2017 US Open

[Shadowlight]

I figured this "early" start will encompass the hard court season which leads up to the US Open as well. The Open begins August 28th and concludes with the men's final on September 10. Seems early this year?
To get warmed up below is video of a series of TV ads Maria made back in happier times, for me and for her. She is likely to appear at the Open this year which will be her first Major since her suspension.
As for the ads I liked all those dogs ads ( not all of them are included here) and the "I Feel Pretty" ad, which ran during the 2006 US Open, is pretty awesome. Ironically she won the US Open that year. Most of the other female players hate her. Why? Because they are green with envy. They won't admit it but they would LOVE to have her looks and Broadway appeal.

 

[Shadowlight]

It is US Open time and a quick run through of Roger Federer's SI covers. As I have said before I take issue with his first cover.
1-July 14-21 2008 --shares the cover with Nadal in an epic match Roger lost at Wimbledon. We only see the back of Federer. A real bad introductory cover for a player of his prestige. And way too late.
2-June 15 2009--fresh off his first and only French Open Championship. A nice cover but once again much too late.
3- August 28 2018--WHAT????--Nice to see SI step up to the plate here. Odd that the market has it before I get mine in the mail but see below.

https://s27.postimg.org/uft28eyoj/fed.jpg

 

[Quiet Speed]

Sharapova will face #2 seed Simona Halep in the 1st round. Adds a little interest early. Fed and Nadal are in same of half the draw.

 

[Shadowlight]

Halep/Maria is a HUGE opening match but it irritates the hell out of me. First I think it is scheduled to open the night matches on Arthur Ashe at 7:00 EST. Why wasn't it scheduled for the last match of the night? I will miss it and now that I don't have the Tennis channel anymore (my cable company moved it into another higher tier the bastards) no chance of catching it on the rebound. Worth noting Halep has never beaten Maria. And since I like both it sucks that one of them will be knocked off so early.

 

[Matra2]

Roland Garros and Wimbledon refused to give Sharapova a wild card. Bouchard - who is already looking like a never-was has-been - and several other players called her a cheater who should've been banned for life. It'll be interesting to hear the reception Sharapova gets: Will they boo her or cheer her? NY is not known for its knowledgeable tennis fans so maybe they'll be largely indifferent.

 

[Shadowlight]

Since the Maria/Halep match didn't get started on time I was able to watch most of it. Great match in front of an enthusiastic huge throng including a list of who's who in Hollywood. Tennis brings out the celebrities not to mention beautiful female fans. Maria seemed to be fading in the second set but recovered to simply overpower Halep. I have questions about Halep? Does she have enough power and cleverness to win a Major and sadly it appears she does not. This was another tough loss for her but she should remain competitive due to her feisty nature. Halep was wearing sexy red underpants that probably just barely passed the "it is ok to wear" standard but you WON'T SEE ME COMPLAINING. Unlucky break for her ranked #2 in the world only to face Maria, who entered as a wildcard, in the first round at night in front of a sell out crowd, conditions made to order for Maria. Maria, in black, was wearing what looked like a stylish evening dress. Is it any wonder the other chicks can't stand her. Ha.
The match felt like a final and you can bet the advertisers and tennis people in general are delighted that Maria is back in action. And the fans were lapping it all up. The golden girl has returned!! Highlights below!!

 

[Quiet Speed]

Since the Maria/Halep match didn't get started on time I was able to watch most of it. Great match in front of an enthusiastic huge throng including a list of who's who in Hollywood. Tennis brings out the celebrities not to mention beautiful female fans. Maria seemed to be fading in the second set but recovered to simply overpower Halep. I have questions about Halep? Does she have enough power and cleverness to win a Major and sadly it appears she does not. This was another tough loss for her but she should remain competitive due to her feisty nature. Halep was wearing sexy red underpants that probably just barely passed the "it is ok to wear" standard but you WON'T SEE ME COMPLAINING. Unlucky break for her ranked #2 in the world only to face Maria, who entered as a wildcard, in the first round at night in front of a sell out crowd, conditions made to order for Maria. Maria, in black, was wearing what looked like a stylish evening dress. Is it any wonder the other chicks can't stand her. Ha.
The match felt like a final and you can bet the advertisers and tennis people in general are delighted that Maria is back in action. And the fans were lapping it all up. The golden girl has returned!! Highlights below!!

Sharapova looked good the 1st set and a half, erratic the rest of the way. Halep is a good player, though.

#6 and defending champ Kerber is out, losing to Osaka. A mixed Japanese?

BSPN and US Open love their nights matches to feature as many blacks as possible. It's been a trend for years now.

 

[Don Wassall]

Sharapova looked good the 1st set and a half, erratic the rest of the way. Halep is a good player, though.

#6 and defending champ Kerber is out, losing to Osaka. A mixed Japanese?

BSPN and US Open love their nights matches to feature as many blacks as possible. It's been a trend for years now.

Right now Federer vs. black American Frances [sic] Tiafoe is being shown. Tiafoe's parents immigrated from Sierra Leone. As with the black female Americans who have flopped in recent years, Tiafoe is being hyped as the next great American tennis player. Tom Ranalli interviewed both players in the tunnel right before the match and complimented Tiafoe on his room brightening smile, then John McEnroe did the same as the match started, also gushing about his athleticism, passion, attitude, etc.

 

[La France Blanche]

That should b(l)ackfire on BSPN, the Great One (Federer) should easily crush the Magical One.

 

[Matra2]

Not exactly. It went five sets. Tiafoe played well for a ball-basher but clearly Federer is not 100%. Numerous times he didn't go for shots he wasn't that far from. Two weeks ago in the Masters final in Canada against Zverev he suddenly lost his motion and lots of mph on his serve, then faded away. Next day he backed out of Cincinnati. It's probably his back again.

 

[BeyondFedUp]

Since the Maria/Halep match didn't get started on time I was able to watch most of it. Great match in front of an enthusiastic huge throng including a list of who's who in Hollywood. Tennis brings out the celebrities not to mention beautiful female fans. Maria seemed to be fading in the second set but recovered to simply overpower Halep. I have questions about Halep? Does she have enough power and cleverness to win a Major and sadly it appears she does not. This was another tough loss for her but she should remain competitive due to her feisty nature. Halep was wearing sexy red underpants that probably just barely passed the "it is ok to wear" standard but you WON'T SEE ME COMPLAINING. Unlucky break for her ranked #2 in the world only to face Maria, who entered as a wildcard, in the first round at night in front of a sell out crowd, conditions made to order for Maria. Maria, in black, was wearing what looked like a stylish evening dress. Is it any wonder the other chicks can't stand her. Ha.
The match felt like a final and you can bet the advertisers and tennis people in general are delighted that Maria is back in action. And the fans were lapping it all up. The golden girl has returned!! Highlights below!!

I watched those highlights on youtube, as the above video was deleted, and I have to say that the exaggerated shrieking when hitting the ball that Sharapova does is enough to dislike her. It is absurd to no end. There was even a point or two where she was STILL SHRIEKING WHEN HALEP MADE CONTACT WITH THE BALL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COURT!!

What is the point of doing that other than to annoy your opponent? If that isn't a rules violation, well, ok then. But even Monica Seles was forced to abstain from that sort of crap because enough of the female players on the tour complained about it. And you know what? She stopped it. It was NOT natural. She just plain quit doing it.

Yeah, Maria is very pretty, but behavior like that is a turn-off. And yes, it is a behavior, done intentionally. Striking a tennis ball is not like almost getting a hernia from doing a 600 lb dead lift or something. I'd be tempted to yell out, "SHUT UP with that crap already!" in person to her before I got tossed in all likelihood. People are wimps, I guess.

 

[Quiet Speed]

BSPN and US Open love their nights matches to feature as many blacks as possible. It's been a trend for years now.

Tsonga and V. Williams in prime time tonight. Imagine that.

 

[Shadowlight]

Yes that Maria video went missing. It was about eight minutes long. Too bad but there should be other highlight videos out there but I will refrain from linking it up just in case another one goes dead.
Two notes on tonight's matches. Venus is playing a rising French player Oceane Dodine who is around 20 years old. She is a highly regarded "youngster" but I have never seen her play.
Tsonga faces what could be the new face of tennis but we have heard that too many times to mention. 19 year old Canadian Denis Shapovalov made headlines this summer when he beat Nadal. There is a tremendous amount of BUZZ surrounding him so it will be interesting to see if he can make some sort of breakthrough at the Open. What better way to introduce yourself to the world by performing well at night on Arthur Ashe.
I agree with the above posts, Federer looked tentative and off last night. Maybe it was just a early match blip? I sure hope so. He said is back is fine.

 

[Shadowlight]

Maria is on to the third round. I have to comment on her outfit. Some elaborate but subtle vaguely pink number it was one of the most elegant tennis dresses I have ever seen on a female player. Refreshingly feminine and high end glitz this chick knows her stuff. Her tennis score B. Her outfit A +. God it is good to have her back.

 

[Shadowlight]

A few quick notes about yesterday. First off shut the hell up fading Wozniacki. She lost in the first round and then went on to bitch once again ( she has been complaining about Maria ever since the suspension ended) about Maria getting to play in Arthur Ashe. TS lady. First off the opening night was a marquee event with her squaring off against Halep the number 2 player in the world. The place was packed and the excitement level was off the charts. What do you expect the US Open to do, relegate that match to court 17? Secondly enough already about her suspension. She served it period. She is back on board so the US Open did the right thing by showcasing her on Ashe. Last time I checked Wozniacki, Maria has multiple Grand Slams and you have a big fat zero. Wozniacki seemed like a sensible sort but her sucking up to Serena ( I am so privileged to have lost to her kind of crap ughhh) and her bad mouthing Maria strikes me as being petty. Grow up.
Secondly the kid Denis Shapovalov was a revelation last night as he disposed of Tsonga in straight sets.
What happens to tennis after Federer--AF?
Right now the latest hypes include the black kid Tiafoe who is too muscular looking to me. Coric the Serb moves around the court exceptionally well and just beat the kid everyone has been talking about Zverev. None of the above guys playing styles do much for me. In tennis it is only natural to gravitate towards certain players and for me going way back I was a huge Borg fan which meant Johnny Mac was a mortal enemy. So this kid Shapovalov who is Canadian (I believe he is half Russian and half Jewish) has a playing style that grabbed me from the beginning. He is not heavy footed. He floats around athletically with speed and has a variety of terrific serves and a vicious forehand that can launch rockets. Left handed, to me he is the MOST EXCITING player out of the "generation next" crowd. Only 18, hard to say from match to match if he can stay consistent at this point but the tools are there for him to make some noise as his career moves along. Since tennis is a game of the mind as well it is very difficult to predict greatness although I must admit watching Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2003, the first time I paid any attention to him, I felt along with many others he was beyond special and look how that turned out.
As for ole Roger imagine the people wandering around aimlessly or playing leisurely tennis at Central Park yesterday when you know shows up out of the blue to practice!

https://cdn-s3.si.com/s3fs-public/s...derer-central-park-practice.jpg?itok=1gVXnzR_

 

[Quiet Speed]

The bottom half of the men's draw is in disarray. When Murray dropped out and #5 Cilic was beaten, that left things wide open. #16 Lucas Pouilleis the highest rated player left in that section. The opportunity is there for the up and comer, Denis Shapovalov.

M. Sharapova did not good look good at all last night. She did win, but way too many unforced errors.

 

[Don Wassall]

Four of the eight female players left are American, three of them black -- Venus Williams, Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens -- along with Coco Vandeweghe. Was just watching BSPN's coverage and there was some match taking place on the Louis Armstrong court. The main court of course is named after Arthur Ashe, as is the complex, which features a nude statue of Ashe greeting attendees. Maybe all the other courts are named after black men as well. Leave it to Amerika to try to make even tennis as black as possible.

 

[Matra2]

Four of the eight female players left are American, three of them black -- Venus Williams, Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens -- along with Coco Vandeweghe.

To make it even worse the white girl, Coco Vandeweghe, is the most unlikeable of the four of them!

Keyes is clearly mixed race - according to one website black father, mother of German & Irish background. She says she doesn't identify as either black or white.

Sloane Stephens disappeared for a few years after a bright start but I recall she was disliked by most black fans of the Williams sisters because she didn't act the part of an African-American sports star. Of course, to most people that's a point in her favour. Sloane plays the winner of Venus and the likeable Czech Petra Kvitova. (As I type this Venus is a set up but Kvitova broke early in the second).

A big surprise in tennis this year has been the rise of career journeyman Sam Querrey from California. Often criticised for seeming lack of ambition he's suddenly started getting big results. Last year he beat an injured Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2016 and this year he has won a 500 level event in Mexico - beating Nadal in the final - and reached his first major semi-final at Wimbledon. Now he's a win away from a SF date with Pablo Carreno Busta, a guy barely scraping the top twenty, who has had quite literally the lowest ranked opponents of any major semi-finalist in open era history. Whoever makes the final from the bottom of the men's draw may well be the least likely major finalist of the new century.

 

[icsept]

I didn't know Madison Keys was mulatto. Apparently she doesn't hate whites or have any woeful tales of discrimination. So, her race is a non-issue in the media.

 

[Shadowlight]

With Federer out I have nothing left to cheer for. Not thrilled with the men's final four or the women.
Odd layout now. About the women. Who would have figured four Americans including "Aunt" Venus even though she has somehow found a new blitz of energy this season. I can't envision Stephens winning the whole thing. I think it will come down to Venus and Keys.
I wonder what is going on with the Euro women of late? Most of them are lacking in variety, are dreadfully predictable and have not demonstrated an ability to lift their game up a notch or two during crucial parts of matches. Sure my favorite Halep has a lot of spunk but she lacks the finesse and panache of past champ Justine Henin. I also detect a lack of focus. It seems to me that flirting and hooking up with men takes precedent over tennis for a lot of these players.
So yes I am disappointed that The US Open is finishing poorly from my perspective, many here might feel differently which is fine, ( no I am not a fan of Nadal or CoCo for that matter ) but the one real positive I take out of it was the emergence of 18 year old Denis Shapovalov. Many agreed he added a wealth of excitement to the men's side and makes me think things won't go all grim after Roger retires which could be within the next year or two.

 

[Don Wassall]

To make it even worse the white girl, Coco Vandeweghe, is the most unlikeable of the four of them!

Try as I might, I don't like Coco either. Keys and Stephens conduct themselves well from what I can tell. And remarkably, Venus is now the least muscular of the bunch.

ESPN and the rest of the xenophobic U.S. media will be having a field day, especially given three of the four semi-finalists are black, so I'll tune out and try to catch some of the men's action if I can.

 

[Quiet Speed]

Try as I might, I don't like Coco either.

Yup, Vandeweghe gets no pass from me.

 

[Freethinker]

I'm not knowledgeable on the matter so could someone explain why Coco is so unpopular at CF?

 

[Matra2]

I'm not knowledgeable on the matter so could someone explain why Coco is so unpopular at CF?

She's a graceless boorish loudmouth. She has been for a while but her recent success has made her worse. For example, the other day during her post-match on-court interview she kind of disparaged her mixed doubles partner's performance in the previous round saying to a TV audience and packed stadium that she "carried" him in the last match and so she'd appreciate him stepping it up to help her after her tough singles match. I've never in my decades of watching tennis heard anything like that. She comes across as extremely entitled, possibly due to coming from a (presumably wealthy) family of ex-pro athletes.

As for Federer's loss, yes it's disappointing that we won't see him finally play Nadal at the US Open but I found myself hoping for a Del Potro win. He's a likeable guy whose career has been mostly ruined by serious wrist injuries. If it weren't for those he'd probably have three or four major titles by now.

In the other semi Kevin Anderson is representing South Africa. Once a formidable force in tennis South Africa has in recent years been forced to forfeit Davis Cup home ties because South Africa's tennis infrastructure is no longer up to international standards. They never had such problems under Apartheid.

 

[icsept]

Venus is gone, thank god.