Davenport Godzilla to Asagoe of Japan at US Open

In men's doubles quarterfinal play, No. 13 seeds Leander Paes/David Rikl downed unseeded Spaniards Feliciano "F-Lo" Lopez/Fernando "Hot Sauce" Verdasco, while the regular Spanish Davis Cup doubles team of Rafael "The Prodigy" Nadal/Tommy "The R." Robredo defeated fellow un-seeds Robbie Koenig/Travis Parrott.

Thursday's schedule (with a don't-hold-your-breath rain forecast) is (6) Agassi vs. (1) Federer (to finish), Haas vs. (4) Hewitt, (28) Joachim "Pim-Pim" Johansson vs. (2) Roddick, and (22) Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty vs. (5) Henman (to finish).

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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Lindsay Davenport enjoyed a catnap while awaiting her quarterfinal match to begin with Shinobu Asagoe on Wednesday...Instant replay and its merits were the big talk of the day following the Serena debacle and no play during the day on Wednesday, lots of laying around in the Player's Lounge. Thank Jah that the swarming juniors have been booted to the indoor court facility, now we can finally get at the video games. You'd think Scoville Jenkins had never seen a video game before...Tim Henman was playing chess against Guillermo Vilas during the lull in the action...US Open chair umpire Mariana Alves, who blew the call during the third set of the Serena Williams-Jennifer Capriati match, was pulled from the tournament by tournament referee Brian Earley: "Regrettably, the replay on television showed that an incorrect overruled was made. A mistake was made. Ms. Alves is not scheduled to officiate another match during the 2004 US Open."...Olympic medalist Mardy "Silver" Fish was chosen over Taylor Dent and Vince Spadea for the second singles slot for the U.S. Davis Cup team against Belarus next week...Richard Williams responding to USA Network commentator Tracy Austin, who said the Williams sisters need to hire a real coach to fix such things as technical problems with their groundstrokes: "I couldn't care what Tracy or anyone says. When Venus and Serena were winning, there was something wrong. When they're losing, there's something wrong. Very honestly, it's a disgrace. I think it's a disgrace at how the system is against those two black girls. If they win, everything is wrong; if they lose, it's get rid of the parents. I just work for them. They've always wanted me around...When people try to break up unity between the family, it means they have a bad relationship with their family. It would be interesting to look at Tracy's family background. With statements like that, her family life must've been terrible." Someone says fix a forehand and you pull out the race card and the break-up-the-family card? Easy Richard...Seen during the rain Wednesday at the US Open: Andy Roddick and John McEnroe in Arthur Ashe Stadium having "batting practice" with Roddick hitting pitches with the racquet handle, with Tim Henman looking on...Chris Evert on the Serena debacle: "I feel bad for Serena, that might have changed the outcome a little bit." You think? Three wrong calls in one game?...USA Network's Al Trautwig needs to stop saying "cool" so much during the telecast, you're the straight man, no need to attempt to rap with Jim Courier like you're 20 years old. Be the non-hip adult you are, it's OK...With all four matches on at once Wednesday night at the Open due to the rain, how surreal to see Lindsay Davenport playing before an almost completely empty stadium to start her match, you could hear every muttered comment and adjusting of strings like you were listening to a court-side mike with headphones...How about the brilliant diversity in the game of Shinobu Asagoe, all topspin drive punctuated every once in a while by a horrible two-handed pop-tart dropshot? Contrast that with the nice all-court game shown by Elena Dementieva when she ousted Amelie Mauresmo earlier in the week. The lower-echelon need to at least attempt to come to the net when you have your Top 10 opponent totally off the court instead of allowing them to float one back. If not the occasional net foray then send Asagoe to Nick Bollettieri's so she can at least rip a forehand winner once in a while...Before the night matches began at the US Open the the new "Slamboni" court-drying machines made their debut for the USTA, sponging and vacuuming simultaneously for that just-waxed kitchen-floor shine: "We expect to save up to 10 minutes each time there's a delay," said Chris Widmaier, USTA senior director of public relations, talking to the New York Times...John McEnroe on the Serena call: "It was such a horrendous call. If I was closer to the court, I would have run onto the court."...U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe on the hardcourt surface they will use against Belarus for the Davis Cup semis: "The conditions will be favorable for us with the relatively slow hardcourt, the same balls as we are using here (US Open) and the hot conditions. I think we've done what we can do to give ourselves the advantage, because both of their singles players prefer to play on fast courts. We tinker with the speed of the hard court based on our opposition, so I feel like it will be tough for them. We've got two great singles players and a great doubles team. If they're going to beat us, they're going to have to work awfully hard to do it." Until you factor in Mardy "Silver" Fish's net-rushing game hindered on the slower hardcourt, and Mike Bryan needing hip surgery...Here's the USTA ticket policy concerning last night: "Wednesday's evening session (session #20) was completed because more than 90 minutes of play had occurred. However, as a thank you to our patrons, Wednesday evening session (session #20) individual tickets, purchased through Ticketmaster or the US Open Box Office, can be exchanged at the US Open Box Office for a promenade ticket for Thursday's day session (session #21), subject to availability." Also, USA Network commentator John McEnroe says he will personally refund tickets for any Queen's resident, take them out to dinner and say their name on-air...Poor Jenny Capriati, could anyone in women's tennis benefit more from a Life Coach? Someone who could constantly be at her side and whisper things in her ear like "Don't say you deserved the bad calls against Serena, in front of these 50,000 fans live on TV," or "Don't request they play the profane rap song 'Bombs Over Baghdad' for your intro music at a tournament while the U.S. is invading Iraq," or "Take that out of your pocket and pay for that," little things like that...Amelie Mauresmo says reaching only one slam final with her high-powered game is not a choke: "It's just the game. You ask all the players. We all had, at some points, matches we should have won and we didn't, and that's the game. That's just the way sport is." Not for a player that could possibly ascend to No. 1 by the end of this week by default. Wait to see how the WTA will spin that, they're looking about as forward to that as when Yevgeny Kafelnikov became No. 1 for the ATP on the heels of losing eight or so first round matches in a row. That led to some changes in the rankings on the ATP side, perhaps this will lead to the WTA going with a simpler system that doesn't leave their communications staff holding the bad when it comes to being able to short-range forecast rankings movements. How much is the WTA staff now rooting for Lindsay Davenport to win to avoid a debacle? "It would be great anyway," Mauresmo said of taking over No. 1. "Just coming out of here or anywhere else, I think when you reach the No. 1 spot, it's great. But I would have loved to do it with, you know, in a good way." In a good way, as in being able to win a slam. Ouch...U.S. doubles expert Mike Bryan looks to be good for the Davis Cup tie against Belarus, but will likely have hip surgery afterwards, unless the U.S. wins and he decides to wait until after the Davis Cup final in December. Can there be more players with bad hips on tour from being forced to constantly jerk around the court chasing down super-Babolatted shots? Remember when players like Aaron Krickstein and Jim Courier had big forehands because -- they had big forehands? Now any 13-year-old who can float enough bank for a Babolat can hit winners from anywhere on the court. Remember when getting your feet set and stepping into the ball was required? Discuss.