five consecutive points with what she later described as the best five shots and points of her career — to finally undo the resolve of Muguruza. It wasn’t simply her remarkable mental fortitude that won her a first slam trophy, but also her constantly astute point construction and clutch ability to produce winners. Many in her camp and in the sport hope that this combination continues for a stellar career.

On the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic of Serbia was intent on adding another slam title to his collection, against Austrian Dominic Thiem, equally intent on acquiring his first. Both players had shown over the fortnight that they had the game and mindset to win the championship. And in a tough, arduous, five-set match Djokovic eventually defeated Thiem. The match evolved through a high-quality start, momentum turns, dips in energy (including dehydration and a medical timeout for the Serb), and final stretches of strong play.

This is the eighth (8th) slam trophy at Melbourne for Djokovic and his 17th overall, notably tied with Rafael Nadal and three away from the record held by Roger Federer. He ascends to the number one ranking come Monday, with Nadal at two and Federer likely still at three. As it has been, improbably, for several years now, the tennis season and its major dramas look to be set for the Big Three. But with newer contenders, like Them and Zverev, getting better and closer to starting their own tallies.

“You guys can see after the match how much this meant to me. This is such an honor. I’m on cloud nine right now! I love the big stages. That’s why I’m playing — to play in such a great atmosphere. Such an honor. And it gives me motivation. An incredible journey for me. Mental toughness has been such a huge part. I’ve worked on that over the years. It’s just paying off. Thank you to my dad, who put up with a lot. Yeah, nervous before every match. A lot of emotions. But I knew I needed to put that aside and just go out there, play, and show the best I am, show my abilities, and I did that.” — Sofia Kenin in her post-match press conference after her championship win over Garbiñe Muguruza

Democratic Primaries

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — The men’s singles competition after a fortnight of main-draw competition was characterized most by the calm mission-like play of Djokovic, the Houdini-esque escapes of Federer (saving 7 match points in his quarters), and the rise-to-the-big-occasion of two of the most promising and successful of the next-gen players, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem, who defeated multiple-slam champions Stan Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal.

SUN • 2 FEB • 2020

Championship • 2 • Novak Djokovic (SRB) defeats • 5 • Dominic Thiem (AUT) 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4

In a tough, arduous championships match Novak Djokovic defeated Dominic Thiem. The match evolved through a high-quality start, momentum turns, dips in energy (including dehydration and a medical timeout for the Serb), and final stretches of strong play. In the end, the result was as it seemed it would be, with an eighth (8th) slam trophy at Melbourne for Djokovic.

FRI • 31 JAN • 2020

Semifinals • 5 • Dominic Thiem (AUT) defeats • 7 • Alexander Zverev (GER) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(4)

Dominic Thiem prevails in the first of what may be several slam semifinals against fellow next-gen cohort Alexander Zverev. A significantly poorer ratio of winners to unforced errors from Thiem (5:13, while Zverev maintained an even 6:6) cost him the first set. But that decisive statistic improved considerably by the next set (9:5 versus 8:8), where Zverev’s reliance on a combination of his powerful serve, comparatively safer ground-stroking and proficient net approaches could not prevent a concession of two breaks to the Austrian. That dynamic left it to Thiem to make his often bolder shots during the bigger, tenser moments — and he did so more often, enough to win the last two tiebreaks and advance to the finals. He will play an in-form Djokovic there.

THU • 30 JAN • 2020

Semifinals • 2 • Novak Djokovic (SRB) defeats • 3 • Roger Federer (CHE) 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-3

A much-anticipated 50th match between these two multiple slam champions resulted in a straights-sets victory for Novak Djokovic. This was only partly due to concerns about fatigue and leg strain from prior matches on the part of Roger Federer. Federer did offer strong play in carrying out a strategy of focusing primarily on holding his service games through the set, then going aggressively for his returns and groundstrokes, seeking early winners as well as early or hopefully decisive return breaks. Djokovic at first buckled, then eventually broke back and held firm when the challenge came, brandishing a remarkable serve that was the equal of Federer’s as well as a legendary return just when he needed. That serve, coupled with his well-established proficiency with his groundstrokes, applied enough pressure to end those sets in his favor. And a two-sets-to-love lead, once again, proved to be a daunting task for his opponent. Thus far, Djokovic has made a habit during this tournament of recognizing any elite-caliber challenge from across the net, focusing on what is required of him, and executing enough to come through. He will meet either Thiem or Zverev in the final.

WED • 29 JAN • 2020

Quarterfinals • 5 • Dominic Thiem (AUT) defeats • 1 • Rafael Nadal (ESP) 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(6)

Dominic Thiem was able to upset the #1 men’s player, Rafael Nadal, in a match of grueling baseline rallies, high tension, and the elite toughness to recover from inevitable lapses. Nadal will certainly be rueing his inability to serve out the first set and hold onto another break in the second set. And Thiem did show nerves when he, in turn, was asked to serve out the match in the fourth set. But both players gave a strong contest, with the Austrian simply winning more of the important points. When one talks of tests in tennis, there are few sterner than coming through Nadal. One can hope, then, that Friday finds Thiem all the more confident and as battle-ready as his semifinal opponent, Alexander Zverev.

Quarterfinals • 7 • Alexander Zverev (GER) defeats • 15 • Stan Wawrinka (CHE) 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

Stan Wawrinka’s recently resurgent form held for only the first set in his quarterfinals encounter, after which Alexander Zverev imposed his clinically powerful serve, relentless reach and loping but deadly athleticism on the outcome of the remaining three sets. Zverev was visibly content — and remarkably honest during his post-match on-court interview — regarding what has to be considered a breakthrough performance in a major slam tournament.

TUE • 28 JAN • 2020

Quarterfinals • 2 • Novak Djokovic (SRB) defeats • 32 • Milos Raonic (CAN) 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(1)

Djokovic’s victory over Milos Raonic was as clear-visioned as it was straightforward. Having lost just one set so far, righting the ship quickly in the first round, eh has smoothly handled big serves, heavy groundstrokes and slices like a man on a single-focus mission.

Quarterfinals • 3 • Roger Federer (CHE) defeats • 100 • Tennys Sandgren (USA) 6-3, 2-6, 2-6, 7-6(8), 6-3

Roger Federer required a display of often unrecognized, though legendary fighting spirit to save seven match points in his five-set thriller against Tennys Sandgren. His movement was visibly restricted due to what appeared to be a leg strain in the groin area, requiring a medical time out and, reportedly, pain killers at the beginning of the fifth set. They took effect in time for him to capitalize on Sandgren’s understandable disappointment (and own apparent fitness concerns). Many are hoping Federer is able to recover for his now two, five-setter tests and the restricting though playable leg strain, in time to face Djokovic in the semifinals.

MON • 27 JAN • 2020

4th Round • 1 • Rafael Nadal (ESP) defeats • 23 • Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(8), 7-6(4)

Because of his talent, his playing style, his mercurial temperament and his several wins against the current #1 player, Nick Kyrgios (ATP Bio) was always going to be considered a stern test and even upset possibility for Rafael Nadal (ATP Bio). And after the first set, the Australian delivered on that test, holding firm and then capitalizing on mistakes made by Nadal to break twice — in the second set, and in the fourth, when Nadal was serving for the match. Still, the top player took the majority of the important points, even in the two tiebreakers, which he won, though the more powerful Kyrgios serve could have been an advantage. Elite proficiency in returning, in the end, proved to be the deciding factor.

4th Round • 15 • Stan Wawrinka (CHE) defeats • 4 • Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 6-2, 2-6, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2

There is no player on the tour who wishes to face Stan Wawrinka (ATP Bio) when his confidence is grounded in continuous match play and his serve, forehand and most especially that swinging one-handed backhand are in thunderous full flight. Neither of the current top two players (Nadal nor Djokovic) would like the sight. And the young, ever-rising Daniil Medvedev (ATP Bio) came to understand why in this fourth round match. Though Medvedev can play aggressively, he has tendency to wait for the best, right and safest moment to hit out. That means a number of medium-paced shots, which Wawrinka typically likes to feast on. When a shot does go awry — as the forehand did here mid-match — the confident version of the Swiss is able to avoid negative thinking, resolve to correct the shot, and caress the ball enough to get it to land just within the lines — just in time, here, to win the fourth-set tiebreak and the decisive fifth set. Such a five-setter is familiar territory for “Stanimal,” as he is popularly known. And be sure that the top players in the draw have taken note.

4th Round • 5 • Dominic Thiem (AUT) defeats • 10 • Gael Monfils (FRA) 6-2, 6-4, 6-4

The Frenchman Gael Monfils (ATP Tour) is a well-known athletic and ball-striking talent on the tour, with a serve that is guaranteed to produce a good number of aces (9 in this match) and speed that he often relies on to sustain rallies past normal laws of physics. But his opponent Dominic Thiem (ATP Bio) is nearly as fast as he is in covering the court, and the Austrian has developed a serve that is even more powerful but used to generate a greater number of winning positions rather than outright aces. That same philosophy is evident in Thiem’s groundstrokes, the vast majority of which are powerfully struck but with high amounts of topspin and (when he is calm, assured and clear in intent) several-inches-from-the-line margin, especially on his classic though vicious one-handed backhand. The balance makes for the kind of constant, controlled aggression (with touch when needed) that produces winners, winning positions and relentless pressure on opponents. The result can be seen in any number of their match stats, for one: Monfils hits 26 winners and 32 unforced errors, while Thiem reverses the ratio and ends with 31 winners to 19 unforced errors. Of further note: the Austrian’s proficiency holding his own serve was complemented with success returning during Monfils’s service games, pressure that had the Frenchman at one pint serving underhanded. If Thiem maintains this mode of balanced aggression, his status as a real contender for the trophy will only be further confirmed.

4th Round • 7 • Alexander Zverev (GER) defeats • 17 • Andrey Rublev (RUS) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4

With just a slight easing of the proverbial spotlight, we get to see Alexander Zverev (ATP Bio) render routine matches we expected would be challenging, multi-set affairs, such as this one against the fiercely competitive and flat-striking Andrey Rublev (ATP Bio). Instead, we are treated to a straight set, near-clinical display, typical of the three past matches they have had outside slam tournaments. Maintaining aggression — while using the neutral rally only for a change-up or when working his way from a defensive position — is the key for Zverev, who has the ability to separate himself from any player on the other side of the net.