Tennis and stuff. > September 2011
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Winner in 1999, 2002, 2008
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With 13 career Grand Slam singles titles, it's no surprise that Serena Williams makes our list, even more impressive that her first came at age 17, her latest a full decade later.
At the tender age of 17, Williams won her first professional title early in 1999, then turned plenty of heads by grabbing the title at Indian Wells, shocking No. 7 Steffi Graf.
Williams entered the US Open as the seventh seed, behind three other Americans including sister Venus. She endured consecutive three-set matches to reach the quarterfinals, where she outlasted No. 4 Monica Seles, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
It was another three sets to edge out No. 2 Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals, but Serena was just hitting her stride, wiping out No. 1 Martina HIngis 6-3, 7-6(4) to claim her first Grand Slam, becoming just the second African-American woman to win a Grand Slam title, and the first since Althea Gibson in 1958. She and Venus also combined to win the doubles crown.
By the time the 2002 Open rolled around, Williams had achieved the No. 1 world ranking for the first time and was coming off back-to-back wins at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Serena didn't struggle much in winning her section, losing exactly five games total in rounds two through four. She blasted Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals, but had more of a battle in the semifinals against Davenport, taking a 6-3, 7-5 victory.
The true test came in the final, when she and Venus became the first siblings to play each other for a Grand Slam title. Venus proved no match for little sister, who took a 6-4, 6-3 win. Serena went on to win the Australian Open to start the 2003 season, giving her all four titles at once, the so-called "Serena Slam."
It would be another six years before she claimed another title, seeded fourth in 2008.
After another easy sectional triumph, she squared off with Venus in the quarterfinals, taking a classic 7-6(6), 7-6(7) victory.
The hard part done, Williams dimissed Dinara Safina and Jelena Jankovic to lock up her third US Open crown.
Posted to Tennis and stuff. by
Nick on 9/1/2011 7:07:59 AM | with 0 comments
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WTA champion: 2005, 2009-2010
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There were any number of great players on the WTA tour by the middle of the 2000s, and plenty were feeling the same pressure as Kim Clijsters to win that first major - something she had come close to doing with two French Open final losses (2001, 2003) and a misstep in the 2003 Wimbledon semifinals.
Clijsters was the fourth seed at Flushing Meadows in 2005 and zipped through her section without losing a set. Her next two opponents were made of sterner stuff, but Clijsters was up to the challenge, rallying past Venus Williams 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, and upsetting No. 1 Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3 to reach her first US Open final.
She made the trip count, easily dismissing Mary Pierce 6-3, 6-1.
By the time Clijsters made it back to the Flushing Meadows final, she had gotten married, had a baby, retired, come back and had the unlikely ranking of No. 9,999.
She was given a wild card and started turning heads in the second round as she upset No. 14 Marion Bartoli, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. Her fourth-round opponent was World No. 3 Venus Williams, and the two players traded haymakers, with each winning a set 6-0. The third set saw Clijsters get a crucial break for a 6-4 victory and a trip to the quarterfinals.
She wiped out LI Na in the final eight, then No. 2 Serena Williams, 6-4, 7-5, in the semifinals, a match largely remembered for Williams' match-losing meltdown. In the final, the seasoned Clijsters pushed past ninth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki to secure the title.
After a slow start to the 2010 season, Clijsters came on strong and was seeded second to start the tournament. Her first four sets were again merely a warm-up as she blitzed through four straight opponents without losing a set or needing a tie-breaker.
The quarterfinals and semifinals were again a massive challenge. Samantha Stosur played Clijsters tough and tight in the quarterfinals, with the Belgian taking a 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 win.
Venus Williams, in what is starting to seem like her farewell signature peformance, was within sight of the final, up a set and in the tie-breaker, but Clijsters battled back to a 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 win.
A showdown with No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki seemed in the cards, but Vera Zvonareva upset Wozniacki to reach for second conscutive Grand Slam final. Clijsters treated her just as rudely as Serena Williams had in the Wimbledon final, cruising to a 6-2, 6-1 victory.
Posted to Tennis and stuff. by
Nick on 9/2/2011 10:27:32 AM | with 0 comments
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Three-time men's champion: 1985-1987
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To win three US Open titles is an admirable feat. To win three in a row is downright nasty.
Ivan Lendl won eight Grand Slam titles overall, but was most impressive in the country he would later become a citizen of, the United States.
By the time of the 1985 US Open, Lendl had already achieved the No. 1 ranking and taken his first Grand Slam title - the crown at Roland Garros in 1984.
Lendl was the No. 2 seed entering the Open and looked the part, smashing his first three opponents in straight sets before losing a set to upstart qualifier Jaime Yzaga to start the fourth round. He righted the ship and steamrolled the Peruvian in three straight to reach the quarterfinals.
Once there, it was business as usual for the Czech as he dismissed seventh-seeded Yannick Noah (6-2, 6-2, 6-4), fourth-seeded Jimmy Connors (6-2, 6-3, 7-5) and hated rival and top seed John McEnroe (7-6, 6-3, 6-4) to claim the crown.
A year later, Lelndl had added a win at the Tour Finals, a second French Open crown and reached the finals at Wimbledon for the first time, clearly solidfying his status as the game's top player.
His play at Flushing Meadows did little to dispute that, as he didn't lose a set until the quarterfinals, and only then when already ahead two sets to none against France's Henri Leconte.
Lendl blasted fourth-seeded Stefan Edberg in the semifinals, then faced an unlikely opponent in the finals, countryman Miloslav Mecir, the 16th seed, the last player to ever reach a Grand Slam final while using a wooden racket.
It was truly a shining moment for Czechoslovakia, as both contestants in the women's final - Martina Navratilova and Helena Sukova - were also natives of the country.
Lendl showed little camraderie on the court, blasting Mecir 6-4, 6-2, 6-0 to win his second straight crown.
He went on to win another Tour Final to end the season, repeated his French Open crown in 1987 and reached the Wimbledon finals again to enter the US Open as the No. 1 seed.
The early rounds remained little more than formality, particularly his rare triple-bagle victory over South Africa's Barry Moir in the first round.
McEnroe went down in three in the quarterfinals, and Connors followed suit in the semifinals.
Lendl's first set loss came when third-seeded Mats Wilander took the first set of the final 7-6, but Lendl struck back with a 6-0 equalizer. He went on to win the match in four sets, making him one of just four Open Era players to take three straight titles at Flushing Meadows.
Posted to Tennis and stuff. by
Nick on 9/3/2011 10:54:39 AM | with 8 comments
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Four-time champion: 1967, 1971, 1972, 1974
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Billie Jean King was the first legend of the WTA's Open Era, having accumulated three Grand Slam titles before it began and adding two more in its first year.
Her first title at Flushing Meadows came in 1967 as she won a marathon from Great Britain's Ann Haydon Jones - 11-9, 6-4.
In 1971, King was the No. 1 seed and crushed all who resisted her, not losing a single set as she marched to the title, defeating a young Chris Evert in the semifinals and fellow American Rosemary Casals in the final, her closest victory at 6-4, 7-6.
She repeated as champion in 1972, although had a bit more of a fight thanks to a quarterfinal battle with upcoming Brit Virginia Wade. King knocked off Margaret Court 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals, then took out the tournament's Cinderella story, unseeded Kerry Melville, 6-3, 7-5 to take another crown.
King's last US Open crown, and the second-to-last of Grand Slam of her career, came in comeback fashion against Australia's Evonne Goolagong.
After breezing through the first four rounds without losing a set, King had to come from behind to beat fellow American Julie Heldman 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals.
In the final, she fell behind by a set to Goolagong before rallying to a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory.
Posted to Tennis and stuff. by
Nick on 9/4/2011 9:21:54 AM | with 0 comments
With the seemingly flawless Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors ruling the roost, John McEnroe emerged as a champion for the every man in the early 1980s, playing the game with passion, anger and bravado that polarized the tennis world into two camps – love and hate of the man labeled “Big Mac.”
McEnroe was the third seed behind Bjorg and Connors entering the 1979 US Open and had difficulty early, struggling past a 33-year-old Ilie Nastatse in four sets in the second round.
He waltzed through the quarterfinals when Eddie Dibbs had to retire after just three games, allowing McEnroe to witness the stunning news in person - fellow American Roscoe Tanner had upset Borg in the quarterfinals. Borg had reached the final at the US Open in 1978 and won both the French Open and Wimbledon earlier in 1979. He seemed a mortal lock to at least reach the final, if not to win it.
In the semifinals, McEnroe outclassed Connors in straight sets, setting up a final against fourth-seeded Vitas Gerulaitis. McEnroe took a tough 7-5 first set and cruised from there to notch his first Grand Slam title - he added the doubles crown as well, one of four he would win at Flushing Meadows.
Despite being the defending champion, McEnroe was the second seed behind Bjorg to start the 1980 tournament. He lost only one set in winning his section, then lost the first set of his quarterfinal match to a 20-year-old Czech named Ivan Lendl before rallying to a four-set win.
The semifinal matchup was again a match with Connors, now the No. 3 seed. After the two split the first two sets, Connors staggered McEnroe with a 6-0 third-set victory to move to the brink of the final. McEnroe bounced back with a 6-3 fourth-set victory to force a fifth set, which he won in a dramatic tie-breaker.
Awaiting in the final was Bjorg, who despite his marvelous pedigree, never laid claim to the title at the Australian or US Opens. McEnroe took the first two sets to get to the brink of a repeat, before Borg struck back with 7-6 and 7-5 wins to force an unlikely fifth set.
McEnroe got a pivotal break late to win 6-4 in what many experts called one of the top five matches in tennis history.
Borg and McEnroe would clash again in the finals of the 1981 US Open, this time with McEnroe as the No. 1 seed and Borg demoted to No. 2. McEnroe actually lost the first set of his first match to Chile's Juan Nunez before winning 12 in a row en route to the quarterfinals.
There, he fell behind a set to India's Ramesh Krishnan and had to hustle to advance, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2.
The semifinals were even tougher as McEnroe took on 1979 final opponent Gerulatitis, now the 15th seed. McEnroe took five sets to reach another final, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
Borg struck first in the finals, but McEnroe was too strong in the end, taking a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 win.
McEnroe's streak of three straight titles ended with a semifinal loss to Lendl in 1982. He was the No. 1 seed in 1983, but was stunned in the fourth round by 16th-seeded Bill Scanlon.
In 1984, McEnroe pieced together what was arguably the greatest season in ATP Open Era history, as he went 82-3 and won both Wimbledon, the US Open and the Tour Finals, also reaching the French Open finals. Overall, he won 13 tournaments and also helped the US win the World Team Cup and finish second at the Davis Cup.
At Flushing Meadows, McEnroe did not lose more than three games in a set in winning his section. He swept his quarterfinal match, then went to war once more with Connors in the semifinals, finally taking a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory.
That led him to a final with the rapidly-improving Lendl, who had rallied from a 2-0 hole to beat McEnroe at the French Open final.
McEnroe returned the favor and then some, storming past Lendl in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 to claim his fourth US Open crown.
Posted to Tennis and stuff. by
Nick on 9/5/2011 6:20:19 AM | with 0 comments
Had it not been for the tie-break prowess of Hana Mandlikova, Czechoslovakia's Martina Navratilova would have not only tied Roger Federer for the longest streak of consecutive US Open titles, she also would have been the only woman in WTA history to win five straight.
By the start of the 1983 US Open, Navratilova had won six Grand Slam titles, had won two Slams in 1983 alone (the Australian Open and Wimbledon) and was in hot pursuit of the career Grand Slam, lacking only the American championship.
The US Open was Navratilova's Achilles' heel during the early part of her career, falling in the semifinals in 1975 and 1977-1979, and in the finals in 1981.
The 1983 tournament changed all that, as Navratilova destroyed the competition in one of the most dominant performances the game has ever seen.
She did not lose a single set, and never lost more than three games in a set - doing so just twice - once in the quarterfinals, and once in the final. She ripped fifth-seeded Pam Shrive 6-2, 6-1 in the semifinals and dismissed No. 2 Chris Evert 6-1, 6-3 in the final.
She was nearly as dominant in repeating the title in 1984, losing just one set throughout the tournament. Helena Sukova went down 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals, and upstart Wendy Turnbull fell 6-4, 6-1 in the semifinals.
Evert surprised Navratilova with a 6-4 victory in the first set, but Navratilova fired back with a pair of 6-4 wins in the second and third sets to claim her second US Open crown.
After the title loss in 1985, Navratilova was back on point in 1986, taking out 11th-seeded Gabriela Sabatini 6-4, 6-2 in the fourth round and old friend Shriver, 6-2, 6-4 in the quarters.
The semifinals brough Navratilova face to face with the future of the game, third-seeded Stefi Graf, then a mere 17 years old. Navratilova's experience was the difference in an all-out war, 6-1, 6-7(3), 7-6(8) that propelled her to the final.
She thought she would face Evert there again, but instead found herself against fellow Czech Helena Sukova, who shocked the American 6-2, 6-4.Navratilova treated the upstart like any other opponent and cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 win for her third title.
Graf rose to the No. 1 seed by the start of the 1987 US Open, with Navratilova down to No. 2.
The legend didn't allow the slight demotion to affect her game, as she again went the entire tournament without losing a single set.
Graf, after surviving a three-set battle with Lori McNeil in the semifinals, was waiting in the final. Navratilova took a tie-break first-set win, and used the momentum to power past Graf 6-1 in the second set for her fourth US Open crown.
Posted to Tennis and stuff. by
Nick on 9/6/2011 6:32:06 AM | with 0 comments
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Five titles: 1988-1989, 1993, 1995-1996
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It was only by virtue of being a teenager when legends like Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert were still active that kept Germany's Steffi Graf from winning more US Opens than any woman in history. As it was, she took the event's crown five times, none more impressively than in 1988 when she won the single-season Golden Slam, the only woman in history to do so.
Graf won her first career major in 1987, winning at Roland Garros, and showing the world what was to come by reaching the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, where she lost to Navratilova.
In 1988, she won the first three Slams of the year, putting all eyes on her as she entered the US Open as the obvious No. 1 seed. At that point, no woman had taken the single-season Grand Slam since Margaret Court in 1970.
The first three rounds went by with Graf barely breaking a sweat, losing 2, 1 and 1 games against her first three opponents.
In the quarterfinals, she smashed 14th seed Katerina Maleeva 6-3, 6-0, then advanced to the final when Evert had to withdraw with an injury. Defending champion Navratilova had been upset by Zina Garrison in the quarterfinals, leaving Gabriela Sabitini to face Graf with the title on the line.
Never one to back down, Sabatini was the first player to take a set off Graf in the tournament, taking the second 6-3, but Graf fired back with a 6-1 third set to take complete the Grand Slam, adding an Olympic gold medal later that month.
Graf made it five straight Slams the following January at Australia, reached the French Open final and won Wimbledon, giving her the shot at seven Slams in eight majors.
She didn't lose a set until the semifinals, dispatching of the opposition relentlessly. She faced Sabatini in the semis, and fell behind a set before rallying to a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win.
Navratilova waited in the final, and appeared to have pulled one more rabbit out of her hat, taking a 6-3 first set. But Graf fired back with a gutty 7-5 second-set win, then conquered her legendary predecessor with a 6-1 victory.
Both Sabatini and Navratilova got their revenge in the next two seasons - Sabatini took the 1990 title in two sets, and Navratilova won an amazing 7-6(2), 6-7(6), 6-4 semifinal victory in 1991 at age 34 (she would lose to Monica Seles in the final).
Graf seemed to have lost a step on American soil by 1992, when she fell in the quarterfinals to fifth-seeded Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario. When reigning No. 1 Monica Seles was felled by a deranged fan's knife early in 1993, Graf became the top seed again and responded accordingly, racing through the first four rounds at Flushing Meadows.
She ran into difficulty in the final eight, surving Sabatini in the quarterfinals, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, and Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere in the semifinals, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 to reach her first final in three years.
She bested Helena Sukova there, 6-3, 6-3, to add her third US Open crown.
She just missed repeating the crown in 1994, not dropping a set until the final before falling to Sanchez-Vicario, 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-4.
She was back in the final in 1995, after getting a first-round scare from South Africa's Amanda Coetzer, escaping 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-4.
She didn't lose another set until final, when she met up with Seles, who had completed her amazing comeback and was the sentimental favorite, even against a fan favorite like Graf.
Graf took a thrilling 7-6(6) first set, Seles responded with a vicious 6-0 second, but Graf proved the better on the day, winning the third set 6-3 to notch her fourth US Open title.
She had one encore performance left, and delivered it the next year - never losing a set as she marched to her fifth US Open crown, eliminating the ever-popular Anna Kournikova in the fourth round, Martina Hingis in the semis, and yes, Seles once more in the final, 7-5, 6-4.
Posted to Tennis and stuff. by
Nick on 9/7/2011 6:35:01 AM | with 1 comments
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Five-time champion: 1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1983
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American as they come, Jimmy Connors never won the French Open and only won Australia once, but was right at home at Flushing Meadows, site of five of his eight Grand Slam championships.
A quarterfinalist in 1973, Connors came into the 1974 tournament having won Australia and Wimbledon, unable to pursue a Grand Slam because of the feud between the French Open and World Team Tennis.
The other two Slam titles had him as the clear cut No. 1 seed, but the road wasn't easy. He was taken to four sets in the first, third and fourth rounds to escape his section, and again in the quarterfinals.
The sailing was smoother in the final four, as Connors swept Roscoe Tanner in the semifinals and Ken Rosewall in the final for his first American slam.
After falling in the 1975 final to Spain's Manuel Orantes, Connors was back on point as the No. 1 seed in 1976. A format change saw the first three rounds being best-of-threes, and Connors took advantage to sweep all three opponents.
He didn't lose a set until the final, where he split the first two sets with second-seeded Bjorn Borg, won a pivotal third-set tie-breaker and took the title in four.
After another final loss in 1977, Connors made the even-numbered years his triumph yet again in 1978. He had slipped to the No. 2 seed as Borg began his non-American reign across the sport.
After cruising through the first two rounds, Connors was pushed to three sets in the third round by unseeded Pat Dupre, and to five sets in the fourth round by unseeded Adriano Panatta.
Again, once Connors survived the sectional wars, he was unstoppable. He swept sixth-seeded Brian Gottfried in the semifinals, upstart 15th seed John McEnroe in the semifinals and swept the mighty Borg in the final, part of he and McEnroe's decade-long denial of the Swede's quest for a career Grand Slam.
The next three seasons made many tennis watchers believe that Connors had fallen behind Borg and McEnroe for good. He reached the semifinals of six straight Slams in 1979-1980 and eight of 10 overall.
He was swept by McEnroe in the 1979 US Open semifinals, downed by McEnroe in five sets in the 1980 semis and by Borg in the 1980 semifinals.
Connors regained his swagger at Wimbledon in 1982 with a come-from-behind, five-set victory over McEnroe. McEnroe was still the No. 1 seed entering the US Open, but Connors sped through his section, losing just one set.
He battled past Guillermo Vilas in four sets in the semifinals to find not McEnroe, but Ivan Lendl waiting for him in the final. He delayed the young Czech's first of many Grand Slams with a four-set win.
Winning the crown at age 30 was impressive, but only until 1983, when Connors did it again at 31. He had dropped to No. 3 in the world after falling in the fourth round at Wimbledon, but after losing a set in the first round, he swept his next five opponents.
The tournament's field took a tremendous detour when top-seeded McEnroe was upset in the fourth round. Second-seeded Lendl was again Connors' opponent in the final, but the wily American was still the superior, taking a 6-3, 6-7, 7-5, 6-0 victory.
Connors would make the semifinals three times in the next four years, then gave fans one last fantastic thrill in 1991, when he reached the final four yet again at the age of 39.
Entering the tournament as a wild card, Connors beat another McEnroe, Patrick, in a first-set thriller, upset 10th-seeded Karel Novacek in the third round and outlasted Aaron Krickstein in an amazing 3-6, 7-6(8), 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) fourth round marathon.
He was finally defeated by fellow American Jim Courier in the semifinals.
Posted to Tennis and stuff. by
Nick on 9/8/2011 6:37:03 AM | with 0 comments
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Five-time champion: 1990, 1993, 1995-1996, 2002
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Few players ever took to the US Open like Pete Sampras, and none gave the crowd what it wanted in his final appearance there like the American legend.
Between 1988 and 2002, Sampras racked up a 71-9 record at Flushing Meadows, reaching the finals a record eight times.
The lanky American had just turned 19 when he entered the 1990 Open as the No. 12 seed. He upset sixth-seeded Thomas Muster to reach the quarterfinals, then took out third-seeded Ivan Lendl in five sets. Awaiting in the semifinals was an unexpected opponent - 31-year-old John McEnroe, who entered the field unseeded and rode to the final four by taking out two Top 10 seeds in his section.
Sampras took out McEnroe in four, then swept longtime rival Andre Agassi in straight sets. It took Sampras three years to win another US Open, but when he did, it was becoming quite clear that he was the best player in the world.
Sampras fell in the quarterfinals in 1991 and the finals in 1992, then entered the 1993 tournament as the No. 2 seed behind fellow American Jim Courier.
Sampras lost just one set in his first five matches - that against Michaesl Chang in the quarterfinals. It was a wild final eight - other than Sampras, Chang was the highest surviving seed at No. 7. Also making the quarterfinals were the eighth, 12th, 14th and 15th seeds, along with two unseeded players.
Sampras whipped No. 14 Alexander Volkov in three sets, and dismissed France's Cedric Pioline in similar fashion, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in the final.
Upset in the fourth round in 1994, he was the No. 2 seed in 1995 behind chief rival Agassi.
While Agassi had to go five sets to survive the second round, Sampras cruised through his section, losing just one set.
The quarterfinals were overwhelmingly American - with Patrick McEnroe, Chang and Courier joining Sampras and Agassi.
Sampras crushed upstart Byron Black in the quarterfinals, and outlasted Courier in the semis in four sets.
Agassi defeated Boris Becker in the semis to set up an all-American final, which Smapras took in convincing 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 fashion for his third US Open crown.
He didn't have to wait long for his fourth. In some ways, 1996 was a disappointing year for Sampras leading into Flushing Meadows. He lost in the third round of the Australian Open a year after reaching the final, and tumbled in the Wimbledon quarterfinals after winning three straight crowns there.
His biggest success had come at the French Open, when he reached the semifinals after a first-round flame-out in 1995. He nearly had a short end to the US Open as well, taken five sets in the second round by Jin Novak before recovering for a win.
He was challenged again by Spain's Alex Corretja, taking a harrowing 7-6(5), 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(7) victory. Another harrowing escape awaited in the semifinals, a 6-3, 6-4, 6-7(9), 6-3 victory over fourth-seeded Goran Ivanisevic.
It was a second straight all-American final, with Sampras taking out No. 2 Chang in straight sets.
Sampras would not return to the US Open final until 2000. He won four straight Wimbledon
crowns in the interim, but he was getting routinely beat at the other Majors, in earlier and earlier rounds.
In 2002, he was bounced in the first round at the French Open and the second round at Wimbledon, his earlies exit at the All England Club since 1991.
With the end of his career near, Sampras did something special to leave his indelible mark on the game. He was 31 by the start of the 2002 tournament, seeded just 17th.
In the third round, he went to war against Great Britain's Greg Rusedski, needing five sets to pull out a 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-4 win. The fourth round pitted him against German third-seed Tommy Haas, but the competitive juices were now flowing full force in Sampras, as he took a huge upset win, 7-6, 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-5.
In the quarterfinals, Sampras squared off against the future of American tennis. Young Andy Roddick, seeded 11th, was another surprising entry in the final eight. While Roddick would take center stage at Flushing Meadows a year later, this match belonged to Sampras, who swept his young contemporary.
In the semifinals, he defeated another surprising contestant, 24th-seeded Sjeng Schalken. The bigger news came from the other semifinal, where rival Agassi upset reigning No. 1 and defending champion Lleyton Hewitt.
Impossibly, it set up yet another Agassi-Sampras clash, and again it was Sampras who emerged victorious.
In the final Grand Slam match of his illustrious career, he defeated Agassis 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 for his 14th major tournament title.
Posted to Tennis and stuff. by
Nick on 9/9/2011 7:05:01 AM | with 1 comments
The light went on for Roger Federer in 2004, the year he won three Grand Slam titles for the first time. It would not go off again at Flushing Meadows for a long time.
Federer won five straight US Open titles from 2004-2008, a feat unequaled by any man or woman in the Open Era. Entering the 2011 field, Federer is a ridiculous 56-6 for his career at the US Open.
After three straight fourth-round losses at Flushing Meadows between 2001-2003, Federer entered the 2004 field as the No. 1 seed. His biggest battle came in the quarterfinals, when he outlasted sixth-seeded Andre Agassi in five sets, before cruising through the semifinals and finals in straight sets.
The 2005 tournament saw Federer against Agassi again, but this time in the final. Battling both Agassi and a pro-American crowd, Federer took the win in four sets.
Another season, another American to challenge him in the final, but Federer was able to hold off former champion Andy Roddick in four sets in the 2006 final. The 2007 season brought Federer face to face with rising star Novak Djokovic, who was quickly shown the door in straight sets to cap a tournament in which he lost just two sets.
The following season saw Federer break the hearts of another nation - Great Britain. With Andy Murray one win away from breaking the UK's 72-year Grand Slam slump, the sweet-swinging Swiss took a convincing 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 victory for his fifth straight US Open crown.
Posted to Tennis and stuff. by
Nick on 9/10/2011 10:07:47 AM | with 0 comments
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Six titles: 1975-1978, 1980, 1982
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Only one player in the history of the US Open has won six titles in the Open Era - American Chris Evert. A full one-third of her 18 career Grand Slam singles titles came at Flushing Meadows, but incredibly it wasn't even her most successful Slam - she also took seven crowns at Roland Garros.
Evert wasn't quite 21 when she took her first US Open crown in 1975, a dramatic 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Australia's Evonne Goolagong. The tie-breaker was the only set Evert lost during the entire tournament.
She defended that first title, not once or twice, but thrice. She smoked Goolagon 6-3, 6-0 in 1976, knocked Australia's Wendy Turnbull 7-6, 6-2 in 1977 and edged out Pam Shriver 7-5, 6-4 in 1978.
Evert just missed making it five straight titles in 1979, falling to Tracy Austin 6-4, 6-3. By 1980, she had added a new last named (Evert-Lloyd) and another come-from-behind US Open title, rallying past Hana Mandikova, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.
In 1981, Evert missed the final for the first time since 1974, defeated by Martina Navratilova in an epic semifinal, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. She was back in business in 1982, knocking down her sixth and final US Open crown with a 6-3, 6-1 domination of Mandikova.
In addition to her six overall crowns, Evert owns the following US Open records: four consecutive titles; 31 straight victories; nine career finals; six consecutive finals; three-times winning the title in straight sets.
Perhaps even more remarkably, Evert made at least the quarterfinals every year she played the US Open, from 1971-1989. In 19 trips to the tournament, she made it to at least the semifinals 17 times.
Posted to Tennis and stuff. by
Nick on 9/11/2011 6:01:00 PM | with 0 comments
Summer might be over, but with a bit of a lull in the tennis schedule, one's mind tends to wander.
There haven't been too many great tennis movies made, I figured I'd start writing my own. But today's players command high dollar sums for the smallest of public appearances, and they can't take time out from their busy schedules to film scenes in a movie, so I'll have to go head to Hollywood for my pool of talent.
Now before you start worrying about a plot or character development, chill out. I'm going to get Michael Bay to direct and it'll just be 90 minutes of explosions, CGI tennis balls, chicks in tight clothing and American flags - in other words, a guaranteed $300 million smash hit.
Now, on to the casting.
 Ben the Bachelor as Rafael Nadal - The guy appears to have no muscle tone, and his one athletic accomplishment on "The Bachelorette" involved him and the guy who looked just like him finishing dead last in a kayak race, but the resemblance is uncanny.
 Dustin Diamond as Novak Djokovic - I realize it's not the most flattering comparison, but the similiarities, particularly in the eyes and the bridge of the nose is a bit spooky. Plus, if Screech finally wants to impress Lisa into going on a date with him, winning three Grand Slams in one year and being ranked No. 1 in the world is a good start.
 Sean William Scott as Andy Roddick - To be frankly honest, I rather prefer Stifler to Andy Roddick personality-wise the last few years, at least Stifler had a motive, Roddick has just turned into a whiner.
 The Winklevoss Twins as the Bryan Brothers - They are young, tall and quite athletically gifted. And even though they sued the heck out of Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, they appear hard up for work, as that Pistachio commerical would indicate.
 Dolph Lundgren as Kevin Anderson - I'm not really sure why Kevin Anderson would be in a tennis movie, but I loved me some Lundgren in Rocky IV. Maybe he can repeated his famous line here, walking up to the net against Nadal and uttering, "I must break you."
 Marcos Baghdatis - Mac from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" - Mac gained 50 pounds during the show's hiatus sheerly for the laughs. Bahgdatis could use a few chuckles of his own. If you're not watching this show, set your DVR immediately!
 Nikolay Davydenko as Woody Harrelson - OK, this comparison is mostly based on the size and shape of their heads, and the folically-challenged state they live in. Woody is a bit of a loose cannon, but since he's going to be in the movie version of the rockin' novel "The Hunger Games," I'm going to give him a free pass here.
Posted to Tennis and stuff. by
Nick on 9/24/2011 9:39:03 PM | with 0 comments
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The best of the year to date!
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One of the best things about tennis is that you never know who's going to turn the corner and move into the spotlight in any given season, no matter how confident the experts are going into the year.
Here's a look at eight players who have exceeded expectations to date in 2011.
ATP
 Novak Djokovic - What's he doing here, you might ask? Well, were you expecting him to go 64-3 and win three Grand Slams the year after Nadal won three? I didn't think so.
 Janko Tipsarevic - After being one of the most frustrating players for the opening years of his career, Tipsarevic's part in Serbia's Davis Cup win last winter seems to have done him some good. Tipsarevic has topped 40 wins for the first time in his career, and finally broken into the Top 20, in large part thanks to a quarterfinal appearance at the US Open and a semifinal trip at the Rogers Cup.
 Viktor Troicki - Like his fellow Serbian, a little team winning got Troicki in gear and the 25-year-old has been ranked as high as 12th in 2011 (currently No. 15). Is Serbia turning into the new Spain for male players? Troicki is 34-20 on the year and Serbia has three men ranked in the Top 20.
 Alexandr Dolgopolov - Not only did Dolgopolov explode up the rankings with his performance at the Australian Open in January, but he's stayed there, even more impressive when you think about it. He followed that with a finals appearance at Costa Do Sauipe, a win at Umag, a fourth-round trip at the US Open and another semifinal at Metz.
 Milos Raonic - Injuries have been the only thing to stop the lanky, hard-serving 20-year-old Canadian. He peaked at No. 25 in the rankings, but has since slipped back to 30th as his knees have kept him off the court. Still, it's hard to deny his trip from the qualifier rounds to the fourth round of the Australian Open, which he followed up with a win at San Jose, a final at Memphis and the semifinals at Estoril. He missed three months following Wimbledon, but is still 26-14 on the year.
WTA
 Li Na - Entering the season, Na was already the best Chinese player ever, having reached at least the quarterfinals of three different Grand Slams in her career and finishing in the Top 30 for five straight seasons. The native of Wuhan has taken a quantum leap forward in 2011, starting the year with a win over Kim Clijsters in Sydney and a trip to the Australian Open finals, where she fell to Clijsters. After a rough month, she took the clay courts by storm by reaching two consecutive semifinals before winning the French Open, defeating defending champion Francesca Schiavone in the final. Although she bowed out early at Wimbledon and the US Open, she's still ranked fifth in the world and 31-14 on the year.
 Shuai Peng - Quietly dominating in Na's shadow this season has been Peng, making the huge leap forward from 72nd at the end of 2010 to her current 15th. Peng has made the fourth round of three of the four majors in 2011 after never getting past a single third round before. She's basically played every tournament possible, racking up a 51-18 record.
 Sabine Lisicki - Just five days past her 22nd birthday, Lisicki is an impressive 46-16 on the season with a win at Birmingham, semifinals at Wimbledon and Stanford and another victory at Dallas.
 Petra Kvitova - At 45-11 on the year, Kvitova hasn't done much wrong this season, starting the year with a title at Brisbane and going forward from there, with a title at Paris over Clijsters, over Victoria Azarenka at Madrid and the big one - upending Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in dominant fashion.
 Maria Sharapova - After dropping to 14th at the end of 2009 and to 18th at the end of 2010, Sharapova has come back strong, ranked No. 2 in the world for the first time since the end of 2006. Another Grand Slam title has thus far eluded her this year, but making the final at Wimbledon and the semifinals at the French Open is no slouch either. She's 41-11 to date.
Posted to Tennis and stuff. by
Nick on 9/28/2011 6:59:42 AM | with 0 comments
Here's my main problem with all the airing of grievances lately concerning the lenghty ATP schedule and how many tournaments players are required to compete in to be eligible for the year-end championships: This sort of discussion should take place behind closed doors.
These athletes are neither the first group of tennis players nor the first set of athletes to take to the media to voice their discontent with the way things are. And never once, at least in my memory, has public griping ingratiated any group of professional sporting men (or women) to their fans.
When athletes can't agree with their league, bad things happen - namely lockouts and strikes. The first professional sports strike that occurred in my lifetime was the 1982 NFL strike - which cost pro football fans 57 days and cut the season from 16 games down to nine.
As a fan of the Houston Oilers during those days, I can't say I really minded that strike because the Oilers were absoutely terrible, and I only had to watch them lose eight games instead of 15.
Fast-forward 12 years to the 1994 baseball season, where players staged a walkout in mid-August that lasted until the following April, wiping out the playoffs and the World Series, the first time it hadn't been played in 90 years.
Baseball owners had proposed a salary cap and players refused to go along with it, walking out of ballparks across the country and not returning for a full nine months.
The strike didn't kill the sport, but it deeply damaged it, and one of the only things that brought it back was a home run race which years later was revealed to largely be the product of performance-enhancing drugs.
The NBA followed suit with a lockout in 1999 that cut its season from 82 games to 50, and made New York Knick Patrick Ewing appear to be the biggest jackass alive when he uttered the immortal words, "Sure we make a lot of money, but we spend a lot of money, too."
But professional hockey topped all of the others in 2004-2005 with the cancellation of ane entire season, with the owners locking out the players. The lengthy layoff destroyed fan support in dozens of NHL cities, particularly expansion towns in the USA. It also stole fans of the NFL to other sports and cost the league and its teams hundreds of millions of dollars in TV deals and advertising rates.
Tennis, popular as we like to think it is, remains a niche sport. It only makes msot sports broadcasts for the majors and the Olympics, and even then, usually only for the last two or three days.
If there are arguments to be made between the players and the league, they need to be done just there - between the two of them.
If things get nasty in public and fans get turned off, tennis stars could see the sort of drought the NHL went through and that, right soon.
Posted to Tennis and stuff. by
Nick on 9/28/2011 10:20:23 PM | with 0 comments
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