No Challenges Remaining

It wasn't the newsiest Round 2 at this Australian Open until near the end, and once all the drama had died down Ben and Tumaini got together to discuss the sudden moments at the finish line.

While Belinda Bencic exited to talented Czech teen Nikola Bartunkova, Naomi Osaka stayed in the talk with a testy finish against Sorana Cirstea.

On the men's side, Stan Wawrinka showed his staying power, winning yet another long match in his long career.

Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Tumaini's work at The Guardian! 

With the first round of the Australian Open main draw finally complete, Ben and Tumaini got together to discuss some of the biggest moments and stories.

We discussed the women first, starting with Naomi Osaka's big fashion moment (and her interview with Ben), the tournament's failure to supply seats to meet the massive crowd demand for Alexandra Eala, the impressions Oleksandra Oliynykova made on court and in the press room, plus the veterans Venus Williams and Karolina Pliskova.

On the men's side, we discussed Frances Tiafoe's turnaround, as well as a bit on Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic, Michael Zheng, and Italian incontinence.

Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Tumaini's work at The Guardian! 

Back together in Melbourne for one of their favorite occasions in tennis, Ben and Tumaini jumped on the chance to record a show about the second edition of their beloved "1 Point Slam," the pre-Australian Open event which they fell in love with a year ago.

We discuss this year's bigger and--often--better event, the strong play by the WTA players in particular, and the surprise finalists.

What makes this event so good? And what could be even better?

Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Tumaini's work at The Guardian! 

In an episode that was already released as a video yesterday for our Patreon backers, Ben and Tumaini kick off Season 15(!) of No Challenges Remaining from opposite sides of the globe.

Tumaini talks about the start to the season so far in far-flung Perth, which includes injury issues plaguing Brits at the United Cup. 

We then discuss some of the biggest headlines from recent weeks: the Battle of the Sexes debacle, the Alcaraz-Ferrero split, and the news that Serena Williams has reentered the tennis testing pool.

Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Tumaini's work at The Guardian! 

After coming out last week in video for on the NCR Patreon and Bounces, it's a delight to bring listeners Ben's chat with Mary Carillo on the occasion of her getting voted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Ben and Mary discuss Mary's trademark honesty, her committed avoidance of social media, and much more. 

Mary's a longtime NCR favorite, and we are very happy for her and delighted to have her Newport-bound.

Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces!