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Once again, I attended the first two days of the US Open, the last but not least of the Grand Slam tournaments.
This year brought the most oppressive heat in recent memory, with the temperature nearing triple digits in the shade.
Imagine then the on-court temperature in the full light of the blazing sun, and you can only wonder how players endure a couple of hours of virtually uninterrupted play.
Even with the economy in shambles, the US Open remains so popular that opening day set a new attendance record just shy of 60,000.
The US Open continues to be a sports fan’s favorite for a lot of reasons. Unlike other American sporting events, this Grand Slam tournament in Flushing Meadows, New York, is a truly global event, as it draws both participants and spectators from around the world.
Of course, adding to the international flavor is the great selection of diverse food options that sate any appetite.
Opening day was a big draw because five players who have known the thrill of standing alone at the end of the event, clutching an exceptionally beautiful trophy and a very generous check, are in the lineup, albeit in contests with unseeded competitors.
These champions include a well-known Swiss, a Belgian, an Australian and two Americans, hence the international flavor.
Top-seeded players Roger Federer (ranked second) and Venus Williams were the main draw for the opening night session. As expected, these former US Open champs clinched easy victories.
The highest ranked American player, Andy Roddick, winner of the crown in 2003 and carrying America’s hope for ultimate victory, was an easy winner, only to go down to defeat in the second round two days later.
Kim Clijsters, last year’s women’s champion, easily dispatched an unknown Hungarian. The upset of the day was the five-set victory of Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu over Australian Lleyton Hewitt, who took the men’s title in 2001.
Even when first round matches offer little surprise in the eventual outcome, there are the astonishing moments worthy of notice.
Roger Federer, who was just one tough tie-break from winning his sixth consecutive US Open crown last year, may be seeded second to Spaniard Rafael Nadal, but by virtue of his outstanding offensive play he may be poised to go all the way once again. On opening night, the Swiss star hardly had to exert himself against 26-year-old Argentine Brian Dabul.
However, in this lopsided contest, Federer delivered a most spectacular between-the-legs shot worthy of an Internet highlight.
While cruising along in a 5-to-3 lead in the second set, Federer was at the net when his opponent sailed a lob high overhead.
Making a mad dash to the baseline, and with his back turned to the net, Federer amazingly managed to smack the ball through his legs. More incredibly, the ball cleared the net and landed in a spot where Dabul could not make a return.
The crowd went nuts, and thanks to replay, this indelible moment in tennis history was the obvious high point of the day, if not for the whole tournament.
Early in the tournament, following Andy Roddick’s second round exit, America’s hopes for the men’s title is pinned on Mardy Fish, ranked nineteenth, and James Blake, the unseeded perennial crowd favorite.
On the second day, I had the pleasure of watching both Fish and Blake win their matches.
To the untrained eye, Mardy Fish, the 28-year old from Tampa, Fla., who’s on a hot streak after placing third in this year’s US Open Series, looks like a solid, utilitarian player with all the right skills.
Nevertheless, he appeared a bit erratic as he breezed to an easy 6-to-0 first set win, then lost the next two sets and rebounded with easy wins in the fourth and final sets.
While I enjoyed watching Maria Sharapova on the second night, I think it has as much to do with the fact that she is the reigning beauty on the court as with her style of play.
My favorite player remains James Blake, who entered the tournament as a wild card and has never advanced past the quarterfinals. His style of play is great fun to watch, but he’s somewhat unpredictable and prone to mistakes that can prove costly.
Nevertheless, Blake has spent a lifetime overcoming adversity, and he was honored during the opening night ceremony for enduring scoliosis as a kid and for a triumphant return to tennis after he fractured his neck in 2004.
The US Open runs until Sunday, Sept. 12, and there are certain to be plenty of tournament matches thrilling to watch.
How unfortunate it is that the YouTube highlight so far happens to be a brawl in the stands, where it appears a foul-mouthed young punk agitated a woman and an older man with his obnoxious behavior.
Cursing and abusive language at sporting events should never be tolerated and should at all times be reason enough for expulsion. Physical retaliation should not be condoned and might well have been avoided if security had arrived promptly on the scene.
But then, this type of ill-mannered conduct seems out of character for an event like the US Open since tennis rarely attracts hooligans.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
