Portland?!?!?!? Really? Really, USTA? Really?
Yeah, I'm mainly upset because if it had been awarded to Winston-Salem I would have strongly considered making an appearance. But alas, no suck luck.
Still, even considering non-selfish reasons, give me a break. Are there even tennis courts in Portland? For real, is there anything ATP related that ever goes on in Portland or the entire state of Oregon? An ATP tournament? Even a Challenger level event?!?!?
Furthermore, the reasoning, or so as I understand it, for Portland is primarily advertising space inside the arena. So typical. Yet also so pathetic.
I just hope tennis fans on the west coast actually show up and root on the Americans. I won't stand for any kind of soft-core atmosphere at a Davis Cup final. It should be, and it better be, the most raucous atmosphere in tennis year in and year out.
I'm not happy about the location, but GO U.S.A.!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
U.S.A. in the Finals of Davis Cup
Don't get me wrong, it's great to be back in the Davis Cup final, but it's not like we did anything that spectacular over the weekend in Sweden. Sure, Andy Roddick came up big, but I would have been absolutely floored if he had lost any of his two matches. Roddick's first opponent, Joachim Johansson, hadn't played a tennis match since February, at least not to my knowledge. His opponent for the reverse singles, Jonas Bjorkman, is almost twice as old as some of the current ATP Tour stars. That said, it's not like Roddick controls his schedule of play. He took what was put in front of him and got the job done.
As usual, though, it was the Bryan Brothers who really did it for Team U.S.A. After James Blake stumbled to a wretched four-set loss at the hands of Thomas Johansson, it was tied up 1-1 heading into Saturday doubles. While you always have to feel good about the Bryans' chances, especially in Davis Cup, I wasn't about to chalk up an automatic win before the match was even played; not with them facing a veteran doubles standout in Bjorkman and one of the reigning U.S. Open champions in Simon Aspelin. The first set went just about how I thought the whole match would go: it took 24 points just to decide the first-set tiebreaker! The Bryans prevailed 13-11, probably demoralized their opponents and the Swedish fans, and cruised the rest of the way. With the U.S.A favored in both reverse singles affairs, that all but sealed the fate of this semi-final Davis Cup rubber.
As usual, though, it was the Bryan Brothers who really did it for Team U.S.A. After James Blake stumbled to a wretched four-set loss at the hands of Thomas Johansson, it was tied up 1-1 heading into Saturday doubles. While you always have to feel good about the Bryans' chances, especially in Davis Cup, I wasn't about to chalk up an automatic win before the match was even played; not with them facing a veteran doubles standout in Bjorkman and one of the reigning U.S. Open champions in Simon Aspelin. The first set went just about how I thought the whole match would go: it took 24 points just to decide the first-set tiebreaker! The Bryans prevailed 13-11, probably demoralized their opponents and the Swedish fans, and cruised the rest of the way. With the U.S.A favored in both reverse singles affairs, that all but sealed the fate of this semi-final Davis Cup rubber.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Day 3 U.S. Open Matches
John Isner over Rik De Voest 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
Isner's serve was way too much for the German, so the Isner Legend (as the USOpen.org calls it) continues. The 6-9 American wild card actually lost serve today, but it was at 5-1 in the second set so he just must have lost focus. Isner had chances to break in the second set, but clearly he couldn't stand the thought of playing a tennis match that didn't involve a tiebreaker. The first five points of the 'breaker were RIDICULOUS - in term's of both Isner's play and one point of net-cord luck. He got up 5-0, lost the next four, then served two bombs to take it 7-4. Next up is a third-round showdown with Roger Federer. I will be at the match! I'm hoping for Saturday night on Arthur Ashe....
Roger Federer over Paul Capedeville 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
Even Federer said he played well, and when that happens, you know he must have been on fire. He was. 45 winners and 11 unforced errors!?!? Wow. Capedeville even played well in the third set and never had a remote chance. And I think I'll mention it again: Federer-Isner on Saturday and I'll be in attendance.
Robby Ginepri over Oliver Rochus 6-0, 6-3, 6-1
OK I thought Ginepri had a good chance it this one, but this scoreline is just ridiculous. I mean Ginepri has barely won matches this year, much less ones this lopsided. Granted Rochus has been close to terrible over the past four months, but still he is still a formidable opponent. Rochus also has enjoyed some really good Opens in the past as well. Not this time; Ginepri had way too much game for him on this day. Big Shot Bob always seems to find his game this time of year. Could he be finding it again?
Marat Safin over Frank Dancevic 7-5, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (9-7)
I had Dancevic in this one that was more of a don't-wanna-get-my-hopes-up-about-Safin pick. I did think Dancevic had a real good chance though; he's had a great summer and Safin has been anything but the Safin of old throughout this year. By all indications, however, Safin played great tennis today and more importantly, sported a strong mental game. Pulling out three close sets certainly would suggest that. Safin has Wawrinka next and he'll have to play just like he did today to pull that one out. I'm hoping for a Safin-Ginepri third round clash, and hoping they'll throw it on Armstrong as opposed to Ashe.
Isner's serve was way too much for the German, so the Isner Legend (as the USOpen.org calls it) continues. The 6-9 American wild card actually lost serve today, but it was at 5-1 in the second set so he just must have lost focus. Isner had chances to break in the second set, but clearly he couldn't stand the thought of playing a tennis match that didn't involve a tiebreaker. The first five points of the 'breaker were RIDICULOUS - in term's of both Isner's play and one point of net-cord luck. He got up 5-0, lost the next four, then served two bombs to take it 7-4. Next up is a third-round showdown with Roger Federer. I will be at the match! I'm hoping for Saturday night on Arthur Ashe....
Roger Federer over Paul Capedeville 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
Even Federer said he played well, and when that happens, you know he must have been on fire. He was. 45 winners and 11 unforced errors!?!? Wow. Capedeville even played well in the third set and never had a remote chance. And I think I'll mention it again: Federer-Isner on Saturday and I'll be in attendance.
Robby Ginepri over Oliver Rochus 6-0, 6-3, 6-1
OK I thought Ginepri had a good chance it this one, but this scoreline is just ridiculous. I mean Ginepri has barely won matches this year, much less ones this lopsided. Granted Rochus has been close to terrible over the past four months, but still he is still a formidable opponent. Rochus also has enjoyed some really good Opens in the past as well. Not this time; Ginepri had way too much game for him on this day. Big Shot Bob always seems to find his game this time of year. Could he be finding it again?
Marat Safin over Frank Dancevic 7-5, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (9-7)
I had Dancevic in this one that was more of a don't-wanna-get-my-hopes-up-about-Safin pick. I did think Dancevic had a real good chance though; he's had a great summer and Safin has been anything but the Safin of old throughout this year. By all indications, however, Safin played great tennis today and more importantly, sported a strong mental game. Pulling out three close sets certainly would suggest that. Safin has Wawrinka next and he'll have to play just like he did today to pull that one out. I'm hoping for a Safin-Ginepri third round clash, and hoping they'll throw it on Armstrong as opposed to Ashe.
Day 2 U.S. Open Matches
Xavier Malisse over Kristian Pless 6-4, 6-7 (7-5), 6-3, 7-5
I didn't even think Malisse was in the draw this year. Where has he been? Well, it's not like beating Pless 7-5 in the fourth is some kind of extraordinary accomplishment, but it's certainly a good sign for Malisse. Malisse always - and I mean always - seems to be around over Labor Day weekend at the Open, and he actually has a decent chance to be there again. He has David Nalbandian next, and Nalbandian has not exactly been lighting up the tennis courts in 2007.
Stefan Koubek over Sam Querrey 7-6 (7-1), 6-1, 6-1
What a stunning disappointment for Querrey. I mean this is really bad. The loss itself is bad, but the way it happened is even worse. Querrey squandered six match points in the first set before losing in a tiebreaker, and then he just completely went away. He was done after the first set and just went through the motions in the second and third. How else can you explain someone with that serve winning two games in two sets!? And Querrey had been playing well prior to this one....
Wayne Odesnik over Danai Udomchoke 6-7 (7-2), 6-3, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2)
This is the third win in two days for American wild cards (Odesnik joined Isner and Donald Young in the second round) and surely Odesnik's biggest win of his career. He has been playing the best tennis of his career on the U.S. hard courts this summer (lost to Isner in the 3rd round of D.C. and then beat Ljubicic in Montreal) but this win was the biggest yet. Odesnik actually has a good chance to go one more round, as he gets Juan Ignacio Chela in the second round and Chela has been anything but stellar recently.
I didn't even think Malisse was in the draw this year. Where has he been? Well, it's not like beating Pless 7-5 in the fourth is some kind of extraordinary accomplishment, but it's certainly a good sign for Malisse. Malisse always - and I mean always - seems to be around over Labor Day weekend at the Open, and he actually has a decent chance to be there again. He has David Nalbandian next, and Nalbandian has not exactly been lighting up the tennis courts in 2007.
Stefan Koubek over Sam Querrey 7-6 (7-1), 6-1, 6-1
What a stunning disappointment for Querrey. I mean this is really bad. The loss itself is bad, but the way it happened is even worse. Querrey squandered six match points in the first set before losing in a tiebreaker, and then he just completely went away. He was done after the first set and just went through the motions in the second and third. How else can you explain someone with that serve winning two games in two sets!? And Querrey had been playing well prior to this one....
Wayne Odesnik over Danai Udomchoke 6-7 (7-2), 6-3, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2)
This is the third win in two days for American wild cards (Odesnik joined Isner and Donald Young in the second round) and surely Odesnik's biggest win of his career. He has been playing the best tennis of his career on the U.S. hard courts this summer (lost to Isner in the 3rd round of D.C. and then beat Ljubicic in Montreal) but this win was the biggest yet. Odesnik actually has a good chance to go one more round, as he gets Juan Ignacio Chela in the second round and Chela has been anything but stellar recently.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Day 1 U.S. Open Matches
Max Mirnyi over Marcos Baghdatis 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (8-6)
Baghdatis just hasn't had as good of a year in 2007 as he did in 2006, although he started playing better during the U.S. Open Series. Mirnyi hasn't had great singles results in quite some time, though, so Bagman was the favorite in this one. But when Mirnyi comes to the net so often (I think he approached 140 times this match) against who player whose confidence isn't completely stable,the it can put overwhelming pressure on the opponent. Even though Max has long been more of a doubles star, he always seems to still be around in singles when I'm at the Open over Labor Day weekend. Hopefully he'll be able to beat Grosjean in round two and make yet another 3rd round appearance in singles.
Andy Murray over Pablo Cuevas 6-2, 6-3, 6-0
I always thought Murray's first-round match at the Open would tell us everything about his prospects in this tournament, and if that's the case, that's a glorious thing for Murray. I have no idea who Cuevas is, but if you win a match 2, 3, and 0 in the main draw of the Open, you have to be playing some decent tennis regardless of the opponent. Plus Cuevas came through qualifying so he must have been playing decent tennis. I don't think anyone's ready to proclaim Murray completely healthy, but obviously his wrist injury was getting better. Initially I thought Murray would have no chance against Bjorkman in the 2nd round (I was thinking ahead because I assumed he'd at least be able to beat Cuevas), but now I think he has a solid chance in that one and once he gets another match and more confidence under his belt, who knows what could happen if he prevails over Bjorkman.
Feliciano Lopez over Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
This isn't too much of a shock but the apparent ease with which Lopez did it certainly is. Ferrero had that one run to the U.S. Open final in 2003, but other than that he hasn't been too stellar on hard courts. Lopez, meanwhile, has the huge serve and power baseline game to thrive on the faster surfaces. So I guess we shouldn't be too surprised. After all, he also destroyed Ivan Ljubicic in the first round of last year's U.S. Open.
Baghdatis just hasn't had as good of a year in 2007 as he did in 2006, although he started playing better during the U.S. Open Series. Mirnyi hasn't had great singles results in quite some time, though, so Bagman was the favorite in this one. But when Mirnyi comes to the net so often (I think he approached 140 times this match) against who player whose confidence isn't completely stable,the it can put overwhelming pressure on the opponent. Even though Max has long been more of a doubles star, he always seems to still be around in singles when I'm at the Open over Labor Day weekend. Hopefully he'll be able to beat Grosjean in round two and make yet another 3rd round appearance in singles.
Andy Murray over Pablo Cuevas 6-2, 6-3, 6-0
I always thought Murray's first-round match at the Open would tell us everything about his prospects in this tournament, and if that's the case, that's a glorious thing for Murray. I have no idea who Cuevas is, but if you win a match 2, 3, and 0 in the main draw of the Open, you have to be playing some decent tennis regardless of the opponent. Plus Cuevas came through qualifying so he must have been playing decent tennis. I don't think anyone's ready to proclaim Murray completely healthy, but obviously his wrist injury was getting better. Initially I thought Murray would have no chance against Bjorkman in the 2nd round (I was thinking ahead because I assumed he'd at least be able to beat Cuevas), but now I think he has a solid chance in that one and once he gets another match and more confidence under his belt, who knows what could happen if he prevails over Bjorkman.
Feliciano Lopez over Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
This isn't too much of a shock but the apparent ease with which Lopez did it certainly is. Ferrero had that one run to the U.S. Open final in 2003, but other than that he hasn't been too stellar on hard courts. Lopez, meanwhile, has the huge serve and power baseline game to thrive on the faster surfaces. So I guess we shouldn't be too surprised. After all, he also destroyed Ivan Ljubicic in the first round of last year's U.S. Open.
U.S. Open: Here We Go
Well the U.S. Open is finally upon us.
25 days ago I started my Top 25 contender list, and due to the passing of time and the release of the draw, here's how I'd change it to make a final Top 25.
Federer and Djokovic obviously stay at 1 and 2, as I did those both after the draw came out and I think Djokovic can get through it to the final despite how difficult it is.
I'd move Blake up to #3; he is in a soft quarter and has to be considered the favorite to come out of there and make the semis.
Nadal would move up to #4. He's probably in the most TALENTED quarter, but nobody in there is playing good tennis right now so Nadal should be able to take advantage.
Hewitt needs to be bumped down since he'd play Djokovic in the 4th round, but maybe not any below #5. Most likely he'll either win three matches, or he'll win 5 or 6. If he gets past Djokovic, he has a great chance of making the final. But that's a tall order to get past the Djoker.
Davydenko probably #6. He's in Blake's quarter and has a decent chance to make the semis.
Roddick has to plummet down to #7. Simply because he would have Federer in the quarters; that's just rough. Of course if he pulls off the shocker, he could be considered the favorite to win it all depending on how Djoker is looking on the other half of the draw.
more to come...
25 days ago I started my Top 25 contender list, and due to the passing of time and the release of the draw, here's how I'd change it to make a final Top 25.
Federer and Djokovic obviously stay at 1 and 2, as I did those both after the draw came out and I think Djokovic can get through it to the final despite how difficult it is.
I'd move Blake up to #3; he is in a soft quarter and has to be considered the favorite to come out of there and make the semis.
Nadal would move up to #4. He's probably in the most TALENTED quarter, but nobody in there is playing good tennis right now so Nadal should be able to take advantage.
Hewitt needs to be bumped down since he'd play Djokovic in the 4th round, but maybe not any below #5. Most likely he'll either win three matches, or he'll win 5 or 6. If he gets past Djokovic, he has a great chance of making the final. But that's a tall order to get past the Djoker.
Davydenko probably #6. He's in Blake's quarter and has a decent chance to make the semis.
Roddick has to plummet down to #7. Simply because he would have Federer in the quarters; that's just rough. Of course if he pulls off the shocker, he could be considered the favorite to win it all depending on how Djoker is looking on the other half of the draw.
more to come...
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Sunday 'Nati Analysis
Roger Federer d. James Blake 6-1, 6-4
I foolish thought Blake had a chance in this one (at least to make it close, it wasn't like I was picking him to win the match), but that was clearly not the case. Federer's game picked up considerably from where it had been throughout the tournament and Blake's fell off a long way from where it was against Ferrero and Davydenko (and the last two sets against Querrey); of course Federer had a little bit to do with that. In any case, it was a terrible match and there's really nothing else to say about it. Federer is just a lot better than Blake. Period.
As for what this means about each player's prospects at the U.S. Open: well Federer always has been the favorite, and now his critics who think Djokovic has the edge at the Open should probably rethink themselves. I'm not guaranteeing a Federer victory like we all did in the past, but as long as he plays close to his best he will beat Djokovic or anyone else.
Blake has never made it past the quarterfinals of a major. As long as his forehand is on fire like it was against Davydenko, he should make it back to that stage, but no further.
I foolish thought Blake had a chance in this one (at least to make it close, it wasn't like I was picking him to win the match), but that was clearly not the case. Federer's game picked up considerably from where it had been throughout the tournament and Blake's fell off a long way from where it was against Ferrero and Davydenko (and the last two sets against Querrey); of course Federer had a little bit to do with that. In any case, it was a terrible match and there's really nothing else to say about it. Federer is just a lot better than Blake. Period.
As for what this means about each player's prospects at the U.S. Open: well Federer always has been the favorite, and now his critics who think Djokovic has the edge at the Open should probably rethink themselves. I'm not guaranteeing a Federer victory like we all did in the past, but as long as he plays close to his best he will beat Djokovic or anyone else.
Blake has never made it past the quarterfinals of a major. As long as his forehand is on fire like it was against Davydenko, he should make it back to that stage, but no further.
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