US Open Day 15: Murray at Last

Curtain Call

Player: Andy Murray
Age: 25
Nation: UK
Current Ranking: 4
Notable Conquest: Novak Djokovic (Serbia, 2nd seed)
Today's Result: win over Djokovic in five sets

Photo via Sporting Life

There is no sadder yoke to bear in sports than to be the best player who never did thus-and-such.  Until tonight, Murray was the best player in tennis to never win a Major.  He and his coach Ivan Lendl are the only two men to lose their first four Slam finals in the Open Era.  And of course, as you may have heard, it had been 76 billion years since the last time a British man had won one of these things.  At long last, we can stop hearing about that...at least until Wimbledon.  The home Slam still reigns above all.

Four different men won the Majors this year: Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray.  The last time that happened was 2003: Agassi, Ferrero, Federer and Roddick.  Are we entering a new era of parity where Slam titles are up for grabs?  Or has the Big Three merely grown by one member?  My guess is the latter.

Hats off to Andy.  Murray may not finish the year #1 but with this win plus Olympic gold on home soil, it would be difficult to argue that anyone has had a better year.  Men's tennis has been the best story going in sports for quite a while now.  Amazingly, it just got better.

US Open Day 14: Ferrer

Curtain Call

Player: David Ferrer
Age: 30
Nation: Spain
Current Ranking: 5
Today's Result: loss to Novak Djokovic (Serbia, 2nd seed)

Photo via All About Sports Players

2012 has been the best year of Ferrer's career.  He made it to the quarterfinals of all four Majors for the first time.  Most players - even the best ones - are out of the sport by age 30 or at least coming to grips with the fact that their best days on a tennis court are behind them.  Who knows what's in store for Ferrer going forward?  A Slam title seems a stretch but a final perhaps?  I would say the French is his best bet.

US Open Day 13: Berdych

Curtain Call

Player: Tomas Berdych
Age: 26
Nation: Czech Republic
Current Ranking: 7
Notable Conquest: Roger Federer (Switzerland, 1st seed)
Today's Result: loss to Andy Murray (UK, 3rd) in four sets

Photo via This Is Guernsey

Roger Federer has only failed to make the semis three times over the past 34 Majors.  (Let that sentence sink in for a minute before you read further.)  Two of those three times, it was Berdych who knocked him out in the quarters.  Federer still holds an overall 11-4 head-to-head advantage but all four of Berdych's wins came in big tournaments: two Slams, the 2004 Olympics and the 2010 Miami Masters.  Is there something about Berdych's game that is troubling for Fed?  Berdych's main asset is the power in his ground strokes - not unlike Del Potro, actually.  JMDP is the only man besides Nadal to beat Fed in a Slam final.  Both Berdych and Del Potro are on the tall side, too.  Fed is definitely a better player than either but they're good enough to expose his vulnerabilities on an off day.

US Open Day 12: Sharapova

Curtain Call

Player: Maria Sharapova
Age: 25
Nation: Russia
Current Ranking: 3
Today's Result: loss to Victoria Azarenka (Belarus, 1st seed) in three sets

Photo via ZeeNews

Sharapova had a great summer, carrying the Russian flag in the Olympic Opening Ceremony and winning a silver medal.  This was her third US Open semifinal and a big improvement on last year's third round finish. 

US Open Day 11: Del Potro

Curtain Call

Player: Juan Martin Del Potro
Age: 23
Nation: Argentina
Current Ranking: 8
Today's Result: loss to Novak Djokovic (Serbia, 2nd seed) in straight sets

Photo via ball71

Just three years ago, it looked like Del Potro was ready to sneak in behind Djokovic and Murray to become the sport's next big star.  His beautiful run to the 2009 US Open title figured to be just the first of many Major wins.  As it turned out, Djokovic had a different story in mind.  I didn't watch too much of last night's match but I did catch the end of the second set.  Truth is, Del Potro played brilliantly.  His ground strokes were as breathtaking as ever.  The Djoker somehow managed to send most of them back.  Long term, I'd say JMDP needs to bash the ball harder into the corners, essentially widening the back of the court the way he has done on occasion against Nadal.  He will, indeed, win more Majors.  But he may need to wait for Djokovic to slow down a step.

So might they all.

US Open Day 10: Bartoli

Curtain Call

Player: Marion Bartoli
Age: 27
Nation: France
Current Ranking: 11
Notable Conquest: Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic, 5th seed)
Today's Result: loss to Maria Sharapova (Russia, 3rd) in three sets

Photo via SportChalk

This was Bartoli's first time to reach the quarters at the US Open.  She is one of very few players who uses two hands for both her forehand and backhand, a choice made to sacrifice power for the sake of control.  Bartoli is a former junior champ at the US Open.


Catching Up with Old Friends

Marin Cilic (Curtain Call, Roland Garros Day 6) - Cilic matched his career-best at the US Open by reaching the quarters.  His finish was an improvement on last year's third round exit so his ranking will get a boost.  He lost today to Andy Murray (UK, 3rd) in four sets.

US Open Day 9: Goerges

Curtain Call

Player: Julia Goerges
Age: 23
Nation: Germany
Current Doubles Ranking: 36
Doubles Partner: Kveta Peschke (Czech Republic)
Notable Conquest: Vania King (USA)/Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) (5th seed)
Today's Result: loss to Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci (Italy, 2nd) in straight sets

Photo via Hot Tennis Players

Goerges, the 18th seed in singles, had a very disappointing singles tournament, losing in the first round to Kristyna Pliskova (Czech Republic).  In doubles, on the other hand, she and Peschke made it to the quarters - a career-best US Open finish for Goerges.  She also made the doubles quarters at Wimbledon in 2010.  She has never been past the fourth round in singles.


Golden Squid Report

Richard Gasquet (Golden Squid since 6/27/2011) - Gasquet matched his career-best at the US Open by reaching the fourth round, ultimately losing to David Ferrer (Spain, 4th) in straight sets.  He improved on last year's second round exit so he will get a rankings boost.  He's had a decent summer, winning a bronze medal in doubles at the Olympics with Julien Benneteau and reaching the finals in Toronto (l. Djokovic), the third Masters final of his career.

US Open Day 8: Klizan

Curtain Call

Player: Martin Klizan
Age: 23
Nation: Slovakia
Current Ranking: 52
Notable Conquests: Jo-Wilfred Tsonga (France, 5th seed) and Jeremy Chardy (France, 32nd)
Today's Result: loss to Marin Cilic (Croatia, 12th) in straight sets

Photo via Saturdays in the Fall


Klizan has had a fantastic year.  He began 2012 ranked #117 in the world.  Since then, he has won four Challengers and made the second rounds of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, his first main draw in either tournament.  He has played world conqueror in New York, taking out two seeds and making the second week of a Major for the first time.


Catching Up with Old Friends

Yaroslava Shvedova (Curtain Call, Roland Garros Day 11) - Shvedova made it to the second round in singles, losing to Roberta Vinci (Italy, 20th).  As she did not make the main draw last year, she'll get yet another rankings boost.  She and partner Vania King (USA) won the US Open doubles title in 2010 and were runners-up last year.  This year was a bit of a disappointment as the team lost in the third round to Julia Goerges (Germany)/Kveta Peschke (Czech Republic) (11th).

US Open Day 7: Robson

Curtain Call

Player: Laura Robson
Age: 18
Nation: UK
Current Ranking: 89
Notable Conquests: Na Li (China, 9th seed) and Kim Clijsters (Belgium, 23rd)
Today's Result: loss to Samantha Stosur (Australia, 7th) in straight sets

Photo via Twitter

I first wrote about Robson a couple of years ago.  Even at the tender age of 16, the extraordinary talent was obvious.  The past few weeks have been very kind to her indeed.  She won silver alongside Andy Murray in mixed doubles at the Olympics.  Now, she's just made the second week of a Major for the first time in her career, taking out two seeded Slam champions along the way.  If she continues to rocket up the rankings, pressure could begin to approach the Murray/Henman level by the time Wimbledon rolls around next year.


Catching Up with Old Friends

Varvara Lepchenko (Curtain Call, Roland Garros Day 9) - It's been a fantastic summer for Lepchenko.  The 26-year-old had never been past the second round of a Major in her career and now she's done it three times in a row, reaching the third round in New York.  Once there, she lost to Stosur, the defending champion.  Her ranking will get yet another boost and she should be in good shape to get a seed in Melbourne.  In women's doubles, she and partner Saisai Zheng (China) lost in the first round to Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci (Italy, 2nd).  In mixed doubles, she and fellow American Donald Young made it to the second round before losing to Lucie Hradecka/Frantisek Cermak (Czech Republic).


Golden Squid Report

Sloane Stephens (Golden Squid since 6/29/12) - Stephens matched last year's US Open result by reaching the third round, ultimately losing to Ana Ivanovic (Serbia, 12th) in three sets.  She took out another former French Open champ, Francesca Schiavone (Italy, 22nd) in the first round.  She teamed with Timea Babos (Hungary) in women's doubles and they lost to Janette Husarova/Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia).  In mixed, she and fellow American Rajeev Ram won their first match but took a walkover in the second round to the top seeds: Liezel Huber (USA)/Max Mirnyi (Belarus).  Her ranking is up to #44 and she doesn't even turn 20 until March.  2013 could be a big year.

US Open Day 6: Blake

Curtain Call

Player: James Blake
Age: 32
Nation: USA
Current Ranking: 114
Notable Conquest: Marcel Granollers (Spain, 24th seed)
Today's Result: loss to Milos Raonic (Canada, 15th) in straight sets

Photo via Bald Celebrity

I know it's practically unpatriotic to say this, but Blake has never been my favorite.  Everyone says he's a good guy, smarter than most and so on and I believe it.  I simply have a hard time getting behind players who consistently argue line calls, particularly those who let the arguments interfere with their match focus.  Blake has been that guy for his entire career.

That said, I'm glad for any player who manages to keep a viable tennis career going into his or her 30s.  Blake has spent most of his career playing in the shadows of bigger talents like Andy Roddick and is to be commended for working hard and making the most of his opportunities.  While he can get a bit whiny on the court, he's no McEnroe - I mean that in the best possible way.  American tennis will miss him when he finally hangs it up.


Catching Up with Old Friends

Brian Baker (Curtain Call, Wimbledon Day 8) - Baker played in his first US Open in seven years.  Thanks to his strong performance at Wimbledon, he didn't even need to go through qualifying.  He lost in the second round to Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia, 8th).  He had a decent showing in doubles, too, teaming with fellow American Rajeev Ram.  The pair lost in the second round to the 14th-seeded British team of Colin Fleming/Ross Hutchins.


Golden Squid Report

Jurgen Melzer (Golden Squid since 1/24/11) - Melzer had a busy tournament, as usual.  He lost in the first round in singles to Bradley Klahn (USA) in five sets.  He teamed with Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) in mixed doubles.  They also lost in the first round, to Abigail Spears/Scott Lipsky (USA).  Men's doubles was the biggest disappointment, though.  He and partner Philipp Petzschner (Germany) were the defending champions in New York.  The 10th seed, they lost in the second round to Jamie Delgado/Ken Skupski (UK).

US Open Day 5: Parmentier

Curtain Call

Player: Pauline Parmentier
Age: 26
Nation: France
Current Ranking: 90
Notable Conquest: Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium, 25th seed)
Today's Result: loss to Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic, 5th) in straight sets

Photo via WTN Photos

This was Parmentier's first time in the third round of a Major after 12 second round finishes.  She reached her career high ranking in 2008 at #40.  She has two career titles, one on hard court (Tashkent, 2007) and one on clay (Bad Gastein, 2008).

US Open Day 4: Begu

Curtain Call

Player: Irina-Camelia Begu
Age: 22
Nation: Romania
Current Ranking: 96
Notable Conquest: Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark, 8th seed)
Today's Result: loss to Silvia Soler-Espinosa (Spain) in straight sets

Photo via ball71

Begu was the WTA's Newcomer of the Year in 2011, during which she reached a career-high ranking of #38.  Clay is her preferred surface and, before now, Roland Garros had been the only Major where she'd made it out of the first round.  Apparently, it's Romanian Woman Appreciation Week here at The Squid.


Catching Up with Old Friends

Jurgen Zopp (Curtain Call, Roland Garros Day 3 and Wimbledon Day 2) - The best name in tennis soldiers on.  Zopp made the second round of a Major for the first time this week.   Today, he fell to Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic, 6th) in straight sets. 


Golden Squid Report

Greta Arn (Golden Squid since 5/24/2011) - At age 33, Arn reached the US Open second round for the first time in her career.  In the first round, she beat countrywoman Agnes Szavay in straight sets.  Today, she lost to Maria Kirilenko (Russia, 14th), also in straight sets.

Marina Erakovic (Golden Squid since 1/17/2012) - Erakovic and her doubles partner Heather Watson (UK) retired from their first round match today against Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina (Russia, 6th).  I can find no news as to the reason for the retirement.  It was a disappointing tournament for Erakovic in singles, too.  She lost in the first round to Kristina Mladenovic (France).  She and Watson had been on a hot streak, having won two tournaments together since Wimbledon, including last week in Dallas.

Juan Sebastian Cabal (Golden Squid since 1/21/2012) - It was a short US Open for Cabal, too.  He and countryman Robert Farah lost in the first round of the doubles draw to Ivan Dodig (Croatia)/Marcelo Melo (Brazil) (12th) in straight sets.

US Open Day 3: Gallovits-Hall

Curtain Call

Player: Edina Gallovits-Hall
Age: 27
Nation: Romania
Current Ranking: 135
Today's Result: loss to Samantha Stosur (7th seed, Australia) in straight sets

Photo via ball71

Gallovits-Hall reached the main draw through qualifying, then faced another qualifier in the first round: Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland).  She has relative success in doubles with three career titles as opposed to none in singles.  She was no match for the defending champion today.


Golden Squid Report

Tobias Kamke (Golden Squid since 1/17/2011) - Kamke lost today in the first round to another former Open champ from Australia: Lleyton Hewitt (2001).  Kamke has yet to make it past the first round at the US Open.

US Open Day 2: Gabashvili

Curtain Call

Player: Teymuraz Gabashvili
Age: 27
Nation: Russia
Current Ranking: 174
Today's Result: loss to Rogerio Dutra Silva (Brazil) in five sets

Photo via ball71

The Georgian-born Gabashvili is nicknamed "Tsunami."  He went through qualifying to reach the main draw.  He reached his career high ranking of 59 three years ago.


Catching Up with Old Friends

Camila Giorgi (Curtain Call, Wimbledon Day 7) - Giorgi is one of my new favorites.  It's a shame that the New York crowd won't get to see more of her.  She lost to Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) in straight sets.  Now comfortably inside the top 100, Giorgi should be able to enter the main draw directly in Melbourne.


Golden Squid Report

Christina McHale (Golden Squid since 6/29/2012) - Last year's US Open was McHale's breakthrough tournament. This year, the dream of building on her much improved ranking fizzled early as she lost to Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) in three sets.  Her ranking will take a hit as she made it to the third round last year.

US Open Day 1: Authom

Curtain Call

Player: Maxime Authom
Age: 25
Nation: Belgium
Current Ranking: 192
Today's Result: loss to Bjorn Phau (Germany) in four sets

Photo via La Nouvelle Gazette

Authom went through qualifying to reach the first Major main draw of his career.  He reached his career high ranking in May at 174.

My first blog post ever was entitled "Why You Should Watch the US Open."  Many of the reasons still hold true.  A few highlights:

The Climax of the Tennis Season

I love all of tennis's Grand Slam tournaments (which also include The Australian Open, The French Open, and Wimbledon) but there are many reasons to enjoy the New York edition in particular. This is the finish line for the Grand Slam season. All of the story lines which have been building since January will come to resolution here. Seasons will be salvaged, pretenders will be exposed and new heroes will be born. All this in a tidy two-week package.

The Democratic Nature of Hard Court Tennis

Clay court tennis - that played at The French - favors a certain kind of player. The ball bounces higher. Therefore, a player's power is largely negated. The clay court specialist is fleet afoot and predicates his/her game on movement and tactics. The grass lawns of Wimbledon, on the other hand, are the playground of the powerful. One can make it to the second week on the strength of a big serve alone. Hard courts are, at least in theory, the middle ground. Thus the U.S. Tennis Center is an ideal place to settle who really are the best in the sport.

Night Tennis

The U.S. and Australian Opens hold this advantage over their European cousins: lights on all courts. Not only does tennis look really cool under the lights but it's also wonderful for the schedule for the simple fact that you can fit more tennis into a single day. 

Celebrity Spotting

The stars come out for the Open and the camera crews are constantly panning to spot them for our oggling pleasure. Undoubtedly, some come to be seen but others have a more pure devotion. Robert de Niro usually makes an appearance. Can't get much cooler than that.

Golden Squid Report

Juan Carlos Ferrero (Golden Squid since 6/25/2012) - The 32-year-old Spaniard has not played at all since early July. I can find no info as to why he's not playing. His ranking is currently at #66, plenty good enough for automatic entry into the main draw. Does anyone know anything?