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Post by The Chloe on Sept 4, 2004 14:54:30 GMT -5
Hmm, interesting. I always kinda got the feeling she was rather arrogant, though not so much of a shoot-off-the-mouth like Sesil. I know, I know, all good players are arrogant, but this description seems really Kim-like to me, and it wasn't what I was thinking. Well... we differ in opinion about Kim, obviously. While I don't doubt that she is a swell person off court, on court I see her as a very fiery, in-your-face competitor. Some might evey say... "arrogant" and "bitchy" on court. I don't see Kim on court as any "nicer" than Justine, which is why I call bullshit on that stereotype so often. Nicole is obviously a competitor and not a nice little flower on court. I'm sure that she's confident in her abilities. But she just seems "normal" under all of that. Not like some diva brat. So yeah... like Kim. But it's not like I heard her speak, so we'll see. I didn't see her match with Justine, btw.
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Post by The Chloe on Sept 4, 2004 14:56:42 GMT -5
Thanks for all the reports, next tournament I go to I will come up with something, though don't ever expect any WTA stuff. I wouldn't have talked so much WTA if it wasn't for Sesil and Nicole, who I was very curious about. Either than that I would have just seen Golovin and Kirilenko. The only reason I stopped at Anna-Lena's match was that I thought of Hackie when I walked by it.
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Post by Slaughterhouse on Sept 4, 2004 15:03:21 GMT -5
I wouldn't have talked so much WTA if it wasn't for Sesil and Nicole, who I was very curious about. Either than that I would have just seen Golovin and Kirilenko. The only reason I stopped at Anna-Lena's match was that I thought of Hackie when I walked by it. Well I would be thrown out of the technical committee if I mentioned too much about the WTA. I am trying to see GWH at the AO next year.
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Post by TennisHack on Sept 4, 2004 15:16:08 GMT -5
Well... we differ in opinion about Kim, obviously. While I don't doubt that she is a swell person off court, on court I see her as a very fiery, in-your-face competitor. Some might evey say... "arrogant" and "bitchy" on court. I don't see Kim on court as any "nicer" than Justine, which is why I call bullshit on that stereotype so often. Hrm, I'm confused. Kim is fiery on the court? Yeah, I agree. That's what originally attracted me to her. She plans like a man I guess the difference in opinion comes on how you see them off the court. Kim's very fan/media friendly whereas H-H comes off as being cold. I'm not one to push the "she's so nice/she's such a bitch" thing since I don't know either of them personally. I don't like Justine's behavior on the court, but then we diverge on our opinions of sportsmanship. Well that's refreshing. It seems like most of the girls coming up have entitlement issues. Some people love that whereas I find it annoying
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Post by TennisHack on Sept 4, 2004 15:16:57 GMT -5
I wouldn't have talked so much WTA if it wasn't for Sesil and Nicole, who I was very curious about. Either than that I would have just seen Golovin and Kirilenko. The only reason I stopped at Anna-Lena's match was that I thought of Hackie when I walked by it. Aww, thanks Yeah, there are definitely some up-and-comers on the WTA this year. FB and co are missing out when it comes to the drama
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Post by Slaughterhouse on Sept 4, 2004 15:20:30 GMT -5
Aww, thanks Yeah, there are definitely some up-and-comers on the WTA this year. FB and co are missing out when it comes to the drama Far from it Hackiepoo. I am not missing out at all, seeing Guga as junior and thinking he could win in Paris. Watching Gaudio play qualies and then make the 3rd round at FO 99. Discovering Nalbandian in 01, there have been others, but I don't think I am missing out anything. ;D I would rather stay in the union than otherwise.
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Post by TennisHack on Sept 4, 2004 16:36:00 GMT -5
I didn't say you were missing out on the good players, I said you were missing out on THE DRAMA. That's what the WTA Tour is nowadays, all about the drama.
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Post by Slaughterhouse on Sept 5, 2004 8:52:39 GMT -5
I didn't say you were missing out on the good players, I said you were missing out on THE DRAMA. That's what the WTA Tour is nowadays, all about the drama. Cool, I was just having some fun. I know idiots and fools don't populate on this board.
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Post by TennisHack on Sept 5, 2004 11:40:05 GMT -5
Yeah, I figured. Nobody's ever called me "Hackiepoo" before
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Post by Slaughterhouse on Sept 5, 2004 12:42:18 GMT -5
Yeah, I figured. Nobody's ever called me "Hackiepoo" before Term of endearment.
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Post by TennisHack on Sept 5, 2004 16:18:58 GMT -5
Alexander "Hair" Peya: Alexander Peya, of Austria, hits a return to Tommy Robredo, of Spain, at the U. S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2004. (AP Photo/Michael Kim) Alexander Peya, of Austria, hits a return to Tommy Robredo, of Spain, at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2004. (AP Photo/Michael Kim)
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Post by The Chloe on Sept 5, 2004 18:33:56 GMT -5
omg! THE HAIR! It's even better in person, but it's been captured well here. Let me remind you that that is what it looks like after he's been running around for eons!
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Post by TennisHack on Sept 5, 2004 19:48:38 GMT -5
Personally, I like how neither picture captures ALL of it ;D
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Post by TennisHack on Sept 5, 2004 19:52:47 GMT -5
Oh my. Alexander Peya of Austria tosses his raquet after a missed point against Tommy Robredo of Spain during their match at the 2004 U.S. Open in New York, September 5, 2004. Robredo defeated Peya 6-3 6-3 6-2. REUTERS/Jeff Zelevansky
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Post by Jasper on Sept 5, 2004 23:02:54 GMT -5
Tada! First TuesdayI entered the grounds from the side entrance, which was perfect because it put me right where I wanted to be at the start of the day session – on Court 13 for Zabaleta vs. Tursunov. Since it was still early and not that many people had shown up on the grounds yet, I was able to snag front row seats. The match wasn’t the highest quality, though. In that first set, both players were spraying the ball and having major difficulty putting returns in play. The most enjoyable points were Zabaleta’s occasional forays to the net as he showed off his nice touch with winning drop volleys. The second set was more exciting as actual rallies started to be played. Tursunov started to find his rhythm on his groundies, especially on the return, and he was able to read Zabaleta’s droppers. By the middle of the second set he was not only getting some returns in play, but having chances to break the Argentine’s serve. He missed a chance or two in the middle of the set, but finally converted at 4-3*, and then served it out comfortably. I left this match at that point when the players were locked at one set all, sort of figuring that Zabaleta would end up being a bit too consistent for Tursunov and would win in 4, but that didn’t turn out to be the case at all. Then we went to see the last set and half of Srichaphan vs. Hanescu on the Grandstand. The entire crowd was behind P-dorn, not just his usual band of Thai supporters. So much so, in fact, that they refused to applaud the Romanian’s winning shots, which upset me and led me to cheer on Victor even more heartily and loudly than before. ;D I’m convinced that it was my support that spurred him on to actually hold serve once in that fourth set. Srichaphan played fairly well, from what I saw, but he didn’t have to do much except play good defense and keep getting returns in play while his opponent practically self-destructed with errors. Hanescu would constantly get on top of the point just to blow it with a missed approach shot or volley. Meanwhile, Paradorn came up with big shots when he needed to. I didn’t see what happened as Srichy took control after the first set, but I’m guessing that Hanescu’s first serve percentage dropped significantly (it wasn’t very high in the fourth) and that Srichaphan cleaned up his game. I’ve never been a fan of Paradorn but he is an entertaining shot-maker and loves to get the crowd into it. After one stunning crosscourt backhand pass, he jumped on the banister, raised his arms triumphantly, and smiled at the crowd. It was silly and cute. After that lackluster final set ended, we got a bite to eat at a small grill outside the Grandstand, away from the packed food court. It was much less crowded, but unfortunately no less expensive. A single hot dog cost 5 dollars. I mean, they were large and all, but certainly not worth 5 bucks! Ridiculous. Moving on to happier thoughts, we then worked our way over to Court 11 where Mary Pierce was scheduled to play. And I swear, EVERYBODY was talking about her around the grounds. I kept hearing people say things like, “Oh, we should check out Mary Pierce later on this court” or “Hey look, Mary Pierce is playing soon! I can’t wait”, etc. She was the talk of Flushing Meadows that day. But before we made it over there, I I encountered a feww players. Approaching Arthur Ashe Stadium, Mark Knowles ran right by me with two racquets in his hands. We actually grazed shoulders. And just as I was starting to comprehend what had just happened, my friend tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to Tommy Haas, Guga Kuerten, Red Ayme, and Lari Pasos walking just a couple yards away from us! I was in such shock (and excitement) that I just froze instead of whipping out my camera and taking a picture. I probably would have been too late anyway since they were walking quickly over to one of the practice courts and didn’t seem to want to stop for some annoying fans like me. Tommy was talking to Lari and Guga was talking to Red. So I went to stand in the line for Pierce on Court 11, where Massu had just massacred my Jose, when I saw Guillermo Canas walking past the practice courts and heading in my direction (with some other guy who I didn’t recognize, possibly a hitting partner). This time I refused to let another player get away with me takinga shot, so I turned on my camera as quick as possible and ended up getting a picture of... his back. *sigh* At least I tried. I ended up watching Mary for about a half hour. She was basically pummeling Emilie Loit, who I thought might be able to put up a challenge as she has in the past with big hitters like Serena, Lindsay, and Jennifer with her variety of spins and slices. But she was utterly helpless against an in-the-zone Mary. The last time I had saw her at the US Open, she was in poor shape, not connecting on any of her shots, and she ended up being straight-setted by Paola Suarez on the same court. But this time she was being much more aggressive executing accurately. Backhand and forehand winners galore. She was so confident at one point in the second set that she actually served-and-volleyed three times in a row! It was unbelievable. She won the first with a big serve that needed no follow-up volley, won the second attempt with a volley winner, and the third time she ended up losing the point on a Loit passing shot – one of her countrywoman’s FEW winners. She didn't go to net again after that. :lol But it was truly amazing. The good thing about Court 11 is that the bleachers go up pretty high on one side of the court, giving you a good aerial view of some other courts nearby. On the court just north of Court 11, I could see Guga and Tommy practicing a little bit, although there were some damn bushes getting in my way. Their practice was packed with fans snapping photos. I noticed that Red was wearing his trademark cap with the attachable neck protector thingiemabob (I have no clue what it’s called). He was kind of hanging in the back a little bit while Lari was much more talkative with Guga as he was hitting with Tommy. And to the right I saw Andrei Pavel playing doubles with some guy I didn’t recognize who was wearing a fashionably-questionable pair of bright red shoes. Later on I found that they were playing against Spadea and some other guy. Watching Vince attempt to play doubles must have been hilarious, I’m sure. I really missed out. Maybe next time. So left Mary’s match with Pierce in control at 6-1, 4-1, and checked out what other matches were in progress on the large scoreboard. We decided on Safin/Enqvist in Ashe, which was already in the third set with Enqvist up two sets and a break. Recalling Thomas’ grand choke in Athens against Moya, I knew that the match wasn’t over yet and still had another turn coming. And sure enough, Enqvist lost four straight games upon our arrival to drop the third set. Fortunately, he recovered and won in four. But it wasn’t a very exciting match – some hard, flat rallies with impressive finishes but too many errors from both sides of the net. And Safin was grumpy, but what else is new. And this was at the hottest part of the day with the sun coming down strong on us (which is why I was bewildered and confused to see Thomas wearing all black), so I was feeling a bit nappy. So was some random guy I was sitting next to who was asleep and snoring. Next up on Ashe was Lindsay. I was excited to see her wearing something new at this year’s Open, since I was getting sick of the plum outfit, although I’m really starting to hate the new top and skirt now. Anyway, I was definitely a bit nervous in the early goings but settled down when she was able to break. I watched the first set which had some good stuff and was actually competitive, and then left to see Ferrero on Armstrong, a court that was new to me. Oh, and I did try to sneak down from my highyl coveted Promenade seats to the Loge level, but I guess I didn't put on a good enough acting job because some official figured us out and caught us, sending us right up to our seats. I didn't go easily, though. And I refused to give the bitch the satisfaction of eye-contact, so hah! But last year I was caught sneaking down and the guy didn't even care.
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Post by Jasper on Sept 5, 2004 23:14:47 GMT -5
Well, you guys know all about Ferrero’s match against Zib in the first round. When I came in during the end of the first set, both players were playing badly. This was capped off by Ferrero’s drop of serve at 4*-5 with two double faults and some errors. The level of play improved in the second set but it was still frustrating to see Ferrero follow up winners with uncharacteristic and unexplainable patches of errors. There were a couple nice laughs during the match, though. For one, I was laughing for a good two minutes when a ball girl and ball boy completely mis-communicated and almost crashed into one another while chasing down the same ball. And then when Zib got a bad call in the second set (Ferrero hit a shot that was way over the line that I happened to be sitting over and had a good view of, but it wasn’t called by the linesman), he had a chat with the umpire and then took a ball and placed it where it actually landed – past the line. I laughed and then took a picture of it. Besides being annoyed at this match for its streaky play, I was frustrated at having to sit behind some silly blonde girls who were probably just cheering for Ferrero because they think he’s cute. Such gems came flowing from their mouths as “Ferrero lost the first set; that’s not good” and “The #7 seed shouldn’t lose in the first round”. Their mother had to explain to them that upsets do happen in tennis, as well as explain what a break of serve is. I was happy when the left after the second set, although I ended up leaving soon after that, with Ferrero serving 3*-2 in the third, thinking he would close it out in four. Hmmmmm, maybe not. But I wanted to see Mirnyi/Bhupathi in their doubles match on Court 15, which was locked on serve early in the final set when I made it over. And it was packed. There was no sitting room whatsoever and I had to tough it out and stand – not fun on my already-tired legs. There were even people standing on the bleachers from the neighboring court (which had a much less interesting men’s dubs match going on between Beck/Soderling and Saulnier/Coetzee) so they could get a view of the Max/Mahesh match over the mob of people. And I was standing next to this woman who was a really intense fan of Maz and Mahesh. Like, really intense. She would criticize them even after points they won. They were playing Garcia/Prieta who were playing well and coming up with big plays when down break points in that set. However, I was frustrated with Bhupathi’s shotty play from the baseline. He was struggling on return (more so than Max) and he was utterly unable to hit passing shots over the net or in the court, even some easy ones. Fortunately they were able to get their games together and win the final set tiebreak rather convincingly. I tried to squeeze in to get a signature, but they left the court too quickly (plus, I was pen-less). So I started walking away when, all of a sudden, I turned around and saw Mahesh getting surrounded by a bunch of fans looking for pictures and autographs and such. He was happy enough to oblige. All I wanted was a close-up pic of him, and I had the perfect one... until some some damn tall guy stepped right in front of my camera at the last second and I got his bald spot instead. Bhupathi ran off after that and I was disappointed at my failure to capitalize on the moment, but that feeling soon changed as Max Mirnyi was the next to show up right behind me. And this time I got a picture of him. Two, actually. One of him signing some kid’s program and another of him looking up at something (maybe me?! ;D). I was very happy with myself after coming so close to Max when I came across someone else: Richard Williams. I was dumbstruck. Some father was practically forcing his daughter on Richard and he played along and took a picture with her. I fought my way through a pack of people moving as slow as tortoises to get a picture of him, myself. At this point I was starting to feel like the paparazzi. And oh yeah, before I made it to Court 15, I passed by Schuettler on 11 and took a couple pics of him, but I couldn’t believe he was in a fifth set after leading by two sets. He was down a break at that point but he didn’t seem very negative and I thought he would muster up a a comeback. I was shocked when I heard not too long later during the dubs match that Seppi had won 6-1 in the fifth. So I walked over to Court 10 where I knew Arnaud Clement was facing Wayne Arthurs. It was in the fourth set when I got there with Arnaud leading by 2 sets to 1 and Arthurs was rapidly becoming frustrated with himself. He’s usually so calm and reserved on court, especially in comparison to some of his countrymen , but he was not hiding his emotions on Tuesday. He even got a code violation for hitting a ball in anger out of the stands. Meanwhile, Arnaud was pumped up and had a spring in his step. He was able to read Arthurs’ big serve and pass with ease off either side. I was impressed by his play, although slightly disappointed that he wasn’t wearing his trademark sunglasses to go along with his red bandana. It was surprising since the sun was a bitch at this time of day and had to be distracting. Anyway, it was a small court where the fans are up close and personal with the players. And I think this makes the people even more obnoxious and annoying. Such comments as, “Why are you wearing those fruity rainbow colors, Arnaud?” and “You better do something now, Wayne” when the Aussie was down break points in the fourth were not endearing to the players, I’m sure. My friend even got a dirty look from Arnaud for chatting a bit too loudly. Wayne had a small band of Australian supporters doing their usual chant, but they were rather quiet when I was there. They didn’t have much to cheer about after that second set. Wayne was incapable of winning any baseline rallies nor was he successful at coming into net during Clement’s serve game with the chip-and-charge play. I left after Arnaud wrapped up the match. And for the record, I did like his all-orange outfit. Very daring. I was shocked to see Ferrero vs. Zib still going on (it was on the large TV screen outside Ashe) since I thought Ferrero would have closed it out by then. But I noticed that it was about to go to a fifth set unless Ferrero broke serve at 6-5* or won the tiebreak, which I had a feeling wouldn’t happen. So I ran back over to Armstrong and cheered for Tomas to win the tiebreak while watching it on TV. Thankfully, he obliged to my requests by winning the fourth set tiebreak and losing in a thrilling fifth. I could see in the first few games that the tempo of the match had picked up from when I had left it a couple hours earlier. They were engaging in much longer and entertaining baseline rallies, more often ended by winners than errors. It was Ferrero who looked to take command early on in the set with some fabulous dtl forehand winners on the run, but once again he tensed up a little bit and became timid, allowing Zib to take command and show off his own groundstrokes. Ferrero had trouble holding on to that break but he came up with some big serves when he needed them, including a couple aces and a backhand winner when down break point at 4*-3, I think. Or maybe it was 0-30. I forget; I didn’t take notes. He also saved break points before that with a forehand dtl winner and a couple errors from Zib, who was receiving an amazing amount of support as the underdog from the rowdy New York crowd. During the fifth set I sat next to a pair of really cute Asian fans of Ferrero who were shaking their fists and shoutng “Vamos, Juanca, Vamos” in their really high voices whenever they had a chance to. I noticed them later at the Nadal match – might they have been following me? Most likely, yes. ;D There was also a really funny moment when a ball girl tried to reach a ball that had landed between Ferrero’s feet, but Juan Carlos had no clue that there was a ball right underneath him and he was bouncing around, waiting to receive serve again. I think my friend took a picture of the little mess – and she took a lot of pictures of Ferrero. Anyway, the crowd was on its feet when Ferrero ended the match with crosscourt backhand passing shot winner, which, interestingly enough, was the same shot he came up with to win match point when I saw him against Arthurs two years ago at night in the first round. Huh. That’s nifty. So then I headed over to see the Nadal fifth set on the Grandstand. And Chloe wasn’t kidding; the kid was seriously jacked up. Tons of fist pumps, totally concentrated, etc. And he was hitting some amazing forehand winners past his tall opponent. Hopefully I’ll get some more chances to see Rafael play at the US Open in the future since he is very entertaining and talented. And maybe next time I see him his serve will have improved, although apparently it already has gotten better than a year ago, so that’s good news. After that I watched a bit of V. Williams vs. Mandula on Armstrong. But it was kind of boring and filled with errors. Plus, I was upset watching the match unable to take pics of Petra, who I like, since my camera had run out of batteries. So, I left early. Canas and Johansson’s matches had already ended too; otherwise I would have liked to have seen them. Done. I hope I didn’t forget anything.
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Post by Jasper on Sept 5, 2004 23:16:48 GMT -5
I'll do my second report tommorow, hopefully.
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Post by Jasper on Sept 6, 2004 13:19:43 GMT -5
I forgot to mention that I did finally get a glimpse of the Ferrero camp at the end of the match. Being the observant detective that I am , I noticed that he looked over to somebody across the court in one corner after missing a forehand and that’s where I found his Antonio Martinez sitting, alongside his father, girlfriend, and a couple of other guys who I didn’t recognize. First Friday NightThe traffic was much heavier going into the city on this day, so I entered the grounds later than I would have liked. I immediately ran to Armstrong when I got in and saw that Youzhny had lost the first set but was up a break early in the second. This was the match I had been anticipating. ;D I found good seats in the nearly-full stadium which were perfect for taking pictures, and I took more than enough of both players. One annoyance early in the match was the loud “Net Heads” who were congregated in the upper decks of the nearby Grandstand court, cheering on Jan-Michael Gambill in his loss to Joachim Johansson. Annoying doesn’t begin to describe them, actually. Chants, drums, etc. It was a relief to all of us on Armstrong, especially the players, when that match finally ended and the Net Heads disappeared The match was barrels of fun. Sure, there were some errors, especially from Nalbandian who seemed to doubt himself after so many injuries this season like Ferrero, but there was also great shot-making and variety from both. Youzhny was the more aggressive player over all but Nalbandian also got himself into net frequently with successful drop volleys. When I started watching the match, Nalbandian actually broke back for 3-3 and seemed to have Misha frustrated and lacking confidence in that backhand, but the Russian suddenly stole the momentum for the rest of the set, leaving David throwing his racquet and bitching about correct line calls. Youzhny found a good rhythm in the end of the second and beginning of the third but in the middle of the third set he called for the trainer for his leg problem and struggled in his first couple of games back on court. Nalbandian broke for 5-3 but the momentum switched once again as Nalbandian’s serve did not hold up under the pressure of Youzhny’s big returns. David was unable to get first serves in during that game, and his sub-100 mph second deliveries invited Misha to attack, which he did successfully three times in a row with three return winners down the line. A frustrated Nalby could not rebound in his next service game and ended up losing four straight games to drop the third set 7-5. Nalbandian fought back in the fourth as Youzhny continued his treatment with the trainer. His side-to-side movement became visibly worse as the match went on and he was unable to change directions well, enabling Nalbandian to dominate from the baseline. Youzhny didn’t start getting his game back together until he came up with some stunning shots at the end of the set. Too late to come back in that fourth, but not too late to grab back some confidence going into the fifth, which he did when he won two games in a row from 0-5 down. Youzhny had some chances early in the fifth that he didn’t convert on and it seemed like Nalbandian was the steadier and mentally stronger player as the match approached the finish line. The Argentine had 0-40 on Youzhny’s serve at 4-3* in the fifth, when suddenly the match made one final turn in the Russian’s favor. Youzhny channeled Sampras when he saved the first break point with an ace, and then the next with a second serve ace! Misha smiled in disbelief while the crowd got wholly behind him and started chanting his name. He missed his first serve at 30-40, and then looked up at the crowd and cutely asked, “One more?” with a smile, but instead he played it safe on the second serve while Nalbandian choked up on the return and dumped it in the net. David was rattled by those three break points missed as well as the crowd’s support change, and he never seemed comfortable after that. Meanwhile, Youzhny was totally pumped after reaching deuce, raising his arms triumphantly and then fist-pumping after every point he won for the rest of the match, which wasn’t much at all. A couple of errors from Nalbandian gave Misha the break and he served it out relatively comfortably for a huge win. It’s just too bad he couldn’t advance past the third round, although it looks like the injury held him back a bit. Nalbandian had remained very calm after getting a point penalty in either the second or third set (I forget) for throwing his racquet, but his composure was completely lost in the last game, and he broke his racquet after match point, which he was booed for by the crowd. I didn’t particularly like his attitude, but I still felt it was unfair of the crowd to do that when he had given it his all and fought hard despite not playing anything close to his best tennis (low first serve percentage and more ufes than errors, unlike Misha who was above water in that category). After that match, I got something to eat because I was starving and then left for the Grandstand, where, disappointingly, Volandri was falling quickly to Canas. I had hoped for another four or five-setter, but it was not to be. Volandri held serve in a long struggle and had a chance in Guillermo’s next service game. He hit a big forehand return on break point that gave him an easy sitter forehand, but he just caught the top of the net on that shot. From there, Canas was able to cloe it out 6-1 in the third (Filippo double-faulted on match point ), prompting his Argentine fans to sing their national anthem (I’m guessing that’s what it was). They were tremendously excited for him. Meanwhile, I liked what I saw with Volandri. He has powerful groundstrokes that seem very casual and easy to produce. Just needs a better serve and he’ll be able to do some damage on hard courts. After that I went to Ashe to see Roddick vs. Nadal, which was the only match left on the grounds. I had hoped that it would be competitive, but when I saw the 6-0 first set scoreline on the TV as I left the Grandstand, I knew it would be a quick night. Nadal showed some of his many talents, but the serve made all the difference. The most entertaining part of the match was when some girl told the Net Heads to “get a life,” causing the whole stadium to laugh. I also noticed that the giggly middle-aged women I was sitting next to had a good laugh whenever Nadal was pummeled and almost decapitated by huge body serves from Roddick. And that’s it. I’llget my pictures uploaded by the end of the week.
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Post by Partridge In A Pear Tree on Sept 7, 2004 9:56:10 GMT -5
great reports, thanks Leo & Chloe. and yes, Ivo IS gorgeous. Too bad he's not so successful on court there would be Ivo threads all over mtf. he played terrible during Davis Cup.
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Post by Lee on Sept 7, 2004 13:28:33 GMT -5
Finally managed to read the tournament reports. Thanks Leo and Chloe.
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Post by vaiva on Sept 14, 2004 8:27:12 GMT -5
I finally got time to read your reports, Becca! Better later than never. Baghdatis though, is just a joy to watch. He comes up with some amazing shots, and he just seems so thrilled to be playing out there. I fist pumps and points at his "people" a lot. I watched the first set and thought "wow, Marcos is going ot wrap this up in no time" .... so I took off. Boy, was I wrong! Somehow, Jeff remembered how to play tennis and made it a match. I watched most of the third set, which Marcos eventually won. I remember thinking that Marcos has a great set of wheels on him. He comes up with some real beauties off the defensive too. I told Hurley on the way back to Long Island that I was a fan Cannot agree more. He was the revelation of the tournament for me. Glad the Eurosport "hype" was justified. They are running a series of "Rookie Marcos Baghdatis" showing his trials and tribulations trying to break through on the pro tour. I think he broke #200 after the USO. He has a complete game so, naturally, this takes more time to develop than just power bashers. Exciting! Nicole, again, was just incredibly impressive. I'm not in the least bit surprised that this girl already has her first WTA title under wraps. She also totally lacks the bratty, bitchy demeaner that a lot of young girls in her place *cough*Sesil*cough*Hingis*cough* often do. If one can "seem" like a nice player, she does. Yes, the thing I liked about Nicole was her great attitude on court. The only match I saw was her against Justine so you know... not much to form an opinion about her game when opposition is several levels above you. I thought she was just another brainless ball basher so, hopefully, you're right about her game. Again, loved her modest demeanour on court.
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Post by vaiva on Sept 14, 2004 8:35:14 GMT -5
Leo, great reports!
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Post by The Chloe on Sept 16, 2004 17:34:35 GMT -5
Nicole probably is a bit of a brainless basher, but she's going to be a very good one I think ;D
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