US Open - final thoughts

First up, the ladies!

I am somewhat peeved, or maybe just disappointed, that I've read disparaging remarks in response to Kerber's ascent to WTA #1.  She is the Oz champ, Wimby finalist, and now also the USOpen champ.  Yes, she plays more than Serena, but is Kerber to blame for that?  Maybe the #1 should be the one willing to go out and test fitness and put up consistent results over the entire season, and not just some handpicked big ones.  On the other hand, when you've been playing as long as Serena and as dominant as her, I could see why she would not want to play all the tournaments.  But it comes at a price, and now we have a new, and IMO well deserved, #1 player.  Congrats Angie!

And she did it against a very tough, upcoming, and *impressive* player!  This tournament has been the first time I've really paid attention to Pliskova.  It is very easy to label her a baseline basher who will make a lot of great shots but also a lot of errors, but she proved herself to be much, much more.  Of special note are her hands around net...she was very willing to come forward and when she did, displayed very good feel.  Sure she's never going to have the defensive skills and movement of a Kerber or Halep, but she's got the goods and weapons to be at the top of the game.  Mentally she more than proved herself in her matches against Venus and Serena (when the crowd was so against her) as well as the final.  I'm excited!  Let's hope she continues this and we don't see a 'sophomore slump' next year.  (not that this year is over, but y'all know what I mean)

The men's final just wrapped up, but before that was a very fun, competitive women's dubs final, with Safarova/Mattek-Sands coming back from the literal edge of defeat to snatch the title away from French duo Mladenovic/Garcia.  The French duo did themselves in, IMO, with the lack of response and fight after the Mattek-Sands woke up and got her team back in the match with aggressive net play.  The absolute delight on the faces of Lucie and Bethanie after their win was almost as awesome as Bethanie's socks.  Almost.

And the men!  Whew!  One almost had to think, what with Nole's string of retirements along the way to the final, that he would be the fresher.  But the lack of matches costs a player too, because a player needs those matches to test themselves and build up confidence.  Much was made over commentary about how negative Nole's body language was, and how Stan had the crowd, and that was most definitely the case at the beginning of the match.  But the crowd also cheers for whoever they need to in order to see more tennis!  And at the end they were pretty even behind the two battling for the title.
Stan's win was well deserved, and his aggressive play and fight just wore Nole down, possibly literally wearing away the very skin from his toes!  It was an exciting match, but always hard to see the disappointment on the 'loser's' face at the end, especially after such a battle.  Evidently it was 143 to 144 points in the end.  So Stan won the big points at the right time.  Ahhh tennis, such a fickle game!

Hopefully all this tennis watching will bleed itself into my game somehow...personally I have 40+ Mid-Atlantic sectionals, 7.5 VA combo, and then the big one...18+ Nationals on the calendar.  Combo might get nixed though, even though its a favorite tournament in one of my favorite locations, due to not being able to take that FRI off of work and also having to work until 11:30...won't be driving down to VA Beach after work like I had originally hoped!  We shall see!

US Open Thoughts, part 1

As I sat here, finally watching some US Open tennis (after a grueling week, not to mention a couple of years), I had some thoughts.  I shall share them now.

• I had Nadal as a dark horse.  Not so much now.  He had been kind of under the radar (for him), especially after recent absences at Roland Garros and Wimby.  Its obvious his dominance is nearing its conclusion, and has been for awhile.  But why?  Is it the change of racquets?  Is there something else for the reason of the absences (which is always being whispered about in tennis circles)?  Has his style of play finally caught up with his body?  Or is he simply being passed by younger, stronger players who are not afraid to challenge him?
• Krygios.  I agree with McEnroe.  Lots of other things to do, please top wasting court time.  Either get a coach and get serious, or get off the court.  I was never a fan, became less of one after his antics and comments on court to Wawrinka, less after his 'partnership' with Bouchard (and more on court shenanigans), less after he said he didn't even have a coach, and less more now.  Yup, I think I'm out.  
• Oh Venus.  So nice to see her in the second week.  And so close against Pliskova!  
• I had also given up on Monfils, much like I feel about Krygios.  Has he seen the light?  Is it too little too late?  Time will tell.  
• Madison Keys.  It is time to buckle down and learn how to construct points and be patient.  Don't go for winners when you're stretched way out of the court.  Wozniacki was able to withstand the power and out think the young American, who remains such a promising star.  But she needs to learn strategy and how to use her wonderful weapons, or I do not think she will get any further than she is now.
• Taylor Townsend.  Ok.  We get it.  You don't think you need to actually be in shape to play pro tennis and need to USTA.  Take a good luck around.  Do you see anyone else on the women's tour who looks like Townsend?  No.  And while she is unquestionable talented, talent will go only so far.  There are lots of talented players out there.  Talent combined with hard work and dedication is what gets players to the top.  Tick tock tick tock...time is running out. Body shaming?  I'm not sure it is.  She's supposedly a professional athlete.  And it IS an issue, as anyone who has seen her stand flat footed while her opponents hit past her will tell you.  Yeah she has weapons, but on this level, just about everyone does and that big forehand will come back to her.  Then what?
• Wozniacki.  I like what I am seeing, even if she took out one of my favorites!  All around player, but able to step it up when she needs to (case in point, her match against Kutzy).  
• Ana Konjuh!!!  Wow!  Just 19 years old, but plays an all around game, great serve, very willing to come to net, and while nobody would have blamed her for getting rattled serving out the match against Aga, especially after some bizarre feedback incident...she did not blink.  Loved watching her play and she, in my opinion, shows the most promise of all the young players.  Nice seeing Majoli in her camp too.  

Of course, on the women's side, it remains Serena's show.  Can anyone who is left threaten her?  Her next opponent, Halep (my favorite player right now, though she is also so frustrating sometimes!) has a chance, but Serena will look to attack the Romanian's serve.  Halep will not be able to have her usual ups and down against Serena.  Semi opponents would be either Konjuh or Pliskova, and Serena would be heavily favored against either. If the seeds hold, we will see another Kerber/Serena final, and as we know, Kerber can do it.  Though, will we see the same Kerber as we did in Australia?  Much has been reported about how she is mentally and physically tired at this point of the season, compared to Australia where just about everyone is fresher.  If she continues her form, I do not doubt that Wozniacki can and will take out Kerber if they meet in the semis.  Sevastova's run, I believe, will end against the Dane.  

As I write this, Monfils is up against Pouille, and is up a break in the third set.  Nole takes on Tsonga tonight, and Tsonga has been quietly winning.  If Nole has any arm issues and Tsonga is on his game, the Frenchman can certainly oust the #1 seed.  Down in the other half, I think it unlikely that Murray will not come through, though I think the delPo/Stan match will be the most entertaining of the men's quarters (with Nole/Tsonga second).  Most likely we will see Nole/Murray in the final, and I don't necessarily think it is a given for either player.  Delpo, if he keeps booming that FH, could certainly play a spoiler in there though.  So nice to see him playing at a hight level again, especially after so many surgeries and a lot of doubt if he'd be able to come back and compete at a high level at all again. 

US Open: The finale.

It is over. One more Grand Slam wrapped up and put away to bed. But while the GS season is over, we do still have some exciting Davis and Fed come play coming up, as well as a few Masters tournies and of course, the year end championships.

The man in black came through once more. Nole had his chances, over and over again, he had leads, he had breaks, he had break chances...and every time he was denied by our champion. It was a good match to watch though, and even though it finished in straight sets, you can't get too much tighter than 7-6, 7-6, 6-4. Nole served notice, though, that he belongs in the same breath as Roger and Rafa. Maybe even inching ahead of Rafa? Maybe so, especially since, for the second straight year, Rafa has kind of disappeared during the summer hard court season. Nobody questions his dominance on clay, but that is only one of three surfaces.

Our champion, Roger Federer, the man in black, Darth Roger:



Rog and Nole before the match...I really liked this picture:



And our runner-up, in what is arguably his break-out year:



Some other thoughts:
*Sharapova was in the Djoker's box. Hmmm. However, she was not donning the Adidas YOC shirt that the rest of the box decided to sport today...which I thought was totally cool by the way.



And yes, the rumors have already started.

*The first time they showed Mirka she was chewing...oh great, more ammunition for the people who pick on her weight. Then the next time, she was checking her watch...maybe hoping Rog would wrap it up soon? Then, finally, she was cheering him on. One thing though...with all the money she and Rog have, and with how much they 'hang out' with all these top designers...I can't stand the clothes she wears. Really strange stuff, and the top she had on today was not good at all.

*Mary Carillo sounded like she was sick and/or congested. She sounded like a man!

*We all know about the Djoker's habit of bouncing the ball a bazillion times before serving, especially under pressure. But against Roger he seemed to rein it in...do you think he was afraid of ticking off his opponent and then suffering the wrath?

There was other tennis and champions crowned today:

Women's doubles winners Dinara Safina and Natalie Dechy with runner-ups Yung-Jan Chan and Chia-Jung Chuang:



The juniors wrapped up today as well. From left to right we have girl's runner-up Urszula Radwanska, girl's champion Kristina Kurcova, boy's champion Ricardis Berankis, and boy's runner-up Jerzy Janowicz. The countries they represent are Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania, and Poland, respectively. Think the Bloc is catching up? I think so.



And that's a wrap.

************************

Only it is not a wrap. Because this blog is also about *my* tennis game, and well, there is no off season for me! Though if there were, the next few months might be considered one, just because I'm not playing the fall women's season. I do, however, have two tournaments coming up in the next month, and the MCM10k at the end of October. My foot has been feeling much better...it still hurts from time to time, but I ran four miles today with nary a hint of pain, and very little afterward. I just wish I knew what it was that was making it better, so I'd make sure I keep doing it. Buying new shoes for school may have helped, plus all the various inserts I've been experimenting with. Who knows?

Carol has struck the same deal with me that Greg did, that if I organize and run an evening singles flight I will get another year of free membership dues. That would take care of me up through April of 2009! Sweet!

And I took my first clinic with my new women's indoor team on Saturday morning. It was a long morning of tennis, as I had my lesson with Carol at 9am, then I stuck around and hit serves for a while, then buzzed down to Springfield for the clinic at 11am. The women were all quite a bit older than me, except for Susan (who I knew and met during outdoor season), who is maybe only a few years older. So yeah, youngest on the team again. But that is fine, because I'm there to play singles, and while these ladies definitely have skills (some wicked slice from this one woman, it was insane!) they aren't about to run back and forth a lot. Me and Susan are the new singles players.

Now, my plan will be fine as long as I don't get moved up. Two months ago I was dying to get moved up to 3.5, but since I play up anyway, the master plan is to play 3.0 singles and 3.5 doubles. If I do get moved up, I could appeal down, but I'd be eating crow, as I was very vocal about my displeasure regarding some players who did that last season. Oh well, it would be the first time I ate it!

US Open: Women's final

Yup, still no surprises. Henin routed Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-3. *yawn* Now, on one hand, JH has been pretty amazing the whole tournament. She did not lose a set in two weeks, and went through two Williams sisters (although only tested to the limit by one of them). But she has admitted to not being a huge fan of playing in NY, where it is loud and raucous. While serving for the match, some jerk in the audience shouted out during her toss. She caught it, with an annoyed look on her face, and then was so unnerved that she threw in two double faults in a row. To the crowd's credit, they were so silent for the next few points that is was eerie. And I'm sure the idiot who called out was probably hung and quartered by his fellow fans nearby (or at least he should have been). I'm all for cheering and stuff, but like I said, this was loud, disruptive, and during her toss. Not cool.

I actually think the players are a bit too uptight about the fans...they are, after all, the ones who paid the money to watch. The players should be good enough to serve if a few people are moving around. Sometimes 90 seconds isn't enough time to find your seat along with a few hundred other people.

But I digress.

Yes, all credit to Henin for staying focused when she very well could have come unglued. Speaking of unglued...Sveta pretty much played like crap. I think, by the end of the first set, she had something like five times the UE on her FH than winners. That is poor. She just didn't have anything to hurt Justine with, and then couldn't stop the Henin ball from steamrolling her. Everything Kuztie does, Justine does better. Kind of like Roddick and Federer. Roddick is good, but just not on the same level. Sveta was not on the same level as JH. You could see the visible disappointment on her face afterward...she looked crushed. Well, she had been crushed. She will rise to #2 in the rankings on Monday, but last night the gulf between #1 and the future #2 looked like way more than just one spot in the rankings.

Our champion:



Today we will see Fed and Nole square off. I think anyone with half a brain is picking Fed, though hopefully Nole will make it a match. Yeah, Nole beat him in Montreal, but that was not a GS and not a best of five. Plus, Nole has been a bit twitchy in his last few matches. I think he will do well, but for now, he will still be relegated to runner-up. But hey, if you're Roger's runner-up, things aren't that bad, are they?

A cool picture of Fed that I found, just as a teaser:

US Open: Men's semis

Yeah, no surprises here. Djoko and Fed both advanced in straight sets over Ferrer and Davydenko, respectively.

Djoko had a slow start, called the trainer when he was up a set and a break (he was feeling sick and/or not breathing well?), he was bothered by the crowd that normally he so loves to entertain, but still won in three. He did his normal strip tease after the match, and now we know where he gets it...his dad also stripped off his shirt and threw it into the crowd. Those crazy Serbs!!!

The Fed/Davy match had more breaks than a women's match! But since Davy couldn't hold his own serve, you bet you could count on Fed to hold his when it really mattered, and he did. He just has that extra gear he kicks into when he needs it.

I expect Fed to come out on top tomorrow, especially since Djoko was so twitchy today, but I do hope for a good quality match.

Because I fear we won't see one tonight in the women's final. They are probably already etching JH's name on the trophy. No offense to Sveta, but I just don't see her suddenly getting it together mentally enough to beat the queen.

US Open: Women's semis, Men's doubles final

Again, I missed most of today's action, but I've skimmed through what I had recorded. First up, men's doubles.

The final was contested betwen Dlouhy/Vizner anad Aspelin/Knowle. Aspelin and Knowle, who took out the Bryan Brothers and Ram/Erlich, were teaming up for the very first time at the Open. I find that utterly amazing! How can this 'hodge-podge' team beat such established partnerships? I wish we could have seen some of the earlier matches, but you've heard me comment on the upsets as they happened...they just kept falling until the final was played between two teams that were never under consideration or even on the radar. This, as they say, is why they actually play the matches!

Some of the commentators mentioned the current break ups and shifting around of teams during this match. It was reported during the French Open that Knowles/Nestor were breaking up...a change initiated by Nestor so he could team up with Nenad Zimonjic, who was partnering with Fabrice Santoro at the time. But then, they won the French! They stayed together for Wimby, and then I never heard anything again. I even wrote into Jon Wertheim to ask what he knew, but he never answered. As a matter of fact, he's never answered any of the questions I've written in! *hmph* Ok, anyway, it turns out they will stay together for the end-of-year championships, but then they are done. I'm not sure if Nestor is still going with Zimonjic or not. But I did like how one of commentators compared all the moving around to an episode of Desparate Housewives. Though, for Knowles and Nestor to break up...man, that's big. They were in each others' weddings for crying out loud?!? I think they mentioned Hanley and Ullyett to break up, too, but I'm not sure if I'm remembering correctly, and I didn't write it down, so don't go to the bank on that one.

Did I mention that Aspelin/Knowle won?



The first women's semi pitted youngster Anna Chakvetadze against 2004 US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. I had picked Chakie to win. I was wrong. I was also forewarned that this was an ugly, ugly match. And it was indeed. Chakie took the first set and then seemed to suddenly remember where she was and that if she kept playing well (and Kutzie kept donating points) that she would be in the final. That was it, she was undone. Kutzie won the next two sets at 6-1. Hopefully, the next time we see a youngster in a big moment, they will rise to the occasion, instead of folding like we saw from Chakie today, and from AnaIvo at the French final. I do not put Marion Bartoli's Wimby final in that category, because I think she did fight back the nerves and believed that she could win it right up until she didn't.

This match was widely regarded as a stinker, and Peter Bodo even posted about it here. He took offense at not only the tennis, but also Sveta's visible struggles with fitness in her appearance. One wonders, with how well she moves now, how much better she would move if she could lean out a bit. But again, not everyone is 'blessed' with the lankiness of Sharapova or Hantuchova, a body type that is aesthically more pleasing to many people, but not without drawbacks in the movement department as well.

Mary Carillo and Mary Jo Fernandez were commentating in the booth for this match, which I thought was interesting since they rarely put them together. I guess because the women were playing the put the girls in the booth. Whatever. I like each one individually, especially MC, but I don't think they play against each other very well. MC had a slight gaffe when she said A-Rad was still alive in the girl's singles. I gasped, as I knew that she wasn't even entered!!! MC quickly realized her mistake and corrected herself...it is U-Rad, the little sister and #2 seed, who is still alive in the juniors. I knew that already, and I'm not paid anything to know it and I don't have a research department. *sigh* Some people get all the best jobs!

MJF ticked me off a bit when, after it became clear that both girls were choking something fierce, she said that there isn't anything to be done in that situation. Bullshit. It is a freakin' Grand Slam semi-final!!! You pull yourself together and start remembering all the time, practice, blood, sweat, and tears you have put in to get where you are and start playing some tennis! I don't care if it is easier said than done, but I'm willing to get Chakie got more money to lose today than I make in a year, and at that level, you *have* to be able to pull it together. Unless, of course, the entire tour is riddled with headcases and chokers. Oh...wait a minute...

Some days it is real hard to defend the WTA tour, as much as I am a fan.

The 'winner':



The second semi, Venus Williams and Justine Henin, was being touted as the 'de-facto' final. Which is kind of funny, because until JH beat Serena, *that* match was being called the 'de-facto' final. Did they not think the reigning Wimby champ would make it this far? They should have, especially after seeing how she started the tournament. But hey, understandably, Venus's wheels can come off anytime, but JH can also be stricken with 'fatigue' and 'tummy-ache' at any time as well.

At least this appears to have been a quality match. I've watched a bit, but I already know JH won 7-6, 6-4. When I got home I had turned on the TV and saw that they were still playing (well after my DVR had quit) and it was 5-3 in the second. I don't know what the difference was that made the match for JH, but regardless, Venus had a great tournament and set a good example for little sis to follow, though I doubt Serena would make the effort or even see the need for her to do so. Rumor has it she is pregnant (Serena). God help us...I hope it is just a rumor. The thought of her being a parent is completely frightening.

I think, when she smiles, that JH is actually pretty:



She is to meet Kuznetsova in the final tomorrow. She is going to win.

While all this was going on, Djokovic decided to take a visit into the city and get some culture. A trip to a rehearsal at the Met apparently ended up with him trying out a few notes on stage. Evidently, he shouldn't give up tennis anytime soon.



How can anyone not love this guy? He is a great player, will probably still get much better, and such a great personality. Let's hope he sticks around for a good, long time.

Update...

Djoko in, Moya out. Still a good showing from Moya, the 'old man' of the draw. Wonder how long he'll stick around? Interesting to note that the last Spaniard standing is Ferrer, and then Moya. Not Nadal!

US Open: Day 5,308....

I have no idea what day we're on...11, 12? Somewhere around there.

The further a tournament progresses, I always end up with a difficult paradox. On one hand, it is getting more exciting because only the best are left. On the other hand, there aren't as many matches to watch or read up on or follow. And that is kind of sad.

The Open crowned its first champions today in mixed doubles. The Belarussian team of The Beast (Max Mirnyi) and Victoria Azarenka took the mixed doubles crown over Leander Paes and Megan Shaugnessey. Hey, if nothing else, there was at least one American in a final! I wonder if Belarus will be a force at the Hopman Cup early next year?

Here they are, today's champions:



The earlier men's quarter saw David Ferrer continue his recent hot streak by eliminating Argentinean Juan Ignacio Chela. It was apparently a pretty routine, straight sets affair...didn't hear much about the match, and I couldn't watch it because of that whole job thing.

Ferrer, who can *almost* get away with the white socks and black shoes combo:



The last spot is still being decided between the Djoker and Carlos Moya. So far Moya is putting up a valiant fight, but he is falling just short...down two sets and a break. I think everyone is pretty much penciling in a Nole/Ferrer semi. And maybe even a Fed/Nole final, which will be interesting to see after Montreal. I don't think the result will be the same, what with this being a GS and Fed being...Fed.

Moya



Nole



And, of course, the women will square off in their respective semis tomorrow. I still don't know who to pick in the Venus/Justine semi, but I'm going to go ahead with Chakie of Kutzie in the other one...with Anna making her first GS final.

While I was sleeping...

Actually, I did manage to stay awake for what seemed to be the best parts of this match...the first two sets. Give credit to Andy, I think he gave it his all. I don't understand his strategy against Fed though...it seems he always wants to take him to a tiebreak, but Fed always wins the tiebreaks. Andy doesn't have the ground game to outrally Fed or even break him, so why always go for the tiebreak? Granted, it might be his best (and only?) shot, but Fed demonstrated just how good he is at those tiebreaks in the first two sets. Third set looked more like what we're used to seeing, with Fed wrapping it up with a bow at 6-2. Andy, no matter how much heart he puts into it, just doesn't have the variety to beat Fed. I don't think he ever will at this point, either.

But again, hats off to Andy for once again relishing a match-up with the best of the best, and giving it his all:



Fed was quoted afterward as saying, "It was a tough match and he was serving out of a tree," said Federer. "But I came through in the end. It was a beautiful night." A beautiful night of only 18 unforced errors...this guy is just unbelieveable.

US Open: Day 10 - I hate my job.

Ok, actually I don't hate my job, but I do hate that I can't tell you anything about the men's matches that happened today, other than who won, and really, you probably already knew that, right?

Davydenko defeated my boy Tommy in three. Oh Tommy...what happened? You needed me there, didn't you, and I let you down? Actually, from what my TTW peeps have posted, it wasn't that great of a match to watch. I didn't record it (getting short on space on the DVR), so again, Google might be a better friend than me right now.

Instead I offer you...the winner:



Two women's quarters took place today, and the upsets were nowhere to be seen. Sveta took control over Szavay (who is still to be commended for her great play of the recent weeks as well as her fabulous fashion sense) and Chakvetadze took out Peer, which was a bit of a surprise for me. I like both players, but it would have been nice to see Peer make a breakthrough here...instead, the 'breakthrough' will go to Chakie, who needs one, as well.

Our winners:





Sveta and Chakie will meet each other, and Henin will meet the winner of the Venus and Jelena, which is happening right now. To make up for my earlier absence, I give you my play by play thoughts on this match! (Whether you want it, or not!)

Our valiant warriors:





1st set
*J breaks V to open, very unexpected
*J being aggressive, coming to net, very good game plan
*V has lots of FH errors already, maybe getting a real coach and some better technique would help?
*V not attacking and being out rallied by J
*J breaks V again to bring it to 4-1
*V breaks back and holds, J up 4-3
*J keeps the ball deep and in the corners, good patience, however using a slice FH not a good idea against V, holds for 5-3
*V holds, 4-5
*J serving for set, V starts rocketing back returns and showing us great athleticism, at 40-30 J sends V line to line, draws the error
Jelena wins first set 6-3

Second Set
*J again breaks V in first game
*V turns on the aggression, comes into net A LOT! Starts smoking second serve returns, cleaning the lines, and even some great saves by J can't old off V
*What V is doing now is what Serena couldn't manage last night, adjusting and raising her game. Maybe big sis needs to hold a clinic for little sis?
*V serves for set at 5-1, J looking dejected.
*V's FH is finally working again, and though J brings it back to deuce, V holds on for second set, 6-1.

Third Set
*After all those breaks, they both manage to hold serve for the whole set! Unbelievable!
*V has some GREAT net play, and it is making a big difference. Great adjustment to get herself back in this match.
*J has hit some great lobs in this match, and the fourth one happens in the third set. Not a surprise that they came from her BH side.
*V showing great footwork, you can hear the tiny adjustment steps (are you watching Serena?)
*Some great smiles after points from J, so nice to see!
*God, love J's down the line BH! She's a drama queen, but a fun one, love it!
*V saves a BP with a big FH save!
*Another FH error from V helps J hold
*at 4-5 V is serving to stay in match and delivers 4 huge serves to give her easy put aways and a 40-0 game. That is what you call stepping up! 5-all!
*V has the FH swinging volley down, again, please teach Serena
*V still has some huge, ugly FH errors, but she is going for it!
*J holds!
*V holds! J does a split!
*V serving on her AD, great pass by J
*V serving again on her AD, J's BH just barely out
*Third set tiebreak!

Third set tiebreak
*J sends a BH long, V 1-0
*missed the point, I was typing, J won it, so 1-1
*V firing deep FHs, J's FH goes long, V up 2-1
*J sends another FH long, V up 3-1
*J sends yet another FH long, V up 4-1 (is J tired? She doesn't usually hit so many UFE?)
*long point, J's FH goes into net, V up 5-1!
*V hits a deep FH, up 5-2
*V hits FH long, up 5-3
*great swinging FH volley by V, up 6-3
*bad BH miss by V, up 6-4
*V serving for match, first serve in net!
*second serve in, another swinging FH volley and it is game, set, match, Venus Williams! Her first time into the semis in five years!

Great post match interviews by both ladies. Jelena disappointed, but still smiling...great to see a player with some perspective on the whole thing (are you listening Serena?), maybe because she still knows that even though she lost the match, she doesn't have bombs dropping on her head anymore, and that is a very, very good thing.

Next up for Venus...Justine. This should be another great match, but unless V cleans up that FH, I think Justine will take it. The de-facto final? Might be.

Much has already been written about Serena's disgusting behavior after her loss to Justine yesterday. I don't have anything to add that hasn't already been said, other than add my belief (to many others) that if Justine had been in Australia, Serena wouldn't have won. And did she show up for her sister tonight? Nope. What a brat. And she has the nerve to bring up the fine for missing the presser? Whatever...kids are starving and living in poverty all over the world, and here is this brat who has MILLIONS acting like a complete baby. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to conjure up any kind of support for Serena ever again.

Fed and Rod up next. I'm not planning on staying up and watching it. Sorry, but I'm exhausted from these late nights, and I'm pretty sure I know what is going to happen. Maybe I'll wake up and be surprised...who knows.

Other tidbits...
*Szavay is still alive in doubles! She plays tomorrow morning against the #5 seeds.
*Speaking of #5 seeds, we lost them in the men's doubles draw...Hanley/Ullyett out. Who the hell is going to be left to win this thing?
*Peschke/Stubbs are still in, and looking real good at this point. Dechy/Safina take out #3 seeds Sugiyama/Srebotnik. Umm, who the hell is going to be left to win this thing???? I'm rooting for Szavay (watch, now she'll lose tomorrow!)
*U-Rad, A-Rad's little sis, won her second round girl's singles match!
*Tomorrow's mixed doubles final features Shaugnessey/Paes against Azarenka/Mirnyi. Go Leander!
*Jimmy Arias played Todd Martin in the Men's Champions singles today...he lost, but I still love Jimmy! I would love to see and hear him commentating more, though...he is much better than some of the yahoos we've got now.

All for now my fellow tennis freaks! Tomorrow will be tough, I won't be home until 9pm...guess I will set the DVR for Djoko/Moya...definitely don't want to miss that one!

While I was sleeping...

Ferrer did what many knew he was capable of doing, and knocked out Nadal in four sets last night. I didn't see much of it at all...too bad. The score line indicates at least three sets of good tennis. In checking the scores this morning, I saw a picture of Nadal sitting on the court, and thought that was a bad sign...I was right. How much did knee-gate factor in? I'm not sure...going to have to read up a bit.

I did read a few post match comments from Serena, and she predictably refused to give Henin credit for raising her game and plowing through the second set of their highly anticipated match. When is she going to learn that doing that makes her look like a sullen little baby?

Check Serena for a pulse...

She's about to go down...hard. And it seems like she doesn't care all that much. Does Justine own her? Is she in Serena's head?

Oh man, triple match point for Justine.

Now, THAT was a return. Still double match point.

That return went into the net. *shaking head*

Justine takes it, 7-6, 6-1. Serena...pwned.

That was kind of ugly in the end. I'm no Serena fan, but that match sucked. And it begs the question, if Justine had been in Melbourne, would Serena have won? Right now, I think not.

Nadal is up next, against Ferrer. It isn't going to be easy, especially if his knees really are sore. The next chapter in Nadal Knee-gate.

US Open: Day 9 - Doubles Troubles

Alright, what the H*LL is going on with the doubles teams? Today we lost not just the Bryan brothers, but also Knowles and Nestor! What in the world is going on? I throw my hands up in disbelief and confusion!!!

Some more quality five setters occured today, not that I actually got see any of them. My county frowns upon teachers live streaming tennis matches while they are supposed to be teaching, and rightfully so. Just, the timing kind of sucks, can't we start school *after* the Open? I mean really, is that too much to ask?

Anyway, back to the five setters. Chela today said "No Stan, you are not the man. I am the man." by eliminating Wawrinka (not just Fed's practice partner anymore). I was hoping Stan would come through and holding on to the slim chance of an all-Swiss final, 'cause they make good cheese and watches. Ok, actually, I'm not even sure that would be possible, I'd have to check the draw, but I was still hoping Stan would pull it out. Not this time.

Moya and Gulbis (who is the singular representation of Latvian tennis) duked it out in five sets as well. Moya, the veteran, came through, and I'm sad to say that I haven't had a chance to actually see Gulbis play. They either haven't shown his matches while I've been watching, or they've shown him while I haven't been watching. I've heard fabulous, great things...maybe he'll come to Legg Mason next year? I mean, c'mon, Latvia isn't *that* far away? If what I've been hearing is true, we will all get many more chances to see this youngster play. And once again, I have to give a shout out to Starlite for bringing Gulbis to my attention way before he started making any headlines. The girl knows her tennis!

Nole took to the court today, along with Juan Monaco and a whole entourage of trainers. This is was a GREAT match! We pretty much knew it was going to be close, and Monaco did push it to four sets. They were all close but Nole took it in the end. This kid is really mentally making great strides, not to mention his tennis!

One interesting thing happened, though, that you don't regularly see...during the third set tiebreak Monaco lost a point because a ball fell out of his shorts pocket. Because it was the second time it happened, he did lose a point (first time is just a warning, and according to the commentators, happened earlier in the match). He was wearing the YOC Adidas shorts, so guys...beware if you chose these shorts. Don't lose your balls. *smile*

Szavay is also playing women's doubles, and is into the semis! What with everyone else being eliminated, someone has to be left to play! If she doesn't make the single's final, we might see her in doubles! (Well, 'see' depends on the damn networks.)

Boy, I'm grouchy tonight.

Right now, Justine is a set and a break up on Serena. I found myself, during the first set, rooting for Serena. It is hard to believe, but I think she is freezing up. She looks tight. She doesn't look like she actually believes that she can beat Justine. She isn't stepping into returns and ripping them. She isn't serving all that great either. She did get back a break in the first set, but then lost in the tiebreak. I don't know...something about her is just off. I'm hoping, just for the sake of the match and the hype and the people poured into the stadium to watch her, that Serena decides to turn it on. Soon.

And, she needs to work on her footwork. Next to Justine, it is really obvious that she isn't moving her feet enough. One of the reasons Justine can hit so big, even though being so small, is that great footwork.

There was a 'C'mon'...is she waking up? Is it too little too late?

Meanwhile, today's heroes:

So much for the hair gel...

Feli gave it a good go, but Fed takes it in four.

Next up, Roddick. Vamos Feli! Good effort!

Day 8: The day James, Tommy, and my pro almost kill me.

Match of the tournament. James Blake vs. Tommy Haas. Un-freaking-believable. It is this match that made me decide that next year, come hell or high water, I will be at the US Open, at least for the holiday weekend. I don't care if I have to go alone. I will be there!

Anyway, back to the match.

Two shot makers, who, thanks to some mental fragility on both parts, saw massive momentum shifts. But Tommy was the one who, after losing the first set, really woke up, found some energy, and just raised his game to an unbelievable level. It gives you a glimpse of what might have been if Tommy hadn't of been so plagued with injuries throughout his career. He was just playing on a whole different level for the fourth set during which he handed Blake a bagel (just in case he was getting hungry!).

The fifth set was classic. Serving at 4-5 Haas saved TWO match points. That means Blake lost TWO match points. Ugh!!! Once in the tiebreak, just looking at James' face...I felt like he was in trouble. The ending was anti-climatic, with the last two points both being challenged. Haas wrapped it up with an ace that just clipped the line. His smile was as wide as James' disappointment. You could tell during his on court interview with Mary Joe that he really wanted to tell her to leave him alone...but he is way too nice for that. Oh, my heart ached for him. It sucks that someone had to lose this match, but Haas was the better player today.

Today's warriors:





On the women's side, things got back to normal a bit, with many of the 'upset' teenagers bowing out. The notable exception was Agnes Szavay, who took out Kimmie Killer Julia Vakulenko (Mary Joe confirmed for me today that Vakulenko was indeed the last player to beat Kimmie, speculating that the lose finally sealed the deal on the early retirement). Szavay also wins best dressed for the tourny:



Classy, yet unique, yet totally appropriate. Last week it had a ring in the middle of the twist, but I think I like it better without the hardware.

Shahar Peer is taking full advantage of being in the 'weaker' half of the draw...first by taking care of Vaidisova, and today dispatching A-Rad, who did everyone the courtesy of beating Shriekapova. A-Rad's Adidas dress confirmed that she does not have a clothing sponsor, since she was in Nike yesterday. Hopefully she's gotten someone's attention, and that will be taken care of after her run through this tournament.

Chakvetadze easily took care of the last Austrian standing, Tamira Paszek, and Sveta dispatched Victoria Azarenka, who really did seem overwhelmed during this match. Who will be the one in the final? Sveta? Anna? Aggie? Peer? I would say Chakie right now, if pressed, but I think they all have a chance.

The women's doubles draw is an absolute mess now, as Raymond and Stosur LOST today...to Mirza/Mattek. Yes...Mattek. Of the horrible outfits. Maybe all the lame distracted Raymond and Stosur...but man, this was their's for the taking!!!! Umm, go Sugiyama? Who's left at this point? I have to go check...all the serious contenders are gone.

Roddick got an easy pass to his quarterfinal when Tomas Berdych retired in the second set. It was reported that Andy then went out and practiced for another hour, since he didn't really get a lot of play in today. It remains to be seen if that will help him (keep him fresher) or hurt (lack of competitive match play). Everyone is assuming that Fed will come through, and I think he is just going to spank Andy one more time. Andy hasn't really had any wins over any top players in a loooooong time, and knocking off Fed is going to be too much to ask.

Assuming Fed wins. Unbelievably, he lost the first set to Feliciano Lopez, who must have put on his super strength hair gel tonight for this match. Right now he is playing out of his mind...let's see if he can keep it up, because we all know that Rog is not going to panic or choke.

Davydenko also advanced today, taking out the Korean Lee. He will face Haas, and I hope Haas mops up the court with him! Gooo Tommmy!

Tomorrow night...Serena vs. Justine, round 3. The other women's matches aren't being played tomorrow...odd scheduling decision, but whatever. I may have to get some special beverages for this match.

*****************

As for my game, the forehand was reallyl grooving nicely tonight in clinic. My pro decided he was going to try to kill me and the other girl tonight...and I'm exhausted. Just beat! This is usually my 'easier' clinic, but not tonight. But hey, a good workout never hurt, and now I will be ready to get a good night's sleep for the first day of school tomorrow. But I can't decide what to wear!!! :)

Day 7: A good day to have a grounds pass.

The action at Ashe today was pretty straightforward, but it was on the outer courts where you would have found a couple of five-setters and a few upsets yesterday.

Starting with this guy:



This is Ernests Gulbis. Never heard of him? That's ok, I hadn't either until TTW member Starlite requested some pictures of him from people actually going to the open. He is from Latvia. He just turned 19 on August 30. He is currently ranked 88, but has been as high as 79. And last night, he took out #8 seed Tommy Robredo. In straight sets. Now, Disco Tommy has been struggling of late, but this is still a pretty big upset. These guys also provided entertainment well into the night as they didn't even take the court until around 11pm. And they were scheduled as part of the day session!

The delay was in part to the many five set matches that took place on the men's side yesterday. David Ferrer took five to defeat David Nalbandian; Chela won in five over Ljubicic (who still can't find GS success), and Stan the Man Wawrinka took five sets to dismiss American Robby Ginepri, who, despite the loss, seems to have finally found his tennis again. And I don't know what they have in the water in Switzerland, but Wawrinka's backhand, just like Roger's, is a thing of absolute beauty.

There are a lot of Spanish and Latin American players still in the men's draw...proving that those players have made the adjustments needed to play on hardcourts as well as they do on clay. Now, if the Americans could only do the same thing and transfer their hardcourt knowledge to clay! Anyway, two countrymen battled over what was Hewitt's spot in the draw, with Juan Monaco edging out Augustin Calleri. Nadal's knees looked pretty good as he took out Tsonga, who just seemed content to have made it to the third round. Djokovic defeatead Juan Martin del Potro in a night match that was...kinda dull. Both night matches on Ashe, featuring Henin and Djoko, held no surprises.

Oh, and there is one more five setter I'm forgetting! Carlos Moya continues his stellar season and play with a five set win over Philip Kohlschreiber of Germany. The old man can still play!

The highly anticipated match-ups of V. Williams/AnaIvo and S. Williams/Maid Marion ended up being a cake-walk for the sisters. I was surprised, and more than a little disappointed. We had the French Open runner-up and the Wimbledon runner-up fold like day old sandwiches. They didn't believe, so they lost and lost pretty quickly.

The seeds in men's doubles are falling as fast as they did on Saturday in the women's draw. Melo/Sa defeated Bjorkman/Mirnyi (what is up with them this year?), and Aspelin/Knowle took out the last team to beat the Bryans, Erlich/Ram. I would pencil in a Bryan/Bryan and Knowles/Nestor final, but I'm almost afraid to!

The women's doubles were not completely without upsets either. Molik/Santangelo are out. Stubbs/Peschke are hanging on, though, and took three sets to defeat Hantuchova/Hingis. With the #1 seeds out, I would say it is for Raymond/Stosur to win or lose, but there are still a few teams lurking about that could give them trouble.

The juniors also got underway yesterday, and A-Rad's little sister, Urszula, is the #2 seed in the girl's singles draw. Look out Williams...there may be a new sister act in town!

Day 6: A good day to be a teenager.

Alright, got to start with the big news. Defending champion and #2 seed Maria Sharapova was ousted in three sets by Polish teenager Aggie (yeah, I'm not even going to try how to remember spelling her first name) Radwanska. Radwanska, interestingly enough, doesn't appear to have a clothing sponser. She was all decked out in Nike, but the top was last year's and her visor said 'US Open'. It just goes to show that all the endorsements in the world don't matter a lick when you're out on the court (got that Maria? Now, go practice that serve and find a real coach.) Maria threw in 12 double faults, and Radwanska caught a bit of fired for moving in really close to the service line for Maria's second serves. I'm not sure why some people (Jim Courier) had such a problem with that...it is perfectly legal, you can stand as far in as you want. Most pros don't because their opponents are bombing away with their serves, but Maria was clearly not doing that yesterday. And, AnaIvo did the same thing to her in their French Open semi, and it worked really well there too (though AnaIvo wasn't criticized for it like Aggie). If Maria gets so unnerved by her opponents moving so far in for her second serve she needs to do one of either two things...#1 - Stop playing professional tennis or #2 - Get her head and serve together once and for all. To Maria's credit, in her post match interview, she said that she had no excuses for her performance and was very gracious to her opponent.

It is almost like the 'next generation' of teenagers got together and made a pact to take out a whole bunch of seeds yesterday. Schnyder was taken out in a third set tiebreaker by Tamira Paszek. Petrova received so much on court treatment that they should have relocated the match to an ER, and lost to New Haven's Hungarian darling, Agnes Szavay. After winning the first set, Martina Hingis won only ONE game in the last two sets and got obliterated by Viktoria Azarenka. Maria Kirilenko, a cute youngster herself, found herself on the short end against Kimmie Killer Julia Vakulenko. So who did win who was seeded? Kuznetsova and Chatvetadze, both strong bets to make it out of that bottom half of the draw now. But wouldn't it be cool to see someone else, like Szavay, come through? Like I mentioned before, Jon Wertheim picked Szavay all the way through to the semis...doesn't look so crazy now, does it?

But there was still one more match from that half of the draw to be decided last night: Peer vs. Vaidisova. Two seeded players going at it to keep their hopes alive in a very open draw.



This was the best women's match of the evening session so far. Highly competitive and some really good tennis. In the first set Vaidisova, in her first tourny since collapsing mentally against AnaIvo at Wimbledon, came out really strong, winning three straight games before Peer could blink. But Peer is scrappy, and never gives up. Down 1-4, she won the next 6 games to take the first set. Nicole hit way too many errors in that first set, and her FH, when she gets it in, is great. But too often, she sprays it all over the place. Are these young ball bashing women never taught any control? Anyway, it was clear from the get go who was the aggressor (Vaidisova) and who was defending (Peer). The thing is, Peer is a really good defender, and from the commentators discussions, it became clear that Peer and her camp are working on turning her into a more aggressive player.

The second set started out exactly like the first...with Vaidisova up 3-0 really quickly. But again, Peer climbed back in, but this time, Nicole cleaned up her errors and hung on to win the set 6-3. Peer was effectively using a low backhand slice against Nicole, but may have started using it too much and spending too much time playing defense.

The third set was not as streaky. Peer got a break and was serving for the match when she went back to defense, and let Nicole break her right back. Peer needs to learn to go out and take the match, don't wait for someone to hand it to you. They evened it all the way up to a third set tiebreak, in which Vaidisova just donated a few too many points, and Peer took it 7-5. Vaidisova has a beautiful forehand, but she's got to learn to control it. That and her mental game, which is pretty widely known as immensely fragile by now. Temper, temper!

One the guy's side, today was the day of the widely anticipated Federer/Isner match up. True to form the first set went to a tiebreak, and unbelievable, Isner won it! Roger pulled out his champion's play, though, and pressed down ever so slightly on the accelerator and that was it for the rest of the match. Roger wins in four. But Isner acquitted himself well...somehow, this guy just doesn't get nervous! Yes, yes, he still has things to work on, but he took a set, something that other players either have never done, or haven't done in a real long time. When Isner gets more solid on the rest of his game to back up that serve and can last five sets, look out.

This was a fun picture:



The men's night match featured Stefan Koubek (who?) and James Blake. You want to know a bit about Koubek? Well, he is Austrian. I think he is 30 or 31, so in tennisland, an 'old' guy. He is short. He is....a lefty, caucasian, really blonde version of...James Blake!!! Only on speed. This guy came out ready to play. He is as fast as James, and the match up pitted his FH against James' BH. Not good for James. They split the first two sets, and I drifted off to sleep somewhere in the third. This morning I find out that James won in four sets, and it looked like Koubek faded a bit in that fourth set. But man...this was entertaining to watch.

And, there were lots of service breaks. Both of these guys were good returners. But when there are lots of service breaks in a women's match, they get called mentally weak. *sigh* The double standards, they drive me crazy, yes they do. There is, and always has been, just as many mental head cases and chokers on the men's tour as there are on the women's tour. Got it? GOOD!

But a great day of tennis was had, and today looks to be just as fun, only maybe with less upsets on the women's side. But today, either AnaIvo or Venus will be dismissed from the tournament, which is a tragic shame, because both should be going futher and not meeting so early in a GS. So Venus, get your damn ranking up already, would you? Ok, thanks!

Mourning update...

Pun intended.

One of my dark horse picks to go deep in the tournament, Lleyton Hewitt, was outsted by Calleri (WTF?) last night. I hope Hewitt doesn't let this disappointing loss keep him from a working on a late career mini-comeback. Would love to see him cause some damage at the Aussie Open and the resulting fan craziness that would surely follow.

US Open: Day 5 - Good-bye Tim.

For me, an even bigger story today than Nadal's Knee-gate was the conclusion of Tiger Tim's fabulous tennis career. As he played his second round match against Tsonga, you could often see a bit of a smile, a smirk almost, on Tim's mouth. Almost as if he knew a big secret that he wasn't letting the rest of us in on. And maybe he did. In his on court interview after the match, he expressed no regret (he shouldn't) and spoke with the conviction of a man who knew he was making the right decision at the right time. Plus, he sounded very excited about playing his final Davis Cup in a few weeks, on none other than the Wimbledon grass. We'll miss you Tim.

Nadal is playing as I write this (as is Hewitt), so I will save him and his knees for last.

The women's draw is finally starting to get a bit more interesting...I may start to salivate soon. Serena and Jelena were both pushed today (Jelena to three), but both came through, relying heavily on their experience. Ahsha Rolle's fairy tale came to an end today at the hands of Dinara Safina. Also leaving us today were Safarova (Beaten by Bartoli, hmm, what happened to her? She was beating Henin earlier this year! Lucie, I mean here, not Bartoli) and Dementieva (who got obliterated by Moms Sybille Bammer). Now that a few rounds are out of the way, the match-ups are getting good. Serena and Maid Marion. Venus and AnaIvo! Oh My! <---insert Dick Enberg voice

Some doubles news real quick...the #1 seeds on the women's side (Black/Huber) are OUT! They were beaten today by Maria Elena Camerin and Gisela Dulko! What?!? Hingis and Hantuchova are continuing their successful (so far) partnership, and teenage boys everywhere are rejoicing. Men's Wimby champs, Clement and Llodra, were beaten by Americans Kuznetsov/Levine. Jesse Levine was the kid that Fed flew out to Dubai to practice with him. I guess some of it rubbed off...either that, or maybe the US should start focusing on churning out doubles teams. Another American team, Justin Gimelstob/Amer Delic took out Booty and Stretch, as well! What's going on?!? One interesting pairing I just noticed today in mixed is that of Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi. They beat a formidable team in Elena Likhotseva and Daniel Nestor. I think they have a good shot at the title.

Ok, back to the men.

It is with much sorry that I announce that Wayne Odesnik's train has finally pulled into the station. He went down to #20 seed, Juan Ignacio Chela, in straight sets. Still! A good showing for Wayne, and let's hope he doesn't have to stay in Isner's shadow much longer.

A pretty big upset occurred when Philip Kohlshreiber took out #11 seed and last year's semifinalist, Mikhail Youzhzny. Poop. That sucks. Mardy Fish lost a tough five setter to Disco Tommy, and Nole just barely survived his five setter against Radek Stepanek. I wish this had been a night match so I could have seen it...I bet it was great. This match also receives today's Insane Score Award. Nole won 6-7, 7-6, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6. WHAT?!? That's sick!

Hey, guess who else is out? That's right! Everyone's favorite basketcase...Marat Safin. He lost to the suddenly hot Swiss (who isn't named Federer) Wawrinka. Whatever. Safin is done. Maybe he should have had the surgery instead of rehabbing the knee the old fasioned way. He has never been the same, and he never will be. A shame.

A nice surprise win for American Robbie Ginepri! He beat Gabasvili convincingly in three sets. Other winners today include Gulbis (the Latvian wonder!), Ljubicic (remember him?), Nalbandian (remember him?), del Potro (looking very strong and dominant), and Moya (awwww!).

Now, as I wrote this, both Tipsarevic and Nadal took treatment. (I think Nadal did, Tipsy is still in his chair.) The condition of Nadal's knees has been the focus of much discussion and a more than a few arguments (TTW) today. This is my take:

*Nadal played right after Wimby. On clay. Stupid.
*Nadal has made the necessary adjustments to his game to suit a surface not familiar to him...that being grass. He's been quite successful. Why won't he make those same adjustments so that he can play on hard courts without so much wear and tear? Is it that it will be too much of a change? Flatten out the strokes a bit? Finish at the net? I know hard courts are harder on the body. But if a player refuses to change a game that also contributes to tearing up his body, who is more to blame? The surface? Or the player? Here's a hint for the answer...which one of those two has a brain?
*Yes, JohnnyMac, the tape does help. I had tendinitis in my left knee from running. Taping helps. So does...rest.
*In the argument of surfaces...yes, clay is easier on the joints. It isn't necessarily easier on the body as a whole, because the points are longer. It balances out, and again, in the end run, it is up to the player to make the adjustments necessary for each particular surface. If Nadal does not, he will go the way of Guga. Remember him?

Anyway...Nadal is going to win this match. Tipsy, as much as I like him, is being outplayed, and also struggling with knee problems.

EDIT: I love it when I'm right! *smile* Nadal won, Tipsy retired. And it was his ribs he was getting treatment for, not his knee. Nadal marches on, and Knee-gate continues!

Tomorrow is the big-matchup! Federer vs. Isner! I won't be home, so I'm setting the DVR, and I better get it on there! I might have to erase some other matches to make room...but I will do my best. I may be home by then...I have a 'back to school' shopping date! More than likely, I will run out of money before the match begins!

The Morning Update: Blake vs. Santoro

I tried my best to stay awake, but drifted off somewhere around 4-3 in the last set. I have to say, when that fifth set started, I thought Blake looked like he believed...that he believed that this time, he would be the one to prevail in five sets. A few games later, the conviction was not as strong, but it still seemed like he had an edge over Santoro, especially when the Frenchman started playing the 'trainer trick'.

And, I want it never, ever to be said, that only the women play these games. The men are just as practiced at gamesmanship as say, Mary Pierce. And, if you're not breaking the rules, then all is fair. If a rule needs to be changed, then the players can work on that. If the rules aren't being enforced, who is at greater fault...the player or the chair ump who is not doing their job?

But again, props to James for pulling this through, 6-4, in the fifth. This should be a huge confidence builder.

Will this be Santoro's last open? The game of tennis would mourn his retirement, as there is nobody else who plays like him.