First Serve: Sept. 20–26

TENNIS.com's Monday morning quarterback recaps last week's pro tennis action—and offers his reaction.

Last Week's Tournaments

The Boys of Autumn
The champions of autumn can be an anonymous bunch. This is less a reflection of their accomplishments and more that, after nine months of tennis, there’s simply not much else to say. The major events are behind us, and the slate will be wiped clean in a few weeks’ time. Yes, players can generate momentum during the fall—sometimes the season is even dominated by one player. But it’s very difficult to sustain through the new year, when tournaments of significant consequence return.

It’s rash, therefore, to make far-reaching judgments about last week (or any one upcoming). But viewed independently, as its own sample, there were some very impressive performances. The titlists acquitted themselves masterfully, of course. But two fallen finalists caught my eye as well: Pablo Andujar (in Bucharest) and Mischa Zverev (in Metz).

Both silver medalists lost in straight sets on Sunday, but that wasn’t a huge surprise: Each man went through qualifying at the beginning of the week, putting miles on their odometers before the main draw commenced. Zverev, who lost 6-3, 6-2 to Gilles Simon, had five matches under his belt—the equivalent of most small tournaments—before the final. Luckily, he got some reprieve along the way. He earned an opening-round bye in qualifying and got a free pass into the final when Richard Gasquet withdrew with a fever.

Andujar wasn’t as fortunate. By the time the Spaniard got to Juan Ignacio Chela in the final, he had already played eight matches, four of which were three-setters. His semifinal win over Marcel Granollers was over three hours in length. Andujar was understandably sapped by Sunday, losing 7-5, 6-1.

Many fans, myself included, wish the tennis season ended with the U.S. Open. And considering the amount of withdrawals we’re sure to see in the next few weeks—a rite of autumn—many players do as well. But it’s heartening to see the efforts of Andujar and Zverev during this stretch. There’s lot of tennis still to be played. At least we know that some people care.

This Week's Tournaments