You know when television shows sometimes bring back "lost" episodes to appease their hardcore fan base? Well today that's going to happen at the Monday Net Post, because of some technical issues we had on Monday morning (and for the hardcore fans - of which there are plenty). It was a hectic day in Flushing Meadows, what can I say.
So in this special Tuesday Net Post, the McGrogan's Heroes from last week will be revealed, as I'm sure you're all dying to know who they are. The men's one isn't a surprise, but the ladies are a bit of a curveball. Check it out.
As for the Beyond the Bracket, that will actually be saved for next week's MNP. Because of all the extensive U.S. Open coverage here at TENNIS.com, and because I'm at the Open for 3/4 of my day, next week's MNP might be called the "Mini Net Post", as it could be a condensed version. But hey, you never know - sometimes I get inspired to crank out 2000 words at 2 a.m.
And before I go, I'm keeping a diary of my two weeks at the U.S. Open over at Gasquet & Racquet, so if you're interested, stop on by.
Thanks, Ed
McGrogan’s Heroes
ATP – James Blake’s run to the finals at AMS Cincinnati just wasn’t enough to win the coveted title of McGrogan’s Hero last week, but he wouldn’t be denied this week. Blake won his hometown tournament in New Haven for the second time in his career, ending the U.S. Open Series with a comfortable victory over buddy Mardy Fish in Saturday’s final.
Less comfortable for James was his third round match against Agustin Calleri on Thursday. The Fairfield, CT native had to save three match points just to push the match to a third set. After he did, Calleri wasn’t able to stop James’ momentum, which was amplified further by the Carolina Blue clad J-Block. This match was the major hurdle that James had to clear this past week; afterwards, Blake was noted as saying that he felt like he “couldn’t lose.”
James’ play in Connecticut is also noteworthy because of how much tennis he’s already played this summer. Blake is an avid participant in the U.S. Open Series, so he’s needed a full tank just to get through all of the tournaments he’s entered himself in. Injury reared its head in Canada, when Blake was forced to retire, but he quickly reemerged the very next week in Cincinnati, and of course this past week in New Haven. If James is to make a deep run at Flushing Meadows, he’ll have played tennis for four weeks straight with few breaks – so the rest he got from pulling out of Montreal may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Personally, I think that deep run will come to fruition, as James should reach the semifinals in a relatively weak quarter of the draw.
WTA – Since I started writing the Monday Net Post about 15 weeks ago, I’ve acquired a lot of knowledge about some aspects of tennis that I previously didn’t pay as close attention to. One of these areas is doubles. Now, I not only know how to spell the names of many of the doubles specialists on tour (most notably on the WTA, where there are a number of tongue twisters), but I’m well versed in who the best partnerships are in the sport. Sitting atop that list is the team of Cara Black and Liezel Huber, whose names I often type each week in the “semifinal” or “final” row.
Black and Huber did not win last week, but they did reach the finals of New Haven before falling to Sania Mirza and Mara Santangelo, a very formidable doubles side in their own right. So why do Black and Huber claim honors this week here at the MNP? The answer is consistency.
Even though this is a weekly award, long term play is not discounted when deciding the hero (or in this case, heroes) each week. Consider what the world’s best women’s doubles team has done so far in 2007:
- They have won two Grand Slams (Australian Open and Wimbledon).
- They have won four other titles (in Paris, Antwerp, Dubai, and San Diego).
- They have won titles on four different surfaces (outdoor hard, indoor hard, carpet, and grass).
Federer-like, right? That’s what I thought too.
Also, a note to American tennis fans – in July of this year, the South African Huber became a U.S. citizen, which makes her eligible to compete for the States in the Olympics and Fed Cup. After seeing the U.S. fall to Russia in the semifinals of the Fed Cup last month – in the deciding doubles rubber – team captain Zina Garrison should take a close look at what this doubles savant can bring to the team heading into 2008.
- Ed McGrogan