Fernando Gonzalez d. Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (13-11), 7-5
The first set was probably the biggest choke I've ever witnessed. Almagro squandered not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven, but eight set points; one with Fernando serving at 4-5 in the first and then the next seven in the tiebreaker. Fernando played most of the points pretty well, but Almagro beat himself in at least six of the eight set points. Three came off the forehand side while going for winners, including an extremely easy one during the 4-5 game. Surprisingly, Almagro did not totally fold in the second set, but hung in there until Gonzo brought down the inevitable in the Spaniard and prevailed 7-5. It's a key win for Gonzo, who is right in the thick of things for making it to Shanghai. In this same situation last year, he choked beyond belief, so today was an absolutely critical day for the Chilean.
Guillermo Canas over Agustin Calleri 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
Calleri led this one 5-3 in the third and then blew it. Granted just one break is never safe against Canas and Canas is one guy who is never out of a match until the last point is over, but still this has to be a tough one to swallow for Calleri. It's not a tough result for fans to swallow, though. Who would want to see a Federer-Calleri matchup when we could all see Federer-Canas III? I assume nobody. Canas beat Federer at Indian Wells in March and then stunned him again 7-6 in the third in Miami two weeks later. The Argentine was playing much better tennis in the Spring, but still this should be fun to watch. I'll take Federer in straights, but you can always count on Willy to put up a heck of a fight.
Canas/Nalbandian d. Hanley/Ullyett 6-3, 6-1
There are so many singles players in the doubles draw this week and a lot of intriguing pairings, so I thought there were would be a few "upsets" in doubles in Madrid, but this is not one I was anticipating, and especially not by such a convincing margin. I am seriously at a loss to even consider how this happened. I guess the Argentines returns of serve must have been consistently on fire, and Hanley and Ullyett must have played horribly in addition to that to get broken four times (and not have had even one break point opportunity!). Heck I questioned whether even Canas and Nalbandian would stay in the doubles since they are both through to the third round in singles. Well, good week for both of 'em!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Tuesday in Madrid
Second round match thoughts are on the Daily Observations page at the PTB (Murray-Chela and Ginepri-Federer)
As for the conclusion of the first round on Tuesday:
On-fire Ivo Karlovic continued his winning ways with a relatively routine 6-4, 6-4 victory over Marat Safin. The Russian has done nothing lately while Karlovic just won a title last week in Sweden, so this comes as no surprise. Still, one would think that Safin could at least take one of the sets into a tiebreaker. With Davydenko out due to injury in Karlovic's section of the draw, this presents a huge opportunity for the giant to make another deep tournament run.
There were some fireworks later on in the day when Paul-Henri Mathieu and Mardy Fish took the court. Plenty of gamesmanship, bathroom breaks, and shouting matches took place in this one in addition to tennis. Not surprisingly, Fish collapsed right at the end of the match. Serving at 5-6 in the third, the American won just one point that game and that was the match. Mathieu advances to play fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet in what should be a more civil affair and one in which Mathieu will have an even more difficult time getting through.
Good opening-round wins were also scored by Agustin Calleri (over Tursunov), Nicolas Kiefer (over Stanislas Wawrinka) and David Nalbandian (over Arnaud Clement). Calleri and Tursunov are both very up-and-down players and having won a tournament two weeks ago, I guess Tursunov was scheduled to be down this time around. Wawrinka, who made it to the final in Vienna last week before losing to Djokovic, probably had too quick a turnaround between that tournament and this one and Kiefer is not someone you want to be playing when you're not at your physical best. As such, this result isn't surprising at all. Finally, I assume Nalbandian was favored in his match with Clement, but pretty much any win for the Argentine right now is a good one. One win could be all Nalbandian gets this week, as he has a tough test with Tomas Berdych in the second round.
In the doubles match of the day, Fernando Gonzalez and Andre Sa took out Nadal and Feliciano Lopez 11-9 in the match tiebreaker for the third set. That must have been outrageously entertaining to watch live. I love how ignorant tennis fans just assume great singles players (specifically baseliners) stink at doubles. Well, anyone who actually pays attention knows this is far from the case. Gonzalez, of course, is an Olympic champion in doubles (with Massu). Nadal, meanwhile, is more than formidable in doubles. I've seen him play once in person (from the front row on one of the outer courts at the Open, paired with Tommy Robredo) and the Spaniards were nothing short of flawless in disposing of Jordan Kerr and Jim Thomas, who were seeded. Anyway, Nadal and Lopez are out, but Fernando (and Sa) moves on and continues to attempt to navigate his way through an interesting--and loaded--doubles draw.
As for the conclusion of the first round on Tuesday:
On-fire Ivo Karlovic continued his winning ways with a relatively routine 6-4, 6-4 victory over Marat Safin. The Russian has done nothing lately while Karlovic just won a title last week in Sweden, so this comes as no surprise. Still, one would think that Safin could at least take one of the sets into a tiebreaker. With Davydenko out due to injury in Karlovic's section of the draw, this presents a huge opportunity for the giant to make another deep tournament run.
There were some fireworks later on in the day when Paul-Henri Mathieu and Mardy Fish took the court. Plenty of gamesmanship, bathroom breaks, and shouting matches took place in this one in addition to tennis. Not surprisingly, Fish collapsed right at the end of the match. Serving at 5-6 in the third, the American won just one point that game and that was the match. Mathieu advances to play fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet in what should be a more civil affair and one in which Mathieu will have an even more difficult time getting through.
Good opening-round wins were also scored by Agustin Calleri (over Tursunov), Nicolas Kiefer (over Stanislas Wawrinka) and David Nalbandian (over Arnaud Clement). Calleri and Tursunov are both very up-and-down players and having won a tournament two weeks ago, I guess Tursunov was scheduled to be down this time around. Wawrinka, who made it to the final in Vienna last week before losing to Djokovic, probably had too quick a turnaround between that tournament and this one and Kiefer is not someone you want to be playing when you're not at your physical best. As such, this result isn't surprising at all. Finally, I assume Nalbandian was favored in his match with Clement, but pretty much any win for the Argentine right now is a good one. One win could be all Nalbandian gets this week, as he has a tough test with Tomas Berdych in the second round.
In the doubles match of the day, Fernando Gonzalez and Andre Sa took out Nadal and Feliciano Lopez 11-9 in the match tiebreaker for the third set. That must have been outrageously entertaining to watch live. I love how ignorant tennis fans just assume great singles players (specifically baseliners) stink at doubles. Well, anyone who actually pays attention knows this is far from the case. Gonzalez, of course, is an Olympic champion in doubles (with Massu). Nadal, meanwhile, is more than formidable in doubles. I've seen him play once in person (from the front row on one of the outer courts at the Open, paired with Tommy Robredo) and the Spaniards were nothing short of flawless in disposing of Jordan Kerr and Jim Thomas, who were seeded. Anyway, Nadal and Lopez are out, but Fernando (and Sa) moves on and continues to attempt to navigate his way through an interesting--and loaded--doubles draw.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Some Much-Needed Doubles Thoughts
Thank god, Bjorkman and Mirnyi. It's about time they started playing the doubles they are capable of playing, and last week Team Bjorkman-Mirnyi took home the doubles title in Stockholm. The duo did not lose a set the entire tournament and posted a very impressive win over Clement and Llodra in the final, 6-4, 6-4. Bjorkman and Mirnyi are still 10th in the doubles race for the Masters Cup in Shanghai, but this win keeps them in contention and if they can follow it up with a huge performance in Madrid, they'll be right in the thick of things.
Meanwhile, we have some interesting doubles pairings going on in Madrid. In fact two enticing matches already took place on the first day of the proceedings. Sizzling David Ferrer is teaming with fellow baseliner Nicolas Almagro and the Spaniards stunned Erlich and Ram today in the first round. Don't ask me how; I guess they must have just been pounding away from the baseline and refusing to give Erlich and Ram many good looks up at net. And of course Ferrer's return always makes life touch on the server, probably to an even greater extent in doubles.
How about this matchup for some fun tennis: Canas and Nalbandian vs. Kuerten and Moya. I can't speak for the quality of doubles that went on, but it surely entertained the fans. The Argentine tandem prevailed 6-3, 4-6, 12-10 in the super-tiebreak.
Nadal was supposed to team with Hewitt, but Hewitt is injured so Nadal picked up Feliciano Lopez off the waiver wire and they are taking on Fernando Gonzalez (partnering with Andre Sa) in the first round. Talk about an all-out slugfest! Other intriguing teams include Berdych and Kiefer, Verdasco and Karlovic, and Monaco and Chela. James Blake, meanwhile, is in the draw with partner Eric Butorac. It's pretty awesome to see all these singles players in the doubles tournament, but the fear is that there could be plenty of withdrawals later in the week from guys who are making deep runs in the singles. We'll see.
Meanwhile, we have some interesting doubles pairings going on in Madrid. In fact two enticing matches already took place on the first day of the proceedings. Sizzling David Ferrer is teaming with fellow baseliner Nicolas Almagro and the Spaniards stunned Erlich and Ram today in the first round. Don't ask me how; I guess they must have just been pounding away from the baseline and refusing to give Erlich and Ram many good looks up at net. And of course Ferrer's return always makes life touch on the server, probably to an even greater extent in doubles.
How about this matchup for some fun tennis: Canas and Nalbandian vs. Kuerten and Moya. I can't speak for the quality of doubles that went on, but it surely entertained the fans. The Argentine tandem prevailed 6-3, 4-6, 12-10 in the super-tiebreak.
Nadal was supposed to team with Hewitt, but Hewitt is injured so Nadal picked up Feliciano Lopez off the waiver wire and they are taking on Fernando Gonzalez (partnering with Andre Sa) in the first round. Talk about an all-out slugfest! Other intriguing teams include Berdych and Kiefer, Verdasco and Karlovic, and Monaco and Chela. James Blake, meanwhile, is in the draw with partner Eric Butorac. It's pretty awesome to see all these singles players in the doubles tournament, but the fear is that there could be plenty of withdrawals later in the week from guys who are making deep runs in the singles. We'll see.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Monday First-Round Match Previews
Marcos Baghdatis vs. Andrei Pavel
This one has upset written all over it, but I just refuse to pick it because I'm also thinking--and hoping--that Baghdatis can turn his form around and start getting something out of his talent. He really hasn't done anything since his epic quarterfinal loss to Djokovic at Wimledon. At 33, Pavel is still going fairly strong and he's had a decent fall, including some very good tennis two weeks ago in the Belgium Challenger event. If this goes three, I like Pavel because it's well advertised that Bagman could be a lot fitter and his confidence is extremely fragile at the moment. But the surface should suit the Cypriot and I think he'll be able to pull out a tight match.
The pick: Baghdatis in 2
Radek Stepanek vs. Andy Murray
Probably the best first-round match of the tournament. Both of these guys would be seeded had it not been for injuries earlier in the season. Murray missed most of the summer but he reached the third round of the Open and two weeks ago made it to the final of Metz before losing to Robredo. Stepanek came on strong on the hard courts this summer and people are still talking about the second-round classic he lost to Djokovic at the Open. I just think Stepanek will be too solid and frustrate Murray by playing his smart, consistent, aggressive tennis.
The pick: Stepanek in 3
Juan Monaco vs. Igor Andreev
This will be a fun-to-watch baseline slugfest. Monaco has won three titles this year (all on clay) and he showed at the Open that he can play on hard courts, too. He made it to the fourth round and gave Djokovic all he could handle. Andreev has been solid recently, but I think Monaco's confidence is just a bit higher right now and I think Monaco's mental game is considerably stronger.
The pick: Monaco in 2
This one has upset written all over it, but I just refuse to pick it because I'm also thinking--and hoping--that Baghdatis can turn his form around and start getting something out of his talent. He really hasn't done anything since his epic quarterfinal loss to Djokovic at Wimledon. At 33, Pavel is still going fairly strong and he's had a decent fall, including some very good tennis two weeks ago in the Belgium Challenger event. If this goes three, I like Pavel because it's well advertised that Bagman could be a lot fitter and his confidence is extremely fragile at the moment. But the surface should suit the Cypriot and I think he'll be able to pull out a tight match.
The pick: Baghdatis in 2
Radek Stepanek vs. Andy Murray
Probably the best first-round match of the tournament. Both of these guys would be seeded had it not been for injuries earlier in the season. Murray missed most of the summer but he reached the third round of the Open and two weeks ago made it to the final of Metz before losing to Robredo. Stepanek came on strong on the hard courts this summer and people are still talking about the second-round classic he lost to Djokovic at the Open. I just think Stepanek will be too solid and frustrate Murray by playing his smart, consistent, aggressive tennis.
The pick: Stepanek in 3
Juan Monaco vs. Igor Andreev
This will be a fun-to-watch baseline slugfest. Monaco has won three titles this year (all on clay) and he showed at the Open that he can play on hard courts, too. He made it to the fourth round and gave Djokovic all he could handle. Andreev has been solid recently, but I think Monaco's confidence is just a bit higher right now and I think Monaco's mental game is considerably stronger.
The pick: Monaco in 2
Friday, October 12, 2007
Masters Series Madrid Qualifying Draw
Qualifying DrawIt hasn't exactly been that long since the U.S. Open, but it seems like it's been a while since we had a really big tournament on our hands to get excited about. Perhaps that's because the summer is so jam-packed full of awesome tennis action that five weeks of no Grand Slams or Master Series seem like an eternity.
Well, the Masters Series are back next week in Madrid, and the qualifying draw is out.
At the top spot we have #1 seed Ernests Gulbis, who, as you probably know if you've read any of my stuff recently or get on any tennis message boards, is one of my favorites at the moment. He has Gabashvili, Gicquel, and Ramirez-Hidalgo in his section so it won't be easy but he should come through unscathed.
I'd also like to see Ginepri, another one of my favorites and hometown boy, qualify out of a relatively easy portion of the draw.
Others to watch in the qualies include Koubek, Vliegen, Massu, Calleri, and Dancevic.
Hopefully the main draw will come out soon so we can see where the qualifiers are put in and start envisioning potential enticing first round matches with potential qualifiers.
My prediction for the six qualifiers are, in order of their position in the draw: Gulbis, Ginepri, Bolelli, Koubek, Vliegen, and Dancevic. Of those I think it's safe to say that Gulbis would be the scariest first-round opponent for a player in the main draw, while Koubek and Dancevic could also present problems in the early rounds.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Thoughts On India and Thailand (late September)
It's been a while since these have ended, but I never commented on them, so here we go.
To say Richard Gasquet was dominant in Mumbai, India would be a gross understatement. And while the draw wasn't overly strong, he did have to navigate a fairly tough road. In doing so, Gasquet did not drop one set the entire tournament and no set was closer than 6-4. The only real benefit he got from the draw was Hewitt going out early in the bottom half of the draw. So the Frenchman's opponent in the final was Olivier Rochus, no slouch, but someone who Gasquet should beat nine times out of ten -- especially at the moment, as O. Rochus has not been doing much on the court recently.
Gasquet's other victims, in order, were Vliegen, Fognini, Koubek, and the always-tough Fabrice Santoro. None gave Gasquet trouble in Thailand. The win put Gasquet back in the year-end Masters Cup discussion (he is currently 10th after a strong runner-up performance in Tokyo).
Well, unfortunately the story in Thailand was more about what it wasn't rather than what it was. The top two seeds, Djokovic and Roddick, both withdrew. Hard-luck Joachim Johansson also pulled out, as did Thomas Johansson and Hyung-Taik Lee.
That left a watered-down draw yielding huge opportunities for the remainder of the field. Tomas Berdych, Tommy Haas, and Carlos Moya were the top three seeds remaining before the tournament even started, but none took advantage (well, Berdych made it to the semis before getting upset by Benjamin Becker, but both Haas and Moya lost early - Haas in the second round to Mahut and Moya in the first to Becker).
It was Dmitry Tursunov, the sixth seed, who capitalized on the wide open draw. The up-and-down Russian went to three sets in three of his first four matches, but he saved his best tennis for last in the final against Becker. Tursunov erased the German 6-1, 6-2 for his second title of the year (Indianapolis). It's not enough to get him into the year-end Masters Cup or anything like that, but it's always nice to see Tursunov playing well, because he is supremely talented and it's a shame when he plays like he's trying to be Safin or Fernando Gonzalez and goes for winners on every shot and just falls apart. I have to say Tursunov's blogging is very consistent (in terms of quality, not quantity), and let's hope this is the start of a more consistent tennis game.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Top 10 Matches I've Seen at the U.S. Open
10. Marc Gicquel over Gaston Gaudio 6-0, 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) on the Grandstand, 2006, 3rd round.
This match had all the ups and downs of a typical Gaudio match. At times he looked like he didn’t want to be there at all, but at other times he looked like the player he was on the clay in 2004 and 2005. He did not try in the first set, and he really didn’t try in the fourth set. In fact the final point of that set ended with Gaudio hitting a routine forehand literally out of the stadium. Surprisingly, however, Gaudio made an effort to come back after the first set bagel and he did so admirably. Then the fifth set really got good. There were some relentless baseline rallies, shocking gets (mostly by Gicquel) and some phenomenal shot-making. Basically it just came down to Gicquel wanting it more in the fifth-set tiebreaker.
9. Marat Safin over David Nalbandian 6-3, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 7-6 (8-6) on Louis Armstrong, 2006, 2nd round
This match had all the ups and downs of a typical Gaudio match. At times he looked like he didn’t want to be there at all, but at other times he looked like the player he was on the clay in 2004 and 2005. He did not try in the first set, and he really didn’t try in the fourth set. In fact the final point of that set ended with Gaudio hitting a routine forehand literally out of the stadium. Surprisingly, however, Gaudio made an effort to come back after the first set bagel and he did so admirably. Then the fifth set really got good. There were some relentless baseline rallies, shocking gets (mostly by Gicquel) and some phenomenal shot-making. Basically it just came down to Gicquel wanting it more in the fifth-set tiebreaker.
This match was interrupted for about two minutes as the crowd on Louis Armstrong gave a standing ovation for Andre Agassi as Agassi lost his last match ever over on Arthur Ashe stadium at the same time. But it didn’t put a damper on the level of play or intensity on this court. Safin showed a surprisingly strong mental game, even though he gave himself no credit for that in his post-match interview. On match point in the fifth-set tiebreaker, Nalbandian controlled play the entire point, eventually ran Safin way wide into his deuce-side alley, the Russian made an unbelievable get and chipped it back as Nalbandian approached the service line, and Nalbandian excruciatingly missed a drop-shot on the tape, playing it too cute considering Safin was way off the court. To the fans delight, Safin’s on-court interview was even more entertaining than match point. I can’t remember exactly what he said, but in typical Safin fashion it was ridiculous and hilarious and featured plenty of instances in which Safin said he had been losing his mind and going mentally insane the entire match.
8. Juan Carlos Ferrero over Roger Federer 7-5, 7-6 (8-6), 1-6, 7-6 (8-6) on Louis Armstrong, 2000, 3rd round.
The main thing I remember about this one is that I barely had any idea who Juan Carlos Ferrero was and I had almost never even heard of Roger Federer. Fans could tell these guys were going to be the real deal (although nobody at the time would have predicted just what Federer has done), it was just disappointing that Federer couldn’t quite extend it to five sets, otherwise it would have been an epic.
7. Tommy Haas over Robby Ginepri 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7-1) on Louis Armstrong, 2006, 3rd round
This was a rematch of a showdown you’ll soon hear about, one year later, same round, different court. It looked like Ginepri would be ousted with too much trouble after the first two sets, but he stormed back and forced a fifth set. Two Ginepri-Haas 3rd round U.S. Open matches in consecutive years, two five-setters! Throughout the fifth set, Ginepri held easily while Haas struggled on his service games. Ginepri even had 0-40 on Haas’ serve at 3-4 (I think) in the set. Unfortunately, Ginepri couldn’t convert and Haas managed to get it into a tiebreaker. Once there, everything changed, as Haas held all his service points and Ginepri held just one of his. The tiebreaker wasn’t close and left the fans disappointed, but that only took away just a little from an otherwise great match.
6. Richard Krajicek over Tim Henman 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 on Arthur Ashe, 2000, 3rd round
My brother, two friends and I will take the blame for Henman’s loss. Sitting in a box just a few rows up from the court inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, we started the wave at the 5-6 changeover in the fifth set with Henman about to serve to stay in the match. This was a night match at the Open and without any Americans being showcased, the atmosphere was not appropriate for a night match at the Open so we had to stir things up. Anyway, it worked with great success and delayed play for a few moment. Well, it didn’t work with great success for Henman. An epic match went down the drain with his worst service game of the night, punctuated by a devastating double fault to end the match.
5. Sargis Sargsian over Paul-Henri Mathieu 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) on the Grandstand, 2004, 3rd round
Sargsian-Mathieu was not only an extremely well-played match, but the atmosphere was simply phenomenal. First off all, it was on the Grandstand, my favorite court ever (first because tons of epic matches always happen there, and also because it’s much a much more intimate setting for the fans than Ashe or Louis since every seat is close to the court and the front rows are practically right on the baseline and alleys). Second, the afternoon match quickly became a night match as it progressed. Most importantly, it was bordering on Davis Cup atmosphere, although the French fans were too few so the rowdy Armenians completely dominated and got most of the neutral observers, including me, to rally around Sarge. That could very well be what made the difference, as Sargsian pulled it out in the fifth-set tiebreaker, although not before Mathieu had one of the most epic holds of serve I’ve ever seen, at 5-5 in the fifth. That game lasted well over 15 minutes by itself.
4. Robby Ginepri over Tommy Haas 7-5, 6-7 (7-3), 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 on Arthur Ashe, 2005, 3rd round
Just as our crew takes part credit for Henman’s loss to Krajicek, my brother, two other friends and I take even more credit for Ginepri’s springboard win over Haas. Even though it was a night match in Arthur Ashe that featured an American, the crowd was nothing short of buzzkill. Our box provided by far the most vigorous support for Ginepri throughout the match. We weren’t exactly the J-Block, but we finally got at least some of the crowd riled up and backing Ginepri as the match entered the deciding set. A pleasant side note about the crowd: two German fans, probably trying to do too good a job keeping up with us, got kicked out of the stadium. Anyway, Ginepri played great tennis during the fifth set and to our delight emerged victorious. He tried to hit us a ball after the match but it went into the row behind us. Speaking of going further than expected, Ginepri followed up this huge victory with two more wins en route to the semi-finals.
This was the first match on the Grandstand on the middle Sunday, and it turned out to be a shockingly good start to the day. El Aynaoui, always one of the most charismatic and likable players on the tour, was a favorite of mine and my dad and we saw every point of this match from the second row in our normal spot in the Grandstand behind the far baseline. El Aynaoui lived on his spin serve out wide in the deuce court; I’d love to know how many aces and service winners he had on that alone. He also lived on his slice backhand that he could somehow chip with alarming consistency just over the net, making Novak, who came to net a ton, hit volleys at his feet throughout the match. Novak, however, used his attacking, aggressive play to make this one a thriller. At 5-5 in the fifth set tiebreaker, I witness one of the best points and amazing shots I’ve seen at the Open. With El Aynaoui serving, a long rally ensued before Novak stretched El Aynoui out wide to his deuce court with a powerful approach shot. But El Aynaoui got to it and flicked a top-spin crosscourt passing shot by Novak, giving him a match point. After a Novak volley sailed long ay 5-6, El Aynaoui collapsed behind the baseline. After the handshake and hugging of people in his box, he proceeded to launch his shirt, spare shirts, wristbands, and tennis rackets into the crowd! I didn’t get one, but it was still amazing.
2. David Sanguinetti over Paradorn Srichaphan 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (7-2), 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5) on Louis Armstrong, 2005, 3rd round
In terms of drama, atmosphere, and general positive energy between the players, this one was probably the best ever. An afternoon match on Louis Armstrong, this one went well after dark. Our crew was decked out in the Thai Paradorn shirts and we sat with the ever-faithful Srichaphanatics, banding our red thundersticks and all. Sanguinetti got mad at us several times during the match, screaming and gesturing and all that stuff, but there was never any bad blood between him and Paradorn. In fact they even gave each other a high five after one particularly amazing point in the fifth set, which I can’t remember exactly because there was just too much drama in this one to recall the specifics. I do remember after one point in the fifth set in which Sangunetti ran Paradorn all over the court before Paradorn finally dove for a shot that he couldn’t get, leaving him sprawled on the ground. He did nothing for a few tense seconds, bringing a hush over the crowd, but then he rolled over and started doing push-ups. Gotta love that! Unfortunately Sanguinetti, who as you probably know has made a living off just getting the ball in play and making his opponents beat themselves, was just too steady in the fifth-set tiebreaker. Still it didn’t take away from how amazing the match was and still remains, and Paradorn even did his traditional four-corner bow, which he usually only does after victories.
1. Magnus Norman over Max Mirnyi 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 7-6 (11-9) on the Grandstand, 2000, 3rd round
I started out down low for this one, but ended up (after going elsewhere for a while) watching this all-time classic on the overhang in between Louis and the Grandstand with hundreds of other mesmerized onlookers. Norman-Mirnyi featured an awesome contrast of styles; at the time Norman was the No. 3 player in the world, one of the quickest guys around the court and lethal from the back of the court. 6’5’’ Max “The Beast” Mirnyi was and still is one of the last serve-and-volleyers, and while he’s had some good results in singles, he’s always been one of the best in the world in doubles. But Mirnyi hung with Norman throughout this match, forcing a fifth set despite being down 0-2. In fact Mirnyi appeared to have this match won several times in the fifth set tiebreaker. I’m not sure how many match points each player had in the ‘breaker, but on two of Mirnyi’s, Norman hit two ridiculous topspin lob winners. That’s right: he’s down match point and twice he lobs a 6’5’’ guy for winners. My brother remembers all the details because he was front row for this one, but I’m pretty sure this one finally ended with both players collapsing on the ground and the fans ready to do the same.
***would love to hear comments, especially from those who happened to be present at any of these matches, or just remember watching them***
8. Juan Carlos Ferrero over Roger Federer 7-5, 7-6 (8-6), 1-6, 7-6 (8-6) on Louis Armstrong, 2000, 3rd round.
The main thing I remember about this one is that I barely had any idea who Juan Carlos Ferrero was and I had almost never even heard of Roger Federer. Fans could tell these guys were going to be the real deal (although nobody at the time would have predicted just what Federer has done), it was just disappointing that Federer couldn’t quite extend it to five sets, otherwise it would have been an epic.
7. Tommy Haas over Robby Ginepri 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7-1) on Louis Armstrong, 2006, 3rd round
This was a rematch of a showdown you’ll soon hear about, one year later, same round, different court. It looked like Ginepri would be ousted with too much trouble after the first two sets, but he stormed back and forced a fifth set. Two Ginepri-Haas 3rd round U.S. Open matches in consecutive years, two five-setters! Throughout the fifth set, Ginepri held easily while Haas struggled on his service games. Ginepri even had 0-40 on Haas’ serve at 3-4 (I think) in the set. Unfortunately, Ginepri couldn’t convert and Haas managed to get it into a tiebreaker. Once there, everything changed, as Haas held all his service points and Ginepri held just one of his. The tiebreaker wasn’t close and left the fans disappointed, but that only took away just a little from an otherwise great match.
6. Richard Krajicek over Tim Henman 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 on Arthur Ashe, 2000, 3rd round
My brother, two friends and I will take the blame for Henman’s loss. Sitting in a box just a few rows up from the court inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, we started the wave at the 5-6 changeover in the fifth set with Henman about to serve to stay in the match. This was a night match at the Open and without any Americans being showcased, the atmosphere was not appropriate for a night match at the Open so we had to stir things up. Anyway, it worked with great success and delayed play for a few moment. Well, it didn’t work with great success for Henman. An epic match went down the drain with his worst service game of the night, punctuated by a devastating double fault to end the match.
5. Sargis Sargsian over Paul-Henri Mathieu 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) on the Grandstand, 2004, 3rd round
Sargsian-Mathieu was not only an extremely well-played match, but the atmosphere was simply phenomenal. First off all, it was on the Grandstand, my favorite court ever (first because tons of epic matches always happen there, and also because it’s much a much more intimate setting for the fans than Ashe or Louis since every seat is close to the court and the front rows are practically right on the baseline and alleys). Second, the afternoon match quickly became a night match as it progressed. Most importantly, it was bordering on Davis Cup atmosphere, although the French fans were too few so the rowdy Armenians completely dominated and got most of the neutral observers, including me, to rally around Sarge. That could very well be what made the difference, as Sargsian pulled it out in the fifth-set tiebreaker, although not before Mathieu had one of the most epic holds of serve I’ve ever seen, at 5-5 in the fifth. That game lasted well over 15 minutes by itself.
4. Robby Ginepri over Tommy Haas 7-5, 6-7 (7-3), 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 on Arthur Ashe, 2005, 3rd round
Just as our crew takes part credit for Henman’s loss to Krajicek, my brother, two other friends and I take even more credit for Ginepri’s springboard win over Haas. Even though it was a night match in Arthur Ashe that featured an American, the crowd was nothing short of buzzkill. Our box provided by far the most vigorous support for Ginepri throughout the match. We weren’t exactly the J-Block, but we finally got at least some of the crowd riled up and backing Ginepri as the match entered the deciding set. A pleasant side note about the crowd: two German fans, probably trying to do too good a job keeping up with us, got kicked out of the stadium. Anyway, Ginepri played great tennis during the fifth set and to our delight emerged victorious. He tried to hit us a ball after the match but it went into the row behind us. Speaking of going further than expected, Ginepri followed up this huge victory with two more wins en route to the semi-finals.
This was the first match on the Grandstand on the middle Sunday, and it turned out to be a shockingly good start to the day. El Aynaoui, always one of the most charismatic and likable players on the tour, was a favorite of mine and my dad and we saw every point of this match from the second row in our normal spot in the Grandstand behind the far baseline. El Aynaoui lived on his spin serve out wide in the deuce court; I’d love to know how many aces and service winners he had on that alone. He also lived on his slice backhand that he could somehow chip with alarming consistency just over the net, making Novak, who came to net a ton, hit volleys at his feet throughout the match. Novak, however, used his attacking, aggressive play to make this one a thriller. At 5-5 in the fifth set tiebreaker, I witness one of the best points and amazing shots I’ve seen at the Open. With El Aynaoui serving, a long rally ensued before Novak stretched El Aynoui out wide to his deuce court with a powerful approach shot. But El Aynaoui got to it and flicked a top-spin crosscourt passing shot by Novak, giving him a match point. After a Novak volley sailed long ay 5-6, El Aynaoui collapsed behind the baseline. After the handshake and hugging of people in his box, he proceeded to launch his shirt, spare shirts, wristbands, and tennis rackets into the crowd! I didn’t get one, but it was still amazing.
2. David Sanguinetti over Paradorn Srichaphan 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (7-2), 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5) on Louis Armstrong, 2005, 3rd round
In terms of drama, atmosphere, and general positive energy between the players, this one was probably the best ever. An afternoon match on Louis Armstrong, this one went well after dark. Our crew was decked out in the Thai Paradorn shirts and we sat with the ever-faithful Srichaphanatics, banding our red thundersticks and all. Sanguinetti got mad at us several times during the match, screaming and gesturing and all that stuff, but there was never any bad blood between him and Paradorn. In fact they even gave each other a high five after one particularly amazing point in the fifth set, which I can’t remember exactly because there was just too much drama in this one to recall the specifics. I do remember after one point in the fifth set in which Sangunetti ran Paradorn all over the court before Paradorn finally dove for a shot that he couldn’t get, leaving him sprawled on the ground. He did nothing for a few tense seconds, bringing a hush over the crowd, but then he rolled over and started doing push-ups. Gotta love that! Unfortunately Sanguinetti, who as you probably know has made a living off just getting the ball in play and making his opponents beat themselves, was just too steady in the fifth-set tiebreaker. Still it didn’t take away from how amazing the match was and still remains, and Paradorn even did his traditional four-corner bow, which he usually only does after victories.
1. Magnus Norman over Max Mirnyi 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 7-6 (11-9) on the Grandstand, 2000, 3rd round
I started out down low for this one, but ended up (after going elsewhere for a while) watching this all-time classic on the overhang in between Louis and the Grandstand with hundreds of other mesmerized onlookers. Norman-Mirnyi featured an awesome contrast of styles; at the time Norman was the No. 3 player in the world, one of the quickest guys around the court and lethal from the back of the court. 6’5’’ Max “The Beast” Mirnyi was and still is one of the last serve-and-volleyers, and while he’s had some good results in singles, he’s always been one of the best in the world in doubles. But Mirnyi hung with Norman throughout this match, forcing a fifth set despite being down 0-2. In fact Mirnyi appeared to have this match won several times in the fifth set tiebreaker. I’m not sure how many match points each player had in the ‘breaker, but on two of Mirnyi’s, Norman hit two ridiculous topspin lob winners. That’s right: he’s down match point and twice he lobs a 6’5’’ guy for winners. My brother remembers all the details because he was front row for this one, but I’m pretty sure this one finally ended with both players collapsing on the ground and the fans ready to do the same.
***would love to hear comments, especially from those who happened to be present at any of these matches, or just remember watching them***
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