SCARY MOMENT: Fans gasped when promising German Sabine Lisicki went down hard on the court (see the YouTube video if you dare at www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lTX2frhoUc) at the end of her match against Anastasia Rodionova on Thursday. Lisicki was hospitalized and later released when X-rays on her rolled ankle came back negative.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?: Brad Gilbert has nicknamed American Jesse Levin “the Jewish scrapper.”
STILL A POWER SERVER: Taylor Dent broke the net strap with a booming serve during his matchup with Ivan Navarro on the Grandstand.
WILL POWER: Seated in the front row of the President’s Box, comedian Will Ferrell (dressed in a T-shirt, no less) complained, “We really got gypped today. I don’t know what kind of outfit this is!”
RACKET TOSS OF THE TOURNAMENT: Victoria Azarenka let her Babolat fly after a disappointing 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 loss to Francesca Schiavone in the third round.
BIGGEST CHUCKLE OF THE DAY: Victoria Azarenka is probably the fiercest young player in tennis. So it was little wonder that, after her three-set loss to Francesca Schiavone, the pressroom announcement “Anybody who wants to talk with Azarenka, come to the media desk” was met with cautionary ripples of laughter.
DIALOGUE OF THE DAY: When USA Today reporter Doug Robson asked Serena Williams, “How come you don’t play mixed doubles more often? There are a lot of guys out there that would like to partner with you,” Williams didn’t miss a beat and said, “Really?”
FAN OF THE DAY: As Serena Williams struggled with her lob, a fan called out, “STOP HITTING LOBS!” to which Serena later observed, “I didn’t hit any more lobs after that.”
A HARSH CRITIC: After cruising in her second-round match, Maria Sharapova told Mary Joe Fernandez that she watches matches in her hotel, but “I mute it. I can’t take the sound.” Fernandez replied, “Hopefully, not when I’m commentating.” (BTW: Sharapova, with her ear-piercing shrieks, should be the last person to complain about sound.)
AIN’T THAT THE TRUTH: During his speech on opening night, Andre Agassi said, “Life’s blessings are handed out unevenly.”
JUST WONDERING: Now that Arthur Ashe Stadium is selling out regularly, will USTA bigwigs start thinking about building a whole new (roofed) arena with a capacity approaching 30,000?
MACHU PICCHU HERE I COME: At Wimbledon, everybody was set for the Battle of the Andys (as in Roddick and Murray). Now Marat Safin has his own personal Battle of the Andes. Word is out that he plans to climb an undisclosed South American mountain once he wraps up his tennis career later this year.
‘IVO-GEOMETRY’ — THE MOST IMPORTANT ANGLE IN TENNIS: When talking about the new big servers in tennis — Sam Querrey, John Isner, Juan Martin Del Potro — insiders claim that they have that “Ivo geometry” thing going (as in Ivo Karlovic).
CURIOUS QUESTION OF THE DAY: “From a corporate endorsement point of view, is this the most important of Grand Slams for endorsement money?” — A reporter to Andy Murray
THE (SMALL) PIZZA’S ON SAM: When Sam Querrey was asked what he would do with the potential $2.6 million he could potentially win at the USO, he said, “I’ll take everyone out for a small pizza,” upon which a reporter asked, “Are we that bad?”
THE NUMBERS
16: Minutes it took Robin Soderling to defeat Marcel Granollers in the second round (the Spaniard bowed out with an injury trailing 2-0)
6: Games in three rounds surrendered by Italy’s Flavia Pennetta
0: U.S. Open tickets available for purchase through September 7
13%: Increase in audience through the first four days over last year for ESPN2’s telecast of the U.S. Open, up from an average of 584,000 households to 658,000.
HEADLINES
She Won? Believe It (re: Melanie Oudin, who scrawls BELIEVE across her dayglow adidas shoes)
They Are USA-OK
QUOTEBOOK
“She’s a sporting cliche, the All-American girl, small but daring, confident but humble. She’s an Irving Berlin song, a Norman Rockwell painting. Most of all, Melanie Oudin is the hope that the United States will have a part in the future of women’s tennis.” — Art Spander
“I love watching her…I like the way she constructs points. It’s not just hitting the ball to one spot. She kind of works the slice in there. She competes.” — Andy Roddick on Melanie Oudin
“Melanie Oudin plays every point like Rafa Nadal.” — Mary Carillo
“Tennis, it’s very strange sport, because for one point everything can change.” — Flavia Pennetta
“I realize how bad I am [at tennis] by watching how good these women are.” — Will Ferrell
“At 22, you feel you should be retired. That’s the sad truth.” — Maria Sharapova
