Sports: U.S. Open

What prompted this post is the conclusion of the Djokovic-Federer semifinal, but I'll talk about the tournament as a whole a little bit, then maybe post about the finals tomorrow. First, I have to give Novak Djokovic the highest of praise for his victory over Federer today. Not only does he lose two sets 5-7, one of the most frustrating ways to do so. Not only does he have to fend off perhaps the greatest player ever who is hungry for another shot at Nadal in the final. But he also fended off not one but TWO match points!!! And did Federer just dump a couple shots in the net on those? No, Djokovic played two of the best points of the match, taking and making shots as skilled as they were gutsy. I was told by a coworker who saw Djokovic practice at this very U.S. Open that he seemed like a really nice guy, very patient with fans after his workouts. So I'm very pleased for "the Joker", famed now not just for his hilarious impressions but also for a huge win over one of the game's greats.

Other than that great match, it's been an entertaining tournament overall, as well. The players have had to deal with difficult conditions: first, super hot temperatures, and then high winds for the last week. Unfortunately Roddick, perhaps my favorite current player, went out early (albeit more due to his opponent playing out of his mind than to his own failures). It was nice to have Serena Williams absent for the tournament, my least favorite player. It's quite appropriate that she's absent, actually, after her outrageous outburst at last year's tournament. Another absentee was Henin, however, which disappointed me. If nothing else, I like her as a rather diminuitive player who can play with and beat the best (including Serena) with sheer skill. Wozniacki has impressed me a lot, too, this tournament, since she displays Henin-esque skill, and was actually a women's #1 seed not named Williams who lived up to her ranking. I didn't see her match vs. Zvonereva, but was disappointed and surprised that she lost.

So, we've had a great U.S. Open this year. Two young Americans also showed promise for a bright future for American tennis, in Harrison (men) and Capra (women). For tomorrow, I'd really be happy with either Nadal or Djokovic winning - I'm a big fan of both. I'd give the slight edge to Djokovic, simply because I think he'll have fewer opportunities in the future. On the women's side, I'm pretty neutral on both players. I might prefer Zvonereva a bit, since Clijsters has already won the U.S. Open twice (at least?), and Zvonereva got to the Wimbledon final but couldn't quite beat Serena there. Great tourney!!!