If the first two days are any indication, the 2021 US Open is going to be a lot of fun.

Then again, I’d be surprised if we get a more improbable comeback than Vasek Pospisil’s thrilling win over Fabio Fognini on Tuesday.  

A +130 underdog heading into his opening match, Pospisil’s live odds ballooned as high as +5500 after he fell behind 2-6, 3-6.

Down two sets, the veteran Canadian turned it on and rallied to take the final three sets 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(4) and advance to the second round.

If you changed the channel before the comeback, I get it.

There was almost nothing from the first two sets that indicated Pospisil would win, and there was a lot of good tennis being played across the TSN network.

After needing more than three hours to complete the unlikely comeback, Pospisil will need to regroup in a hurry before he faces another tough challenge versus Ilya Ivashka in the second round.

Pospisil opened at +320 to win that match.

Here is the Morning Coffee for Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021.

Canadians advance to US Open second round

While it wasn’t nearly as dramatic as Pospisil’s rally, Bianca Andreescu went the distance with Viktorija Golubic to win 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.

Andreescu, who entered the tournament at +2200 to win the women’s singles title, needed treatment after winning the first set.

After dropping the second set, Andreescu fell behind again 3-2 in the third set but rallied to pull off the win as a -210 favourite.

While it wasn’t an easy win, Andreescu’s odds to win the women’s singles title were halved from +2200 to +1100 following the victory.

She opened at -315 to beat Lauren Davis in the second round.

Meanwhile, Denis Shapovalov will join Andreescu and Pospisil in the second round after he cruised to a straight-sets win over Federico Delbonis as a heavy favourite at -1400 on Tuesday.

Shapovalov will be a heavy favourite again in the second round – he opened at -1200 to beat Roberto Carballes Baena.

Shapovalov remains the seventh choice to win the men’s singles title, although his odds shortened from +5000 to +4500 after he prevailed in the opener.

Patriots release Newton, name Jones starter

The New England Patriots made the biggest splash on a busy day in the NFL when they released Cam Newton on Tuesday.

Bill Belichick named rookie Mac Jones his starting quarterback.

Before the news broke, Jones was +1000 to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Six players had shorter odds.

By the end of the day, Jones’s odds to win OROY had shortened to +450.

He’s now the second choice behind Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback and first-overall pick Trevor Lawrence (+400).

The Patriots remain the third choice to win the AFC East at +360, behind both the Buffalo Bills (-150) and the Miami Dolphins (+330).

New England is 37-to-1 to win the Super Bowl.

Orioles deal Jays’ playoff hopes another blow

The Baltimore Orioles were once again the biggest underdog on the MLB board on Tuesday night.

It made sense. They were 2-23 in their previous 25 games dating back to Aug. 2.

However, that didn’t stop the Orioles (+255) from dealing the Toronto Blue Jays’ fading playoff hopes another blow with a 4-2 win.

Make that 3-23 since Aug. 2 for Baltimore.

The Blue Jays fell to 7-4 against the worst team in baseball this season.

For perspective, the Tampa Bay Rays went 18-1 in their season series with the Orioles.

Toronto has won seven of its past 18 games dating back to Aug. 12.

The Blue Jays are -275 to win tonight’s series finale, with Steven Matz scheduled to get the start opposite Matt Harvey for Baltimore.

After that, Toronto will welcome the Oakland Athletics to town for a three-game set before heading back out on the road for four games against the New York Yankees.

Canadian women win gold

While I couldn’t find anywhere to bet on Canada to beat the United States, it was cool to watch the Canadian women capture their first gold medal at the IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championship since 2012.

A special shout-out to the world champions, and captain Marie-Philip Poulin for an epic overtime winner.