Legg Mason: Men's Singles Final

If you're reading this, by now you probably already know what happened, as I'm posting this a day after the final. A quick wrap-up of the match:

*It went pretty much as expected. One break of serve by Roddick in the first set was all he needed to take it 6-4.
*Second set saw a few break points, but not any breaks, so it was decided in yet another tiebreak. Isner got robbed a bit here in my opinion, as a great return he hit off of Roddick's serve was called long. Isner challenged, and the return, which had handcuffed Roddick at the baseline, was good. Instead of awarding Isner the point and mini-break (which is what I think should have happened), the point was replayed with Roddick winning it. Personally, I believe that if Isner was more well known and had a bit of stink about it, it would have been his point. Roddick had no play on the ball. Instead, Roddick got the mini-break and won the tiebreak and match. Final score 6-4, 7-6.

More thoughts from me on the match:

*Isner was not as sharp as I'd seen him earlier this week. The best was against Haas and Monfils. Of course, with how much he played this week (and the week before, winning a challenger event in Lexington), can you blame the guy? Still, a respectable score against a top player for his first final.
*I'm not an Andy fan, but I think he did exactly what he had to do today. He played smart. There aren't many players that Andy can control from the baseline, but today Isner was one of them.
*I was reminded of how Federer netted an easy overhead earlier this year when Isner did the same thing.
*I wonder if Sam Querry is out there going...'Guys? Guys? Remember me?'
*I believe that his education is partly resposible for how well Isner has carried himself and competed this week. He has a maturity and experience gained from college that other players lack.
*It will be interesting to see how Isner develops from here. Will the new kid eventually be figured out?
*In the time between the doubles and singles, when the lines for water were insane, I ran into my ballkid friend, Sharon. 'Kid' is used quite liberally here! Anyway, she said Roddick is continually talking to himself on court, and is pretty much cursing the whole time. I sit in the second tier, and I could hear him clearly myself up there. Why the potty mouth? Lindsay was the same way! I wonder if, now that she's a mom, she'll still be a potty mouth? Anyway, I still can't get 100% behind Roddick because of his on court behavior. He's too much like spoiled brat out there.
*The ballkids are pretty much in agreement, however, that Safin was the 'quirkiest' player of the tournament as far as how particular he was regarding the balls and the towel.

The players enter the court:



The coin toss:



Isner:







The infamous Isner box, which earned a few warnings during the Monfils semi-final:



Roddick:







The hand shake:



Isner is interviewd on court after the match:



Isner and his trophy:



Roddick speaks:



Roddick and his trophy:



And that's a wrap on Legg Mason for me, folks. Same time, next year? Maybe...there is a possibility I may be in Europe this time next year. Also, the Bryan's said something in their speech about how the Olympics are this time next year, so it will be interesting to see how that impacts the tournament. Most likely, we would get to see players that we don't normally see, which I really like!

Legg Mason: Women's singles final.

Today featured only three matches, so I'm going to post a trilogy of wrap-ups. As I mentioned earlier, I was very unhappy to see that the women's final was scheduled on the grandstand at the same time that the men's doubles final was occuring on center court. First of all, I think the women deserve better. Secondly, I can't be in two places at once! I much prefer how it was scheduled last year, with everything on center court starting with the doubles, then the men, then the women. People who didn't want to see the women could leave, and the rest of us stayed, and the women got to play on center court for the only time that week.

The final featured Melinda Czink (pronounced 'sink' by the chair) and Olga Savchuk. I had the opportunity to see Savchuk play earlier in the week, but this was my first look at Czink. A lefty from Hungary, she was a pretty even match for Savchuk. However, I found myself rooting for Savchuk when Czink had a few pouty moments, one of which resulted in her booting a ball at a ballkid's head. No apology. So not cool. When I left the match (to go see doubles) Czink was up a break. That was all she needed in either set as she took the title with a 7-5, 7-5 score.

Czink:









Savchuk:

Getting ready for the finals!

John Isner continued his incredible roll at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, with yet another win in a third set tiebreak. This time it was over Frenchman Gael Monfils. Both players, who are in great shape, were visibly exhausted by the third set, and it makes it even more thrilling when you know the players are just laying it all out on the court. Unfortunately, Monfils had a bit of a choke, as he had the match on his raquet at 6-5 in the third set, after securing the first break of serve in the entire match. Monfils' serve, which had been just as strong and sometimes stronger than Isner's, left him in that game, and he threw in two double faults, all but handing the match back to Isner on a silver platter. Isner took that momentum and steam rolled through his fifth straight third set tiebreak 7-2.

I really liked how Monfils and Isner met at the net after the match...there was a handshake, a hug, and then another handshake. Two classy guys who just played their guts out.

Donald Dell was commentating on TTC, and said that a US Open WC is pretty much a done deal for Isner at this point. It also looks probable that Isner will be traveling with the Davis Cup team for their semi in Sweden later this fall.

I'm unhappy with tomorrow's finals schedule though. Last year they put all three finals, men's doubles, men's singles, women's singles, on center court. Tomorrow they are starting the men's doubles (Bryans vs. Israeli team of Ehrlich/Ramm) at 12:00 on center court, and the women's singles final (Czink vs. Savchuk) at the same time on the grandstand. So I guess I will be running between the two. That sucks.

Then the men's final isn't until 3pm. I realize this has as much to do with TV scheduling, but what are we supposed to do for the time between, other than melt in the heat? Aiy, aiy, aiy!!!

Legg Mason Day 7: It was sizzlin'!

Not just the action, but also my skin! Ouch! I forget that I tend to fry during the noon sessions, there is no where to hide from the sun.

Well, except if you're under the canopy on the grandstand, which is actually where I started today. I figured Erlich and Ram would win their doubles match easily, and they did. I wanted to catch #2 seed Olga Savchuk play Alexa Glatch. It was a good match! Savchuk took it in three close sets, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. These girls were smoking the ball! Savchuk started pulling out the drop shot in the second set. I only saw the first two sets, but a very entertaining match.

Savchuk:







Glatch:







Other action on the women's pro circuit tourney saw #1 seed Aleksandra Wonziak go down to Melinda Czink, Kristina Brandi defeated #3 seed Jorgelina Cravero (I think she was the #3 seed), and #2 seed Casey Dellacqua defeated Viktoriya Kutuzova.

It was 2pm, time to see if John Isner could pull another 3 set victory out of...well, you know what! Tommy Haas was my pick to win the whole tourney, so you can imagine that I'm not too thrilled that Isner, the third set tiebreak specialist from Georgia, defeated the #2 seed.

My thoughts from today's match:
*It was really HOT!!! Next time--->sunblock!
*At first I thought Isner was actually going to win in 2 sets after he *finally* won a first set. But no...my hopes were dashed, but since I wanted Tommy to win, I wasn't too disappointed.
*Isner came out sharper than I've seen him in his previous matches. His volleys were better, and while he still did get wild on that forehand, it was much more controlled than previously. He had some 60some winners in this match. Haas played well, but if you've read his post match comments he nailed it right on the head...Haas had a few loose points, and that was it. Game, set, match, Isner.

Haas:





Isner:





Next up, Monfils and Safin. I like both of these guys, so I was just cheering for a good match. The first few games were pretty routine, then Monfils breaks Safin at 2-1. He held on to that break to win the first set 6-3.

At this point, I left for the next few games, 'cause I thought I was meeting up with fellow TTWers for a picture by the Mercedes, but it was called off and I didn't know. Oh well. I buzzed out to the box office to pick up a ticket for Sunday for a friend, grabbed a cheeseburger, and when I got back to my seat it was 4-all. The cheeseburger sucked...so gross I couldn't eat it, so be warned!!!

I got back just in time to see a point that had Monfils scrambling all over the place and Safin successfully hitting a between the legs shot. Great stuff!

At 5-all Monfils got one more break, and that was the match. Give credit to the youngster for not giving that break right back, as Safin was pressuring him in that last game.

Oh Safin. Aiy, aiy, aiy!

These next three pictures of Monfils were all taken during the same point:







Safin wore the gold again:



Roddick and Lee was a pretty routine match for Roddick. Lots of big serving, and less brattiness than yesterday. I had expected more fight from Lee, but he was just missing a few too many times. I had two pictures from the match, but photobucket is being stupid, and not letting me finish uploading all my pictures.

The Bryan Bros. broke Moodie/Perry in the first game of the following doubles match, and I was having trouble keeping my eyes open, so I left.

Oh, and I did see just the very end of the Capdeville/Karlovic match. Well, 'see' is a stretch as I was craning my neck to see around people in front of me. So, no pictures there, but I think most of you already know Karlovic won in a third set tiebreak.

Legg Mason Day 6: Little of this, little of that.

Day 6 started early for me, as I was at the complex at 3pm! A whole HOUR before matches start. I had some errands to run before I went there, and I guess I allowed too much time. Oh well, I walked around, looked in at the merchandise tent, and finally found a great spot on the grandstand that was not only in the shade, but at the top of the bleachers so I can watch two courts at once. Some players were out practicing, and actually, I have no idea who the guy was who was practicing on the grandstand, but behind me on court #2 was Julian Benneteau and a shirtless French guy who looked familiar, but I couldn't place him. Can you?



The first match scheduled for the grandstand was Dr. Ivo (Does anyone else hear Dolph Lundgren saying Drago from Rocky whatever when they read Ivo's name? Is that just me?) and my boy Vince! At court #2 was the women's #1 seed Aleksandra Wozniak and a Russian by the name of Maria Mokh.

Mokh started out strong with a 4-0 lead, but Wozniak stayed focused and came back to win the first set 6-4. Mokh then starting collapsing, arguing with calls and asking for the trainer. But she still lost the match. Incidentally, she doesn't sound Russian at all, especially when she accused a line judge of waiting until 'next week' to make a call.

Wozniak:



Mokh:



I was hoping for the same sharp, fighting Vince that I had seen play yesterday. But it is hard to hit the ball when you can't see it. Plus, I just don't think he was as sharp as I've seen him with his groundstrokes, and without those groundies, he had nothing to counteract Ivo's serve. Plus, Ivo has been hitting some blazing groundies himself, and is very quietly making his way through the draw...a very dangerous guy to play right now, for anyone!

After the match:



The match to follow was the hot ticket for a true tennis fan, and there were lots of them there today. The grandstand was *packed*!!! NCAA singles runner up John Isner (who got Gonzo's WC into LM) against American Wayne Odesnik, who made it through qualifying and then took out #10 seed Juan Martin del Potro yesterday. I saw that match, and I knew it was going to be a dog fight. Isner has the serve, but Wayne "the train" Odesnik is a lefty with dangerous groundstrokes that just does not give up! And he is in great physical shape, he never seems to look tired.

The first set was each boy taking care of his serve. This was to be expected of Isner, but Isner had trouble either reading or just getting his racket on Odesnik's serve as well. Odesnik took a lead in the first set tiebreak and wrapped it up on his serve.

The second set started out the same way, but very slowly you could tell the tide was turning. All of a sudden Isner's serve was just unbreakable, and he rarely missed a first serve. Odesnik, even with his great ground game, never would get a chance to use it. Isner also started coming to net more, and Odesnik was having to fight hard to hold his serve, while Isner was holding easily. The second set tiebreak was close, but Isner took it 7-5. The third set was more of the same. Great, great points, and Odesnik still had the upper hand if an actual rally got going. You have to give this guy credit for taking care of his serve and getting it done! However, you could tell that Isner was threatening him more and more each time, and when it came to tiebreak time, Isner rolled through it. Once he had the match on his raquet to serve out, we knew it was over.

A few thoughts on Isner:
*The boy sweats like you can NOT believe! It just pours off of him. He looks like he is ready to collapse, but don't buy it for a minute...this was his THIRD straight win with a third set tiebreak!
*If he is going to come to net so much, he has to learn how to handle the low volley. As to be expected with someone of his height, he doesn't bend well. However, it seemed Odesnik had trouble keeping the ball low, and his topspin would put the ball right where Isner wanted it too often.
*Somebody teach this guy how to win a first set!!!

I would love to see much more of BOTH of these guys on the tour...fantastic match!

Coin toss:



Isner serving to start the 3rd set tiebreak (his specialty):



Odesnik:



Meanwhile, on court #2 we had a battle of American women. Alexa Glatch, finally back on the court after a pretty bad injury (she had a scooter accident last November) was taking on Madison Brengle. The girls split sets with the same score 6-3, then Glatch got on a roll and wrapped on the third set pretty quickly. Lots of nice baseline rallies, not so much coming to the net...as to be expected.

Glatch:



Brengle:



Isner and Odesnik were followed by Kristina Brandi and another American, Julie Ditty. I only know of Ditty's name because she played WTT. She is a lefty, and had some wicked shots, but Brandi had the answer, and took her in straight sets. The next women's match on court #2 was yet another young American, Krysty Marcio, against Argentinian Jorgelina Cravero. Cravero pretty much steam rolled Marcio.

This was also when Ivo was back on court with his doubles partner Chris Haggard, taking on Damm and Paes. My friend Sharon, who is the second oldest ballkid at LM, found me later and told me that Ivo/Haggard won the first set! I don't know what happened here, but I'm hoping that Leander and Martin pulled through! I really want to see them in the final against the Bryan Bros.

Ivo and Haggard:



It was finally time to go into the stadium and see what Roddick was up to. No good, apparently. He had already won the first set and was serving at 1-2 when he was broken. Stepanek was not only returning his serve, but returning it well. After that break Andy yelled 'F*ck' loud enough that I could make it out, and pretty much just moped his way through the rest of the second set. This is why I can't get completely behind him...he can be SUCH a brat on court! He also took a *blatant* time violation, making Stepanek wait a loooong time to serve at one point. All the chair did was shake his head at Andy. Whatever. If it were someone else, they would have gotten the warning.

Andy didn't play smart. I don't know if this is reflection of his actual intelligence or not, but if you are going to slice your BH and approach behind it, it needs to stay low. His slices sucked, and Stepanek was just teeing off on his passing shots.

Andy was lucky to win that third set. I still think Stepanek outplayed him. The crowd gave Stepanek a nice round of applause, and I hope he comes back to play DC again.

The hand shake:



And that brings us to Marat and Haase, or Marat jr. as I was starting to think of him. It was almost as if neither one really wanted to win the match. Actually, no, I take that back...but jeeeeeez! Duece on almost every game!!! Back and forth and back and forth and will someone just come to the net already!?!

Honestly, it was painful to watch, and after a few games in the second set, I split.

Safin in gold:




Haase:



And...done!

Legg Mason Day 5: Who Knew?

A day of upsets, but not necessarily where you thought they might happen.

Becker was warming up with Kunitsyn on court #1...a good place for him to be since his singles and doubles matches were both scheduled to be on #1.

While I was walking around I saw Stepanek running around the complex, warming up for his match against Paul Goldstein. He ducked into the grandstand to run, jog, and do some footwork.



I started out on the court #1 with Korolev and Karlovic! The battle of the K's! I wasn't sure what to expect, as I was unaware of their previous matches. Well, I did know to expect huge serving from Karlovic, and that is just what he delivered. His forehand was also pretty smoking, and he just wasn't missing any volleys.



The giant serve:



Korolev in action:



Korolev started the match in good spirits...he was smiling and bouncing around. But, he just kind of got rolled over, and the match was a short one compared to some of the other dogfights we've seen so far. Dr. Ivo advances 6-3, 6-3.

After the first set of K-K, I left for the Spadea match. I saw Spadea play several times last year, and I was impressed with his game. He works hard on every point, and his 2HBH is really beautiful. He is also the only player I've heard that says "Thanks." to the ball kids. His fashion was a bit tame today, but his fighting spirit kept him in the match, and he took it in two tiebreak sets from Wesley Moodie:

Spadea:







Oh, and yeah, that Isner kid played again. Have I mentioned that he is on the tall side?



I scooted back over to watch the beginning of his match with Becker. In that first set, Becker was booming his serve, and really didn't have much trouble with Isner. It seemed a bit like Isner's match with Henman the other day...a routine win for the opponent, and then Isner starts creeping back and snatches it away the last moment. Maybe he is a slow starter?

Becker:



On these outside courts, they flash the other scores during changeovers. I was keeping an eye on court #2, where it looked like Del Potro was going to have a routine victory, but he couldn't close out that second set against qualifier Wayne Odesnik. So I meandered on over there for a bit...

(Yes, this means I DID NOT STAY for the rest of the Isner match. If you had seen the first set, you wouldn't have stayed either...it was a routine 6-3 win for Becker, and I know no reason to think Isner was going to do what he did...but at least I got a good look at his next round opponent!)

Wayne Odesnik was a qualifier. I expected him to lose to Del Potro, the #10 seed at this tournament. I know everyone keeps talking about how big Isner and Karlovic are, but Juan Martin is right there with them!



dPotro had the break in the second set, I think maybe even two of them. But slowly and surely, Odesnik clawed his way to a second set tiebreak, which he won 12-10!!! He just did not give up! And it was obvious that he was just having a lot of fun, he was smiling and laughing...



dPotro took a bathroom break after the second set, and the trainer was even on court for a while, but he wasn't treated. While dP was in the potty, Odesnik was laughing and talking with the chair. Very relaxed, while dP was quiet and stoic. One break of serve was all it needed, and thought it took a few match points, Odesnik finally took the set and match 6-3.

The hand shake:



I also stayed for a few games of Julian Benneteau and the Japanese teenage, Kei Nishikori. It ended up as a pretty routine win for Benneteau, but if Nishikori could contain some of his power, we'll see him around. When he hits his shots, they are impressive!

Nishikori:



Benneteau:



I saw on the scoreboards that Clement and Tojo split sets, so my next destination was center court to see what was going on!Tojo was attacking, and Clement was scrambling all over the court, but it wasn't enough today, and our defending champion was sent home by a former grand slam champ. Not a great draw for Arnaud, and the crowd was sorry to see him go. By now I had relocated in the stadium, because I spotted my friend Megan, who broke her leg about a week before our team went to districts!!! She had a 'special' seat because of her cast, and I went down to join her.

The feature match of the night was a doubles match...nice to see that! It pitted the Bryan Bros. against Paul Goldstein (back on court after losing to Stepanek in 3 earlier) and Tripp Phillips (who I think looks a lot like Hewitt...speaking of Hewitt, why isn't he in DC this year?!?).

While they were warming up, I looked behind us, and Wayne Bryan was right ther in the suite. I nudged Megan, and she hobbled over to have him sign her cast!



This match was routine, and I'm sure it lasted less than an hour. BUT! It was Paul's birthday, and we all sang to him while he was presented with a cake. They also brought his wife and newborn onto court for the occasion.

Ok, I buzzed out back to the grandstand at this point to watch Hanley-Ullyett/Bhupathi-Henman. Han-Ull had won the first set 6-4. I don't remember if I actually saw the end of that set or not, but I was trying to also watch the women's doubles behind me on court #2 at the same time, where Madison Brengle and Kimberly Couts were playing Alina Jidkova and Olga Savchuk.

Anyhoo, Henman's stay in DC is officially over. It was a good match, but they weren't enough for the seasoned team of Han-Ull. Guess who was in the stands watching Henman again, as he had during Henman's match against Isner? Yup, the elder Murray. Nice to see him supporting his 'countryman'.

The handshake:



And so it goes...back to the stadium, it was Tommy time! Falla just didn't have enough to put up a fight, and Haas had any easy victory here.

Haas:



That's a warp for day 5, folks!