BAGEL EXPRESS FROM NEW YORK TO SPAIN: Incredibly, there were four consecutive bagel sets on Arthur Ashe Stadium today, as men’s No. 1 Novak Djokovic dismissed Spain’s Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-0, 6-0, and women’s No. 1 Serena Williams took out Granollers’ countrywoman, Carla Suarez-Navarro, 6-0, 6-0.
AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE, OI OI OI: Up in the stands, the raucous New York crowd, incredibly, broke into the controversial Australian chant, “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi Oi Oi,” while on the on the court, Lleyton Hewitt, the aging warrior with the surgically-fused toe, stumbled towards the net. He fell to the ground in a heap, yet managed to come to his knees, lunge forward, and tap the ball over the net.
In a time of emerging giants, the 32-year-old Aussie veteran and two-time Slam champ is in a world of his own. Many of his early rivals—say Pete Sampras, Marat Safin, Andy Roddick—are long gone. Still, Hewitt soldiers on. Years ago, on the same Louis Armstrong court he played on today, he became embroiled in a racial incident when he claimed that James Blake was favored by a linesman because of his skin color. He’s part of a tradition of diminutive talents that spans from Johan Kriek and Michael Chang to David Ferrer.
Hewitt is one of the great battlers of the game. Before him, there was Jimmy Connors, and following his heyday, along came Rafa Nadal. Many consider this trio the game’s fiercest fighters. And of course, Hewitt is the proud bearer of one of the great traditions in our sport: the Aussie game. A feisty scrapper and a regular “mate,” he has an irregular game and an extraordinary career. Today he came within one point of reaching his first US Open quarterfinal since 2006, but Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny was just too much for the once irascible kid they called “Rusty” who now has become a curious elder and popular favorite. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie – Oi, Oi, Oi.
LLEYTON VOTES FOR FED: When Inside Tennis asked Hewitt who was the better player amongst Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, and Nadal, Hewitt picked Federer.
THE TITANIC CONNECTION: The presence of Leonardo DiCaprio in the Moet Champagne luxury suite at Arthur Ashe Stadium brought to mind the star’s leading role in the blockbuster Titanic and the fact that two Titanic survivors—Dick Williams and Karl Behr—were great players who eventually faced each other in big matches in front of hefty crowds. Both survivors were eventually inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
HEADLINES: “Roger: Over and Out at Open” “Reign Delay” “It’s Steel Curtains for Pitt Girl Riske”
UNEASY LISTENING: The New York Times went from Flushing Meadows to the Met in its assessment of Tommy Robredo’s script-changing shock upset win on Labor Day. ”Roger Federer’s summer of decline continued on Monday,” wrote Greg Bishop, adding, “to watch Federer this summer is to listen to an opera singer who can no longer hit the high notes.”
GO FIGURE: Seventh-ranked Roger Federer suffered a devastating fourth-round loss, but his ranking will go up to No. 6, because of Juan Martin del Potro’s early defeat by Lleyton Hewitt. BTW: Tennis nerds are already wondering whether Federer will make it to London’s year-end Masters Cup, which only features the top eight players.
THAT’S ITALIAN—THE VINCI CODE: Sara Errani’s tearful early departure aside, it’s been a successful US Open for the WTA’s strong contingent of Italian players: hard-hitting Camilla Giorgi took out Caroline Wozniacki, and the fiery and resurgent Flavia Pennetta—no stranger to strong results and memorable matches in New York—advanced to the fourth round by defeating much-touted Simona Halep (who’ll be vying with Sloane Stephens for the WTA’s Most Improved Player Award). Leading the charge is the tournament’s 10th seed, 30-year-old Roberta Vinci, who faces two-time quarterfinalist Pennetta for a spot in the semis. The Pennetta match is the second all-Italian affair in a row for Vinci, who beat Giorgi in straights the previous round.
NA LI’S SECRETS TO GOOD COACHING AND SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGES: Distinguishing between the coaching of Carlos Rodriguez and her husband, TK, Na Li said, “At least if [Rodriguez] say something, I will listen. But if my husband is coach, [and] he say something, I never listen. I just say, ‘Okay, pass. Next one’ … I don’t know how it is for other women, but for me it’s tough to find [a] balance between husband and coach.”
SHE’S GOT SOME SERVE: Going in to a potential semifinal against Serena Williams, Na Li has the most aces on the women’s side at the Open. Serena is currently fourth.
UNHAPPY BIRTHDAY: “I kind of wonder what kind of birthday present she’s going to receive from Serena,” Chris Evert said about birthday girl Carla Suarez-Navarro, at the outset of Suarez-Navarro’s 6-0, 6-0 loss to Williams.
WOTJEK’S WORDS OF WARNING: On the subject of Novak Djokovic’s Open performance so far, Polish ‘70s pro Wotjek Fibak, who’s joined Djokovic’s team, said to L’Equipe, “[Djokovic’s coach Marian] Vajda told me Novak hasn’t played at this level in one-and-a-half years.”
CHRIST OR ANTI-CHRIST: Laura Robson noted that her fellow Brit Dan Evans has “a Jesus tattoo.” She then added, “I mean, if you’ve ever spoken to him, he’s really not the most religious person. That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.”
WONDROUS (BUT TOTALLY USELESS) STAT OF THE DAY: Early in Vika Azarenka’s three-set win over Ana Ivanovic, Pam Shriver quipped that Azarenka had more “‘c’mon’s than winners—three to none.”
SOUND VIOLATION: No top player has a shriek like Vika Azarenka. That’s why observers bristled when she, of all people, complained last year about loud chatter coming from the expensive suites at the Open. Today, during her match against Ana Ivanovic, she complained that the Serb called out during a point.
SMYCZEK’S LAST STAND: When Wisconsin’s Tim Smyczek was asked what it was like to be the last American standing, he said, “I’d never heard [before] somebody yell out from the stands, ‘You’re our last hope.’ That was new.”
