**!Justine
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Last Week's Tournament
U.S. Open (ATP & WTA - Hard - New York, United States)
- Men's Singles Final: Roger Federer def. Novak Djokovic 7-6, 7-6, 6-4.
- Men's Singles Semifinal: Roger Federer def. Nikolay Davydenko 7-5, 6-1, 7-5.
- Men's Singles Semifinal: Novak Djokovic def. David Ferrer 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.
- Men's Singles Bracket
- Women's Singles Final: Justine Henin def. Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-3.
- Women's Singles Semifinal: Justine Henin def. Venus Williams 7-6, 6-4.
- Women's Singles Semifinal: Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Anna Chakvetadze 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.
- Women's Singles Bracket
- Men's Doubles Final: Simon Aspelin/Julian Knowle def. Lukas Dlouhy/Pavel Vizner 7-5, 6-4.
- Men's Doubles Semifinal: Simon Aspelin/Julian Knowle def. Julien Benneteau/Nicolas Mahut 7-6, 1-6, 6-3.
- Men's Doubles Semifinal: Lukas Dlouhy/Pavel Vizner def. Paul Hanley/Kevin Ullyett 6-4, 6-2.
- Men's Doubles Bracket
- Women's Doubles Final: Nathalie Dechy/Dinara Safina def. Yung-Jan Chan/Chia-Jung Chuang 6-4, 6-2.
- Women's Doubles Semifinal: Nathalie Dechy/Dinara Safina def. Kveta Peschke/Rennae Stubbs 6-4, 6-4.
- Women's Doubles Semifinal: Yung-Jan Chan/Chia-Jung Chuang def. Agnes Szavay/Vladimira Uhlirova 6-2, 7-6.
- Women's Doubles Bracket
- Mixed Doubles Final: Victoria Azarenka/Max Mirnyi def. Meghann Shaughnessy/Leander Paes 6-4, 7-6.
- Mixed Doubles Bracket
- Junior Boys' Singles Final: Ricardas Berankis def. Jerzy Janowicz 6-3, 6-4.
- Junior Boys' Singles Bracket
- Junior Girls' Singles Final: Kristina Kucova def. Urszula Radwanska 6-3, 1-6, 7-6.
- Junior Girls' Singles Bracket
By the Letter
(This week's "McGrogan's Heroes" are a pretty obvious pair, so I'm going to use the "By the Letters" to recognize some other players for their achievements at the U.S. Open.)
T...ommy Haas made the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open for the third time in the last four years. He's also made the fourth round or better at every Grand Slam tournament he's played this year.
E...rnests Gulbis made a complete mockery of Tommy Robredo after defeating the No. 8 seed (in name only) 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 in the third round.
N...ow ranked in the top ten, Marion Bartoli is reaping the benefits of an incredible year after another solid performance at a major. Although she hasn't won a title, she may very well qualify for the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships based on her consistently favorable results.
N...ovak Djokovic has distanced himself quite a bit from Andy Murray as the brightest young star on tour (sans Nadal) since the beginning of the year, wouldn't you say?
I...slander Carlos Moya bested his Mallorcan buddy Rafael Nadal by getting all the way to the final eight, before running into eventual finalist Djokovic.
S...tanislas Wawrinka - the other Swiss ATP Tour pro - had his best showing at a Grand Slam tournament after reaching the fourth round. Marat Safin and hometown favorite Robby Ginepri were two of his victims. He also looks like Rick Ankiel (scroll to the bottom).
W...illiams sisters were often the subject of discussion this week - for better or worse. Clearly, the better of the two (at least for now), is Venus, who has been reborn since her victory at the All England Club.
O...bligatory props go to Svetlana Kuznetsova for her run to the finals, but she didn't look like she belonged in the same borough as Justine Henin when the match was over.
R...adwanksa (Agnieszka) and Szavay (Agnes) are a pair of eighteen-year olds who have two things in common: they both reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open, and they are both former "McGrogan's Heroes".
L...efty Sybille Bammer had no trouble in her first three matches - she didn't drop a set - and gave Jelena Jankovic all she could handle in the fourth round.
D...avid Ferrer backed up his surprise win against Andy Roddick at the Cincinnati Masters with a semifinal appearance - his best ever finish at a Grand Slam tournament.
McGrogan's Heroes
Normally, I separate the heroes of the week into a men's and women's section. But after yet another outstanding performance from Roger Federer and Justine Henin at a major tournament, the similarities between these two has become too much to ignore.
Henin isn't going to break the record for most Grand Slam titles by a woman, as her seven major victories are still well behind Steffi Graf's 22 and Margaret Smith Court's 24. But Justine doesn't need to do what Roger Federer is going to accomplish to prove her dominance. Henin has demonstrated that she is, far and away, the best player in women's tennis today after winning her second U.S. Open. Justine defeated both Williams sisters in the process, who were seen as her most likely threats coming into the tournament. Looking at her year as a whole, the perseverance of Henin - who has publicity admitted some of her family troubles - is quite remarkable. She overcame a collapse against Serena Williams in Miami with a more important win at Roland Garros, and she atoned for her Wimbledon upset at the hands of Marion Bartoli this week at Flushing Meadows. Even Federer can't say that he's won the French and the U.S. Open in the same year - and Justine has done it twice.
The lack of a Coupe des Mousquetaires might be the only knock on Roger after this latest fortnight of splendid tennis. Federer has been criticized on many occasions this year; more so than in any other period of his reign atop the tennis world. After Indian Wells and Miami, people wondered where the Roger of old went. After getting beaten badly by Rafa at Monte Carlo and then losing to Fillipo Volandri in Rome soon after, the cat calls were heard again. Most recently, after blowing crucial set points against Novak Djokovic in Montreal, some pundits proclaimed that Djokovic would be Federer's Nadal of hard courts. But that wasn't to be this week, as Roger, although many times playing under his potential, still won in Queens after dropping only two sets. There's no other words I can say about Roger than simply, "enjoy it".
Both the ATP and WTA have year-end tournaments, but no matter who wins them, the result will not tarnish the achievements of Henin and Federer, who are not only the heroes of the week, but the heroes of the year.
Next Week's Tournaments
BCR Open Romania (ATP - Clay - Bucharest, Romania)
- Website
- Singles Bracket
- Doubles Bracket
No television coverage in the United States.
China Open (ATP - Hard - Beijing, China)
- Website
- Singles Bracket
- Doubles Bracket
No television coverage in the United States.
Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic (WTA - Hard - Bali, Indonesia)
- Website
- Singles & Doubles Bracket
No television coverage in the United States.
Beyond the Bracket
(In between scarfing down a salad with mounds of feta cheese, Pete asked me at lunch a few days ago if I would post my experiences during my two weeks at the U.S. Open. Below are those thoughts, which also happened to be my final diary entry over at Gasquet & Racquet. I've chosen to post it here as well, because I'm not sure I could come up with another way to fully describe my time in Flushing Meadows as a whole.)
When I first received an offer to work at the US Open as a writer, I didn't expect that I would be writing a match report on a Tim Henman classic, a post-match analysis on a Roger Federer victory, or a tome about the year's most memorable matches at Grand Slams. I expected a bit of grunt work, and if I got to write, I assumed that the pieces would be about the lower-end matches that parade the grounds during the fortnight. To my delight, this expectation was dashed within the first day or two of the tournament.
Starting with a John Isner match that I watched, and ending with a Roger Federer victory that I celebrated, I've had incredible access these past two weeks to anything and everything tennis. I've seen more matches than I ever thought possible - some great, some not even close to great. With that luxury, I've seen players that I've always wanted to watch. I specifically remember compiling a list of players who I wanted to see live, and the two at the top of that list were Fabrice Santoro and James Blake. Coincidentally, they met in round two under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Was it a coincidence, or did someone know I was coming to New York?
With the freedom and resources given to me as a member of the media, I've also gotten to explore the world of tennis far beyond the court. I've sat in on press conferences as captivating as the transcripts I usually read online (Roger Federer) and as gloomy as what I would have expected (Andy Roddick, after getting beaten by Roger Federer). I've walked around the player's lounge, passing a different Grand Slam champion at every corner. Sure, there were plenty of obscure names as well, but in my world, no tennis information is too obscure.
I've also taken advantage of my situation to do some things that I have always wanted to do on a personal level. I got to walk around the grounds at my own pace after two years of accompanying others and making sure that we had enough time to do what we wanted. I got to finally work with the United States Tennis Association (where there were a number of great folks), expanding my ever-growing store of tennis experience. Last but certainly not least, I got to ask Roger a question (that I had thought of weeks before) at his press conference - and then take a picture with him that I will display proudly. Federer is one of the big reasons why I started following tennis so seriously, and it was truly an honor to see him in person off the court. As I expected, he was as gracious as many have claimed. Pictures are worth much more than a thousand words in this case.
If there had to be one important thing that came out of this entire experience, it is that my love for the sport of tennis is as high as it has ever been. The dream final of Federer/Nadal didn't occur like I wanted it to, but that's ok. I was fine with Federer/Djokovic, and would have been ok with Federer/Ferrer, or even Blake/Ferrer. (Davydenko/Ferrer might be pushing it.) No matter what the pairing, I would still watch, because I truly believe the sport of tennis is the best athletic test in the world. The athletes are a symbol of strength, finesse, dedication, and cordiality. If I was talented enough to be a tennis player, that's what I would want to do with my life.
However, I cannot achieve that amazing goal. But I can do the next best thing - write about the players who do have the privilege of playing the game for a living. So I came to Flushing seeking that chance, ready for anything.
After over 180 hours of working at this tournament, my dedication to tennis was going to be tested. When tennis is on television, you get breaks - like it or not - and you are eager for more when those breaks stretch out over time. For me, I experienced tennis 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Even when I got home from a long day, I still thought about the sport. I wrote down my thoughts in posts for my website, and got a few meager hours of sleep, awaking early because my day revolved exclusively around this game. If I could compare this experience to something, it would be like playing an extended fifth set at a non-U.S. Open venue. The games go on and on - there are no breaks (a.k.a. tiebreak) - and it's up to you how you want to handle it.
Do you wilt under the pressure? Do you embrace the test and keep going? Do you love the game so
much that all you want to do is keep playing until you reach that goal of yours?
I do. When I came to the 2005 U.S. Open, it was an eye-opening experience for me about the sport. It was one of my favorite sporting events that I'd ever attended in person, and I wanted more. This year, I got all I could handle, but I loved it. Doing what you love to do makes "work" a misnomer - in reality, it's just life. And my life is tennis.
- Ed McGrogan
**!Edfed
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