Since I don't have media credentials at this tournament (only staying for three days), I won't be providing any press conference highlights. In lieu of them, I'm setting aside a section for various tidbits and observations from around the grounds...
I didn't set foot in Arthur Ashe Stadium today. Nor did I check out Stadium 2 (Louis Armstrong Stadium) or even Stadium 3 (the old Grandstand Court). As anyone who's followed my previous tournament coverage knows, I tend to prefer the more intimate outer courts. Thankfully, the U.S. Open is now much improved for us side court dwellers.
Seating is markedly better, with stands on both sides of every tournament court. You can still get close to the action and now you usually don't have to worry about getting shut out of a match. The stands will still fill up for a fifth set or a crowd favorite, though. The Philippoussis/Rafter vs. Korda/Reneberg doubles match was a particularly popular attraction this afternoon. Can't put anything past the savvy U.S. Open fans -- they know an up-close look at four stars in a close match equals more bang for your buck than a nose-bleed view of one star beating up on an overmatched no-name.
One rather odd change in the outer court setup: there are no longer "gatekeepers" controlling the flow of fan traffic. Every year I'd been there, officials would man each court entrance, making sure spectators only came in during changeovers. No such thing this year, at least on Tuesday -- fans could come and go at their own discretion. I guess this really is "The Fans' Slam." For the most part, people were actually quite good about it, waiting until a break in the action and taking a seat quickly.
One of the major outer court hobbies every year at the U.S. Open is autograph seeking. At the end of nearly each match, you can count on kids (of all ages) lining up behind a player's chair, waving pictures, programs, balls, and whatever else they want signed. The players deal with this in various ways, but are usually quite accomodating. Some went out of their way today -- Brenda Schultz-McCarthy and Olga Barabanschikova were two I saw give an extraordinary amount of time to the fans. Jana Novotna and Mirjana Lucic were willing to a point -- each signed a considerable number of autographs, then high-tailed it back to the players's facilities. Dominique van Roost signed a few despite suffering a crushing defeat; Jeff Tarango signed none despite scoring a convincing win. Philippoussis and Rafter left in a hurry, receiving some boos as a result.
Anna Kournikova had both autograph seekers and camera wielders surrounding her after a practice session. Several of the photogs decided to hang back and wait for Anna to emerge from the crowd. That she did, going the Novotna/Lucic route by signing a good number, then having security clear a path for her. Kournikova broke into a near-sprint, blowing past the photographers, who split off into a number of directions trying to get back ahead of "The Russian Lolita" and gauge her path. It's pretty bizarre, this tennis paparazzi business -- lots of luck, timing, and instincts required.
Ann Grossman had reserved the court for after Kournikova was done. She showed up early and signed some autographs, then had a very cheerful chat with Anna's mother. Grossman had longtime beau Eric Wunderlich in tow, but there was no sign of Anna's friend-or-boyfriend Sergei Federov.
Also spotted around the grounds: a very tired looking Sabine Appelmans walking over to Court 8 to check out Fed Cup partner Van Roost's match; a very happy looking Larisa Neiland, chatting with some friends; Karina Habsudova and Radka Zrubakova each fielding questions from what I assume are two members of the Slovakian press; Jens Knippschild and Louise Pleming, whom I mention only to show off that I was able to recognize them.
You never know where you'll find a story at a tennis tournament. Just sitting out at Court 7 waiting for this 11 am "Battle of the Z Women" to get underway, I overhead a conversation between some of the ball boys which revealed that one of them had nearly gotten clocked by Mark Philippoussis's 140 mph serve the previous afternoon. "It banged off the scoreboard right next to me," he explained. "It woulda broken my hand."
The outer courts may be brand new this year, but some things remain the same. The first match I saw at the '96 U.S. Open featured Natasha Zvereva; ditto in '97. Ready to go with her trademark sunglasses on, Zvereva got off to a good start in this match. She broke in the opening game, then held for 2-0, her groundstrokes looking fluid and comfortable. She nearly added another break up 30-40, but Zrubakova hit three winners in a row for 2-1. A couple service winners in the following game made it 3-1. Quite low-key to that point, Natasha showed a little bit of attitude in the fifth game, shaking her head about a baseline non-call and squealing "noooo" as a Zrubakova drop shot bounced twice. Radka would fight off two break points in the game, but lose it on a backhand into the net.
The momentum on her side, Zvereva held at love to take a 5-1 lead. She whipped a backhand pass down the line for 15-40 and converted that first set point when a Zrubakova forehand sailed long. At just 11:34 in the morning, Natasha Zvereva already had a 6-1 set in hand. However, you can usually count on Zvereva going into at least one inexplicable funk per match. It happened early in the second set this time. She lost the first two games, walking to her chair and angrily chucking her racquet, then banging the new one on her sneaker. She nonetheless got down 15-40 and needed to hit a tough overhead winner and an ace to avoid the break.
More tinkering from Zvereva down 2-1 -- after losing the first point of the fourth game, she wandered over to the corner of the court and left her sunglasses there. She lost her first two points without the shades, but rallied from 40-0 down to break for 2-2. Things seemed to be back under control for the Belarussian, but at 30-30 she broke herself with a pair of errors. That prefaced the latest Zvereva change, this one a hairstyle adjustment. She tied her bangs up to create a little tuft of hair, the way Goran Ivanisevic did for a while at the end of '96. On him it kinda looked like a unicorn's horn or the back of a sumo wrestler's head. Since Natasha doesn't have as much hair, it looked more like...well, one spectator dubbed it an "Alfalfa hairdo."
Not even the Ed Grimley look helped Zvereva's play, as Zrubakova held at 15 for a 4-2 lead. Zvereva threw in a pair of aces in her own 15 hold for 4-3. Just when you thought we might be headed for a third set, the Slovakian cracked, getting broken at love on a forehand error. Zvereva then took a 5-4 lead after a topsy-turvy game which saw her go from 30-0 to 30-40 to the hold. Natasha was starting to pile up the winners at this juncture, but it was probably due in large part to her opponent's mediocre footwork. Zrubakova is not particularly fleet of foot and she was often caught out of position.
Zvereva scored one of the day's "highlight reel" shots in the tenth game, running down a good drop shot and somehow flipping it back for a forehand winner. Zvereva celebrated by sliding her hand down her face, a saucy lttle move reminiscent of The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, circa 1985. Zrubakova doggedly warded off a match point, however, and claimed the 3-deuce game for 5-5.
The 11th game was another long one, with Zvereva twice facing break point. However, she came through with her 6th and 7th aces of the day on her way to a 6-5 lead. The doubles star sprinted out to 15-40 lead in Game 12, but lost her second match point with a backhand return into the net. Match point #3 was the charm -- a netted Zrubakova forehand completed the 6-1, 7-5 victory for Natasha Zvereva. Looking quite relieved to have come through in straight sets, Zvereva stuck around to sign many autographs for her fans.
Jeff Tarango comes into this year's U.S. Open playing some of the best ball of his professional career. His final Open tuneup in Boston was a banner week for him, including wins over Alex O'Brien, Felix Mantilla, and Greg Rusedski. Therefore it wasn't hugely surprising to see Tarango leading 6-4, 3-1 when I arrived for this match. Jeff has a well-documented reputation as one of the Tour's most irritable players, but it was Prinosil looking irritated in the second set. The lanky German wore a pained expression after many points and frequently berated himself. Silently taking all this in was chair umpire Norm Chryst. Bruno Rebeuh was thankfully a safe distance away, calling the Alex O'Brien/Marcelo Filippini match on Court 11.
Content or not, Prinosil played well in the fifth game of the set, hitting two aces on his way to holding for 3-2. A pair of 30 holds followed to make it 4-3 Tarango. Prinosil was then broken at 30, losing the game on a double fault. The American lefty blew his first two set points in the following game, but finished with a pair of barely returnable serves to wrap up a 6-2 second set.
A pair of easy holds opened the third. Already down two sets, Prinosil had to battle off two more break points just to hold for a 2-1 lead. Tarango held easily for 2-2, but spent most of the 5th game glaring at a couple fans seated near his baseline. "Quiet!", he growled, after missing a forehand in what ultimately was a quick hold for Prinosil. Nothing quite that eventful occurred in the next few games, aside from Jeff adding a new "Breathe Right" strip to his nose. Neither player lost more than one point in any of the service games which brought Prinosil to a 5-4 lead.
Tarango got down 0-30 in the 10th game, but responded with two consecutive forehand winners and held for 5-5. A Tarango backhand return caught the baseline early in Game 11, a good omen which gave him a 0-30 lead. Prinosil got back to 30-30, but a missed backhand and errant forehand broke him. Tarango had a winning lead up 6-5, but he wasn't taking anything for granted -- the Stanford alumnus donned a new shirt during the changeover.
The shirt didn't get much use. Tarango held at love, closing out the match with an ace. Jeff pumped his fist in victory, drawing cheers from a rather small but decidely pro-Tarango crowd. He didn't endear himself to the autograph seekers, however -- their pleas fell on deaf ears as he walked off with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 victory.
There's no rule saying you need a high computer ranking to earn a fan following. Sometimes all it takes is a pierced belly button and a fun-loving reputation. Just ask Olga Barabanschikova, who was -- as usual -- spurred on by a gaggle of beaming adolescent boys during her first round match. A few of those fans were probably still in diapers when 29-year-old Laura Golarsa turned pro in 1986.
Barabanschikova already had a 3-0 lead when I arrived and looked primed to overpower her lighter-hitting elder. Golarsa had a lot of fight left in her, though. She battled back from break point down to get on the board for 3-1, then broke for 3-2. Still struggling with a lack of consistency, Olga drilled two big forehand winners for 0-30, then made four errors in a row to even the set at 3. Golarsa was smartly moving the 17-year-old around, forcing her to nearly run right out of the court for a drop shot. Barabanschikova grinned after that chase, however, and smiled broadly after holding for 4-3.
Golarsa found herself down 15-40 in the eighth game, but got back to 30-40 with a nice backhand volley winner. Barabanschikova struck on the next point, though, nailing a backhand service return winner down the line to break for 5-3. Golarsa made a flashy "Sabatweenie" attempt in the next game, but lost that point. A few points later she lost the set, a 6-3 verdict for Barabanschikova.
Golarsa changed strategy in the second set, more often going to chipped approaches and following them in to the net. She got up 30-15 in the first game, but made three straight errors to get down 1-0. Golarsa kept attacking, though, breaking back in a long game and holding at love for a 2-1 lead. Barabanschikova looked a bit winded at times and was woefully unwilling to move forward following her big serves and punishing groundstrokes. Golarsa drilled a smash to go up 30-40 and claimed her second straight break with a forehand stop volley winner.
Barabanschikova would not be down for long. Another big return winner ended her love break for 3-2. An ace ended a 15 hold for 3-3. A forehand lob winner ended another break for 4-3. An overhead smash ended a hold for 5-3. In very little time, Olga had reclaimed control of the set and match. She took the final game with similar ease, wrapping up a popular 6-3, 6-3 win over a cagey but outgunned Golarsa.
Olga Barabanschikova plays tennis with what can only be deemed panache, mixing the strut of a runway model with the facial expressiveness of a silent film star. Even so, half the fun with her comes after the match, as she interacts with those hormone-addled fans. Olga had to put that on hold for a few minutes on Tuesday, summoned to first do an on-court interview for CBS. "She's showing the belly button ring!", one guy exclaimed as The Belarussian Bombshell did just that for the CBS cameras.
When Barabanschikova got back to her chair, the requests poured in. "Can I have your wristbands?", asked one fan. "They're wet," she replied, but he didn't care and caught one of the two she tossed to the crowd. "Are you single?", intoned another voice. She happily responded, "Yes, I'm single," but ignored the hopeless kid's request for her phone number. He must not have minded much, though, vowing to "watch CBS all day long now" in the hopes of catching her interview.
I left to check on some scores and get a beverage. When I returned, the ultimate "people person" was still out there! Barabanschikova ended up staying in the vicinity of the Court 9 stands for a total of probably 30 minutes, talking to friends and fans, signing autographs, and posing for pictures.
All I can tell you about the first set and a half of this one is that Salzenstein showed up late. I'm not sure what the problem was, but Tillstrom got out there a good 10 to 12 minutes earlier and looked like he wasn't even sure he'd found the right court. I was on my way out when Salzenstein finally made his way in. When I got back, the wild card had won the first set 6-4, but Tillstrom had battled back for a 4-1 lead in the 2nd.
It looked like Salzenstein was about to bag the set, as he got down 0-40. He got all the way back to deuce, though, and fought off a fourth break point with an ace. Tillstrom finally broke by impressively knocking off a forehand winner on a 1st serve return. Tillstrom then held at love, ending the 6-1 set with an ace. One of the more even looking matchups of the day was living up to expectations, tied at a set apiece.
Salzenstein changed his shirt, but couldn't change his fortunes, suffering another service break to trail 1-0 in the 3rd. Tillstrom got down 15-40 on his serve, but rallied with three service winners and a nifty backhand volley to go up 2-0. A series of holds followed to 5-3, the players virtual mirror images of each other. Both were serving well and picking the right times to pick off volleys. With his Grand Slam experience (including major wins over Muster and Edberg), the Swede looked to be a solid bet to at least wrap up the set. The crowd had other ideas, though, routinely chiming in with cheers of "Go Jeff!" and "Come on Salz!".
Tillstrom took a 0-40 lead, getting triple set point in the process. "Salz" did not back down, however. A service winner made it 15-40; a pair of wild Tillstrom backhands made it deuce. A Tillstrom forehand then went wide, Salzenstein playfully blowing on it as it flew by. Tillstrom then sent a lunging forehand wide, having expended a lot of energy just to end up at 5-4.
Salzenstein had a big chance up 0-30 in Game 10, but missed a volley and a forehand return, swiping at the air with his racquet after the second miss. Tillstrom helped out with his own backhand error, though, and buried an easy forehand volley into the net on break point. Just like that, the third set was dead even. Realizing the enormity of his loose error, the previously poker-faced Swede smacked a ball clear out of the USTA grounds, incurring a ball abuse warning.
Both players were fired up in these tense late games of the third. Salzenstein kicked a ball after an error for 30-30; Tillstrom swiped at the court after an error for 40-30. An ace down the T gave Salzenstein a hold for 6-5. A forehand winner down the line clinched a 15 hold for Tillstrom, sending the third set to a critical tiebreak. They exchanged service winners for 1-1, then Salzenstein missed a backhand approach for 2-1. Jeff then had a serve overruled and queried the umpire. "Yeah? Yeah, what?", Salzenstein asked, unhappy with the reply.
Salzenstein then hit a forehand just long for 3-1 and went back to badgering the umpire. He got back to 3-2 with an ace, shooting the ump another look. Tillstrom then made an ugly forehand error on a sitter, offering up a bemused grin after losing the mini-break advantage. Tillstrom service winner: 4-3; Salzenstein ace: 4-4. Salzenstein wisely let a Tillstrom forehand go long for 5-4 and went up 6-4 on a netted backhand. Tillstrom fought off set point #1 with a winning volley, but an ace from the young lefty concluded the exciting 7-5 tiebreak. A huge ovation came from the now packed stands and Salzenstein pumped his fist. Having dug himself out of a 5-3, 0-40 hole, Jeff now led 2 sets to 1.
Tillstrom held for a 1-0 lead in the fourth, then left for a bathroom break. I ducked out for a while myself, but kept tabs on this match. Tillstrom shot out to a 4-1 lead, but Salzenstein reeled him back in for 4-4. Mikael had just held for a 5-4 edge when I got back. Salzenstein made another shirt change. After dumping a backhand volley in the net, he faced break point. He again came through in the clutch, though, and his next backhand volley attempt was a winner to complete a hold for 5-5.
Tillstrom followed a double fault with two errors to get behind 15-40. He delivered an ace for 30-40, but a forehand into the net on the following point broke him. Not long removed from facing a set point, Salzenstein would now serve for the match up 6-5. Cries of "Go Colorado!" had joined the "Jeff!" and "Salz!" support. The Denver native got down 15-30, though, dropping his racquet in dismay after a late call on a backhand error. Salzenstein missed a shoestring volley to get behind 30-40, but a Tillstrom return on the next point went long, Jeff again blowing on the ball.
Now safely at deuce, Salzenstein took the ad with a confident forehand volley down the line. Staring down the first match point, the talented but erratic Tillstrom sent a forehand long. Salzenstein jumped into the air as it missed the baseline, raising his arms in victory as the crowd erupted in applause. He kept those hands up there a long time, savoring his first U.S. Open victory. Tillstrom went ahead and shook hands with the chair umpire first, while Salzenstein was still exuberantly pointing to a couple of the particularly vocal sections of the partisan crowd. A smiling Salzenstein finally got around to shaking hands with his opponent, who had put up a gallant fight in a losing 6-4, 1-6, 7-6, 7-5 effort.
One of my goals on my first day at the '97 U.S. Open was to get a look at 15-year-old Mirjana Lucic, the WTA Tour's latest celebrated phenom. You had to act fast to catch her on this Tuesday -- she won the first set 6-0 in about twenty seconds. I arrived just in time for the start of the second set, Lucic closing out the opening game with an ace. Sandra Kleinova, with a heavily taped right knee, came right back with a hold for 1-1.
The kid from Croatia held again, this time using a backhand down the line as the exclamation point. A long service game from Kleinova followed, in the middle of which "The Star Spangled Banner" boomed out from Arthur Ashe Stadium. I'm not sure why and neither was Kleinova, who was visibly distracted and was broken for 3-1. A Lucic double fault brought up break point in the next game, but she hung in there for a 4-1 lead. She ran in place a couple times during this game, presumably to keep herself from getting tight. Kleinova, meanwhile, was bitterly yammering at herself in what I'm guessing was Czech.
Kleinova's play went from bad to worse in Game 6, as she hit double faults for 0-15, 15-30, and 15-40. A Kleinova forehand long ended the hideous game and made it 5-1 in favor of Lucic. Mirjana's attempt to serve out the win was unsuccessful -- she fought off one break point with an ace, but lost the next with a double fault. A suddenly revitalized Kleinova put together a solid hold for 5-3. Lucic, already receiving raves for her preternatural poise, breezed through an impressive ninth game, holding at 15 when a Kleinova forehand found the net. In just 55 minutes, Mirjana Lucic had her first main draw Grand Slam singles win.
One of the first things I noticed about Lucic today was her focused, determined intensity. This girl is all business out there. If Martina Hingis is "the next Chris Evert", Lucic may be the next Steffi Graf -- a stoic slugger who lets her strong serve and deep groundies do the talking. It's hard to judge her potential off this lone set, since Kleinova didn't pose a terribly stiff test, but we'll undoubtedly be hearing more from Mirjana Lucic.