John Koblin
I was waiting all day for either an upset, or at least a compelling match, so I could drill down and write about that one for you, but alas, it never came! Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic defeated Robin Soderling and Gael Monfils, respectively, in straight set matches today to advance the Men's semifinals on Friday. Caroline Wozniacki and Vera Zvonareva also advanced to the... MORE >
From my humble perch, I can report to you that it was a very windy day. It felt even windier than it did this past Saturday when everyone was freaking out about the wind. Also, it felt cool enough to be an October night. But what do I know? Let's talk to the players on Center Court: Novak Djokovic: Obviously the conditions were maybe as difficult as we saw so far in the tournament. We didn't have... MORE >
Yup, there's Dominika Cibulkova. She's wearing it. It won't go away. This time it's primetime at Ashe in front of a national TV... MORE >
Gael Monfils tried this number on a ball he was directly in position to hit...normally. It was in the fourth game of the first set. He hit it into the net too. A tad unnecessary, but we appreciate the theatrics. I have a few friends in the stands today and I sized up the match this way to them: Not a lot of subtlety here. No "beauty" of the game comments necessary for the... MORE >
Caroline Wozniacki is two steps away from the women's final, and it looks more and more that her 2010 Open run is turning her into a bona fide... MORE >
The evidence mounts each day that Rafa is loving New York in a way that he hasn't before. For starters, he's playing better than he ever has here. He's beginning to look like a favorite. He finished at 1:16 a.m. last night and didn't complain about late night Open tennis like he has in the past. And, apparently, he's even loving the music on the... MORE >
Okay, so it's only your second day back at work. Maybe you haven't really had your head in at work for a couple months and now that we're past Labor Day, it's time to get serious. I agree. But you should really today. As much as we all make out of the chaos and awesomeness of the first week of the Open, the real gems are these three middle afternoons--yesterday's session, today's and... MORE >
It's a Grand Slam, so it's time for these two to meet again. The last time they met was in France back in June, and Robin Soderling stunned the sports world and ended the streak that John McEnroe has--repeatedly--said is more impressive than Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak: Federer's 23 consecutive semifinal appearance at a Grand Slam. Soderling won that match at Roland Garros in the quarters in four sets (he'd eventually lose to Rafael... MORE >
Feliciano Lopez was never in this match. He looked sluggish, uncomfortable and ill at ease as Rafael Nadal spanked him in the fourth round last night. The match ended at 1:16 am last night, which means it--just!--missed being one of the Top 10 all-time late nights at the Open. Had the match lasted nine more minutes it would have been in the record books (interestingly, Nadal has played in the third and fourth latest... MORE >
If you took Kim Clijsters aside before the match and told her she'd lose seven of her service games and that her unforced error to winners ratio was 43:25, she probably wouldn't like her chances. But Clijsters managed to hold on, and defeated the even shakier Sam Stosur tonight, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. Clijsters now has a date with Venus Willimas in the... MORE >
For the first time since 2007, Venus Williams is going to the semifinals at the U.S. Open. Venus basically hadn't been tested at this tournament until tonight, and she handled it beautifully. She defeated Francesca Schiavone 7-6, 6-4 in a 1 hour, 54 minute match. All credit in the world to French Open champ Schiavone who showed up to play on a big stage, and did not seem overwhelmed by the pressure. She simply lost... MORE >
Hooo boy. Three hours and forty two minutes into the Sam Querrey and Stanislas Wawrinka match, we're heading to a fifth set. I've got a feeling this isn't going to be a 20-minute, 6-2 final set either. This has all the looks of a fifth set tiebreak, which means, tack another hour to this... MORE >
For over a week, a Lacoste white tank has wreaked havoc all over the... MORE >
For the last week, the Open's daily program has been advertising a new place to eat. Considering Sam Sifton's review of the food court, this seemed like a blessing. It's called "Overlook presented by The Cosmpolitan of Las Vegas." It's actually located on the roof of the food court stations and it promises a full bar, a big menu and a "panoramic view of the grounds." This seemed pretty exciting to me. The view... MORE >
At least in the early going, The Samurai is not present for Sam Querrey's early afternoon fourth round match. Querrey is on serve with Stanislas Wawrinka in the first set, and there are a few thousand people at Ashe right now. It is quiet. Querrey complained earlier this week that he hadn't had a chance to play on Ashe. I suspect he wishes he were on Armstrong right now--at least a half-filled Armstrong feels... MORE >
