James looked so dejected after that last changeover.

I have never been in a position where I didn't want Andre to win before. This seems so unnatural for me.

I resent JMac's comment that Andre might've gone down two sets just to get the crowd on his side. Not his style IMO and no one wants to play a 5 setter at a Slam unnecessarily.

Reminder for those who missed Ted's announcement: the coverage will switch to CBS at 12:35 or 12:37, I forget which, except in Pacific coast viewing areas.

I can't believe I have to watch the end of this match with Rich Eisen. Just ugh.

Isn't it Ian Eagle and P-Mac. J-Mac said that his brother would be calling it, so "don't despair." Of course, that's exactly when I started to despair. Then they talked through every point of that game. I knew I'd miss J-Mac, but I miss Ted! WTF?

WTF?! I'm on the Pacific time zone, and Johnny Mac says they're going to be sticking with the match for us on USA. But right now I'm watching STUPID L&O SVU yet again!!! I called USA network, a ditzy operator picked up, and she transferred me to a voice mailbox. Damn you USA network!

Sorry, I typed that before it actually came on. Thank the Lord.

What are you getting on CBS?

Can I just type all the cliches here to save PeeMac the trouble of reciting them? OK, here we go:

"Gil Reyes, long time friend, coach (sometimes he'll say "spiritual leader")"

"running the hills of Las Vegas"

"the greatest returner of serve in the history of the entire universe"

You guys, I am dying here. We should all be asleep right now.

Rock Star INXS! Oh, man, I'm am majorily pissed. I'm going to look for the USA email now to send an angry comment to go along with my voicemail. Guess I'll have to avoid the internet until I get to see the completion later on CBS.

Ugh! Haaaaaaaate these late night CBS guys. Maybe it's because it's late, but they're pissing me off so much I had to mute my TV. And the only other announcers I've ever had to mute were Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.

I know! Why are they yelling at us? This is painful.

"Will Blake answer?"
"Yes! Blake answers!"

Jebus.

"AGASSI!"

Silence.

"AGASSI!!!!"

Silence.

Agassi what, you asshat?


ETA:

"AGASSI!"

Pause.

"Steps up. Greatest returner of all time."

Shut up. Please. Just.Shut.Up.

Did I say upset? Squeee!!!!!!!

STUPID MOTHERFUCKER! Hate now and forever!

I am heartbroken.

Very heartbroken. I am actully teary.

And James was so classy at the end- telling Andre that it was a ball. I am so tired of Andre doing the kisshands to the crowd thing.

I am just really sad right now after the two 5-set losses today.

Must not cry, must not cry, please let this only be the beginning of awesomeness for James Blake, you are an amazing player and can't wait to see you at the Aussie Open. Gah I HATE Agassi, so much. But now...he better win, cause Blake had this damn tournament in hand. Oh except for that Federer guy.

Damn. That was the worst calling ever in history.

James faded in the middle sets, but he didn't choke. Andre really stepped it up whenever he was down in the fifth.

Was that shot at 5-5 in the tiebreak really out? They didn't show us the one replay we needed to see. Argh!

If Ginepri or Hewitt win this tournament, my heart will break (again).


I'm still so sad for James, so sad.

My heart is broken too. I am genuinely upset about this.

Fuck Andre and fuck that crowd for cheering against a New Yorker. Go Roger!

Oh Federer will still win this whole thing. Come on, people.

Damn, I was really hoping that Blake would pull it out. He aquitted himself nicely in the fifth set, and that tiebreaker was great.

I guess now all the takings heads will be pushing for a Federer/Agassi final. Which I guess is the best option left, because I just can't get behind Ginepri and the thought of Hewitt in the final makes my blood run cold.



I was surprised at that too, I thought the crowd get behind James a little more, or least be pretty even. On TV they sounded very pro-Agassi.

I desperately wanted Blake to pull through. I dunno why these US Open 5th sets have to be decided on tiebreaks. I've been watching tennis all my life and Grand Slam 5th setters always go on 14-12, 17-15, etc. Having a tie-break to decide the match, where a double-fault can swing the advantage in your opponent's favor, seems really unfair.

Fuck Roger too! Go David or Jarkko!

I love my guy, AA, but this was a tough one to watch.

I have never rooted against Andre before but James has had a special place in my heart ever since he behaved in such a sportsmanlike way after Lleyton "The Hate" Hewitt's caddy/racist remark years ago.

James looks so lean, so smooth, so fit, so fast, so HOT! Man, I wish I had The Tennis Channel still so I could watch some off season matches.

I can't be the only one wondering about that 5-5 point where James hit a forehand into the corner. I want a replay. I also want Ian Eagle's head on a silver platter. Somehow, he makes P-Mac worse.

Yeah, ShellsandCheese, there were a ton of bad calls tonight. The Open is starting to get a reputation.

No you are not, but there were some bad calls all around.

I'm heartbroken too.

If it can't be James then I want Andre to win it all. I'd be happy if Robby won too but does anyone really think he can win against either Federer or Hewitt? Poor Robby. I know most here find him incredibly bland but the guy's in the semifinals and he's gotten so little attention. First his match against Gasquet is interrupted for an SVU rerun. Then he gets gypped out of some spotlight time on the highlight show. On the upside, Andre's gonna be mighty tired for their match, not that it seemed to have any real effect on tonight.

See, as I've mentioned, I was at that match and have loved Blake ever since, but my connection with Andre goes back 15 years. James'll have plenty of chances.


Of course I'm hoping for Nalby but I'll try to be realistic on this one.

No kidding! I want the winner of Blake/Nalbandian to win this sucker.


I'll never forget how when I went to the Master's Cup in 2003 and I cheered for Federer during the Fed/Agassi match some arsehole glared at me and told me that I was "unpatriotic." The fact that it implied that to be a good American I have to cheer for Agassi (or to a lesser extent any American against someone not from the US) has soured me to this day.

I have to say from being at tournies wher AA is playing- there is peer pressue to cheer for the guy.

Sorry for ranting- I am upset.

Am I the only one who, when James was up 3-0 in the 5th-set tiebreak and looked up at the heavens saying "I love you, Dad," got kinda weepy?

Same here. I've loved Blake and hated Hewitt ever since (though, in truth, I'd have loved and hated them, respectively, anyway).

Same here, again. I've been rooting for James throughout the tournament, but when it came down to it tonight, I was squarely in Andre's corner.

Edited, because I completely screwed up the formatting.

That was really, REALLY sad and upsetting. I can't believe Blake lost when he he was up two sets to none and up a break AND when he had the chance to serve it out in the fifth!! I was really rooting for him to make the final. All credit, though, to Andre; he absolutely showed why he's a champion tonight. Not that any of it really matters, though, because my boy Roger was always going to win. At least, I hope he wins....

That's what he said. Awww....now I'm even more sad.


I have to say- I have met James a couple of times and he really is a gem. Very nice and genuine.

It really depends which Nalbandian shows up - his fitness has been questionable as of late. But if he retrieves/returns well, and mixes up pace (Andy, that coaching tip is for you), then maybe he has a chance.

Neimenen is going to get crushed - I'm almost frightened at what the score will be after Hrbaty only got 7 games from Lleyton.



No surprise there - even the tournament director was cheering for Andre and silent for Roger. BTW, Roger spanked Andre bad in that particular final.

That's the thing: He turns 26 this year. I've heard, in men's tennis, if you haven't won a Grand Slam by around his age, it ain't happening. I don't see him getting farther than this in a Grand Slam. I really want to be wrong.

I think if Roger gets past Nalbandian he'll coast to his second US Open. I really don't see Ginepri or Agassi beating him. He just beat Ginepri a few weeks ago, in straights I believe, and he has won the last seven over Agassi.

If you ask me, Roger's biggest hurdle is definitely Nalbandian.

And AgUGHssi has had his time, FUCK HIM!

I don't think that's true although I'm too tired to look it up. But even so, he wouldn't have won this one anyway. I don't think he has the stuff to beat Federer. Although Agassi probably won't either, I think he has flashes of brilliance, like tonight, that he can pull out.

ETA:

OK, then.

Have you guys noticed that there is quite the war of words between Hewitt and Hrbaty now. Hrbaty keeps dissing Hewitt and Lleyton snarks on the shirt. Good times, good times.



Exactly- that is one thing I am really worried about.

And don't forget we have a slew of talented young kids coming up- Gasquet, Djokovic, Monfils. And I think that Nadal will be able to hone his game towards faster hard courts next year when he doesn't have the stuffed schedule of this year that kinda burned him out (he already does well on the Rebound Ace type sufaces of the Aussie Open and Miami.)

So I kind of felt like this year was Blake's chance. Sigh....


Jim McEnvele (sp?) can be a major ass. He was much better to Roger in 2004 (lurved him at the trophy presentation), but one day after the tournament said it was a shame that Agassi wasn't there instead of Coria or Gaudio. They earned the spot- jerk! Really so little respect for some of the internationals- shameful. No wonder they moved the Master's Cup to China. Jim Mc did have his great moments- such as thanking the people personaly as we left in 2004 - but his open disdain and disregard for the international players was shameful for a tournie for the best in tennis- perhaps one of the most international sports out there.

He may get another chance, but he may not. As far as slams go, I think this match was much more crucial to James. James was on such a role, he would've had the crowd behind him for every match other than this one, and he was actually playing well enough to have a shot at beating Federer (something I just don't think Agassi has the weapons to do). He's talented enough to get back, but there's definitely a hint of a Dan Marino "you'll never get another shot" vibe.

LOL, just after I post every time, Distant Sun posts the opposite opinion simultaneously! Ah, sports.

Ain't that the truth. No player other than Agassi would've been able to feed off the crowd in order to get back into the match. Poor James.

Actually, that one was really close. Robby won the first set and was going toe to toe in the second. There was a rain delay at 5-5 in the second IIRC and Roger won the last two games, but each set was tight.


Replace "biggest" with "only" and I agree wholeheartedly.


Yeah, that's just great! Hee.

That Agassi-Blake match almost killed me. It was excruciating. I was pretty much in a fetal position on the sofa during the entire fifth set and tiebreak. I have never had a more conflicting sports experience in my life. I absolutely, positively did not want either one of them to lose. I was like, "Yay, Andre! No, I can't root against James. Yay, James! No, I can't root against Andre. AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!" I was like the computer in "Wargames" trying to play Tic-Tac-Toe. It was impossible, and my brain started short-circuiting.

I feel so terrible for Blake. He had that match won, and I really think this was going to be his year if he was ever gonna do it. I wanted to see him win it all, and I doubt he'll have a better chance. So I'm incredibly sad for him. And yet, I want to see Andre win one more major title, so I'm thrilled for him. So. Conflicted.

They were both incredibly classy in their comments after the match. I always love to see when the players really respect each other. ::glares pointedly at Massu and Coria::

I hope Andre has something left for the semis. At least Ginepri had a five-setter, too. If Ginepri ends up in the final instead of Agassi or Blake being there, I'll spit.

I'm still literally nauseated from the outcome of that match. I think James will have to take time off to mourn that loss. I'm serious. The way Hingis had to mourn that second AO final she lost to Capriati where she had all those chances.



I still don't understand why he wasn't getting crowd support for this match. I really don't get it. Great back story, native of the metro area, has never done that well before, was showing the ability to make it all the way and had given Federer a game this summer. I don't get it. I do think there is peer pressure to cheer for Agassi-like "Oh, he's the one in the commercials, he's American, marketers love him-uh, I like him!" Same with Roddick. I mean, I like Agassi more than Sampras, but come on, cheer for the underdog and cheer for the hometown boy. I would not have been as gracious to the crowd as James at the end. Sometimes I think he's too gentlemanly and need to light a fire under him and get angry.

I really pray he'll get far in another GS.

I will be very, very upset if this happens.

Although Agassi is not my favorite- at this juncture (after beating James) I want him to get to the finals. Still want David or Roger to win though.



Seriously- I think there is from the tournies where I have been and if he is playing there is this idea that you.must.cheer.for.Agassi.

I feel you Distant Sun but I don't want to put Roger up too far on a pedestal, it won't be good for mental health, if he loses :). I take comfort in the fact that Federer has won the last two matches against Nalbandian fairly easy.

Now with Blake out, there really isn't any other person I can root for, so Roger all the way!

Aw, Robby undeservedly gets no love at all.

Whenever I'm at the Open, the crowd is in the upper age demographic. I mean, the ticket and food prices are sky-high and tennis does tend to skew that way. A lot of them (maybe most) aren't from New York, plus they have been watching for years and years. When you've been rooting for someone for that long, you can't just switch your allegiances on a dime. I learned this from my Grandma who could never like the Yankees after the Dodgers left town.

Seriously, I'm from Westchester where James is from. I liked Agassi in college and I graduated in '92. I really love James but you have to have a hierarchy and when he's playing Agassi, something's got to give.

Sigh...still sad about this loss. This was James' year- darn it. The two people that I most wanted to do well in this tourney (Rafa and James) met in the third round. And after James performace in the first through third rounds I thought he could make it to the finals.


On the bright side for me- I saw my Tivoed interview between Roger and Johnny McEnroe yesterday- and Roger is just so gosh darned cute and warm. He really is a good guy.



Awww... I don't hate the guy. I just like other players more. And since I get trips to tournies for good grades and am slated to be top of my class I go to a lot of tournies and have seen a good number of players in both practice and on court. (My mom is a tennis junkie too so I think she arranged for this award system so she could go as well.) And I've seen Robby and he is just not one that makes me that excited. There is nothing wrong with him, just a good number of players that I prefer more.

Hey. . .I have the same walk (okay, yes, it does look ridiculous but I cannot help it).

Only a very few of us are happy right now, but I am most definitely one of them. I love Andre Agassi and, as much as I like James Blake, I would have been heartbroken if Andre had lost.

On to the awful commentating: We finally get through John and Ted re-hashing what we have heard this entire tournament (and the entire summer) and they actually begin talking about the match (after we also go through the "35!--he should be in a home at that advanced age!") when we have to switch over to CBS where PMac and Eagle start in on the exact. same. stuff. They have to realize that if we hadn't heard it during the tournament, we heard it 2 hours earlier. Really do not need a refresher, guys.

Oh Andre, thank you.

Kiss My Grits, I actually ended up speaking with some workers at the 2003 year end because I was really unhappy with the jingoism from the tournament director and his team. Of course it did no good, but I felt better.


Heh, same with my dad--actually, he could never like baseball again after that.

I heard plenty of the crowd cheering like mad for Blake. The thing that went in Andre's favor is that few in the crowd wanted a 3-set blowout so the loud cheering for Andre began. . . and didn't stop because that comeback was impressive.


I haven't found this to be true. I've been seeing more and more kids there (especially pre-teen boys) and that makes me glad. I also don't think $55 is a lot for 12 hours of tennis, and since you can bring your own food and water. . .the day doesn't end up costing anything but the ticket and the subway. Of course, the nighttime crowd is a different story--I think it has something to do with watching tennis in your work clothes instead of shorts.