Tag: US Open

US Open Qualifying Tournament 2013 #2

Above: Japan’s Go Soeda

Wednesday August 21, 2013 – Back to the US Open for the second day of the 2013 qualifying tournament; it was much hotter than yesterday and there were considerably larger crowds at most of the matches. I had a good time though I may not go back for the two remaining days: I no longer enjoy being in the sun for such long stretches of time.

At 11:00 AM two Chinese players had their matches on nearly-adjacent courts: Ze Zhang (above) faced the Austrian Martin Fischer on Court 15…

…while Di Wu (above) played France’s Josselin Ouanna on Court 12.

Ze Zhang has a lot of natural talent; he began rather casually and lost the first set but then he really perked up and played some brilliant points. He won the second set and the tide had clearly turned. An exciting third set produced a tie-breaker and althought Zhang lost, he really played impressively.

Di Wu (above) is a dynamic, compactly built player. Facing the taller and stronger Mssr. Ouanna, Di Wu had his work cut out for him. Ouanna hits big, but Di Wu never flinched; he simply played his own game and outclassed the Frenchman time and again. Ouanna may have been off his best form (he’s a very fine player) as he called for the trainer at one point. For a moment I thought he might withdraw, but he gamely continued and Di Wu moved on to secure the victory.

Di Wu after the match.

I shuttled back and forth between the two matches and they each wrapped up just in time for me to grab a seat at Court 11 where Go Soeda (above), a great favorite of mine, played an exceptionally clean and brilliant match against Austin Krajicek. Krajicek is a powerful player; he serves big and employs plenty of driving force. Go stuck with his steady, sure-handed style of play, winning a high percentage of his first-serve points and keeping unforced errors to a minimum.

The heat index reached its apex during this match; the air was still and heavy and we were all baking under the intense sun. I don’t know how the players kept up the pace. After Go took the first set I went off to get hydrated and saw that my other Japanese guy, Tatsuma Ito, was about to start his match. Since they were showing the Soeda match on the big screen, I could keep tabs on that while watching Tatsuma play against Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Japan’s Tatsuma Ito

Each player had his contingent of supporters in the crowd and there was a good atmosphere; the sun was beginning to drop into the West and a lovely breeze kicked up. I really enjoyed this match and watching Tatsuma calmly and methodically dismantle his opponent. Damir had some exciting moments but Tatsuma simply soldiered thru and wrapped up the win in just 70 minutes of playing time.

Tatsuma Ito after the match.

I’d planned to go back for more tennis on Thursday but I’m sunburnt, and rain is predicted. I think I just need a day to chill. We’ll see who moves on to the Friday matches and then decide whether to go back for the final day.

August 21, 2013
US Open Qualifying Tournament 2013 #1

Above: Robby Ginepri

Monday August 20th, 2013 – Robby Ginepri hit a career high in 2005 when he finished the season ranked #15 in the world. Thereafter he remained a force on the tour but never equalled his 2005 record. A biking accident in 2010 side-lined him for almost a year. To be honest, I’d sort of forgotten about him and I guess I assumed that he’d retired. He’ll turn 31 this year, and when I saw his name among the players listed for the US Open qualifying tournament this week, it was a bit like a blast from the past.

Last summer I’d almost given up on the Open; the constant use of cellphones during play is so distracing, as are the large of small children who have no clue as to what tennis is all about and invariably get cranky very quickly (“I’d rather go to the playground!” whined one tiny girl being dragged around by her mother today); food and beverages are absurdly expensive ($5 for a normal sized bottle of Coke), and off-duty linesmen and ball-kids love to congregate around the courts during matches and chatter away: “Did you see ELYSIUM yet? Awesome…blah blah blah”. But today it was not overly crowded and for the most part I was able to concentrate on the actual playing.

The seats at the outer courts of the Tennis Center can be exceptionally uncomfortable: hard, bare metal that heats up like a stovetop in the summer sun. Invariably people taking seats during a match find their butts getting baked: first contact can really be alarming. Thus I normally prefer to stand (it’s also easier for taking pictures). But this summer they’ve extended the 3-row metal seating bleachers almost the full length of the court so you can’t stand by the court-rail any more and get all into the match. Since hardly anyone watches a complete set these days, there’s a lot of coming and going, and clambering over other people.

The tall, lanky Israeli player Amir Weintraub is being hosted in NYC by the building manager of our apartment complex. Augie asked me to check out Amir’s match and since it was the first match of the day, I started there. Amir was playing the American Noah Rubin; Rubin was heavily favored by the large and fairly attentive crowd. Amir took the first set and seemed destined to win in two sets; but Noah fought back hard, delivering some great shots. After Noah won the second set, I needed to head over to Court 7; but I ran into Augie later and he told me that Amir – deservedly – had prevailed.

On Court 7, the Indian player Somdev Devvarman (above) was facing Brazil’s Fabiano De Paula. I’d seen Somdev at the US Open in 2009 and I was really impressed, but today was the first time I’ve seen him since. I went up high into the bleachers and found a solitary vantage point. I enjoyed the match tremendously because I could really concentrate; and up above court-level a gentle summer breeze and passing fluffy clouds made for a perfect tennis-watching experience.

Somdev for the most part dominated the action; his serve is breakable but when it’s on it’s really on. His shots go deep and his sense of placement is keen, and despite some frustration with questionabe line calls he moved steadily onward to a straight-set win. Mr. De Paula had some fine moments but Somdev’s victory seemed inevitable.

Somdev, after the match.

Then I ran over to Court 17, the new ‘stadium-style’ court, where Robby Ginepri and Giovanni Lapentti (of Ecuador) were already into the second set. Robby had taken the first set but Giovanni wasn’t about to give in. The crowd was lopsidedly pro-Robby, understandably, and the American clearly didn’t want to disappoint. A hoped-for win at 5-4 didn’t materialize, and the set went to a tie-breaker in which Robby eventually secured victory.

Robby Ginepri

Lapentti and Ginepri after the match.

August 19, 2013
US Open Qualifying Tournament 2012/Day 3

Above: India’s Yuki Bhambri signing autographs after winning his first-round qualifying match at the US Open.

Tuesday August 21, 2012 – Over the past few years I’ve discovered and followed certain players during the US Open qualifying matches – people like Alejandro Falla, Bjorn Phau, Go Soeda, Tatsuma Ito and Rajeev Ram. This year all five of those men were up in the rankings and so were into the main draw already; congratulations to all of them, but it meant I would be spending this year’s tournament mostly checking out players new to me. Yuki Bhambri was the most exciting new discovery for me: he has an powerful serve and, after losing the first set, he buckled down and gave an impressive display of tennis skills in defeating the excellent and exciting Argentine Horacio Zeballos. It was close match, ending with a tie-breaker for the third set. I will definitely want to see Bhambri play again later in the week.

It was a beautiful day at the Open, breezy and with a nice mix of sun and clouds. There was a sizeable crowd and the usual annoyances of small children (parents: little kids get restless and cranky at tennis tournaments so leave ’em with a sitter), cellphones, and people gabbing during play. But for the most part I was able to find quiet spots to watch from, or to move if things got distracting. I was delighted to see the great Billie Jean King walking from court to court early in the day (the whole place is named after her, and deservedly so).

My first match was between two women I didnt know anything about: Dinah Pfizenmaier and Heidi El Tabakh. I initially pegged Pfizenmaier as the likely winner,but on the big points El Tabakh was able to capitalize and she won the match.

Thailand’s Danai Udomchoke, who I’ve seen play many times, put up a valiant fight but was out-gunned by Spain’s Adrian Menendez-Maceiras.

Three Asian women – all new to me – scored impressive victories: Ying-Ying Duan (very tall) and SaiSai Zheng (with a tendency to moon-ball) were representing the next generation of Chinese players, while Taipei’s Yung-Jan Chan presented her opponent with a double-bagel victory.

After watching Yuki Bhambri’s exciting victory, I decided to head home on a high note although there were still matches in progress. There’s some construction going on at the Tennis Center and both the noise and the necessary ‘detours’ are inconveniences.

But I did take a look at the newly-opened Court 17, a smallish arena-style venue with an intimate feeling. I hope to see a match there at some point this week.

August 23, 2012
US Open Qualifying Tournament 2012/Day 2

Wednesday August 22, 2012 – Tsung-Hua Yang of Tapiei (above) made a big impression on me at the 2011 US Open qualifying tournament and I was glad to have the opportunity to see him play again today. He faced Antonio Veic of Croatia in the very first match of the day.

Yang’s playing is impressive for steadiness and technical sureness. His opponent was fiery and theatrical, with a couple of major outbursts of temper when he got what he thought was a bad call. Yang simply maintained his composure and moved unperturbed thru the match; he seemed destined to win from the start. Two rain delays – one of about 15 minutes and a second lasting only a couple of minutes – interrupted play. And as Yang was serving for the match, it started raining harder. He was able to secure the win just before all tournament play was suspended for about 45 minutes.

Antonio Veic did display a sense of humour amidst his theatrics: when called for a foot fault, he asked the lineswoman “Which foot?”

Once the rains stopped and things got dried out, I stayed at the same court to watch China’s Yi-Fan Xu, a petite player who managed to thwart the tall British woman Naomi Broady. With a mixture of moon-balls and craftiness, Xu seemed to prevent Broady from making any headway.

After Xu’s win, I moved from court to court: no match really captured my attention although I was curious to see the ‘new’ Chinese male player Ze Zhang in action. He has a lot of talent, and he’s quite tall but his opponent – the second-seeded Slovenian Aljaz Bedene – showed that experience counts for a lot in these situations. The Frenchman Josselin Ouanna similarly kept Taipei’s Ti Chen from building any momentum, despite some impressive shots.

We’ll see how my favorites fare on Thursday and that will determine whether I need to go again on Friday.

August 22, 2012
US Open Qualifying Tournament 2012

Above: India’s Yuki Bhambri signing autographs after winning his first-round qualifying match at the US Open.

Tuesday August 21, 2012 – Over the past few years I’ve discovered and followed certain players during the US Open qualifying matches – people like Alejandro Falla, Bjorn Phau, Go Soeda, Tatsuma Ito and Rajeev Ram. This year all five of those men were up in the rankings and so were into the main draw already; congratulations to all of them, but it meant I would be spending this year’s tournament mostly checking out players new to me. Yuki Bhambri was the most exciting new discovery for me: he has an powerful serve and, after losing the first set, he buckled down and gave an impressive display of tennis skills in defeating the excellent and exciting Argentine Horacio Zeballos. It was close match, ending with a tie-breaker for the third set. I will definitely want to see Bhambri play again later in the week.

It was a beautiful day at the Open, breezy and with a nice mix of sun and clouds. There was a sizeable crowd and the usual annoyances of small children (parents: little kids get restless and cranky at tennis tournaments so leave ’em with a sitter), cellphones, and people gabbing during play. But for the most part I was able to find quiet spots to watch from, or to move if things got distracting. I was delighted to see the great Billie Jean King walking from court to court early in the day (the whole place is named after her, and deservedly so).

My first match was between two women I didnt know anything about: Dinah Pfizenmaier and Heidi El Tabakh. I initially pegged Pfizenmaier as the likely winner,but on the big points El Tabakh was able to capitalize and she won the match.

Thailand’s Danai Udomchoke, who I’ve seen play many times, put up a valiant fight but was out-gunned by Spain’s Adrian Menendez-Maceiras.

Three Asian women – all new to me – scored impressive victories: Ying-Ying Duan (very tall) and SaiSai Zheng (with a tendency to moon-ball) were representing the next generation of Chinese players, while Taipei’s Yung-Jan Chan presented her opponent with a double-bagel victory.

After watching Yuki Bhambri’s exciting victory, I decided to head home on a high note although there were still matches in progress. There’s some construction going on at the Tennis Center and both the noise and the necessary ‘detours’ are inconveniences.

But I did take a look at the newly-opened Court 17, a smallish arena-style venue with an intimate feeling. I hope to see a match there at some point this week.

August 21, 2012