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By James Waterson                                                        Photo Credit: Andy Kentla
Mardy Fish celebrates after he defeated Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on August 19. Photo Credit: Andy Kentla
(August 22, 2011) Mardy Fish, America’s top-ranked player and current World No. 8, won the US Open Series after he defeated Richard Gasquet in the fourth round of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati last week.

Fish has had an outstanding summer hard court season. He
won the Atlanta Tennis Championships and made the finals at the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles and the Rogers Cup in Montreal, and the semifinals in Cincinnati.

“It feels like a tournament win, really,” Fish said on Thursday. “I think it’s the epitome of what the US Open Series is, and that it’s not just coming over and playing two events and the US Open. It’s grinding it out all summer and playing well throughout the summer.”

Fish is the third American to win the series.
Andy Roddick won it in 2005 and 2006, and Sam Querrey clinched it in 2009.

The 29-year-old Fish will enter the US Open as
the top-ranked American for the first time in his career, a pressure he said he welcomes.

"It will be much different for me this time, in a good way,'' Fish said. “I hope to keep playing the way I'm playing. I'm right there. I played good all week. Just trying to solidify my spot, show that I belong, convince myself that I belong as well.''

Yet his recent win against
Rafael Nadal in last week’s quarterfinal in Cincinnati, the first time he’s beaten the Spaniard in his career, may signal a shift for Fish.

“It's just that small belief that I really felt like I could win. Not that I wanted to win, I really felt like I could and maybe should win in that scenario,” he said.

Fish was scheduled to play this week’s Winston Salem Open, but withdrew last week because of a heel injury that has bothered him the last few weeks.  

“I've played a lot of tennis this summer,” Fish said. “It's been a great. Semifinals of a huge event like this is a good result for anyone. So it's been two great weeks. I'll take two, three, four days off and regroup and get away from the court and then get back mid-next week.”

As the US Open Series champion, Fish could win a $1 million bonus if he wins the US Open.

The US Open starts Aug. 29 and ends Sept. 11.
 
 

 

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