usopentennis
Roddick Quits First-Round Match with Injury
Andy Roddick falls during his match against Spain's Alberto Martin in the first round on Tuesday.
A sore ankle meant another quick exit for Andy Roddick at the French Open.
Roddick aggravated an ankle injury and retired trailing Alberto Martin 6-4, 7-5, 1-0 in the first round Tuesday.
Seeded fifth, Roddick lost in the opening round for the third time in six appearances at Roland Garros, and his career record in the event fell to 4-6.
Playing six days after he sprained his left ankle at the World Team Cup in Germany, Roddick moved well early in the match. But he called for a trainer after losing his serve at love to start the third set.
Roddick told the trainer he had aggravated his injury late in the second set and was unsure whether to keep playing on the heavily taped ankle.
“What do you think?” he said. “Do you think it’s dangerous?”
The trainer said no, but Roddick decided to quit. He walked off Court Suzanne Lenglen to a mix of hoots, whistles and applause.
Martin improved to 3-8 at Roland Garros. The unseeded Spaniard had lost all 10 sets in his four previous matches against Roddick.
Earlier, No. 25 Gael Monfils of France won a matchup of 19-year-olds, beating Andy Murray 6-4, 6-7 (2), 1-6, 6-2, 6-2. Murray struggled after receiving treatment for a back injury midway through the match.
“It just feels real tight,” Murray said. “I couldn’t serve. It doesn’t help when you’re serving about 50 or 60 mph.”
Murray said he expects to be fine for Wimbledon.
Monfils drew jeers from center-court fans in the fourth set when he argued at length about a line call.
“You know you’re acting up a little bit when your own crowd is booing you,” Murray said.
Monfils attributed his argumentative mood to nerves.
“When you’re a bit tense, you really have this habit of wanting to be sure that the call was right,” he said. “This was nothing against Andy. It’s just because I was very tense. I wanted to be reassured. I hope he didn’t mind. If he did, I’m sorry.”
No. 4 Ivan Ljubicic beat Carlos Berlocq 6-2, 6-0, 6-3. Australian Open runner-up Marcos Baghdatis, seeded 19th, eliminated Albert Portas 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1.
In a match suspended overnight because of darkness, No. 17 Robby Ginepri lost to Albert Montanes 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-4. Ginepri, a U.S. Open semifinalist last year, fell to 3-11 this year.
“I’m questioning what shots to go for,” he said. “Usually I just play and have no feeling out there. Now that I’m a little older, I’m maturing. Unfortunately, I’m thinking a little more out there.”
No. 23 Tommy Haas beat fellow German Rainer Schuettler 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
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The Bryan Brothers' Success in the Works for Years
A lot of kids grow up dreaming of winning the US Open singles title. But what's unique about twins Mike and Bob Bryan, and is no doubt a huge factor in their victory today in the men's doubles final over the No. 1 seeded team of Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi, is that their dream of American Grand Slam triumph always involved standing in the winner's circle together.
"I mean, since we were six years old we always thought it would be pretty damn cool to win the US Open,'' said Mike Bryan, sitting next to his brother talking about their doubles victory, looking like two people who had reached the top of a mountain they had been viewing for some time. "Today I felt we played the best match of the year. Maybe of our career.''
The Bryan's doubles success started early. Their parents, Wayne and Kathy, are both tennis pros, and they began teaching their sons at the age of two. They kept the Bryan brothers from competing against each other in tournaments early in their junior career, having the two alternate defaulting to each other when they met in a draw. But, when it came to playing on the same side of the net, they were battling it out from the get-go.
"They would hang around their club when they were little kids and they'd be playing against all the best players, even the best men,'' said John McCampbell, a tennis coach who used to teach the Bryan brothers when they were little kids. He was celebrating with the Bryans after their win. "That's where they sort of got their first taste of playing tough matches together.''
They played so much together, and grew as doubles players because of it, that they became a mini phenomenon. They reached the No. 1 doubles ranking in every age-division throughout their junior careers-- in the 12s, 14s, 16s and 18s. In fact, this is their tenth US Open because they twice won the boys' 18s doubles title at Kalamazoo, giving them wild cards into the US Open men's doubles main draw when they were 17 and 18. They also won the men's NCAA doubles title both years they played at Stanford University.
"We did all the stepping stones you do in terms of winning in tennis,'' said Mike Bryan. "When we won the NCAA doubles title, we thought that was a big deal. But this [US Open title] is as high as it gets.''
The Bryans were actually formidable singles players throughout their junior and college careers, particularly Bob, who won the NCAA singles championship in 1998. But a few years after turning pro they decided together that their best chance of fulfilling their dreams of playing Davis Cup and winning Grand Slams would come by focusing on doubles.
'Bob actually got up to around No. 115 in the world in singles, he sacrificed it more than me,'' said Mike Bryan.
It's been this life-long devotion to doubles together that perhaps has prompted the Bryans to sue the ATP Tour, which is now in the process of drastically cutting back opportunities for doubles specialists like the Bryans, and they hope in the process of the suit to persuade the ATP Tour to keep the integrity of the doubles tour and perhaps put more money and time into promoting doubles.
"I mean, since we were six years old we always thought it would be pretty damn cool to win the US Open,'' said Mike Bryan, sitting next to his brother talking about their doubles victory, looking like two people who had reached the top of a mountain they had been viewing for some time. "Today I felt we played the best match of the year. Maybe of our career.''
The Bryan's doubles success started early. Their parents, Wayne and Kathy, are both tennis pros, and they began teaching their sons at the age of two. They kept the Bryan brothers from competing against each other in tournaments early in their junior career, having the two alternate defaulting to each other when they met in a draw. But, when it came to playing on the same side of the net, they were battling it out from the get-go.
"They would hang around their club when they were little kids and they'd be playing against all the best players, even the best men,'' said John McCampbell, a tennis coach who used to teach the Bryan brothers when they were little kids. He was celebrating with the Bryans after their win. "That's where they sort of got their first taste of playing tough matches together.''
They played so much together, and grew as doubles players because of it, that they became a mini phenomenon. They reached the No. 1 doubles ranking in every age-division throughout their junior careers-- in the 12s, 14s, 16s and 18s. In fact, this is their tenth US Open because they twice won the boys' 18s doubles title at Kalamazoo, giving them wild cards into the US Open men's doubles main draw when they were 17 and 18. They also won the men's NCAA doubles title both years they played at Stanford University.
"We did all the stepping stones you do in terms of winning in tennis,'' said Mike Bryan. "When we won the NCAA doubles title, we thought that was a big deal. But this [US Open title] is as high as it gets.''
The Bryans were actually formidable singles players throughout their junior and college careers, particularly Bob, who won the NCAA singles championship in 1998. But a few years after turning pro they decided together that their best chance of fulfilling their dreams of playing Davis Cup and winning Grand Slams would come by focusing on doubles.
'Bob actually got up to around No. 115 in the world in singles, he sacrificed it more than me,'' said Mike Bryan.
It's been this life-long devotion to doubles together that perhaps has prompted the Bryans to sue the ATP Tour, which is now in the process of drastically cutting back opportunities for doubles specialists like the Bryans, and they hope in the process of the suit to persuade the ATP Tour to keep the integrity of the doubles tour and perhaps put more money and time into promoting doubles.
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Juniors Wrap Up: Unseeded Sweeting and No.1 Azarenka Are Champs
The junior finals offered up a mixed bag on the final day of the 2005 US Open. There were no surprises on the girls side with No.1 seed Viktoria Azarenka coming through in straight sets. But it was the opposite situation for the boys, as unseeded Ryan Sweeting blew by No.5 seed Jeremy Chardy of France to score the Boys title.
Chardy's strong strokes delivered a powerful punch, but numerous unforced errors dragged the Frenchman down. With eight double faults and a first serve ratio of just 38 percent, Chardy had a hard time holding serve against the calm and consistent Sweeting.
With 26 unforced errors, the Frenchman had exactly twice as many as his opponent. But Chardy did manage to score more winners than the Bahaman and covered the court well, coming to net four times as often as Sweeting.
The lanky teenagers drew a good crowd who were especially enthusiastic for Sweeting, who trains in the United States. There were lots of cheers when the Bahaman completed the upset.
The two met earlier this year in another Grand Slam final on the red clay of Roland Garros. That time, it was Chardy who came out on top on his home turf.
With Sunday's loss, Chardy will have a tough time trying to overtake Donald Young as the No.1 junior.
Keep your eyes open for these talented youngsters as they begin popping up in the main draw. Last year's US Open Boys Champion, Great Britain's Andy Murray, got to the second round here this year, and made it to the third round at Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, 16-year-old American Alexa Glatch faced a tough battle against top seed Viktoria Azarenka of Belarus, falling 6-3, 6-4. Glatch committed 29 unforced errors, and only managed nine winners.
No. 7 seed Glatch had an excellent run though. Before this event, she had never made it past the round of 16. She also made an appearance in the main draw as a wild card, beating Yuliana Fedak before falling in the second round to Jelena Jankovic.
With the win, Azarenka notched her second Grand Slam title of the year, having won the juniors title at the Australian Open earlier in the year.
Chardy's strong strokes delivered a powerful punch, but numerous unforced errors dragged the Frenchman down. With eight double faults and a first serve ratio of just 38 percent, Chardy had a hard time holding serve against the calm and consistent Sweeting.
With 26 unforced errors, the Frenchman had exactly twice as many as his opponent. But Chardy did manage to score more winners than the Bahaman and covered the court well, coming to net four times as often as Sweeting.
The lanky teenagers drew a good crowd who were especially enthusiastic for Sweeting, who trains in the United States. There were lots of cheers when the Bahaman completed the upset.
The two met earlier this year in another Grand Slam final on the red clay of Roland Garros. That time, it was Chardy who came out on top on his home turf.
With Sunday's loss, Chardy will have a tough time trying to overtake Donald Young as the No.1 junior.
Keep your eyes open for these talented youngsters as they begin popping up in the main draw. Last year's US Open Boys Champion, Great Britain's Andy Murray, got to the second round here this year, and made it to the third round at Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, 16-year-old American Alexa Glatch faced a tough battle against top seed Viktoria Azarenka of Belarus, falling 6-3, 6-4. Glatch committed 29 unforced errors, and only managed nine winners.
No. 7 seed Glatch had an excellent run though. Before this event, she had never made it past the round of 16. She also made an appearance in the main draw as a wild card, beating Yuliana Fedak before falling in the second round to Jelena Jankovic.
With the win, Azarenka notched her second Grand Slam title of the year, having won the juniors title at the Australian Open earlier in the year.
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An Appreciation
At an opening night gala here, Andy Rooney, the cantankerous CBS commentator, told the dinner crowd that to really enjoy tennis, "Don't try to be fair. You have to dislike one of the two players, so pick something you don't like - however superficial - and root for the other."
Andre Agassi and Roger Federer met for the championship of the 2005 US Open, but this classic late-summer duel was between two guys wearing white hats. Though the New York crowd was resolutely pro-Agassi, trying to will the old man on to illogical new heights, it was impossible to take Rooney's advice. Agassi and Federer are not merely two of the greatest ever to play the game of tennis, they are two genuinely likeable, decent, and admirable people who play tennis for a living.
Andre Agassi, the one-time punk with an attitude and now elder statesman of tennis and odds-defying old-timer, keeps adding chapters to an unlikely story. The man who stood across the net, Roger Federer, is the epitome of grace on and off the court.
Federer needed all his guile and grace to defeat the ageless Agassi in a dream match-up that crowned this extraordinary US Open, from which emerged stunningly clear days and nights and inspiring heroes.
On his historic run through a 20th US Open, after receiving yet another cortisone shot for back and hip problems that knocked him out of the French Open and Wimbledon,
Andre dared to dream he could win it once more at age 35. He was the oldest Grand Slam finalist in 31 years. Though he was forced to meet only one seed, the last of the 32 in the draw, he had to survive three consecutive, grueling five-set matches in the process and triumph over two of the hottest players in the game. For a man who might be playing the senior tour, this was by any marker a phenomenal feat.
Unfortunately for Agassi, his opponent in the final was Federer, a player more fluent in the game than anyone, John McEnroe included, has ever witnessed. "He's the best I've ever played against," said Agassi in defeat. "He plays the game in a very special way."
Federer has every shot in his arsenal, and every quality on display: speed, agility, finesse, power, creativity and a champion's killer instinct. Stretched out, seemingly out of a point, Federer accelerates from defense to offense quicker than anyone who's ever played. The ball often looks like a meatball on his racquet, and he quickly devours it.
Federer, who has won 71 of 74 matches in 2005, has now cruised to 23 straight finals. With a title on the line, he is a sure thing. In his long career, Agassi has been all over the map, from a hotshot youngster who won early and big, to a wayward wanderer who dropped to No. 141 in the world, to a late-career bloomer who, along with just four others, has won all four Grand Slams. Over the course of his career, Agassi has played against three different generations of the world's best, winning two championships at the US Open and featuring in countless memorable matches at Flushing Meadows. The 2002 final against Sampras. The 1999 five-set championship over Todd Martin. The 2001 quarterfinal against Pete, where four sets went to tiebreaks, and neither player lost serve. And now, the 2005 final against Roger Federer.
Andre Agassi and Roger Federer met for the championship of the 2005 US Open, but this classic late-summer duel was between two guys wearing white hats. Though the New York crowd was resolutely pro-Agassi, trying to will the old man on to illogical new heights, it was impossible to take Rooney's advice. Agassi and Federer are not merely two of the greatest ever to play the game of tennis, they are two genuinely likeable, decent, and admirable people who play tennis for a living.
Andre Agassi, the one-time punk with an attitude and now elder statesman of tennis and odds-defying old-timer, keeps adding chapters to an unlikely story. The man who stood across the net, Roger Federer, is the epitome of grace on and off the court.
Federer needed all his guile and grace to defeat the ageless Agassi in a dream match-up that crowned this extraordinary US Open, from which emerged stunningly clear days and nights and inspiring heroes.
On his historic run through a 20th US Open, after receiving yet another cortisone shot for back and hip problems that knocked him out of the French Open and Wimbledon,
Andre dared to dream he could win it once more at age 35. He was the oldest Grand Slam finalist in 31 years. Though he was forced to meet only one seed, the last of the 32 in the draw, he had to survive three consecutive, grueling five-set matches in the process and triumph over two of the hottest players in the game. For a man who might be playing the senior tour, this was by any marker a phenomenal feat.
Unfortunately for Agassi, his opponent in the final was Federer, a player more fluent in the game than anyone, John McEnroe included, has ever witnessed. "He's the best I've ever played against," said Agassi in defeat. "He plays the game in a very special way."
Federer has every shot in his arsenal, and every quality on display: speed, agility, finesse, power, creativity and a champion's killer instinct. Stretched out, seemingly out of a point, Federer accelerates from defense to offense quicker than anyone who's ever played. The ball often looks like a meatball on his racquet, and he quickly devours it.
Federer, who has won 71 of 74 matches in 2005, has now cruised to 23 straight finals. With a title on the line, he is a sure thing. In his long career, Agassi has been all over the map, from a hotshot youngster who won early and big, to a wayward wanderer who dropped to No. 141 in the world, to a late-career bloomer who, along with just four others, has won all four Grand Slams. Over the course of his career, Agassi has played against three different generations of the world's best, winning two championships at the US Open and featuring in countless memorable matches at Flushing Meadows. The 2002 final against Sampras. The 1999 five-set championship over Todd Martin. The 2001 quarterfinal against Pete, where four sets went to tiebreaks, and neither player lost serve. And now, the 2005 final against Roger Federer.
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