US Open: Super Saturday

Fanatic Omes:

With both men and women semi-finals today, surely this is the superiest of them all? So sit back, relax and enjoy. I'll be the one peeing my pants.

Order of play.

Ladies' match of the day: Wozniacki vs Williams; 1st night match, Ashe.

Men's match of the day: Really really can't decide.

(Pic: nicey200 on Photobucket)

OMG only 3 days left! Hold me.

Fanatic Omes:

- Rafa came back from a 3-0 deficit during the few minutes of play before rain emphatically told us to say hello to its little friend, for a straight sets win. Homeboy was agreeeessive - so at least the whole prospect of 4 best of 5 matches in 4 days was good for something. (Small mercies).

- Adventures were had on Armstrong where Roddick was to play Ferru. Believe it or not a water bubble appeared on court so the guys had to go straight back off. First a ball boy tried to towel it off, then the tournament director himself had a go. It came to that. Anyway after a long wait the boys stepped back on court and a "baffled" Roddo had had enough - he rallied for the match to be moved over to Hawk-eye-less court 13 which has a capacity of, what 500? The players and their entourages then made their way over, the crowd and an ESPN camera followed behind. And hey presto. This was the first time in 9 years that Roddo hadn't played on Ashe. And the power of 13 seemed to work for him. A very focussed Roddo raced to a two set lead, but then a very grindy Ferrer won the 3rd. But then focussed Roddick came back to take it in four. And he was so happy that he walked around the court slapping hi-fives to all. Gotta love.

- Andy Murray taught Donald Young a lesson winning 6-2 6-3 6-3. DY got so peeved at one point that the actually told a fan who was cheering for him to "shut up". Way to turn around perceptions, Young.

- Serena and Pavs traded consecutive breaks till 3 all. Pavs has some serious game. Potential is ridonk. But Serena is Serena. It was an error stricken performance and I'm not gonna not blame her player box, which was full of the Kardashian Krew komplete with Kim, Lala and Ciara.

- The 2-7 head to head reared its ugly head for Bepa, who went out rather emphatically to Stosur. She was just a mental midget and Stosur was on point. Simples.

- Nole and Janko's match was a so much fun for the first 2 sets. It was a damn shame Tipsy had to retire. How dumb would it be if the fact that Nole ground Tipsy like whole peppercorns ruined their chances at the davis Cup this weekend? Woopsies.

- Federer, who beared a striking resemblance to FedererGOAT, bossed Jo-Willy to set up a clash with Nole in the semis. Oops! I think I just drooled.

(Vid: ArjunJethwa on YouTube)

US Open: We live in hope.

Fanatic Omes:

Say it with me, 'hope'.

Order of play.

Ladies' match of the day: Federer vs Tsonga; only night match, Ashe.

Men's match of the day: Stosur vs Zvonareva; 2nd on Grandstand.

(Pic: keeponsledding.blogspot.com)
 

Readme

Fanatic Omes:

• The 'case of the magic draw' has been quite the topic of controversy this US Open, and it's easy to see why.
• Because it's always fun to read an Ernests Gulbis article.
• Nice article on whether Roddick's meltdown mania was kindddda justified.
• Now everyone is a racquet diva.
• Wondrous illustrative article showing the best fistpumps through the years. Glorious; just glorious.
• Article about the abusive tennis coach, who's now been named and shamed as hall of famer, Bob Hewitt. Appalling.
• Exhibit A. Exhibit B. But there's nothing wrong with Harrison's temper - according to Jim courier. (No comment on Gimelstob btw. Wow.)
• Toni being candid and a little pessimistic about Rafa (sky is blue).
• Glorious animation on Rafa's forehand from the New York times. And it's informative too kids!
• With the number of retirements  as numerous as sand grains on the seashore at the USO - this certainly springs to mind.
• We all know about Ball Boys and Girls, but meet Spitz - the (over) enthusiastic Ball Lawyer.

(Pic: dcanimals.org)

The rain, the drama and the need for a union.

 

Neutral Omes:

On day 10 of the US Open, Rafael Nadal and the two Andys (Murray and Roddick) were the big names to start off rain-delayed play on Ashe. Seven minutes in and the rain returned. The players had to go off - but not without getting visibly irate about their having to go on court in the first place in the misty and damp conditions. Rafa was supposedly heard saying to tournament referee Brian Early: "It's the same old story, all you think about is money." And so it began. 

Rafa went off to complain to Early further behind closed doors, with Roddick and Murray close by. A little later all three players were interviewed by Pam Shriver on ESPN:

“Everyone’s relaxed about it now, but when we went out on court, it was still wet, and the balls too. It doesn’t make sense to get out there for seven or eight minutes and I don’t think that will happen again. I knew that Rafa was going to see [Brian Earley]. I spoke to David Ferrer, and he was saying: ‘It was still raining when we went on there.’ The lines are slippy and very dangerous. I said I will go in and mention it as well, then Andy [Roddick] came.”- Murray

 

“They need to put tennis on television, I understand the business side of it, but they need to make sure the players are safe. If I were by myself I’d feel uncomfortable going in there, as an American. We said if conditions are similar to that again, it might be uncomfortable. To Brian Earley’s credit, he listened to what we had to say. He was very nice in the conversation.” - Roddick

“It was a tough day. We don’t feel protected here. The tournament grand slams, they are [getting] a lot of money and they are working for that, but not [for] us.“The rain really never stopped. The court was dry for 10 minutes and they know we have to go out there. The health of the players is important. This is part of the show – and we don’t feel protected. We are here working hard and we want to feel good when were playing a tournament.“Things happened today and at [other] slams and for sure we cannot accept these things. We have to be together and not accept situations. We have to fight to change that, so we don’t go on court when it’s raining. If I have to, I go on court, but it’s not fair.” - Nadal

US Open: Day 9, Take 2

Fanatic Omes:

I have a feeling this is Irene's way of saying: "suckaaaas".

Optimistic order of play.

Ladies' match of the day: Stosur vs Zvonareva, 2nd on Armstong.

Men's match of the day: Federer vs Tsonga; 2nd night match, Ashe.

(Pic: Getty)

US Open: Blather, rinse, repeat.

Fanatic Omes:

- Rafa was still shaky in the first set of his 3rd rounder but Nalba(ckha)ndian played some lights out tennis. I wish Rafa was like Rog in the sense that he can pull confidence out his ass. But that's beside the point. He's showed up during this tournament big time, so you know, vamos. He then brought the dramz with that cramptastic press conference. Rest your weary leg boy.

- Roddick breezed through but it was pointed out the average ranking of his first three opponents was 244 so you know... yeah. But he's looking good no doubt. Good for the confidence and all that.

- Donald Young's still plugging away showing maturity and guts and all that, making his way to the fourth round of Slam for the first time ever. Dirt no longer on shoulder. 

- I mentioned how Delpo running out of gas in his 3rd rounder didn't bode well. Well Andy Murray the II or as people like to know him by, Gilles Simon, ran him to the ground. Simon played that usual grind game and sucked Delpo into it. The Argentine tree seemed to forget he was capable of blasting those crazy winners that got him the title. Oh well. He'll be back.

- Ferrer's been ghosting in nicely, slipping and sliding under the radar. This is impressive - he's coming back from injury. I guess now that Delpo's gone, Ferrer gets the honorary 'dangerous floater' badge.

- Ana Ivanovic's got to be pleased with the way she came out against Serena, what with the question on the twitterverse being: how many games is Serena going to concede? Ana sure showed us that she's one adje-twirl closer to getting back to her best. ReRe didn't bring her best, but then the gale force winds in Ashe didn't help.

- I had the displeasure of missing the 32 point record-breaking breaker between Stosur and Kirilenko as I was wasting my time sleeping. But heard it was epic. Sisters have indeed been doing it for themselves this tournament.

- Ah part I in the chronicles of Mardy and Jo. Jo get's angry with antagonists from Mardy's box. Mardy get's angry with antagonists from Jo's box. The two kiss and make up at the net. It was not unlike an Ashton Kutcher movie. I have to say I'm a little bit surprised - didn't think Fish would fizzle out so emphatically. But he has been playing non-stop since Madrid and admitted he was "spent".

- Pavlyu-check you out, Pavlyuchenkova! Pulled the upset over Fran Schiavone to book a place in her first ever quarters at the USO. I just love the nonchalant look on her face when she plays - like she's queuing up to buy stamps or something.

- In the intimate settings of Armstrong court, Dolgopolov took on Nole in a display which can only be described as a something Monfils would be proud of. The long-haired one would hit those cray cray shots in that beautifully trashy unorthodox style he's got, complete with those excessive, debilitating slice backhands, but then soon after several clusters of his braincells would take their momentary leave of absence. 4-1 up in the first set tiebreak, and with the way he had Nole cornered - he really should have taken that. Anyway in his presser Dolgo gave the impression that he was just there to have fun. And that was the problem - lack of belief. But then again isn't that everybody's problem against Nole these days?

(Vid: xohxxmyx on YouTube)

Celbrity SIGHtings at the US Open.

Fanatic Omes:

So it's the 2nd week of the USO and that can only mean one thing: darn celebrities start to arrive and take up valuable fan seats. Some even make themselves comfy in the boxes of players they hardly know. (I'm looking at you Jay Z.) So in a tribute to I don't entirely know what, here is a gallery of the latest celebs at the Open. Sigh.

Alas, alack, it's Alec! (Baldwin)

Jay, B and bay-B.

A happy Owen Wilson. Nice to see.

Now if ANYONE deserves to sit in a player's box, it should be this guy. (Andy Samberg)

Much respect to Aretha Frankling for coming out. (I'm sorry - that was poor.)

Chis Pine and pop.

Ben Stiller - who is a Rafa fan btw, so you know, he rules, plus wife Christine Taylor.

I love you Bradley Cooper, but not your glasses.

Mr and Mrs Zeta-Jones-Douglas.

Diddy, who made himself comfy in Nole's box and actually calls him 'No'. The two apparently met at a party. Alrighty then.

Ed Burns and supermodel wife Christy Turlington. Good-looking pair, no?

Jeremy Piven

Jimmy Fallon, scouting tennis players for his show no doubt.

It's funny how glasses and a hat can make Justin look the opposite of incognito. 

Click below for more celebos.

US Open: Day 9

Fanatic Omes:

So there's apparently going to be some lovely torrential rain at Flushing. Damn, suspended play = no excuse for not going to the gym. Apparently matches are to be "frontloaded" i.e. they'll try and get the big matches out of the way earlier. Hey, you gotta earn your preferential treatment.

Order of play.

Ladies' match of the day: Stosur vs Zvonareva; 3rd on Armstrong.

Men's match of the day: Ferrer vs Roddick; 1st night match on Ashe.

(Pic: AP)

US Open: Day 8

 

Fanatic Omes:

So it's Labour Day in the US today and as someone on my twitter timeline pointed out (holler if it was you), it means day session > night session at Flushing.

Hence the order of play.

Ladies' match of the day: Williams vs Ivanovic; 2nd on Ashe.

Men's match of the day: Fish vs Tsonga; 3rd on Ashe.

(Pic: Reuters)

Fed says the darndest things.

Fanatic Omes:

It's really worth having a read of Rog's 3rd round presser. He funny.

(Pic: Getty)
 

US Open: Day 7

Fanatic Omes:

With a belly full of oats and berries I get to watch the start of the US Open this week, and guess who's up first on Ashe? Happy times!

Order of play.

Ladies' match of the day: Zvonareva vs Lisicki; last on Ashe.

Men's match of the day: Nadal vs Nalbandian; 1st on Ashe.

(Pic: Getty)

More US Open musings.

Fanatic Omes:

- Delpo was sublime until he kind of checked out in the third set hitting some cray cray serve and volleys. He seemed to run out of steam at the end, which doesn't bode well, but he's Delpo; he's still dangerous.

- Shock of the tournament Penetta took out Masha, who was still rusty as an old gold chain. The match was breaks and deuces galore, but Penetta just played some inspired tennis, working the important points extremely well. Sadly Masha doesn't seem to have that intimidation factor at all anymore. The bottom half of the draw is now as open as a can of worms.

- Ok the Muzz vs Haase match. I didn’t watch much till the 5th set, as I was following my heart (reads: watching Rafa). But to sum up that was probably the most hilarious, confusing, exhausting, infuriating, ridiculous, atrocious, stupid, silly, discombobulating match in the history of the world. Face was in palm. Lungs were working overtime with laughter. Andy was all giggles at the end. BANANAS.

- It's not just the baby female Americanas making an impression. Give it up for Donald Young! He pushed Stan to 5 sets and crazily enough the wiring in his brain seemed to be set to 'on'  in the final set tiebreak. He held his nerve and held his serve. Good boy.

- Rafa started to look like Rafa again. His winner error ratio was very agreeable indeed 24 - 5. He's still working out the kinks, but working them out no doubt. Mahut retired making it the 1456778th retirement this week. **Update: And then Berdych and Granollers retired tallying it up to 1456780.

- Unfortunately for young Americans Christina McHale and Jack Sock, their elders (Kirilenko and Roddick) felt the need to teach them some discipline. Both got schooled but should pat themselves numerous times on the back.

- Marin Cilic, inspired by the dismantling of two prodigies back to back tried to take it to King Fed. He played some great tennis but just didn't play the important points fantastically. And he wasn't helped by umpire Pascal Maria who frankly, rather ridiculously gave him a time violation on break point down in the middle of his service action (advantage Rog). Having lost a bit of focus he then proceeded to double fault handing Rog the 5-4 lead and the chance to serve out the 3rd set. Not cool Pascal, not cool.

- SerenaGOAT took care of Vika 6-1 5 in what reallllllllly should have been a semi or a final. Much credit to Vika, who played some exhilarating, inspired stuff with an unbelievable resurgence when Serena served for the match in the 2nd set. It was hands down the best set of tennis from the ladies in this USO. With crazy ridonkadonk rallies, these girls were pummelling the ball like it was a piñata filled with buy one get one free Louboutins. The tough ending gave Serena a good test, which she passed with flying colours and honestly if she goes on like this, I can't see anyone else winning the next few Slams. Probably not even Kimmie.

- Haven't said much about Nole but, I mean, there's nothing else to say. The guy is an alien. Sure, that "pod" is a recovery device. No, Nole it's how you arrived on this earth from planet Xylon500.

(Vid: coreycelt on YouTube)