Shanghai marked Nadal’s return to the finals since his hiatus due to knee tendonitis in June. The Spaniard looked in great form all week.  Yet, Davydenko was no slouch.  The Russian took out second seed Novak Djokovic in the semifinals after losing the first set.  In many respects, this match was reminiscent of the 2008 Sony Ericsson final with Davydenko assuming the role of aggressor. Immediately, that tactic paid dividends for the Russian, particularly in the long rallies.

With Nadal serving at 1 all, Davydenko surprised his rival by crushing a forehand winner up the line. Then, by producing some great angles, Davydenko came up with a backhand volley winner for love-40.  Subsequently, Davydenko secured the break with a swing volley winner.  Afterwards, with a couple of forehand winners up the line, Davydenko consolidated the break for 3-1.  Next, a backhand error by Nadal gave Davydenko a 15-40 edge and the opportunity at a safety net.  However, with Davydenko missing two forehands up the line, Nadal eventually got out of jail. Serving at 4-3. Davydenko’s miscue on a forehand gave the Spaniard his first break point. Despite the Russian erasing that one, later, another forehand mistake resulted in Nadal leveling the set at 4 a piece. At 4-5, Davydenko made a forehand crosscourt error to gift Nadal set point at 30-40.  But, after flubbing a previous overhead, Davydenko handled a lob for winner and kept the set alive. Ultimately, the set went to a tiebreaker. With a backhand volley winner on a high ball, Davydenko obtained a mini-break for 1-0.  Shortly thereafter, Nadal sponged out Davydenko’s edge with a spectacular backhand reflex volley. Unrelenting, daredevil Davydenko fired another backhand down the winner to secure another mini-break for 3-2.  When Nadal splayed a forehand off a deep return, Davydenko extended the gap to 6-3. Later, with a backhand down the line winner, Davydenko put a period on the set.

Davydenko began the second set with a love game. After Nadal held comfortably, with a swing forehand volley winner, forehand crosscourt and up the line winners, then an ace, the Russian kept his nose in front 2-1. Then at 2 all, Davydenko dumped a crosscourt forehand into the net giving Nadal break point.  Yet, with the Spaniard unable to place the backhand return in play, Davydenko escaped.  Despite struggling, Davydenko closed out the game to stay ahead 3-2.  After pressuring two errors from Nadal and with a crosscourt backhand return winner, Davydenko arrived at triple break point.  When Nadal’s ball landed long, Davydenko captured a 4-2 advantage.  By continuing to gamble, Davydenko easily consolidated for 5-2. Nadal then held to compel Davydenko to serve out the match. After an initial forehand mistake, Davydenko converted on a forehand down the line winner.  Davydenko outlasted Nadal in two long rallies and with a forehand up the line winner earned championship point.  When Nadal’s forehand  barely missed, Davydenko wrapped up the title.

Indeed, this was a strange tournament with a contagion of retirement, nine in total. Except for the finals, each round claimed a player with U.S Open champ Juan Martin Del Potro and Andy Roddick going out in their opening match.  With this win, Davydenko is almost assured one of the eight spots at the year end tournament.

The initial week of the French Open has been filled with thrilling victories as well as agonizing losses. Here is a targeted recap of what’s gone on so far and a preview of week two.

The women and men’s number one seed breezed through their matches. Surrendering only four games in three matches, Dinara Safina faces Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai in the round of 16. Despite a partisan crowd, Safina should have no problems. After a slow start in her opening match, defending champion Ana Ivanovic, also in Safina’s section of the draw, has gotten better with each round. Reigning Sony Ericsson Open champion, Victoria Azarenka is up next for Ivanovic. Undoubtedly, this will be Ana’s biggest challenge to date. Rafael Nadal continues to make mince meat of his opponents. Lleyton Hewitt, a former world number one, won only five games in their third round meeting. Nadal takes on Swede Robin Soderling in the round of 16. Although Soderling beat clay court expert David Ferrer in the prior round, it’s hard to contemplate his having any success against Nadal. Another Spaniard making waves in France is Fernando Verdasco. Verdasco has prevailed in three in all his matches and will play Russian Nikolay Davydenko. The victor of that match will have the unenviable task of trying to go through Nadal to get to the semifinals.

Roger Federer and Serena Williams, the number two seed, have had a tougher time, yet advanced to week two. Federer’s next obstacle will be German Tommy Haas and Serena’s Canadian Alesksandra Wozniak. Andy Roddick, the only American male standing, has made it past the third round for the first time. Roddick has dismissed his rivals in impressive fashion. However, Frenchman Gael Monfils, a semifinalist last year, will be Roddick’s upcoming puzzle. Should Roddick jump through that hurdle, he could meet Federer in the quarterfinals. Brit Andy Murray is another one who hasn’t sailed through. Although Croatian Marin Cilic may be a test for the Brit, with Gilles Simon out, Murray’s place in the semifinals is almost a certainty where he is likely to battle Nadal.

Saturday saw the departure of the number four seeds as Novak Djokovic fell to German Philip Kohlschreiber while Australian Samantha Stosur stopped Elena Dementieva. Along with Kohlschreiber, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro make their debut into the round of 16. The latter two will play each other for a quarterfinal spot. With Djokovic out, for these three men as well as Spaniard Tommy Roberdo, it’s a great opportunity to reach the semifinal where Roddick or Federer may be waiting.

Jelena Jankovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova have quietly taken care of business. Kuznetsova’s next match will be tougher as she squares off against crafty Polish youngster Agnieszka Radwanska. Jankovic should have an easy pass with Romanian Sorana Cristea. Jankovic is in the golden position of avoiding a top ten seed until the semifinal where she could collide with either Serena or Svetlana. Another lucky one is former world number one now ranked 102, Maria Sharapova. Despite fumbling through, Sharapova is in the round of 16 where she will take on Na Li. Hungarian Agnes Szavay foiled Sharapova’s possible quarterfinal encounter with Venus Williams. Szavay thrashed Venus in the third round. In only her second tournament back from shoulder surgery, Sharapova has a real chance of getting to the semifinals.

Seeded fifth, Venus and Serena are alive in doubles and could impact with the number one seed Liezel Huber and Cara Black in the quarters. The top five women and men’s doubles teams are still in the mix. But, in mixed doubles, the number two seed, Cara Black and Leander Paes, was defeated in the second round.

Having set a new record for most consecutive wins at the French, can Nadal stay undefeated and seal the deal with a fifth consecutive trophy? Or will Federer finally obtain the only major that has eluded him? Will Murray, Jankovic or Safina join the elite club of major winners? Can Tsonga or Monfils make France’s dream a reality by celebrating their first major in their home country? Will Serena claim her second French title? The reply to these burning questions will come shortly.

The initial two days were taken up by the qualifying rounds. Despite receiving wildcard entries, former major champions Swede Thomas Johansson and Argentine Gaston Gaudio did not move on to the main draw. In addition, the Americans teenager Donald Young and veteran Vincent Spadea failed to advance. On the other hand, Taylor Dent, whose career has had fits and starts due to niggling injuries, progressed into the primary field along with Michael Russell, Amer Delic and thirty-something Jill Craybas.

As the action got underway for real on Thursday, Dent’s hot hand continued.  The American beat two top twenty players in the second and third rounds, Spaniards Nicolas Almagro and Tommy Robredo respectively.  In the round of 16, Dent will face Roger Federer; this will be their first encounter. Albeit the world number two has had multiple kinks in his game, Dent will need to pull off the performance of a lifetime in order to vanquish Federer. Surprisingly, the 14th seed Argentine David Nalbandian made a second round exit while James Blake, the 13th seed, was halted in the third round by Czech Thomas Berdych.

The sole top ten male to scent any whiff of difficulties in the third round was Frenchman Gael Monfils. The 9th seed clawed back from a double break deficit and saved two match points against Marat Safin, the 22nd seed and former major champion, before prevailing in a third set tiebreaker. Top seed Rafael Nadal, Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick, Juan Martin Del Potro, Gilles Simon, Fernando Verdasco and Jo- Wilfried Tsonga are also into the second week.

Much of the ruckus appeared to be on the women’s side. The rain was not the only nuisance at Crandon Park on Sunday as a ragging storm decimated through the elite ten. Actually, the turbulence commenced Saturday evening with the last match of the day featuring world number three, Serb Jelena Jankovic. The usually steady Serb was ushered out by Argentine Gisela Dulko.  Jankovic’s game has been stagnating; for the second consecutive tournament, she has made a second round exit. After the euphoria of the previous night and the quick turnaround, Dulko lost the next afternoon in straight sets to Czech Iveta Besenova. Another Serb Ana Ivanovic, the world number 7, was also excused in the third round by gifted Hungarian youngster Agnes Szavay in three sets.

On Sunday, court one and the third round did not show the preeminent Russian women much love. Australian Samantha Stosur stumped all over world number 2, Dinara Safina. Vera Zvonareva, world number 5 and the winner at Indian Wells last week, was veered off course as China’s Na Li defeated her in three sets. Nadia Petrova, the 9th seed, was vanquished by compatriot Ekaterina Makarova in two sets. Defending champion and top seed Serena Williams, sister Venus, fourth seed Elena Dementieva, eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and talented teen Victoria Azeranka have survived although the task may have been easier for some than others.

Turning the attention to doubles, there was a handful of astounding first round egresses. The most shocking lost was on the men’s section as Spaniards David Ferrer and Almagro hammered the second seed, Daniel Nestor and Nimad Zimonjic.  Moreover, Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Tsonga showed the door to the third seed and 2008 finalist, Mark Knowles and Maneesh Bhupathi. The women’s fifth seeded team of Daniela Hantuchova and Ai Sugiyama were stopped by American Coco Wandeweghe and Croatian Petra Martic in three tough sets.  Sugiyama, the defending champion, had won the doubles title with partner Slovenia Katarina Srebotnik in 2008.

As the tournament shifts into high gear, with the multitude of premier competitors who have been eliminated on the women’s side, it will be interesting to see how the final shapes up. Serena may need to ram through sister Venus to have a shot at a historic sixth Sony trophy.  On the male side, more than a year has passed since Federer has claimed a Masters’ shield.  The prospect of a Nadal-Federer final is always an appetite-stimulating affair.  However, there are plenty of hungry men in the field who will do their utmost to block these two from such a meeting.  Moreover, if not Nadal, Murray may be the immovable wall which prevents Federer from capturing this desired prize.

Written on May 2, 2008

Since 2000, schedule permitting, I have been a faithful and fervent attendee at my hometown tournament in Key Biscayne, Florida. Yet, as a devout tennis fanatic, my wish has always been to make a pilgrimage to one of the shrines of the sport, a major.

In my mind, there has always been the perception that I was being deprived of an ecclesiastical experience by not going to New York, London, Paris or Melbourne. As luck would have it, in 2006 and 2007, I ascended from the category of lowly television viewer to that of obscured spectator when I was finally able to drink in the atmosphere at the U.S Open. After spending five days at the opening round matches in New York the last couple of years and a week at this year’s Sony Ericsson, I began to view the latter through a new lens. As I surveyed the familiar vista at Crandon Park, the prism through which I evaluated the tournament was suddenly lifted. Moreover, I arrived at the realization that the Sony Ericsson Open is truly a jewel in my own backyard.

Manhattan’s bright lights and vibrant streets are comparable to an impish, unruly child with the magnetic powers to draw one in with a cunning smile. A similar attraction lures one in at the U.S. Open. On the subway, I was overcome by a wave of exhilaration from the chatter of the passengers whose destination, just as mine, was the major’s site. As the train approached the tennis center and the Arthur Ashe stadium came into view, a touch of awe and anxiety intermingled as I became conscious of the magnitude of the place. These sentiments were further accentuated as the grounds crew greeted me with their megaphones shouting instructions such as, “no backpacks allowed into the stadium”. Or as I filed through the long security lines that stretch for miles and saw my precious can of juice seized since opaque containers were prohibited entry. The shear volume of people, over 700,000 attended the tournament in 2007, and the additional security measures implemented after the catastrophic incident at the Twin Towers signify that one has to be willing to tolerate these inconveniences in order to experience the U.S. Open.

Nevertheless, my dedication was such that one day I spent twelve hours on the grounds at Flushing Meadows taking in the action oblivious of the scorching heat as I literally roasted to a crisp. Still thirsty for more, I returned the following day, while my father, my tennis buddy, decided to take a respite from the intense temperature. With a cornucopia of top ranked players to watch, I felt obfuscated at times in having to choose from such a palatable menu. Occasionally, the choice was made by a coin toss since it came down to deciding between matches from my nose bleed seat in the main stadium versus a prime location on the outside courts where I could see a lesser ranked player who might be the sports’ future star.

One afternoon, perched from my assigned seat in the main stadium, I had an epiphany. Although I was thoroughly enjoying the matches, unless, I was willing to pay top dollar for a closer seat, I would never have the opportunity to get a decent photograph of Federer, Nadal, Henin or Serena. With the excessive amount I had already allocated to this venture, I would have to conform myself with what I was getting. After attending the Ericsson Open a few weeks ago, I finally realized the element that was lacking from my New York experience, intimacy.

Entering Crandon Park, there was not the same perception of being lost, overwhelmed with too much sensory information, as was the case, as I made my way inside the U.S. Open facilities. Instead of nerves of steel, nerves of aluminum were sufficient in dealing with the proceedings in Miami. The main drawback at the Sony was the distance between the parking grounds and the stadium. Since at times I was unwilling to cough up the extra bucks to park closer, I was forced to ride the shuttle buses, thus, resulting in a little wasted time. But, once that unpleasant detail was disposed of, the short walk to the stadium was swift, the lines at the ticket counter manageable and the security measures bearable. After going through the gate, the tough task started in terms of which initiative to take: sit down to view a match, stroll the premises or make a beeline to the practice grounds. As I crossed the threshold of the entrance, my dilemma became greater since within a few steps, I stumbled upon the player’s eating area which itself was a feast for the eyes. Player watching became a new past time because it was not uncommon to spot Lindsay Davenport having lunch with friends or accidentally trip over someone, as it happened with Arnaud Clement who was gracious enough to pose for a picture. Miami’s relaxed setting perhaps gave the athletes a homelike feeling because countless competitors were seen roaming the grounds without an entourage. As they sought the sanctuary of the players’ area, a group of fans simply stopped Andy Murray and John Isner for autographs and photos, they politely obliged them. I ran into doubles specialist Mark Knowles who was kind enough to chat with admirers as they picked his brain about the game.

The primary bonus that the Sony offered was the access to the players’ practice sessions. Although I could not get choice seats inside the big stadium, on the side courts, I was front and center observing the best players in the world fine-tuning their game for upcoming matches. Indeed, when Jelena Jankovic says that she does not like to practice and would rather play, she means it. Jelena spent less than one hour on the court before ceding the space to Roger Federer and Kevin Anderson who were scheduled next to practice. Few places will provide the opportunity to witness Federer at work within arm’s length. Amazingly, even after hours of practice, Federer looked as if he had just rolled out of the shower, not a bead of perspiration in spite of the thermometer registering 85 F and the humidity being off the scales. It was well worth the price of admission to see Roger’s dad carrying his gear back to the player’s section. While Roger himself, with tinted shades looking like a rock star was escorted back by a couple of policemen in an attempt to control the mob of adoring spectators. Indeed, another unique moment was when I became an unplanned participant at the running of bulls Miami style, as Rafael Nadal strove to maneuver pass the herd of doting fans still requesting photos and autographs, after he had already spent a considerable amount of time appeasing their request.  Occasions at other events are sparse where I, as a spectator, would find myself within steps of a player such as Gael Monfils, as he sauntered in with iPod in hand to check out the match of compatriot Alize Cornet.

At the US Open, the top competitors always played in the bigger stadiums out of reach of my measly camera. Yet at the Ericsson, on the side courts, I had a perfect seat to see Venus Williams, David Nalbandian, Daniela Hantuchova, and Justine Henin take on their opponents. Outside the majors, the Sony Ericsson Open trophy is the most coveted in the sport. In fact, tennis connoisseurs and aficionados consider it the fifth major. Other than the bye accorded to the 32 seeded players and the first two days dedicated to the qualifying rounds, this tournament is identical to the majors with the fifth biggest purse. Attendance peaked at over 297,000 this year at Crandon Park. Thus, the ‘smallness’ of the event is its grandest attribute. It can best be described as having the allure of a major with a hometown ambience.

If all these outlined virtues do not convince one of the invaluable worth of the Sony Ericsson, perhaps, this will. With the budget I expended in going to the U.S. Open, I could have attended Miami’s tournament in style with excellent seating and with maybe a little money left over.

In conclusion, would I trade off my U.S. Open experience for anything in the world? Not a chance! Am I willing to go through the hassle and fork over the expense given the opportunity again? One can bet the bank on that. But, going to a major is analogous to venturing to the Vatican. Although your chances of observing mass celebrated by the Pope are great, it is highly unlikely that you will be invited for an audience with him. While the Sony Ericsson is akin to your local parish or cathedral, by going to the services, the possibilities of conversing with your priest or bishop are infinitely better.

The U.S. Open women’s final was a rematch of the 2008 Sony Ericsson final with Serbian Jelena Jankovic and Serena Williams as the two protagonists. This time, both a majors’ trophy and the number one ranking were at stake. Once more, Williams triumphed defeating Jankovic 6-4, 7-5.

One of the best women’s final played on Ashe in many years was made more intriguing by the players’ contrasting personalities, Jelena jovial as always while Serena focused and intense. Moreover, this match was a case of hustle versus muscle with Jelena attempting to counter Serena’s overpowering groundstrokes with her superb defensive skills.

Although this was Jankovic’s first appearance in a majors’ final, the butterflies appeared to rest on her seasoned opponent’s corner. Williams’ opening service game, which initially looked routine at 40-15, got more complicated. But, Serena held after three deuces. On Williams’ subsequent service game, three consecutive unforced errors resulted in Jankovic taking a 2-1 lead. Shortly after though, Serena returned the favor, equalizing things at 2-2 in a game where Jelena had 40-love advantage. Then, a double fault presented Serena with another break point opportunity and with a forehand winner, Williams went ahead 4-2. Yet, as Serena served for the set, a rash of unforced errors gave Jankovic triple break point and with Williams’ sliced forehand finding the net, the players were back on serve. Nonetheless, the very next game Williams earned triple break point and wrapped up the first set.

After comfortably holding serve to start the second set, Serena’s double break chance evaporated courtesy of unforced errors in a series of eternal rallies. Jelena’s money shot, the backhand down the line, rescued her on multiple occasions while Serena’s ace in the hole throughout was her serve. In the sixth game, Serena had another opportunity to creep ahead with double break point. Again, Jelena erased that possibility 3-3. Serving at 40-15, Williams played a ball she believed the line judge should have called long. Serena voiced her objection to the umpire. The chair used video to review which proved the line judge was indeed right. Rattled a bit, Williams ended up losing her serve. Serving at 3-5, despite making three poor shot selections and facing triple break point, Serena managed to hold putting the pressure on Jelena to serve out the set. Perhaps still ruminating over missed opportunities, Jelena misjudged an overhead, double faulted and with a forehand winner from Serena stared herself at triple break point. Eventually, Serena connected to level the set at 5 all. With her net play on cue, Williams made a stab volley to win the game and then celebrated with a roar in response to Jelena’s gripe that she took too long between points. Pumped up, Serena attacked Jankovic’s serve which paid off. Gifted match point number two with a double fault, Williams converted to obtain her third U.S Open title.

Williams, in supreme form, did not drop a set the entire tournament. Serena regains the number one ranking, a post she last held between July 2002 and August 2003 for 57 consecutive weeks.  Earlier that day, top ranked doubles team Cara Black and Liezel Huber captured their first U.S Open title by defeating Samantha Stosur and Lisa Raymond in straight sets 6-3, 7-6