Tag: US Open

@ The US Open Qualifers ~ 2024

Above: China’s Bu Yunchaokete

Tuesday August 20th, 2024 – Today, for the 25th summer, I made the trek out to Flushing to the US Open. For the first few years after moving to NYC in 1998, I would go to the main tournament once or twice a season. As that became increasingly expensive, even for a day pass, I started going to the qualifying matches. For several summers, this was perfect: as it was free, I sometimes went three of the four days. The people who came to watch were true tennis fans; sometimes only 2 dozen or so people would be watching a given match. But then the NY Times wrote about the qualifiers as an inexpensive destination for a summer’s day, and each year the crowds grew, bolstered by parents dragging their kids and by large groups of youngsters from summer camps.

Nowadays the qualifying tournament is more like a big event where tennis matches are there to be watched if you’re interested. There’s lots of shopping and dining opportunities, and various entertainments for children. Crowds mill around; people will drop by to watch a few points in a match and then drift away.

Today, I set out early but a delay on the #7 line caused me to arrive just as the first matches were starting. I picked the least crowded court and watched a match between Germany’s Eva Lys and the American-born Czech player Gabriela Knutson. Ms. Lys dominated the first set, but in the second, Ms. Knutson got her bearings and gave the German a run for her money, coming from behind while Lys had match-point within her grasp. The audience, which grew in size as the match became more heated, seemed vocally supportive of Ms. Knutson; but Ms. Lys prevailed. Highlights here.

I then went over to Court 12 where the “match of the day” between China’s Bu Yunchaokete and Japan’s Yasutaka Uchiyama was soon to begin. Wei had urged me to check out his compatriot, Bu, and I’d seen and enjoyed the Japanese fellow at prior Opens.

Bu has a cracking wallop of a serve, but it sometimes flew long, or went into the net. His shots in general showed blistering power, which Uchiyama could not always deal with. Bu took the first set, but Uchiyama stepped up his game in the second set, where Bu seemed in better control of his power, but Uchiyama had more answers. The set went to a tie-break, with Bu the victor. Watch highlights here.

Above: the Cerundolo brothers, Francisco and Juan Manuel

On the schedule I saw the name ‘Cerundolo’ but I could not imagine why the talented Argentine, Francisco Cerundolo, would have to qualify. I went to have a look, and found that Cisco has a kid brother: Juan Manuel.

Today, Juan Manuel was facing a tall and lanky Brit: Billy Harris. Harris, who has a rather peculiar service motion, took the first set comfortably. But then Juan Manuel’s plucky determination took hold; he had some great shots in the second set, and the audience, seemingly intrigued by the David-and-Goliath situation, seemed to be urging him on. The final set could have gone either way, and while Harris won in the end, the Argentine played admirably and won new fans along the way. Highlights here.

I headed for the train to Manhattan; weather-wise, this had been the most perfect day I’d ever spent at the Open. Thinking of all the players – renowned or forgotten – I’ve seen play there since 1998 (Kim Clijsters won my first-ever live US Open match!), I wondered if this might be my last trip out to Flushing. Time will tell.

~ Oberon

August 20, 2024
US Open Qualifiers ~ 2023

Tuesday August 22nd, 2023 – One of the most pleasant days, weather-wise, I have ever spent at the US Open. In recent years, my enjoyment of the matches has been compromised by extreme heat; the sun beats down on the courts, and there’s no escaping it. I sometimes wonder why more people – and especially the players and ball-boys – don’t faint. But today, clouds allowed the sun to make only passing appearances, and there was a lovely breeze.

I watched two matches: Taro Daniel of Japan (seeded 4th in the qualifying tournament) facing India’s Samit Nagal, and then the 18-year-old Chinese “rising star” (according to Wei) Shang Juncheng dueled the Argentine Genaro Alberto Olivieri.

Tall and lean, Taro Daniel dominated the first set of his match against Samit Nagal. Nagal is a talented and energetic player, but despite some fine moments, he had few answers for Taro, who took the set 6-1. But Nagal fared much better in the second set, winning the crowd’s acclaim for some brilliant shots. Nagal pulled ahead at one point, and it seemed that we might be headed to a third set, but then Taro’s years of experience took hold and he swept to victory.

Above and below: Taro after the match.

I had expected to go directly from the Daniel/Nagal match to watch the Shang/Olivieri contest, but the women’s match on court 15 was running late. I took a long walkabout, checking out several matches in progress; very few of the players were familiar to me. They all seemed terribly young.

Shang Juncheng (above) opened his match with a perfectly placed ace. His Argentine opponent fought ardently but most of the first set was all about China. Olivieri stepped up his game in set 2, and the momentum shifted somewhat. Shang Juncheng’s serve could be erratic – there were a couple of double faults – but in the end he prevailed.

Each year, I think: “This will be my last Open!” In fact, I almost didn’t go today. But in the end, I was glad that I did.

~ Oberon

August 21, 2023
@ US Open Qualifiers ~ 2022

Above: China’s Yue Yuan

Tuesday August 23rd, 2022 – Every Summer, since moving to New York City in 1998, I have gone to the US Open. For several years, we bought tickets and saw favorite players like Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters Paradorn Schrichaphan, and Richard Gasquet; but as tickets became increasingly expensive and audiences seemed to be there more for the event than the actual game of tennis, I started going to the qualifying tournament. For a few years, this was a perfect solution for me, since most attendees were very serious about tennis; but then one summer the NY Times ran an article about this fantastic, free, all-day tennis event in Queens, and the qualifying tournament became a destination.

The qualifiers take place the week before the main tournament starts. Admission is free, and all day – and sometimes until late at night – you can move from court-to-court and see exciting newcomers as well as established players who – thru injury or just plain bad luck – have fallen down the rankings and who have come to the Tennis Center hoping to win a berth in the main draw. This year, such wonderful players as Fernando Verdasco, Gilles Simon, Andreas Seppi, and Pablo Cuevas were among those vying for a spot in the main draw line-up; unfortunately, none of them played today…they were all scheduled for Wednesday instead.

Having missed 2 years of live tennis due to COVID, I truly enjoyed being back at the Open. The first match I watched today today was between two Americans: Zachary Svajda (above) and Aleksandar Vukic. This year, there were no lines-people on the courts: Hawkeye is now in charge of determining what’s in and what’s out. Still, from somewhere, cries of “out!” were heard throughout the day. During the Svajda/Vukic match, the scoreboard malfunctioned; a ball-boy took a bathroom break and wasn’t on court when he was needed. But the match proceeded, with the youthful Mr. Svajda cruising to an early lead. The taller and seemingly stronger Mr. Vukic pulled even at 4-all, but the cunning Mr. Svajda held fast and took the first set. Svajda pretty much dominated the second set, though Vukic had his moments.

Over on court 17, a duel between big hitters – Ernesto Escobedo and Ethan Quinn – was great fun to watch: both players were simply pounding the ball, and Escobedo produced some brilliant aces. It was Escobedo who took the first set; but Quinn, who is 18 years old, seemed to have the audience’s backing, and he was relentless in the next two sets, claiming the win.

After a walkabout, I circled back to Court 17 where the long-legged Chinese beauty Yue Yuan faced America’s Katie Volynets. Ms. Volynets could not seem to do anything against Yue Yuan’s onslaughts in the first set, but she stepped up her game considerably in the second set, which went to a tense tie-breaker, which Yue Yuan finally won. The Chinese player’s cracking serve was something to see, and she used it as a weapon in her march to victory.

Thundershowers had been predicted, but none materialized: it was a simply perfect day. Despite the usual distractions – and the fact they wouldn’t take cash when I went to buy my humble lunch – I was very happy to be back at the US Open.

Above: Go Soeda at the US Open Qualifiers in 2017

Among the lesser-known players who I came to love over the years of watching the qualifying matches, I was sad – though not surprised – to see that the Japanese player Go Soeda was not participating this year. I think I have seen Go in more matches than any other player; he has a beautiful, classic game with deep shots, perfectly placed. He won almost every match I saw him play over the years, but I don’t remember him ever getting beyond the the first round of the main draw. Recently, I read that Go has become a father, and has retired from tennis. I certainly missed him at the Qualies this year.

UPDATE: How did the players I saw on Tuesday fare in the rest of the qualifying tournament? Both Zachary Svajda and Ethan Quinn lost in their second-round matches, by Yue Yuan won both her second and third round matches, and she advances to the main tournament.

Interestingly, two Chinese players – Wu Yibing and Zhang Zhizhen – prevailed in their three qualifying rounds, and they become the first Chinese men to enter the main draw at the US Open.

~ Oberon

August 23, 2022
Round 2 @ The US Open Qualifiers ~ 2017

Author: Oberon

Thursday August 24th, 2017 – Less humidity but still scorching sun today at the US Open as the second round matches of the Qualifying Tournament were played. Lots of distractions – mainly from people gabbing courtside during play (‘straight’ men are by far the worst chatterboxes) – and unpleasant encounters with staff made me wonder why I continue to trek out there year after year. Well, I love tennis, that’s why.

Today my first match was between Vincent Millot and Tatsuma Ito. As on Tuesday, Ito began rather sluggishly but today he was unable to turn things around, and Millot won in straight sets.

I then went to have a look at a Women’s match: former world #2 Vera Zvonareva (above) was playing American Jamie Loeb. Zvonareva was trying for a comeback after a career beset by injuries and which included time off to have a baby. Today she looked to be in great shape and played with rugged determination and fine skill. Each player took a set – the scores were really close – and in the third, Zvonareva saved a couple of match points before Loeb was able to prevail. The crowd was overwhelmingly favoring the American; in fact I am not sure that many of them even knew who Zvonareva was, nor her history. It was great seeing her play again, and I hope she sticks with it.

The best time I had this week at the Open was watching the match between Go Soeda (above) and Marco Chiudinelli. I found a seat all by my lonesome high up in the gallery where a refreshing breeze periodically swept over me. Go was on fire and played the best tennis I have ever seen from him.

Go Soeda’s matches have been some of my happiest memories of past US Opens; win or lose, he always plays a beautiful game. He is among the players who, over the years, have made me see the excitement of the Qualifying matches and who have drawn me there annually, choosing the Qualies over the far more crowded and expensive main draw.

Today, Go allowed Marco Chuiudinelli very little room for error. The Swiss player could not get his foot in the door against his Japanese opponent’s good serving and well-placed shots. The match flew by and Go, cheered on by the crowd, was soon basking in his victory.

More photos of Go Soeda from today:

Above: Go signing autographs…

…and meeting his fans.

Nicolas Mahut (above), a mainstay on the international tennis stage since turning pro in 2000, was today facing up-and-comer Ramakumar Ramanathan of India. Like Leonardo Mayer, who played a great match here on Tuesday, Mahut has slipped down the rankings just far enough that he has to qualify this time around.

Mahut had vociferous support from the crowd and, although Ramamathan pulled off some impressive shots – and took the second set in a tie-breaker – the Frenchman held on for the win.

Mahut’s young son was courtside for the match and kept calling out “Allez, papa!”. It was charming, at least for the first one hundred times.

I was just heading towards the exit to catch the train when a beautiful breeze kicked up. I stopped randomly at the nearest court and watched a bit of the match between Frank Dancevic and Stephane Robert.

I recalled an incident from 2 or 3 years ago when Dancevic had an on-court meltdown over what he thought was a bad line-call. It happened again today – though as a less hysterical level – just during the few minutes I was watching. Chill, man. Everyone gets bad calls. Marco Chiudinelli thought he’d been deprived of a legitimate point during his match with Go Soeda earlier today and held up play as he unloaded on the chair umpire. What good did it do? Just keep playing and try to win, instead of whining.

My plan had been to stay on til the last matches of the day; I wanted to see Lukas Lacko and Duckhee Lee in action. But you’ve heard the phrase “twice-baked potato”…and that was how I was beginning to feel.

Heading home.

~ Oberon

August 24, 2017
@ The US Open Qualifiers ~ 2017

Author: Oberon

Tuesday August 22nd, 2017 – As many readers of this blog will know, starting in early March of this year, I developed severe hip arthritis – or maybe bursitis: the exact diagnosis remains unclear. I was literally homebound until, after six weeks of physical therapy, things began to improve…very slowly. Aside from the pain, I also suffered from a literal terror of going outdoors. This hindered my progress considerably. But by the end of May, I began setting goals to commence re-connecting with my world of music, dance, and…tennis.

My improvement stalled more than once; but, encouraged by my physical therapist and by friends who had been thru similar interruptions in their lives (thank you especially, Ask LaCour and Lydia Johnson!), I stuck to my course and one by one achieved my goals. The final one was set for today: to attend the first session of the US Open Qualifying Tournament. This has been an annual event for me for several years and I was determined to be there, come Hell or high water.

Just two weeks ago, the last level of recovery I had hoped for was attained: I was essentially 95% pain-free and weaned off the meds. But then, going to the US Open is not the same as going to a concert or a dance event: it’s an all-day experience that includes a very long subway ride from Inwood, lots of walking and standing about, and plenty of stair-climbing. Just as I was leaving my apartment to catch the train, I thought: “Should I pop some Aleve just to be safe?” Nope. Fuck it.

I won’t complain at length about the many inconveniences and distractions of going to the Open; I guess you have to shut up and put up with things like tantrum-throwing toddlers (small children don’t belong at the Open, especially on blisteringly hot days); badged employees – there are hundreds of ’em – who seem to have nothing else to do but congregate courtside and gab with one another or on their walkie-talkies during play; and staff members barking at you for one reason or another. And it’s all become so terribly commercialized.

But…on to the tennis:

Seventeen-year old Félix Auger-Aliassime (above) of Canada prevailed…

…over Japan’s Hiroki Moriya (above). Hiroki’s a good player and he made some nice shots, but he didn’t have the replies for what Félix was sending him from the opposite end of the court.

One court over, a huge throng had gathered to watch another Canadian teenager, Denis Shapovalov, who is building a reputation as a giant-killer. Today he defeated Denis Kudla; I had no energy to fight the crowds to get even a glimpse of the Battle of the Two Denises. Another bright young player on the ascent, Noah Rubin, succumbed to Germany’s Tobias Kamke in two sets; Rubin was treated for a shoulder or neck issue during the match, which undoubtedly affected his chances.

I stopped by to watch part of a match between two gentlemen from Portugal: Gastao Elias (above) and Goncalo Oliveira. Each player took a set, and it seemed to me that Oliveira had gathered steam in the second and might outlast Elias in the third, but instead Goncalo seemed to wilt and Gastao claimed the win. One fun aside: Goncalo Oliveira has a unique service preparation: it’s something you really have to see.

The only match I watched in its entirety today was between…

…Argentina’s Leonard Mayer (above)…

…and the Frenchman Maxime Janvier. Both men are tall, and both are big hitters: the Wilson balls took a real pummeling during their match. Mayer, seeded #1 in the Qualifying draw, made one exquisite drop-shot and had a bit of luck as one of his returns caught the tape and then dropped into Janvier’s end of the court. Despite his height, Mayer is an agile mover and was great fun to watch. It took just one break in each of the two sets for the Argentine to secure the victory.

More images of Leonardo Mayer from today’s match:

The serve…

…on guard…

…liftoff…

…signing autographs…

Leonardo turned pensive as well-wishers surrounded him after his win.

The predicted cloud-cover had dissipated into a haze and the sun was baking the courts. The match I had most wanted to see today, between Japan’s Go Soeda and India’s Yuki Bhambri, was scheduled for Court 10 but when I went to see if they’d started, the match preceding theirs was just getting underway.

I went to watch Japan’s Tatsumo Ito (above) playing against the Frenchman Kenny de Schepper but it was during their first set that I began feeling ‘the burn’. Ito is often a slow starter, and de Schepper took the opening set. When I got home, I checked the website to find that Ito had turned things around and scored a win.

I swung by Court 10 again to see if the Soeda/Bhambri match was anywhere near ready to go but that was not the case. It would have been one of those matches that’s hard for me to watch, as I like both players; in fact, they are my only tennis-playing Facebook Friends. I later found that Go had prevailed in a 3-setter.

On the women’s side, one name piqued my curiosity: Vera Zvonareva. In 2010, Zvonareva was a finalist both at Wimbledon and the US Open and reached a career-high ranking of #2. Injuries, marriage, and motherhood subsequently took her away from tennis. She is now making a comeback. I wish I had seen her play today; I didn’t notice her name in the listings until her match was over. Maybe I’ll catch her on Thursday, when I plan to go back to the Open.

So, In the end, my day turned out very well. The only pain involved was the sunburn I acquired, and that will fade in a day or two.

Leaving the tennis center, I couldn’t resist photographing this poster which reminded me so much of my Brix:

~ Oberon

August 22, 2017
US Open Qualifiers 2016

Above: US Open ball-boys waiting for the first match of the day

Wednesday August 24th, 2016 – Last summer, I only made it out to the US Tennis Center for two days of the 2015 US Open Qualifying Tournament. This year, I was hoping to make it three days, but looking at the schedule for Tuesday it seemed that none of the players I am most interested in seeing were going to play til Wednesday, so I decided to skip the opener (despite perfect weather) and head out to Queens for day 2.

After a sluggish ride on the #7 train, I got to the Center with time to do a walkabout before my first match. Major changes have been made: the new Grandstand is ready for use, walkways have been widened, and the addition of more restrooms and drinking fountains will be a boon when the crowds pour in for the main tournament next week.

I couldn’t have asked for a more enjoyable day of tennis than what today offered. Mercifully, there’s been a lull in the recent heatwave, though temperatures will soon start creeping upwards again; hopefully last year’s catastrophic Hell-like conditions at the Open won’t be repeated. Honestly, I don’t know how the players do it: especially on certain courts, the sun is utterly merciless and there is no place to hide from it.

My day started with checking out a new (to me) player: China’s Yan Bai (above). He was facing the American Noah Rubin, who was a huge favorite with the very large crowd that had gathered for this qualifying match. Yan Bai seemed out-of-sorts, and after watching him lose three games in a row, I wandered over to have a look at his compatriot Ying-Ying Duan. I later learned that Yan Bai retired from his match, leaving Rubin to proceed into the second round.

Things were rosier for Ying-Ying Duan (above). After losing a tight first set to the Tunisian Ons Jabeur, the Chinese woman’s athleticism and power prevailed: she dominated in the two remaining sets.

I then went out to the far courts to have a look at the new Grandstand; while there, I could hear the sound of some really big hitting coming from court 4, so I went to see who was playing, and found a really exciting match in progress.

The players were João Souza (Brazil), above…

…and Andrew Whittington (Australia), above.

Whittington has a cracking serve which Souza was pretty much able to reply to: they pounded away on point after point. The Aussie’s tendency to over-hit allowed the Brazilian to take the upper hand; if Whittington can develop the accuracy to match his power, he will be a force to be reckoned with.

Souza reveled in his return-of-serve ability; his own serve (above) has an almost operatic quality: a slow build-up leading to a walloping bang! The final score of 6-4, 6-4 doesn’t quite reflect the threat Whittington posed, but Souza carried the day. It was a hard-fought match, and the forceful, charismatic Brazilian enjoyed vociferous support from his fans.

Above: João Souza takes a celebratory selfie with fans after the match.

The rest of my day was vastly pleasing, as three of my favorite players notched up straight-set victories over combative opponents.

Japan’s Yuichi Sugita (above) was the #1 seed among the qualifiers this year, and in his spirited match against the Frenchman Alexandre Sidorenko, the handsome Japanese displayed the wonderfully neat and crafty aspects of his game that make him a formidable opponent.

Sugita is a stylish player who likes to maintain cool control over his matches. That he can also dig deep and show a ferocious willpower was displayed in the sixth game of the first set where Sugita came from being 0-40 down on his serve to win the game in a series of impressively-constructed points. I truly enjoyed watching him play.

Above: Steve Darcis

I made it over to Court 17 (“The Oven”) just in time for the start of the Steve Darcis match. Steve is a Belgian player who I have admired since first seeing him play at the 2007 US Open Qualifiers. In the ensuing years, his career has been something of a roller-coaster: once ranked as high as #44 worldwide, he seems to have been hampered by injuries which have kept him from attaining the position in the tennis world one might expect from him, given his skills. When he’s on, he is ON…he plays textbook, winning tennis, and he’s a joy to watch.

And that is exactly what we saw today: Steve Darcis methodically dismantled the game of American Tommy Paul, a bigger and stronger player. Undeterred by the blistering mid-day heat, the Belgian found his rhythm immediately and played some gorgeous points: his shot placement is just so much fun, and he can vary the pace by sumptuously floating the ball over the net, achieving enviable depth and control.

The crowd was very pro-Paul; Steve barely got a hand-clap when his name was announced. A bit later, a group of enthusiastic Darcis supporters arrived at the court, supporting him with shouts of “Allez! Allez, Steve!” Darcis marched to victory as if it was pre-destined. I was able to catch up with him on his walk back to the clubhouse; literally drowning in sweat, he thanked me for my congratulations.

After the exhilaration of the Darcis win, I wanted the best possible finish to my wonderful day of tennis, and it was Japan’s Go Soeda (above) who gave me just what I was looking for. The day had turned sublime: a breeze had kicked up, shadows fell atmospherically across the courts, most of the children had been taken home, and a crowd of serious tennis-lovers ringed Court 6 for Go’s match against the Roumanian Marius Copil.

Go Soeda would probably be considered a veteran player at this point, yet his still-boyish looks, taut physique, and bursts of energetic bravado remain intact; I’ve seen him play so many times, but never better than today. Copil was a strong opponent – and who knew there were so many Roumanian fans in Gotham? – who took Go to a tie-breaker in the first set. The second set was pretty much dominated by the Japanese, and I sat in the high bleachers savoring the beautiful evening and the brilliance of Go’s playing.

Above: Go Soeda

Overall, this was one of my happiest US Open experiences since I started going in 1998. The drawbacks were relatively minor, though annoying: cellphones, babbling bystanders who indulge in lengthy court-side conversations with friends while ignoring the match at hand, and – this year more than ever – huge number of babies being carried about by earnest moms. I wonder if it’s a good idea to bring tiny children out on such torrid days, a-glare with inescapable sunshine.

I also wondered if the linesmen should be required to take an eye exam each year: there were so many bad calls along the way.

My plan to return for the Thursday session was abandoned after I realized how sunburnt I had gotten on Wednesday. Hopefully some of my Wednesday heroes will continue to move onward.

August 24, 2016
US Open Qualifying Tournament 2015 – Day 1

Above: Renzo Olivo, of Argentina, serving in the sunshine

Tuesday August 25th, 2015 – Right up until the morning of, I was unsure if I’d be making my annual trek to the US Open qualifying tournament this year. Over the last two or three years, I have changed from being a “Summer person” to being a “Winter person”. I – who used to sunbathe avidly, and always loved hot, steamy weather – have done a complete volte face. I now find heat and humidity oppressive and really annoying.

But the lure of watching tennis live overwhelmed my concerns for comfort and so, after having a ‘private car’ on the 7 train out to the tennis center, I tried to ignore the sun beating down and the trickles of sweat. Around 2:00 a lovely breeze kicked in, and if you sat high enough up in the stands, you could maintain reasonable comfort.

The day started badly as two of my favorites went down to defeat: Tatsuma Ito (above) was over-powered by the big-hitting Russian Aslan Karatsev…

…whilst Somdev Devvarman (above) fell in a three set battle to the Slovakian Norbert Gombos.

Wei had asked me to check out the tall young Chinese player Ze Zhang (above), who won his first-set in an exciting tie-breaker against France’s Tristan Lamasine. In the second set, Ze Zhang was serving for the match but somehow lost a bit of momentum; Lamasine stepped up his level and took the set. In the deciding third, Ze Zhang seemed to be hobbled by an injury to his serving arm; his big serve was compromised and often he would just tap the ball into play. The trainer was out and did what he could to alleviate the problem, but Lamasine took advantage of the situation, playing even harder and forcing a victory. The Chinese crowd were demoralized. But Ze Zhang has the goods; I’m sure we’ll be seeing much more of him in the seasons to come.

Japanese-American Taro Daniel (above), who impressed me at last Summer’s tournament, played a beautiful, dominating first set against the Argentine Renzo Olivo; Taro’s serve has a lovely slice to it. Olivo made some headway in the second, but Taro kept his cool and swept to victory.

I so enjoyed watching Taro’s match from my perch up in the stands. It was everything I love about tennis.

Above: Taro Daniel after the match.

I would have loved to have stayed on to see the 19-year-old Swede Elias Ymer, and my longtime favorite Alejandro Falla, but I was already sunburnt, and so I grabbed a big bottle of water and headed for the train. Both Ymer and Falla won their matches today, so hopefully I can catch them in the next round.

August 26, 2015
US Open Qualifying Tournament 2015 – Day 1

Above: Renzo Olivo, of Argentina, serving in the sunshine

Tuesday August 25th, 2015 – Right up until the morning of, I was unsure if I’d be making my annual trek to the US Open qualifying tournament this year. Over the last two or three years, I have changed from being a “Summer person” to being a “Winter person”. I – who used to sunbathe avidly, and always loved hot, steamy weather – have done a complete volte face. I now find heat and humidity oppressive and really annoying.

But the lure of watching tennis live overwhelmed my concerns for comfort and so, after having a ‘private car’ on the 7 train out to the tennis center, I tried to ignore the sun beating down and the trickles of sweat. Around 2:00 a lovely breeze kicked in, and if you sat high enough up in the stands, you could maintain reasonable comfort.

The day started badly as two of my favorites went down to defeat: Tatsuma Ito (above) was over-powered by the big-hitting Russian Aslan Karatsev…

…whilst Somdev Devvarman (above) fell in a three set battle to the Slovakian Norbert Gombos.

Wei had asked me to check out the tall young Chinese player Ze Zhang (above), who won his first-set in an exciting tie-breaker against France’s Tristan Lamasine. In the second set, Ze Zhang was serving for the match but somehow lost a bit of momentum; Lamasine stepped up his level and took the set. In the deciding third, Ze Zhang seemed to be hobbled by an injury to his serving arm; his big serve was compromised and often he would just tap the ball into play. The trainer was out and did what he could to alleviate the problem, but Lamasine took advantage of the situation, playing even harder and forcing a victory. The Chinese crowd were demoralized. But Ze Zhang has the goods; I’m sure we’ll be seeing much more of him in the seasons to come.

Japanese-American Taro Daniel (above), who impressed me at last Summer’s tournament, played a beautiful, dominating first set against the Argentine Renzo Olivo; Taro’s serve has a lovely slice to it. Olivo made some headway in the second, but Taro kept his cool and swept to victory.

I so enjoyed watching Taro’s match from my perch up in the stands. It was everything I love about tennis.

Above: Taro Daniel after the match.

I would have loved to have stayed on to see the 19-year-old Swede Elias Ymer, and my longtime favorite Alejandro Falla, but I was already sunburnt, and so I grabbed a big bottle of water and headed for the train. Both Ymer and Falla won their matches today, so hopefully I can catch them in the next round.

August 25, 2015
US Open Qualifying Tournament 2015 – Day 2

Above: Yoshihito Nishioka

Wednesday August 26th, 2015 – Today’s first match at the US Open qualifying tournament was a tough one for me, because I really like both players and I didn’t want to see either one of them lose. Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka, who recently made tennis news with this improbable shot, was pitted against Yuki Bhambri of India.

Above: Yuki Bhambri

Yuki is much taller than Yoshi, with a powerful build. But Yoshi, a lefty, has great technical skills and is able to generate strong pace. For eight games, they stayed on serve and there were some very dynamic rallies. Nishioka broke Bhambri in the 9th game and was able to stave off 3 break points in the following game to take the set.

The second set found the Japanese experiencing a perceptible dip in energy. Bhambri took advantage; he broke Nishioka and held on to take the set 6-1. I did a walkabout, wondering which way the match would go.

When I got back to the court, a breeze had kicked up and Nishioka, having changed to a red shirt, seemed revitalized. He took control and, with some well-fought points along the way, won the match…and the crowd’s acclaim.

Another fine Japanese player, Yuichi Sugita (above), was unfazed by the powerful hitting of his imposing opponent, Austria’s Gerald Melzer. Melzer had his moments, and his fans, and he managed to break Sugita in the second set. But overall, Sugita sailed confidently through the match with the authority of a young prince. I really loved watching him play.

Above: Yuichi Sugita

After the Sugita-Melzer match, I’d hoped to see Nicolas Almagro in action. Yes, surprisingly the Spaniard, who had a career-high ranking of #9 in 2011 – has fallen down the charts following a prolonged layoff to recover from an injury and was thus forced to qualify for the US Open. Approaching the court where Almagro was playing, I could see there was no chance of getting anywhere within viewing distance. I later heard that he won his match, so that augurs well.

August 25, 2015
US Open Qualifying Tournament 2013 #3

Above: Victoria Duval of the USA

Friday August 23, 2013 – A beautiful day at the US Open qualifiers, marred only by an on-court temper tantrum from Canadian Frank Dancevic. The sky grew overcast as the day went on, but no rain fell and there was a nice afternoon breeze…ideal conditions both for playing and watching.

I started off at Court 17 watching – for a change – a women’s match. America’s Victoria Duval (above) gave an impressive display of her talents in a fast-moving match against Croatia’s Tereza Mrdeza. Victoria pretty much dominated throughout; Tereza managed to get her foot in the door, and she pulled off some nice shots; but she just didn’t have the weaponry to respond to Victoria’s steady onslaught. I love Court 17 by the way: the new and oddly cozy stadium-style court.

Above: Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina threw a monkey-wrench into Amir Weintraub’s hopes for a win today; the crowd was very much behind the Israeli but the crafty Argentine seemed to have a sharp overall game plus the passion needed to overcome his taller and – perhaps – more polished opponent.

Above: Somdev Devvarman of India had to overcome a very strong showing by Britain’s James Ward. Ward pulled off some impressive shots; after Somdev won the first set the Englishman took control and evened things up. It looked like it could go either way, but Somdev’s steady style prevailed. I really like watching him play.

Above: Somdev Devvarman

Above: Go Soeda of Japan; Go’s been a favorite player of mine for several seasons now and today I got to watch him having a practice session and then – later – his match against Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic.

I like Hernych, he plays a good game and it didn’t surprise me that he took the first set, following an extended tie-breaker.

Then Go dug in and persevered thru two more hard-fought sets. The crowd was pro-Go all the way and there was an air of celebration when the Japanese secured the win.

Go Soeda after the match

Japan’s Tatsuma Ito (above) took the first set of his match against Frank Dancevic. Ito plays beautfully, strong and steady. Dancevic took the second set. Throughout the first two sets, Dancevic threw minor hissy-fits whenever he felt he’d gotten a bad call. But in the third set he staged a full mad scene, halting play completely while he debated with the chair umpire at length as Ito stood waiting patiently at his end of the court. The crowd finally gave Dancevic a much-deserved round of booing; in my view he should have been fined a point for delaying play.

Dancevic finally resumed playing and eventually he won the match, but his behavior was inexcusable. Everyone gets bad calls…and I hate to tell you this, Frank, but I watched a couple of your shots go long today and they weren’t called out. Poor sportsmanship leaves such a sour taste; I’ll never want to see another Dancevic match. He may have won today, but Ito is the classier player.

August 22, 2013