Sit down. We've got some good news for you...
So the final weekend of the U.S. Open didn't quite live up to its buildup. What had been a well-played, entertaining tournament -- particularly on the men's side -- devolved into something akin to a Yankees-Tigers series in mid-September.
No, that's too harsh. The stories were there during the weekend -- the Williams sisters' historic showdown, Pete Sampras' run to the final. But the tennis itself really didn't measure up.
Each semifinal and final match in both draws ended in straight sets, with no suspense to be found. But in the end, a pair of deserving champions emerged, barely sweating.
With that, the final Grand Slam of 2001 is in the books. Now all you have to do is get your TV fixed in time for the premiere of "Wolf Lake."
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| No. 1 in our hearts |
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Even if the Williams sisters follow through on their vow to play more tournaments, it'll still take a while for the rankings system to catch up with their brilliance. Serena clearly is far from the 10th-best player in the world, and despite her first-round loss at the French Open, Venus seems solidly atop the game whenever she puts her mind to it. The elder Williams is more consistent and less emotional than Serena, and rarely seems to exert much effort on the court as she rolls to one straight-set victory after another. Venus lost a total of 36 games in seven matches the last two weeks, never dropping more than four games in a set. It's hard to fathom that she's not even three months removed from her 21st birthday, and scary to think about how dominant she could be if she played a little more often.
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| Mixing it up |
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U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe went with a reliable formula in selecting his team for the tie against India later this month in Winston-Salem, N.C. Old warhorse Todd Martin and rising star Roddick will lead the U.S. singles effort, with James Blake and Robby Ginepri in reserve. U.S. Open runners-up Don Johnson and Jared Palmer will play doubles -- the only point at which the U.S. might be vulnerable, as India will go with its high-powered duo of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi for that match. If the U.S. takes both singles matches Friday and clinches the tie Saturday by winning the doubles match, look for McEnroe to build for the future by inserting Blake or Ginepri into one of Sunday's "dead rubbers," much as he did with then-untested Roddick earlier this year in Switzerland.
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Million TV viewers who watched at least part of the Williams vs. Williams final Saturday night. |
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| ACE
The USTA -- You can (and should) take issue with the governing body for any number of grievances, but moving the women's final to prime-time was a fantastic call, with or without the Williamses.
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DOUBLE FAULT
Andy Roddick -- Yeah, he was probably right about the umpire overruling that line call. But with all the good he's done this year, that was an unfortunate way to make his Grand Slam farewell for 2001. |
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Rennae Stubbs -- The Australian matched the feat of Virginia Ruano Pascual at the French this year by winning the doubles and mixed doubles titles in New York. |
DOUBLE FAULT
Boris Becker -- A nagging foot injury forced the cancellation of his planned Saturday night exhibition with John McEnroe -- which, on second thought, might not have been such a bad thing. |
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Nathalie Tauziat -- She played her first Grand Slam match at the 1984 French Open and her last Monday in a fourth-round loss to Amelie Mauresmo. Quite a run. |
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Neither made it through to the final, but give credit to Marat Safin and Yevgeny Kafelnikov carrying the Russian men's tennis banner by reaching the semifinals.
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A final Ashley Harkleroad update: America's hottest young star on the women's side fell Saturday in the semifinals of the girls' singles tournament. |
Hewitt is currently riding a seven-match winning streak against American players, beating Sampras twice, Roddick twice, Taylor Dent twice and Blake once.
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One of the more bizarre stats of the tournament came from big-hitting Jennifer Capriati in her semifinal loss to Venus. Out of 146 total points in the match, 68 of which went in Capriati's favor, the Australian and French Open champ hit only four winners.
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Lost a bit among the Open festivities, Mats Wilander and Pam Shriver were nominated for next year's International Tennis Hall of Fame class, along with Nancye Wynne Bolton, Arthur Gore and Nancy Richey.
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Making a little history Friday were Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett, who became the first all-Zimbabwean team to win a Grand Slam doubles title.
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It clearly didn't hurt Hewitt, but the decision Tuesday to push back the Aussie's fourth-round match with Tommy Haas to the following afternoon because of rain and TV considerations irked the European media. The Times of London described the decision this way: "It would have been an outrageous decision at any tournament, but the fact that they were fighting for a place in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open made it all the more unbelievable."
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| "I feel disappointed and frustrated. But also maybe tonight I can have a good dinner, drink one beer, go out. If I win, I didn't have this chance. That's the good part."
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| Gustavo Kuerten looking at the bright side of his quarterfinal loss.
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| "You guys have a good time. Win one for me."
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| Richard Williams, to his daughters before departing New York prior to their final showdown. |
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| This week - ATP Tour |
| Three tournaments are on tap across the globe. Safin and Kafelnikov lead the field in Tashkent, while a slew of Spaniards including defending champ Juan Balcells take to the clay in Bucharest. Finally, the ATP's newest tournament will get under way in Brazil, with national hero Kuerten the top seed and favorite on the hardcourts. |
| This week - WTA Tour |
| A lucrative purse in Sao Paulo ($625,000) should draw some post-Slam talent, while others will head to Hawaii. |
| Next week - ATP Tour |
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The third Davis Cup weekend of the year highlights the slate, with the Heineken Open in Shanghai also going on. |
| Next week - WTA Tour |
| The Princess Cup in Tokyo and a tournament in Quebec City, both on hardcourts, vie for attention.
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