Isner, Rolle Provide American Rookie Excitement at US Open

"I've been on the receiving end of defeats from him in the other Slams," said Henman who was at his chip-charging best. "Yeah, just the whole nature of the match -- not only the level of play but the support, the atmosphere out on a big court, it was fantastic."

Other upsets included Russia's Teimuraz Gabashvili holding on to beat No. 7 Fernando Gonzalez 6-4, 6-1, 3-6, 5-7, 6-4, and Latvia's Ernest Gulbis topping No. 30 Potito Starace 7-5, 7-6(4), 6-3.

In top-seeded play, world No. 1 Roger Federer, complete in an all-black outfit including socks and shoes, beat Paul Capdeville in straight sets, while No. 2 Rafael Nadal suffered through an inflamed left knee tendon injury in a four-set win over Aussie wildcard Alun Jones.

"I work a lot the last two days, because two days ago I thought I can't go on court," Nadal said. "I work a lot with my physio...Two days ago I was so much worse than right now. Today I don't move too much, but I play, so that's a good news. We hope I can improve. If not, I'm going to try my best, but..."

Federer will next face American rookie phenom John Isner, who beat South African Rik de Voest in straight sets to move into the third round. The South African got five looks at break points during the contest but only converted on one.

American Robby Ginepri was an unseeded American advancing Wednesday, rebounding with a win after an awful 2007 campaign that has seen him drop to No. 64 on the ATP Rankings entering the Open. The American topped diminutive Belgian Olivier Rochus 6-0, 6-3, 6-1, and is trying to advance past the second round at an event for the first time in his last seven tournaments. Ginepri said the energy and memories at Flushing Meadows brings out his best tennis.

"A switch pops in my brain or something that says, 'Start playing,'" Ginepri said. "I don't know. I feel extremely comfortable on these courts. I've always really strived to do well. I've watched this tournament growing up for so many years. To actually be a part of it is phenomenal for me. Why I can't play like this the whole year has definitely been a question out there."

Mardy Fish was another victorious unseeded American, easing past Bruno Echagaray 6-4, 6-1, 6-2. American wildcard Ryan Sweeting was not so fortunate, losing in four sets to Serb Janko Tipsarevic.

Other seeded winners Wednesday were (8) Tommy Robredo (d. Reynolds), (11) Mikhail Youzhny (d. Devilder), (17) Carlos Moya (d. Phau), and (25) Marat Safin (d. Dancevic).
 
Highlights on Thursday's US Open plate are (5) Andy Roddick vs. Jose Acasuso, (6) James Blake vs. Fabrice "The Magician" Santoro (featured night match), (13) Richard Gasquet vs. Donald Young, (4) Nikolay Davydenko vs. Nicolas Kiefer, (19) Andy Murray vs. Jonas Bjorkman, in doubles (1) Bryan brothers vs. John Isner/Scott Oudsema, and Max "The Beast" Mirnyi vs. Sebastien Grosjean. 
 
American Rolle Rolls Into 3rd Round at US Open

Five Top 10 seeds advanced Wednesday at the US Open without dropping a set, but the usual workmanlike early-round malaise was broken by American wildcard Ahsha Rolle, who moved into the third round with a come-from-behind 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 57-ranked Italian Karin Knapp.

No, I'm not surprising myself," Rolle said after the win. "I always knew that I had the ability. It's just now that it's coming to pass. So I'm just the excited. Ready to ride it as long as it will go."

Rolle, who begged journalist questions about her fitness after the match looking less than svelte, nonetheless has matched her best tour-level effort of the year when she reached the third round at Indian Wells, retiring citing illness in a loss against Nicole Vaidisova.

Seeded winners Wednesday were (1) Justine Henin (d. Pironkova), (3) Jelena Jankovic (d. Govortsova), (5) Ana Ivanovic (d. Rezai), (8) Serena Williams (d. Camerin), (10) Marion Bartoli (d. Errani), (12) Venus Williams (d. Ralucca Olaru), (14) Elena Dementieva (d. Cetkovska), (15) Dinara Safina (d. Bondarenko), (19) Sybille Bammer (d. Shaughnessy), (20) Lucie Safarova (d. Petkovic), (21) Alona Bondarenko (d. Daniilidou in three), and (27) Vera Zvonareva (d. Likhovtseva).

"I felt like I had opportunities and I didn't take them," Serena Williams said after winning by the score of 7-5, 6-2. "Should have been a different score line. But that was only because I missed the wrong shots at the wrong time...My return of serve is usually unbelievable. I've been returning a lot. So I'm just waiting on that to come back."

No. 28 seed Ai Sugiyama was an upset victim, outlasted in three sets by Ekaterina Makarova.

Thursday's highlights at the US Open are (16) Martina Hingis vs. Pauline Parmentier, (2) Maria Sharapova vs. Casey Dellacqua (featured night match), (26) Sania Mirza vs. American Laura Granville, (7) Nadia Petrova vs. Anastasia Rodionova in an all-Russian, (18) Shahar Peer vs. American fashion icon Bethanie Mattek, and out on Court 13, (11) Patty Schnyder vs. Severine Bremond.

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Croat giant "Dr." Ivo Karlovic after losing at the US Open: "I think the court was very slow. It was slower than the French Open."...Althea Gibson appeared in the film 'The Horse Soldiers' in 1959 which starred John Wayne and was directed by John Ford, and in 1964 became the first African-American touring pro on golf's LPGA Tour...Doubles players Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich have formed the Jewish Sports Foundation to encourage young American Jewish athletes and "combat negative stereotypes about Jews' athletic prowess." Was that before or after they saw Justin Gimelstob's match against Andy Roddick?...Lindsay Davenport says she will play an almost-full singles schedule in 2008...Venus Williams on what she would have done if tennis didn't work out: "Probably would have ran track, because I ran track when I was younger. But obviously tennis was the place for me. I have to work hard to keep my weight on. I'd be even thinner if I wasn't playing tennis. Probably be modelling somewhere. Maybe those two things."...Justine Henin, after a recent divorce and reconciliation with family, on changing to putting her personal life before tennis: "The thing is that I enjoy my tennis probably much more now than maybe a year ago. All the decisions I took is just to feel better, be a better person. If it can help my tennis, that's great. But I realized tennis is not everything in my life. It's going to be a few more years. But I just want to be happy. I feel great with the decisions I took. I can tell you it's been very hard times emotionally. A lot of ups and downs. I've been really proud the way I could deal with the situation, because at 25 years old it's not that easy. Yeah, I decided to live by myself. Then being in contact with my family, which was great, it's the best decision I took in the last few years. It's just a great feeling. But life is short, and I want to enjoy every moment of it. That's what I really realized in the last few months. Especially with my family back in my life, there's a lot of love. That's good, because I know they are behind me now for the rest of my life. That's a great feeling."...From the blogging Cara Black: "The funniest thing happened today when we were waiting around the practice area to get our balls and stuff. As we were standing there just chatting away, Tim Henman came round the corner and quickly whipped [husband] Moose's shorts down around his ankles!! Well it was the last thing anyone expected...So there was big poor Moo Man standing there, bare bum and all in the middle of the room, with no shorts on! Needless to say, he scared off a lot of people and we were all just in hysterics for the rest of the afternoon. Anyway, Moose is still recovering from his traumatic experience today, but he's already plotting his revenge, so LOOK OUT TIM! There is nothing like getting caught with your pants down, right?"...John Isner speaking to SI.com: "I play a different game and style than most players. And Washington gave me a lot of press and a lot of exposure. People recognize me more. I'm now seeing stuff written about me on ESPN.com and SI.com. It's totally weird. I'm used to seeing my name only on Georgiadogs.com."...From SI.com: "Police issued summonses to two people -- guests of a woman playing in the U.S. Open -- who tried to sell tickets on the grounds Tuesday. The tickets were confiscated, a tournament official familiar with the details told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because an official report had not been released. The player was not identified. There is a noticeable police presence at the Open. Fans who entered through the VIP entrance were greeted by the sight of an officer holding a machine gun...James Blake won an instant-replay challenge Tuesday, helping him take a first-set tiebreaker and prompting his rooting section to salute his smarts. "Har-vard! Har-vard!" his fans in the J-Block chanted."...Maria Sharapova will skip the Kremlin Cup in Moscow in October: "Maria and her camp have decided to skip our tournament this year," Kremlin Cup executive director Alexander Katsnelson told Reuters. "They felt that because Maria did not play well here the last two times, it would be appropriate that she gives it a miss this year."...John Isner on his nicknames on the Georgia tennis team: "One was 'Grandpa.' I'm so slow with everything I do, I don't get much accomplished. Off the tennis court, I just sit around, don't do anything. And 'Lloyd,' the new one was 'Lloyd.' I got this awful, awful haircut one time. Remember Lloyd Christmas from 'Dumb and Dumber.' You know he had this straight across, it was exactly what my hair was like. Only thing missing was the chipped tooth." Isner on his dad at the US Open: "Yeah, he's here. He watches my matches. You won't ever see him. He's somewhere up in the bleachers, yeah. I think it's his thing. He's always kind of done that. Doesn't want to be with all the supporters down there for whatever reason. I guess he just likes to sit by himself and relax and not have my crazy brother screaming in his ear during the match."...Roger Federer on making a statement with his all-black ensemble Wednesday night at the US Open: "Yeah, I mean, why not? It still looks like tennis attire. I'm not saying the women sometimes it goes overboard, but sometimes it looks more like a dress to go into the city than go on the tennis court. Of course, it's always going to look that way because they are dresses. But for me I thought it was a cool mix with kind of the tuxedo kind of looks, all black. Why not? Especially at night. During the day you could never wear a black shirt anyway because it would be too hot. I kind of like to do sophisticated statements. Also at Wimbledon with the jacket, I kind of took a chance. I thought I was going to look like an idiot. But kind of people liked it. I thought actually it was a great idea. So I backed it up this year with an entire outfit, and here in New York with a black one. So it's good stuff."

RODDICK-GIMELSTOB PUT ON A SHOW -- Props to the USTA for the idea to get Justin Gimelstob to interview Andy Roddick on-court after their match Tuesday night at the US Open. Gimelstob is doing work for host broadcaster USA Network and is making the transition to tennis broadcaster as he competes in his last US Open (though he says he needs to play a few more events before the season ends to qualify for the ATP retirement program, with three more protected rankings at his disposal to get into draws). "It's hard enough to play at this level when I was healthy," said Gimelstob who has suffered through back (among other) injuries late in his career. "I just can't really compete with these guys on a week-in and week-out basis." Roddick and Gimelstob took it to another level after leaving the court by doing a rare dual-player post-match conference, taking the mike together to address the assembled media. "One good stat I have is 5-0 in five-set matches here at the US Open," Gimelstob said. "I'm proud of that considering I usually cramp in the second set." Roddick added, "I was going to say." Gimelstob went on, "Usually what I do when I get up two sets to love is I tank the third and fourth and have just enough energy to hang on in the fifth." Roddick added, "Smart." Roddick said he had an ongoing struggle during the match between the job at hand and facing his friend. "It was a weird situation for me, kind of all day," Roddick said. "Because, you know, I'm fond of Justin as a person, but at the same time this my most important event of the year. So as much as I would have loved to have kind of joined in and banter and do the whole thing, at the same time I felt like I had a job to do and something to accomplish out there. I was struggling with the kind of give-and-take of the match." At one point Roddick was asked how he would describe Justin to someone who doesn't know him, and Gimelstob interjected "Sexy, a good kisser." Roddick answered "Funny," and Gimelstob summarized, "Enjoys a good cuddle." Gimelstob is playing the men's doubles with Amer Delic and the mixed with Ashley Harkleroad.

MAL GALA SHOWCASES STARS AFTER OPEN -- Ivan Lendl, local tour player Amer Delic, and coaches/former tour players Todd Martin, Tom Gullikson, and Brian Gottfried are among the athletes, actors, entertainers, and former Olympians making up approximately 30 celebrities that will participate in the 11th annual Mercedes Benz/MaliVai Washington Golf and Tennis Gala in Jacksonville, Fla., following the US Open on Sept. 10-11. Tennis and golf pro-ams are capped with a gala dinner featuring live and silent auctions, dinner, cocktails, entertainment and a scholarship awards ceremony for MaliVai Washington Foundation students. Auction items include a walk-on part on the hit T.V. show "Numb3rs", a seven-day cruise on Holland America, a three-night stay at the Badrutt's Place Hotel in St. Moritz, Switzerland, a four-day getaway at the (Tony) Brackens family ranch, and tickets to the US Open. All proceeds benefit the MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation, established by '96 by the Wimbledon runner-up and located in the inner-city Durkeeville area of Jacksonville, with a mission "to utilize tennis as a tool that helps develop positive life skills and encourage academic achievement in youth who otherwise would not be exposed to the sport."

NADAL, SPINNY LEFTIES STILL HOLD ADVANTAGE -- Left-handers who know how to utilize their spin still hold a huge advantage on tour (up to a free point a game over right-handers as the legend goes?). Ask Roger Federer concerning Rafael Nadal. Ask Sam Querrey, who after losing tbadly to Stefan Koubek in the first round at the US Open threw out the gem that he has yet to beat a lefty at the tour level, and has always had problems with them. Maria Sharapova doesn't like playing lefties, but her experience should be required reading for Querrey. "Yeah, it's very tricky," Sharapova said of facing the southpaws. "When I was younger especially I had a lot trouble, like an opponent today [Roberta Vinci] that comes in and chips and volleys, when I was younger I had a lot of trouble with those. Those are tougher opponents for me than big hitters or big servers because when I was younger I tried to go for the bigger shot so much faster than I do now and as I've grown as a player, I'm more patient, more consistent and I try to find the opening when it's there." Nadal's game has been under Federer's skin ever since the young Spaniard beat the Swiss in their first meeting, then went up two sets to love in the 2005 Masters Series-Miami final on hardcourts before eventually falling to Federer in five sets. "I was very worried today. Especially the first set, I don't lose sets very often 6-2, so this really shows you that I was struggling," Federer said after toughing out the Miami five-set win. "But I think it's got a lot to do with his game. He's left-handed, I had to get used to, and couldn't quite do that." The Swiss has yet to fully figure it out, judging by the career head-to-head with Nadal, trailing 8-5 (2-2 in 2007). While an Andy Roddick or James Blake would obviously be a boost for American tennis in the US Open final, a Federer-Nadal final would see the Swiss and Spaniard meeting in three of the four Slam finals this year, which would be a first in the Open Era. Back in the days before tennis became a sport open to all, Rod Laver and Neale Fraser met in three Slam finals in 1960, Laver and Roy Emerson met in three Slam finals in 1962, and Emerson and "Fiery" Fred Stolle met in three Slam finals in 1964.

LITTLE RED DRESS -- Maria Sharapova didn't hide her excitement about debuting her new red Nike dress Tuesday at the US Open: "I was trying to get through my warm-up as fast as I could so I could put the dress on actually. Not a joke," Sharapova said. "Was pretty excited about putting it on. So I told my coach, I was like, 'Last return and I'm out of here. I'm going in the locker room.'...When you feel good about what you're wearing and you feel good about putting it on, yeah, you know what it's like. Put on a nice outfit and some makeup and you're the bomb." And on the little black overcoat: "It's very couture. It's actually, the material comes -- okay, if I say I think it's Italian or either from Paris or Milan and they're going to kill me if I got this wrong. But I think it's from Milan. I only have two because they didn't have enough material. But that's really useless information in here," said Sharapova, who enjoys talking fashion and then telling the mostly-older-male media that they don't care. "But, yeah, it was -- the idea of couture from the French couture shows."

OPEN ERA v PRE-OPEN ERA -- The International Tennis Federation (ITF) runs the media info desk at the Slams, and does an excellent job, but can we dispense with the pretense that modern-day records should be evenly compared to the 1800s when the Slams began, rather than back to 1968, the official onset of the Open Era in tennis? "Federer is now bidding to become the first man since Bill Tilden in 1923 to collect a fourth successive US Championships title, Tilden going on to win six in a row," states the ITF media notes. "Only three men have won four successive titles in the history of this event: Richard Sears, William Larned and Tilden." The ITF goes on to note that Sears and Larned played during the "Challenge Round" era when as defending champs they only had to win one match to defend their titles. Federer's achievements in the super-competitive modern era are incomparable to an age where only certain players were allowed to compete, and there wasn't such a world-wide influx of players competing at all levels, from tour to challengers, satellites and futures. Federer winning four US Opens in a row would be a first-time feat -- then if you want, throw in some asterisks from some of the years when the event was less of a worldwide phenomenon, go ahead. But let them remain asterisks rather than equals.

Also see:
US Open Blog: Isner Gives Himself a Shot Against Federer Saturday, Do You?
http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2007-08-30/283.php