Since I last wrote, Sargis Sargsian certainly got revenge for his doubles loss to the Chilean team, beating Nicolas Massu (and then Paul-Henri Mathieu) in five-set passion plays. When I returned to the Open on Labor Day, September 6, Sargsian was to play Andre Agassi in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Ashe was off limits to me, however, because my tickets were grounds passes, replacements for the rainout of Labor Day last year. As you might recall, Jennifer Capriati completed a match on Ashe last Labor Day, but there were no matches completed outside Ashe, so the USTA agreed to provide replacement tickets to those who had had grounds passes in 2003. Of course, there was a long line at the turnstile (after a very long security line) because the scanners were not properly programmed to accept these replacement grounds passes. Even when the USTA tries to do the right thing, it often gets bollixed up.

It was a poignant day for me. Last year, the rainout prevented me from attending the Open with my wife, Joy. This year, she is no longer with us, so I went with my father. As it happened, we both wore baseball caps that Joy had bought for us, mine a US Open cap, my father's a cap from the Hawaiian island of Kauai, where Joy and I had vacationed this February when her health was on an upswing. I still enjoy going to the Open, but it had a bittersweet taste this year.

My father and I began our day on Court 10, to see Gael Monfils play Remko de Rijke. Court 10 is near the South Plaza at the National Tennis Center, and the match was accompanied by the musical efforts of an annoying band playing cover songs to the best of its ability.

Monfils, who turned 18 on September 1, is Mr. Everything in the junior game, having won the Australian, French, and Wimbledon this year. His serve is powerful enough that many pros would gladly trade with him. Interestingly, he begins his service motion with his feet together. You would think this would deprive him of rhythm and power, but that's not the case. This was my first chance to see Monfils in person, and I come away unsure whether he will be a great pro or merely a good one. de Rijke, who will be 18 in November, looked like a boy next to the lanky and explosive Monfils. de Rijke is solid but not flamboyant; Monfils began the match with two huge serves - a 134 mph ace and a 129 mph winner - and some killer forehands. But de Rijke did not roll over. He kept the ball away from Monfils's forehand to the extent possible, and he gave Monfils opportunities to beat himself with errors.

The first crisis for de Rijke came at 3-3, 30-40. Monfils lined up a big forehand but hit it long for deuce. Monfils then netted two backhands and de Rijke had escaped. Monfils faced his first crisis serving at 4-5. He fell behind 0-30 but got to 15-30 with a big serve. de Rijke hit a forehand pass to get to 15-40 and two set points. The next point resulted in a long rally, which ended when Monfils hit a forehand long, and de Rijke was suddenly up a set.

As the match progressed, Monfils often looked uninterested or lethargic. His serve no longer reached 130 mph, and he hit many more drop shots, often from deep in the backcourt, than any coach would encourage. For better or worse, he did not emote.

With de Rijke serving at 3-3 in the second set, Monfils jumped too early for an overhead and whiffed on the smash. He lay down on the court in frustration, and perhaps to buy some time. Monfils came back invigorated, grunting on each shot for the first time in the match. A winning forehand got him to 15-15, and then de Rijke served a double fault. de Rijke missed two backhands, one into the net and one long, and Monfils had his service break.

Monfils missed a bunch of first serves in the next game, but de Rijke didn't take the opportunity, missing his returns on second serve. de Rijke served as 3-5 and, seeming to be very tight, was broken at love for the set. de Rijke called for the trainer, and my father and I figured that he was done, so we moved on to Armstrong. In the end, Monfils won 6-4 in the third, so de Rijke evidently continued to put up a fight.

On Armstrong, Eleni Daniilidou was serving to Shinobu Asagoe at 6-7 5-4. What we did not know was that Asagoe had come back from 2-5, 15-40 to win the first set. Asagoe missed an easy overhead and Daniilidou, wearing a wrap on her left shin, easily served out the set. In the third set, Daniilidou, who features topspin and slice with her one-handed backhand, was broken promptly, spraying a forehand long at 0-1, 30-40. The next time Daniilidou served, at 0-3, she cruised to 40-0, but Asagoe got back to deuce. On her fourth break point, Asagoe hit a good crosscourt backhand return of serve, which she followed to net. She stumbled to the court as Daniilidou lined up her passing shot, but the pass went wide, and it was 4-0. Asagoe's service game at 4-0 proved to be a long struggle, but Daniilidou could not cash in on four break points, and it was 5-0.

The match was seemingly in the bag. In the 0-5 game, Asagoe got to match point at 30-40, but she netted a forehand, and Daniilidou went on to hold for 1-5. Asagoe and Daniilidou played cat and mouse at 5-1, 15-30. Daniilidou stretched for a dink by Asagoe and hit her forehand volley crosscourt for a winner and two break points, the second of which she won. Daniilidou then held for 3-5 with a beautiful drop volley off her backhand, and we got the sense that there might be a major comeback (or choke, depending on how you look at things) in the offing. Asagoe, serving at 5-3 30-15, double faulted. On the next point, she got to net, was chased back, and missed a forehand wide. On break point, Asagoe hit a drop shot, which Daniilidou returned wide off her backhand, and it was deuce. Asagoe returned to the drop shot, which Daniilidou smacked crosscourt into the corner for a backhand winner and another break point. Asagoe responded with a crosscourt forehand on the line for a winner. At deuce, Daniilidou returned wide off the backhand and then hit a backhand volley long, and Asagoe was the winner. She scampered to the corner of the stadium to celebrate with her entourage, as well she might. In the quarters, she plays Lindsay Davenport, and things will almost certainly be tougher.

My father and I stayed in Armstrong for the match between Olivier Rochus and Dominik Hrbaty. The USTA is not a user-friendly organization. They had ushers walk around to announce that all the seats in the middle sections behind the court, from the first box to the top of the stadium, were reserved. Since there were many seats available, I wasn't going to move unless challenged to show my ticket. They never asked, and I never told, so my father and I stayed in the middle till the sun moved our way, at which point we moved for refuge to the top row, a little bit off center. Armstrong is the best place to watch a match at the National Tennis Center. My only complaint about the stadium is that there is very little leg room, but that's part of what makes it a good stadium: it is banked steeply, so the seats in the higher rows are not too far from the court.

Rochus is a miracle. I cannot understand how a man 5'5" tall can make a living on the tour, let alone beat Carlos Moya at the US Open. (On the other hand, the lack of leg room at Armstrong wouldn't bother him.) He hits a one-handed topspin backhand with vigor, while the 6-foot Hrbaty uses two hands. Many, many of Hrbaty's backhands found the net in this match. Rochus's serve topped out at 110 mph, and the hardest serves he hit into the box were about 106 or 107 mph. Hrbaty, with a high toss that seems to upset his rhythm and certainly would present problems on windy days, occasionally served over 130 mph, but usually 10-20 mph slower than that.

Serving at 1-2 in the first set, Hrbaty committed a string of errors and was broken. He had two chances to break back when Rochus served at 4-2, 15-40, but Rochus reeled off four straight points. Hrbaty served at 2-5, deuce, and was at the net for a sitter overhead. He hit it crosscourt, and Rochus guessed right, zinging a forehand down the line for the pass and set point. After a long rally, Rochus hit another forehand down the line for a winner, and he had the first set in his pocket.

Hrbaty seemed to restore the natural order in the next game, finally breaking Rochus on the fifth break point of the game. But Rochus broke right back for 1-1. Hrbaty broke for a 3-2 lead, taking advantage of an excellent crosscourt backhand that got him to break point. Again, Rochus broke right back, as Hrbaty played a sloppy game. Serving at 3-4, Hrbaty fell behind 15-40, and was broken when Rochus smacked a forehand crosscourt for a winner. Rochus served for the set with new balls. At 40-30, he went with a drop shot, which Hrbaty plopped into the net, giving Rochus a two-set lead.

In the third set, Hrbaty escaped a break point at 1-1 and won the game with a fine backhand down the line. At 2-2, 30-40, Hrbaty hit a backhand long, handing Rochus a decisive lead in the match. Rochus hit a double fault in the next game, however, helping Hrbaty break back for 3-3. The next time Rochus served, Hrbaty played a good game and broke at love for a 5-3 lead. He made no mistake when serving for the set, as he produced two aces, an unreturned serve, and a service winner.

Hrbaty threw in a third consecutive love game to break Rochus at the opening of the fourth set. At this point, you'd think that Rochus was done, but then he broke at love. Hrbaty netted two backhands, then Rochus hit a huge inside-out forehand and an easy forehand volley for 1-1. Rochus then held and broke again for a 3-1 lead. Rochus held serve to go up 4-1, but suddenly his serves were not reaching 90 mph, let alone 110. He called a medical time-out, and the trainer came to the court to work on both of Rochus's thighs. Though he was not limping, Rochus was cramping, and his movement was drastically impaired for the remainder of the match. Hrbaty held at love for 2-4. In his 4-2 game, Rochus got to game point, but Hrbaty hit a forehand pass that Rochus volleyed into the net off his backhand. At deuce, Rochus netted forehands on two consecutive points, and he was no longer up a break. While unable to run all out, Rochus somehow fought back from 40-0 to deuce in Hrbaty's next service game. Hrbaty responded with an ace and a forehand into the open court, which Rochus could not chase, and it was 4-4. In the 4-4 game, Hrbaty got to break point by hitting a backhand wide to Rochus's forehand; again, Rochus could not run for it. A double fault gave Hrbaty a 5-4 lead, and he held at love for the set, 6-4.

Throughout Rochus's suffering, Hrbaty did not hit drop shots. I don't think he had a sporting aversion to taking advantage of Rochus's condition; it seems that drop shots simply are not in his repertoire. The fifth set went quickly, with Hrbaty winning it at love. From 4-1 in the fourth set, the injured Rochus lost eleven straight games. It was sad to see, and I thought Hrbaty's exuberant celebration of his victory mildly unseemly. But for the cramps, Rochus almost certainly would have won. Hrbaty did not prevail through courageous tactics or brilliant shot-making; he outlasted an opponent who had played too much tennis. It still counts, obviously, but it wasn't anything to crow about.

For good sportsmanship, my father and I repaired to Court 6, where Marty Riessen and Sherwood Stewart took on John Newcombe and Owen Davidson in "Super Senior Doubles" for men 55 and over. Newcombe had turned 60 in May and Davidson last October. Riessen will be 63 in December and Stewart, the youngster of the bunch, is only 58. Stewart's youth was not wasted on him; he was by far the best player on the court. He still serves with some pop and he returns well. Riessen has a pretty good serve; Newcombe has the same motion as always, including the way he brings the racquet in front of his chest to prepare for his windup, but nothing moves as quickly anymore. As for Davidson, he uses a low toss and short-arms the serve; when walking, he wobbles on unsteady legs, though he still mixed in a few decent groundstrokes. The throwback atmosphere was enhanced by the four players holding two balls in the tossing hand on first serve. I don't remember the last time someone did that on the ATP (let alone WTA) tour.

On Court 6, the chair umpire does not have a microphone, and the seniors match featured a skeleton umpiring crew. It was not crowded, and the fans could sit right near the players and occasionally banter with them. When Newcombe came out of a change-over at 2-5 in the first set, preparing to serve, my father said to him: "Make believe you're playing Kodes. That was a good one." Newcombe smiled. Indeed, it was a good one: on September 9, 1973, Newcombe came back from a 2-1 deficit in sets to beat Jan Kodes in the US Open final, 6-4 1-6 4-6 6-2 6-2.

When Stewart or Riessen hit a good lob or an unreachable passing shot, Newcombe and Davidson took turns yelling at each other to get the ball. It was all in good fun, and the old boys still had some life in them. Riessen served for the match at 6-3 5-2, 40-15, and Newcombe and Davidson won four straight points for the break. In the end, Stewart restored order on his serve for a 6-3 6-4 win, and a lot of smiles all around. One of the fans exclaimed to the combatants: "Thanks for playing."

My last stop of the day was Court 10, where Simon Aspelin of Sweden and Todd Perry of Australia took on the hard-hitting Spanish lefties Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco. I thought Lopez might mail this one in after getting blown out in singles by Lleyton Hewitt the night before, but he was vocally emotional about the match. A substantial contingent of Spanish players and coaches cheered Lopez and Verdasco on.

As I arrived, Aspelin and Perry held for a 6-3 5-5 lead. Serving at 5-5, 30-0, Verdasco conked Lopez in the head with his first ball. Lopez shook it off and the Spaniards held. (By the way, Verdasco often stayed back on his second serve, something that none of the old-timers on Court 6 had done.) Perry fell behind 0-40 in the 5-6 game, but he and Aspelin won five straight points to force a tiebreak. There were no mini-breaks till Aspelin served at 4-5. He let Lopez's backhand return go, and it hit the line for two set points. Verdasco then put away a forehand volley and the match was even.

Verdasco hit the best shot of the match, or at least of the portion I witnessed, as Aspelin served at 4-4. On the first point, Verdasco, almost against the fence to retrieve a smash, realized that the ball was sitting up and he could smash it back. This he did, for a winner, as the Spanish group went nuts. At 15-15, Verdasco came up big again, with a crosscourt backhand service return for a winner. Perry netted a volley at 15-30, and the Spaniards had two break points. Verdasc o's forehand return of Aspelin's second service went long to make the score 30-40. Aspelin then double faulted for the break, and Lopez danced off the court. Lopez served out the match at love, concluding with an ace.

Lopez and Verdasco will play Leander Paes and David Rikl in the quarters. The winning doubles team from my final match of September 1, Gonzalez and Massu, is also in the quarters, preparing to face old reliables Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor. For me, however, this year's sojourn to the Open is concluded, and this winter I will not be returning to the indoor facility at the National Tennis Center to play tennis with my sweetheart. If you want to help memorialize Joy, you may send me a check made to "American Friends of Matan" with a memo that it is for the Joy Rochwarger Balsam Scholarship Fund. You may send these tax-deductible checks to me at 450 Park Avenue, Suite 3201, New York, New York 10022. Thank you.