US Open

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The US Open starts in a week!

But for a start - something that was bound to happen - I knew it and I was waiting for it !!! So … HE’s the NEW MAN in Men’s Tennis - Andy Roddick!

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Many have only spoken and speculated about who’ll be the next big American in the steps of Sampras & Agassi - Now everyone knows for sure it’s Andy Roddick jumps up and down in excitement - After winning two back-to-back TMS titles - in Montreal & Cincinnati - he’s the new ATP Champions Race and main contender for this year’s US Open title - This was Andy’s 20th win from 21 matches - a feat that only his coach Brad Gilbert and Andre Agassi have managed to achieve.

I really hope he continues to play such wonderful Tennis and wish him a lot of success.

Finally - here’s the current ATP Champions Race Top 10 as of August 18th, just before the start of the US Open on August 26th:


Pos   Name (Nationality)            Pts   Pos    Tourns
                                          Chg    Played

01    Roddick, Andy (USA)           607    +4    18
02    Federer, Roger (SUI)          599    -1    18
03    Ferrero, Juan Carlos (ESP)    574    -1    16
04    Coria, Guillermo (ARG)        539     0    17
05    Agassi, Andre (USA)           515    -2    15
06    Schuettler, Rainer (GER)      447     0    20
07    Moya, Carlos (ESP)            368     0    18
08    Nalbandian, David (ARG)       268    +2    16
09    Philippoussis, Mark (AUS)     261    -1    15
10    Grosjean, Sebastien (FRA)     254    -1    16

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A young man with an old approach

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/20/sports/tennis/20open.html

American Decides Old Style Fits Fine
By RON DICKER

ajeev Ram might be the United States’ most promising serve-and-volley player. He is also one of its few serve-and-volley players.

“A lot of these guys I’m playing here are a little shocked when they see somebody coming to the net other than to shake hands,” Ram said yesterday after defeating Andres Dellatorre of Argentina, 6-0, 6-3, in the first round of the United States Open qualifying competition.

Ram, 19, uses a fading art that might have seen the last of one of its great practitioners, Pete Sampras, because Sampras, the winner of 14 Grand Slam singles titles, is on the brink of retirement. Ram’s idol growing up in Carmel, Ind., was Boris Becker, whose big serve and knack for rushing the net propelled him to six Grand Slam singles titles.

“I’ve always enjoyed that way of playing,” Ram said. “Being bigger, having a decent serve and pretty good hands, it just kind of fell into place.”

Ram, 6 feet 4 inches and 185 pounds, has some filling out to do. But his hardcourt power game was enough to overwhelm Dellatorre, a clay-court specialist, on an outer court of the U.S.T.A. National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens.

Dellatorre did what most players these days do, grinding out points from the baseline. But Ram held serve comfortably, and Dellatorre sprayed balls in a far more erratic matter than his rally-friendly game could allow.

Ram said his scrambles to the frontcourt kept Dellatorre, of Argentina, out of his comfort zone. That happens a lot, he said.

Taylor Dent, ranked No. 73, is the country’s more established serve-and-volley specialist, but Ram’s performance in the past year has attracted attention.

Last fall, he won a Futures professional tournament in Laguna Niguel, Calif., while retaining his amateur status. He enrolled as a freshman at the University of Illinois in January and helped Illinois win the N.C.A.A. team championship in May, a surprising accomplishment for a Midwest school. In the final against Vanderbilt, Ram won both his singles and doubles matches.

On the junior circuit, he won the prestigious Easter Bowl 18-and-under title in 2001 and the Wimbledon doubles title in 2002. Despite an early rush of success, Ram does not plan to turn pro immediately. He said he did not want to be regretful in five years for making a decision too quickly.

His coach at Illinois, Craig S. Tiley, said his serve and volley required more refinement anyway.

“If he rushes into it, then in the rigors of playing week in and week out you don’t have a chance to physically develop yourself,” he said. “Then you get injured and then you get behind.”

Ram must win two more matches to qualify for the United States Open’s main draw. His opponent in the second round of qualifying is Jan Vacek of the Czech Republic, who yesterday defeated Petr Luxa, also of the Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-2.

In 2001, Ram gained entry into the United States Open qualifying as a wild card and lost in the first round. But even if he falls short this time in the qualifying, he will still play doubles in the main draw with Brian Wilson, his Illinois teammate.

“I need to see where my game is to get better and focus on improving this whole week,” Ram said.

Ram, who serves in the 120-mile-an-hour range, said he wanted a bigger serve, like the one employed by Sampras, who swept opponents out of position so he could move in for the kill.

“My game is to get in and finish the point at the net rather than hit it 149 miles an hour,” he said.

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A legend will call it day off :frowning: - He will be missed.

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**Sampras to Officially Retire at U.S. Open **

Pete Sampras is making his retirement official and he will be honored with a ceremony at the U.S. Open.

Sampras hasn’t played a match since winning his record 14th major title at the 2002 U.S. Open, although he never came out and formally said he was retiring.

That will change Monday at a news conference he will hold before a tribute at Arthur Ashe Stadium on the first night of this year’s Open, Sampras’ representatives said in an e-mailed release.

**Sampras has withdrawn from every event this season but remains ranked — currently 35th — because he never officially quit.

His last match was a 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory over old foe Andre Agassi in the U.S. Open final on Sept. 8. It gave Sampras his fifth Open title and, at 31, made him the tournament’s oldest winner since 1970. **

At the postmatch news conference, Sampras alternated between sounding as though he were ready to hang up his racket and ready to get back to work.

“I’m going to have to weigh it up in the next couple months to see where I’m at. To beat a rival like Andre, in a storybook ending, it might be nice to stop,” Sampras said at the time.

“But,” he added, “I still want to compete, you know? I still love to play.”

Part of what made that victory so special to Sampras was that he hadn’t won a tournament of any sort in more than two years. He entered that U.S. Open seeded 17th and with a 20-17 match record for the year.

“I wanted to stop on my terms,” Sampras said after beating Agassi. “That was one thing I promised myself, even though I was struggling this year and hearing this and that. I deserved to stop on my own terms.”

Sampras and his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, had their first child in November.

:smokin2:

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A great player indeed. pity to see him leave without ever winning the French open.

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Latest News from the U.S Open

  1. Williams’ Sisters pulls out of U.S. Open due to injury

  2. Martina Navratilova won’t play mixed doubles at Open because her partner Leander Paes is hospitalized with a brain lesion - Hope he recovers soon.

There is a lot of buzz about who will win the U.S Open from Men’s and Women’s Competition already - I hope Andy Roddick wins it - Aggassi is good too but Andy Roddick beats him when it comes to strength.

I think Lindsay Daveport from Women could win - but then again anything can happen at U.S Open - you just never know.

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What a day it has been - Pete cried when he was honored at U.S Open - It was sad to see him retire from Tennis like that - This is another reason why Tennis has been called dead sport these days - Less great players are left to watch Tennis.

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Tennis greats Boris Becker and John McEnroe with Pete Sampras.

In his speech Pete said that he was done - 100% done but I did not feel he says it with heart - He could have earned more Grand Slams - and feats that no Tennis player has ever had - Being a top seed Tennis player for six staright years is such a great feat that every player could only wish for - and I don’t think any Tennis player can do it - though - there maybe possibly - but I doubt it will be yet - The 14 Grand Slams Champion has earned the label ‘greatest player ever’

Diablo Kazama - Pete did talk about French Open - He said it’s a disappointment not winning in Paris - but he doesn’t think about it much.

Anyway Lindsay Davenport has advanced into the next round after a easy win(6-1, 6-0) against Els Callens of Belgium.

:smokin2:

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***Michael Chang, of the United States, gives a thumbs-up after his match against Fernando Gonzales, of Chile, at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York Tuesday Aug, 26, 2003. Gonzalez defeated Chang 6-3, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4. ***

and there goes another American hero - Truly an emotional night for Chang’s fans

Anyway two hot players of the U.S Open Andre Aggassi and Andy Roddick have been advanced into the next round.

Andy Roddick has beaten Tim Henman of Britain(6-3, 7-6, 6-3) - and Agassi has defeated Alex Corretja of Spain(6-1, 6-2, 6-2)

:smokin2:

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Yeah me tooo :k:

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Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain celebrates his win over Andre Agassi of the United States in their semifinal match

Sorry to tell you guys Andre Aggassi is out of the tournament - I said it long ago Aggassi is finished - He couldn’t keep the momentum against Carlos Ferrero - he’s not as impressive as he was used to be once - though Aggassi said after losing the tournament it will make him work ever harder - but since Ferrero, Mark, Roddick, Younes, Blake etc out in the court - I hardly expect Aggassi to win Grand Slam - good luck to him anyway

It’s Roddick vs. Ferrero in U.S. Open final

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Andy Roddick reached the Grand Slam final 1st time in his career

David Nalbandian gave the thumbs-down to the umpire after losing the game - it was bad sportmanship - Roddick was behind two sets and made his great comeback into the game - Not only he stepped up unexpectedly but also broke his own 37 aces record which he had against Michael Chang in the French Open 2001.

The match was superb - it’s always nice to have matches 3+ hours long - trust me :cool: Roddick is getting better! He moves quick on the court - makes great shot - and service is good too! That’s Roddick’s game – bullets and bombs - aces and winners – and when he is on - it is a sight to see - he swings hard every time like he is trying to knock down an oak - he blasts crowd-pleasing shots and loves aiming for the lines - but sometimes like today he loses composure when plays flat - the first two sets he lost were the reason he played really bad but afterwards he made a phenomenal comeback and won the game.

Good game by David as well - he played three matches in a row and was really tired - he had a good tournament.

Anyway Ferrero is a good player - and I expect Final to be really huge - I mean really really huge - If Ferrero lost the Final he will remain the no.1 player in World Ranking but if Roddick wins it - chances are bright for him to claim no.1 seed.

Good luck to both players.

:smokin2:

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**U.S Open Women’s Champion - Justine Henin-Hardenne **

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***Justine Henin-Hardenne (L) of Belgium holds the U.S. Open trophy after her win over compatriot Kim Clijsters (R) in the women’s final at the 2003 U.S. Open in Flushing, New York, September 6, 2003. Henin-Hardenne defeated Clijsters 7-5 6-1. ***

Meet the new Champion Justine - Tough Girl - she deserved it - last night she played one of the best games of the U.S Open when she defeated Jennifer Capriati - Despite suffering from cramp and trailing 5-2 in the final set, Henin-Hardenne launched an astonishing comeback and won the SemiFinal yesterday - and less than 24 hours - she earned the Championship title against the best player of the game Kim Clijsters in straight sets - whoah! I am impressed - talk about confidence in Justine.

I was surprised to see Kim losing the Final in straight sets - I mean she never lost a single set throughout the tournament except Final - I was really disappointed but at the same time Justine had her game going and that kept me on the edge - sad to know Kim is still the no. 1 player and Justine no. 2 but Justine now has two major Grand Slam titles French and U.S Open 2003 compare to Kim who still have to win one!

Anyway Men’s Final Roddick vs Ferrero is tomorrow.

:smokin2:

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Yesterdays match between Capriati & Justine was a classic. I gave up an hour of my sleep to watch it ... but it was worth it!

Great Tennis!

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Talha: *

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[/QUOTE]

Is that Jim Courier behind Sampras??

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U.S Open Men’s Champion - Andy Roddick

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***Andy Roddick, of the USA, kisses his trophy after his 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3 victory over Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero to win the men’s final at the US Open tennis tournament Sunday, Sept. 7, 2003 in New York. ***

The torch is passed to A-Rod!

What a match - simply amazing - Andy Roddick dominated the whole game - A-Rod was so ruthless against Ferrero that he found himself in trouble returning the serves - one serve that Andy did was 141 mph on a break point! - Besides massive aces he got his forehand worked out really well - I mean he served then comes to net and finished off the point in a true Champion style - this is what I’ve been waiting to see from him and he did in the huge event .

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***Andy Roddick, of the United States, hugs coach Brad Gilbert after his 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3 victory over Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero to win the men’s final at the US Open tennis tournament ***

I think it’s time to start counting how much titles will Andy Roddick earn from now - we all know how much potential he has got - down by two sets yesterday and today he finished off his opponent in straight sets! Andy Roddick without a shadow of doubt America’s best Tennis player, nation’s best prospect but at 21, he is no longer a kid - He’s the same age as David Nalbandian, just two years younger than Carlos Ferrero.

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I don’t believe it - says Andy Roddick

Boy he was crying as he said that he’s still in disbelief after winning the U.S Open - it was nice to see him after he went back into the crowd - gave hug to his Coach - Girlfriend and family members - such a wonderful sight.

This has been the Open of water (from the rain) and whine (from the foreign players) - You can’t turn around without hearing an international player crying about scheduling - partisan crowds or linesmen calls - David Nalbandian suggested that there might a conspiracy behind some umpire decisions on Saturday’s game with Roddick - yeah right - as far as I know Ferrero has been the most quiet person on the court but today he did whine about one call which wasn’t worth it -

All I know Andy Roddick doesn’t care about that! - tomorrow when you read the news paper you’ll see Ferrero the no. 1 seed player in Tennis and A-Rod will be no.2 - who cares - A-Rod have known how is it like to win the major Grand Slam - and that counts and more to comes! Insh’Allah!

:smokin2:

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Yup - that’s him - today before the Men’s Final all Tennis greats(including Jimmy) were honored - i missed that ceremony :frowning:

:smokin2:

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Roddick is unbelievable! He consistently served at 136-138 mph. Unlike Goran Ivanisic (sp?) he has more than just a serve. Looks like Sampras has passed the torch to another legend..but maybe its too early to say.

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Well done Andy R. :k:

But I m still fan of Agassi

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I knew it, I have said for a long time, Andy Roddick is the next big thing.

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Here are the newest rankings for the Men and the Women after the US Open.


ATP Champions Race Top 14 (as of Monday, 9/8/2003)


Pos   Name (Nationality)            Pts   Pos    Tourns
                                          Chg    Played

01    Roddick, Andy (USA)           807     0    19
02    Ferrero, Juan Carlos (ESP)    714    +1    17
03    Federer, Roger (SUI)          629    -1    19
04    Agassi, Andre (USA)           605    +1    16
05    Coria, Guillermo (ARG)        589    -1    18
06    Schuettler, Rainer (GER)      477     0    21
07    Moya, Carlos (ESP)            398     0    19
08    Nalbandian, David (ARG)       358     0    17
09    Hewitt, Lleyton (AUS)         290    +4    14
10    Philippoussis, Mark (AUS)     276    -1    16

11    Schalken, Sjeng (NED)         256   +11    20
12    Srichaphan, Paradorn (THA)    255    +4    23
14    El Aynaoui, Younes (MAR)      250   +11    23



ATP Entry Ranking Top 10 (as of Monday, 9/8/2003)
  
Pos   Name (Nationality)            Pts   Pos    Tourns
                                          Chg    Played

01    Ferrero, Juan Carlos (ESP)   4250    +2    24
02    Roddick, Andy (USA)          4165    +2    22
03    Federer, Roger (SUI)         3825    -1    25
04    Agassi, Andre (USA)          3670    -3    19
05    Coria, Guillermo (ARG)       3105     0    23
06    Moya, Carlos (ESP)           2685    +1    25
07    Hewitt, Lleyton (AUS)        2525    -1    19
08    Schuettler, Rainer (GER)     2415     0    28
09    Nalbandian, David (ARG)      2145    +4    22
10    Grosjean, Sebastien (FRA)    1850    -1    21



WTA Tour Singles Ranking  (as of Monday, 9/8/2003)


Cur  Prv  Name (Nationality)                 Rank   Qual   Tourns
                                              Pts    Pts   Played

01   01   CLIJSTERS, KIM (BEL)               6589   2341   22
02   03   HENIN-HARDENNE, JUSTINE (BEL)      6259   2233   19
03   02   WILLIAMS, SERENA (USA)             4955   1796   10
04   04   DAVENPORT, LINDSAY (USA)           3577   1122   19
05   07   CAPRIATI, JENNIFER (USA)           2809    831   19
06   05   WILLIAMS, VENUS (USA)              2508    893    8
07   06   MAURESMO, AMELIE (FRA)             2341    738   14
08   10   MYSKINA, ANASTASIA (RUS)           1996    620   25
09   11   DEMENTIEVA, ELENA (RUS)            1881    704   27
10   08   RUBIN, CHANDA (USA)                1866    603   18

To conclude US Open thread, another look Andy Rocket Roddick.

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:smokin2:

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the amazing part is how agassi has been able to be at the top of tennis for such a long time. Roddick is the future of tennis, he has giant shoes to fill.. borg, lendl, conners, mcenroe and agassi..

hopefully he will nto go out like michael sticht..