So did the crowd cheer for Malisse or did the SOB's just sit on their hands again? I was on the road so I missed that match. THey seemed to be sittin on them during James "Sob Story" Blake's match.

Because Borg liked to par-tay at Studio 54! He did like to have his fun off the court for sure.

The crowd definitely cheered for Malisse when he started playing really well.

I love those player profiles that USA has been doing. Especially that they're usually for lesser known players. I also think USA has been doing a good job of showing (at least parts of) matches on other courts besides Ashe.

Doubles? What's that?

Way to go, USA (even though they're just showing it because of Martina).

Definitely some cheering for Malisse, well deserved I might add. But my goodness, the silence for Tommy Robredo was downright ridiculous - almost criminal.

Interestingly, Tommy Haas got quite a bit of support during his loss against Robby Ginepri.

I think a lot of the American fans sitting on their hands when it comes to non-American players comes down to familiarity, if anything. Though, in Tommy Haas' case, he was a Nick Boletteri product, and Malisse was an ex-boyfriend of Jen Capriati (if that means anything).

re: Sampras.
If anything, the RBS commercial underlines my belief that throughout his career, all Sampras really cared about was the record books, and nothing else. All the time, his two main foci were a) Grand Slam singles record and b) consecutive years being the year-end #1. I doubt he cared much about the state of the ATP tour (still in its baby steps in the 90s), nor made much effort with regards to promotion of tennis as a sport (DEUCE Magazine calls Federer "Global Ambassador" for good reason). Probably worst of all, I think the only player he truly respected on equal terms was Andre Agassi. He would sarcastically throw jibes at players like Pat Rafter (I have 13 slams, he only has 1) and Greg Rusedki (Serve and nothing else). Sampras is definitely a champion, noone can deny that - but who knows how much more of an impact he could have made to the state of the sport as a whole.

Okay- is that tiebreak system to stand as/decide the third part of the new doubles rules?

If so- they stink.



Me too. Loving the player profiles. Last night they helped me finally realize the utter adorableness of Oliver Rouchus for example.

USA has been doing a pretty good job. I wish they could get all of the grand slams.



That could be true. But sometimes I have to wonder how if you purchased tickets to the USO you could not be familiar with Robredo- a top 20 or so player. And even if you weren't familiar- he was playing kick ass tennis in the first set- you should applaud great tennis when it is front of you even if you aren't that familiar with the player. The thought that when I go to tournies I would not applaud a great point by a player just because I was not that familiar with him or her or because he or she was not from the US is foreign to me.

This is not meant to bash the American fans, but I really think that they are the least knowledgeable and respectful about tennis of any of the grand slam fans. I think Aussie fans are the most knowledgeable/appreciative of tennis players from around the world from what I have seen.

But I will say, when the USO crowd is into it- like they were during the Davide/Paradorn match last night it can be fantastic.

Hrbaty on his shirt:

I love the profiles as well. They made me realize why I loved the US Open Series ads: I like seeing the players talk. The only time we usually get to see that is at a press conference.

I also really liked the party footage. Mary is much more attractive when her hair is down. Like Graf, it takes away from her nose.

I just realized that JHH's head is disproportionaly large for her body.

Liked the party footage too. Mary looks a lot younger with her hair down- not saying she looks old or if she did, there is anything wrong with that. But she does look younger with her hair down.

Hee. That almost makes me like him despite all those times he beat Kafelnikov.


To our credit, we've been much more successful than the other host countries for a number of years, so we have a lot more players to cheer. On the men's side, the big Slam threats from those countries in the past 10 years or so are very few (Rafter, Hewitt, Pioline, Grosjean, Henman, Rusedski). They'd get bored if they only cheered their own. As far as the Australian goes, they're probably just happy people started noticing their tournament. :) I kid because I love.

I don't know what's wrong with me, but I really like those Roddick Lexus commercials. They're good, silly fun.

I suspect the US Open has the highest percentage of corporate tickets than any of the four majors. I'll bet during the night matches and the late in the tournament matches, 80% of the first three levels of Ashe stadium duringis made up of people who aren't exactly tennis fans but guests of a corporation there for a fun night out.

Do any of you guys know about the other majors in this respect?

ETA - The reason I bring this up is that I think this adds to the jingoism. "Oh, I've heard of that Agassi! He's great!" "Oh, no. We get guys from Belgium and Switzerland. Do you know if we can exchange these for another night?" "Did you hear that Johnny Blake used to be a paraplegic and now he's number one in the world AND a supermodel?"

I highly doubt that Jack on Will & Grace would find that shirt attractive. If anything, the shirt is a turnoff.



God, I disagree. Those commercials are hideous. Are they supposed to be funny because they are not. And what's the point of them? To have Andy sit in a Lexus (in front of a green screen no less), receive jabs from whomever and just sit there with a dumbass look on his face? They would be so much better if Andy would respond. Like, the one with the dude taking pictures, here's what Andy should say:

"Hey, dude. Stop with the pictures already. If I was actually driving this car, I would've pulled over and smacked the shit out of you."

Yay for Mary Pierce! I'm so happy to see her win, but I'm also ecstatic because it means that JHH - whom I have despised ever since the Serena time-out serve - has lost. JHH was just a shadow of her former self. And all those double faults certainly didn't help. Agree that Mary looks younger with her hair down, but I'm so used to seeing it in a ponytail. I think she's attractive. They were mentioning her relationship with Roberto Alomar. Are they still together? I'm guessing the guy in the players' box was her brother who they said is her coach.

I don't understand the Lexus commercials with Andy Roddick. We don't even really get to see the car. And it looks like it was shot in front of a green screen. What's the point listening to some nobody yammer and having a few shots of a confused looking Andy?

I hate that super tiebreak thing they have for doubles. Is it for all doubles, or only mixed doubles? Cuz it stinks. I don't see how that's supposed to get more players wanting to play doubles. I would assume that it's supposed to make the matches go quicker and allow them to rest up for singles, but who wants to commit so much time to doubles if your tournament can rest on a few bad points and a double fault? Wanted to see Navratilova win - too bad for her. I will say that her second serve is absolutely pathetic. I think I hit a harder second serve when I was 13.

ETA: Juneboy, you beat me to it- it looks like we think alike!

Oh come on. He made one remark about Rafter, answering a stupid question from a journalist. He wasn't the most open person in press conferences, and he wasn't particularly smooth, but he gave himself ulcers holding everything in and trying to be a player of substance rather than flash (cough**young Agassi**cough). Agassi did not get endorsements because of his human qualities, which IMO he has developed with age. As he himself admitted in an interview with Enberg, he was a punk in the way he behaved at times. I never found Sampras robotic. His game relied a lot more on his serve, but he was a complete players with great skills who deserves to be called the best player in his generation and be up there with Laver and Borg amongst the best ever to play the game.

That said, the RBS (we have that bank in Puerto Rico, BTW) ads are horrible.



I don't know about the other slams, though I doubt it. This is definitely true for Ashe Stadium. This is one of the reasons the atmosphere in the Grandstand court and even Armstrong is so much better. You get real tennis fans watching the matches there all the time, regardless of the players.

Boy. JHH is nowhere near where she was in May. Pity. I love to watch her play. Pierce is really likeable off the court, but my goodness gracious, on the court she's so annoying! The martyred looks, the sighing, the long delays, her preening, the fixing of the hair... She would drive me nuts. But she played great and she's going to give Mauresmo a run for her money.

Well, you picked the worst one. I liked the other three I've seen much better: the woman (Andy looks amusingly uncomfortable), the one about fame (where Andy actually does talk back), and my favorite (the one where the guy catches the catfish two years later). I think the looks Andy gives them are priceless.


Rainmaker, we finally agree on something! It's so great to see that girl lose. I love how she thinks she and Kim Clijsters are totally opposite people. Honey, people like Kim. Make of that what you will.

I think the upsets are going to continue on Ladies' Night. I see Venus and Petrova (who usually has one upset in her) winning.

Gah! Ginepri is just a player that leaves me totally dry. I know he is playing well and good for him, but I just can't feel any sort of emotion for him. I saw him practice last year at Miami and it was the most boring practice session I have ever seen- just didn't seem to be enjoying himself at all like a number of players do. It was funny because I read someones account who saw him this year at LA and they said the same thing. And in some his interviews he kind of seems like a dud. Maybe I am being harsh, but that's just how I feel.

Michael Chang- isn't there a way of praising the US system for training without flatly stating that it has always been the best and therefore always better than all other countries?

And what was with Courier imitating Gasquet's accent. If I recall correctly, Courier can speak pretty good French....maybe he was just showing off. But it just came off as odd.

I met Ginepri in DC this year. He was very nice, if bland. I really like to watch him play because he hustles. He's been rather disappointing for me in recent years, so it's nice to finally see him putting it all together. On an unrelated note, I really like Robby's outfit. It's like he's playing for UVA (or Florida or Syracuse or...). Let's hear it for complementary colors!


It came across as silly, which explains why I liked it. I'm all about the silliness.

It's good to hear from Chang.

I think Courier just has a weird sense of humor. He always comes across as being a bit of a jerk to me.

I'm falling in love with Chang all over again. He stops talking during the point. Imagine that!

Okay- I know everyone always talks about what a beautiful backhand Gasquet has. But oh my god- what a beautiful backhand.

Some folks are sitting on their hands but you can also hear the "whoa" of appreciation of some people for Richard in this second set. He is really upping his level from the first.



Hee! I kept thinking he looked like he should be playing for the UTEP Miners.

I met Jim Courier in either 1995 or 1996 at the Dubai Open. He was really nice, signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. He also had a session with youngsters (I was among them), where he spoke about getting into the sport at an early age.

I was sad to see Henin-Hardenne eliminated. I love her.

Wait... didn't he start playing tennis at like 16 or 17?

I actually have a huge crush on him (I'm a sucker for a red head). I used to hate him with a capital H but that was when I was a hardcore Agassi fan and Courier was beating him at every turn. But when I watch him on USA it always seems like he is trying to make jokes at other peoples' expense and they don't go over making him look like a jerk.

OK. Officially pissed at the 10 pm(CDT) switch over on USA every night. They need to stay with the tennis until it's over instead of going to Law & Order SUV right away. The rapist will still be boring later!

Where is the match?!?!? Did someone retire and I miss it? Or did USA just cut out from it? I turn onto something else for ten minutes and the match is just suddenly gone. If they left before the match was over then I'm flabergasted and disgusted.

This is ridiculous. They leave in the middle of a match? To show the gazillionth repeat of a L&O!!!

I've already emailed my objection to both of these addresses:

webmaster@usanetwork.com.

feedback@usanetwork.com.

I will email as well. Switch from a quality match when it is even for a syndicated series. Boo!

Go Gasquet! He's adorable and that backhand is just amazing. Ginepri seems like a nice enough guy but there's nothing about him that excites me that much. I for one dislike his tennis outfit tonight - I think he looks bad esp. in contrast to Gasquet who's in Lacoste.

As for tomorrow: I am rooting for the ex-fiancees Clijsters and Hewitt in their respective matches and I shall also root for whoever is playing Sharapova as I am growing tired of her endless hype (which is a shame because I loved her when she won Wimbeldon).

Here's the e-mail I sent to both addresses. I know they probably won't be reado r responded to but at least I can vent.

Dear USA Network,

I was watching the very entertaining match between Robby Ginepri and Richard Gasquet. Suddenly at 11:00 I see that it is no longer airing but rather ANOTHER rerun of Law and Order: SVU is on. What's the deal? I know you have a contract to broadcast SVU but could it have waited? You also have a contract to provide coverage of the U.S. Open, which you just cut away from. I for one just hope the match doesn't turn out to be a classic and you left the viewers in the dark. This is honestly a joke and I am very disappointed as you're coverage has been excellen otherwise. I would just like to know why you cut away from the match in the third set? I'm very upset as I wanted to see the completion of the match.

Signed,
Disgruntled Fan

You and me both.

I have a new tennis boyfriend! And his name is Richard Gasquet! Woo hoo! I'm in lurve! I'm such a sucker for the all court players... Gasquet's backhand is absolutely drool-worthy. It doesn't look as pretty as Federer's (that man is just so graceful) or Gaudio's or JHH's, but it's such a weapon! It's so pretty! HE'S so pretty! Damn USA for your stupid SVU reruns.

This is crap, because if it was Agassi, Roddick or someone like that, they would have stayed with the match even if it was a boring blow out.

I like Lacoste for the most part, but I hate Gasquet's outfit. I'm so sick of light/baby blue I could scream.


Yep. I'm also going to complain. This really sucks. Things were going too well. If you use ADjets24's email, please correct this line (no offense):

I'm not all that appalled by a quiet reaction for Robredo. If you have a crowd with a vested interest in the match, I wouldn't really expect them to cheer for their guy's opponent. If I go to a football game, I'm not applauding the other team. I don't think it means American fans are ignorant. They're partisan. Which doesn't surprise or dismay me.

Oh, and fuck USA for turning off the Ginepri match.

Thank god you cleared that up for me. I was in the other room, and Courier's performance just kind of filtered into my consciousness. WIth that weird exaggerated French accent, it sounded like Pepe LePew had taken over as commentator. Then by the time I ran back in the room to see what was going he was gone. For some reason I found it mildly disturbing.


I had the exact opposite reaction. Mary looked like she was just having a good time playing tennis in the park or something. She just seemed so relaxed and smiley that it added to the enjoyment for me. I do agree that the hair fixing and nose rubbing seems a little compulsive though.


No, I don't think they are together anymore

I, for the most part, have enjoyed USA's coverage. At least they try to show matches on other courts unlike CBS. My opinion has changed now though...this is irreprehensible.

I'm so annoyed right now. Right now they're in a tight third set tiebreak and we can't even see it. If it goes to 12:37 we might get to see some of it on CBS as they have late night highlights show for an hour.

From what I can ascertian by constantly hitting refresh on the ESPN live scoreboard, Gasquet/Ginepri is shaping up to be quite a match.

Don't the bigwigs over at USA realize that cutting away from this Tennis match, would be like ABC cutting away from FSU/Miami to show a CSI rerun.
(The Seminoles just won by the way!)

Seriously folks, I would have given up my right pinkie to have seen that third set, especially the tiebreak.

Another thing....I know it's not the same as watching the match but if you go to the USO website their is a nice scoretracker and radio broadcast of the match. I'm listening to the match now.

Wohoo Gasquet! It's sad that I have to result to watching the live scoreboard on the US Open webpage to find out what's going on in the match. Oh USA Network, I was loving you until tonight...

Poo on the radio they are saying that Gasquet's elbow is still bugging him.

Sounds like it is still a good match. Wish I could still see it gosh darn.



But with tennis being an individual as opposed to a team sport- it quite common to cheer for a great point, even if it is not for the player that you are rooting for. You may not bellow out their name or anything, but there can still be some appreciation for great play as opposed to stone cold silence. There can be appreciation of play, regardless of whether or not if it was done by your favorite. That's what I have done myself at tournaments and have observed from many, many other fans.

I also sent an e-mail to USA about cutting off a really good match to show reruns of L&O. How annoying. I was really getting into the match even though I'm not even familiar with these players. I'm starting to develop a crush on Gasquet. There's a lot of hotness going around.

After she hit an amazing shot, yes. And it was lovely. But before serving? Oh dear. My mother who never watches tennis asked me "who's the drama queen?". I'm really happy for her, though. She's worked her butt off and it shows. I always thought she had more than two GS wins in her. She definitely had the talent.

The schedule for tomorrow shows doubles first at 11am. I wonder if USA is going to show that or if they're going to show part of the Ginepri-Gasquet match that we're missing RIGHT NOW.

I'm still annoyed.

Men's tennis is virtual buffet of hotties. Good looking players from all over the world to suit your preferences. Lol.



Was it Tracy who said that she didn't think that Mary was being questioned about retirement because she is playing at such a high level right now. I agree.

Darn- so annoyed they aren't showing this match. Sounds like Gasquet is playing some of the elegant tennis he can sometimes produce.

Our only hope right now I think is to hope that we get to see the fifth set (if it goes that far). I mean I would hope that CBS would show live coverage of the match at 12:37 during their coverage. Who knows though...I didn't expect USA to cut away from their feature men's match of the night in the third set.

So pleased that Pierce won tonight. When she is on she can play with anyone and JHH just looked like a shell of her former self. Right now Clijsters and Davenport (looked awesome today...finally) look to be the two to beat.

As for USA going AWOL in the Gasquet vs. Robbie?? Stooopid decision making. I always thought JHH had the most gorgeous backhand I've ever seen. I'm now updating the file. Gasquet backhand? Beyond gorgeous. He times it perfectly and it flies. Too bad USA bailed. Ginepri is a good player, workmanlike, little or no personality but fun to watch.
As for Michael Chang, aka Mr. Manners, not talking during the points. Perhaps he ought to teach to other commentators how to maintain a train of thought but not interfere with play. Well done.

Yeah, it's kind of ridiculous. Not that I'm complaining.

I think whoever wins the Clijsters/Williams QF and the Agassi/Blake QF will be in their respective finals.

I am so glad USA is taking over the coverage again.

I think Ashe Stadium is the exception to this rule - the Ashe Stadium fans were DEAD SILENT at the good play of Tomas Berdych and Tommy Robredo. It's unfortunate - but I do think at this point in Ashe Stadium's life-span, the non-American players actually expect this kind of reaction even before they step on the court - and thus, have already factored this in their mental preparation (as best they can).

That being said though, Berdych and Robredo are not "flashy" players like Santoro, Malisse, or even Rochus at times, so American fans may react more favourably if the non-American player's style of play is more demonstrative. I can remember Joachim Johannson not getting much of a reaction when he beat Andy last year - I think the style of play may have had something to do it.



This is the weird paradox with Robby - his look on the court doesn't match the demeanour. You would expect someone a little more brash and outward.

It is really quite amazing. Oh the eye candy.

Gasquet's contribution- beautiful, beautiful eyelashes.

Sorry to be so shallow.

Good to hear (now on the radio) tonight that the crowd is able to appreciate and applaud Gasquet's great play- even if they are rooting for Ginepri. That is what I love when they show respect for great tennis play- they were able to do that during the Roddick/Mueller match as well.

Looks like Ginepri is making a comeback and might force a 5th set. I really want to see this match now, but it's not being aired anywhere. If USA really had to cut to their 'regularly scheduled programming', couldn't they have continued on NBC or Bravo. NBC is showing a rerun of Leno. Doesn't make much sense to me.

We're going to a fifth set! Please, CBS, come through for us! Again, I get the feeling the crowd and the ghost of Todd Martin is going to get Ginepri through this match. I just hope we get to see some of it.