On The Line's 2001 Montreal Awards
by Christopher Gerby
Back by popular demand, here's a category by category wrap-up of the
week that was in Montreal...
Match of the Week: If you didn't mind getting baked by the
sun, Court 1 was the best place to catch sterling action.
The best of the best was Andy Roddick vs. Carlos Moya, three
emotional sets of monster hitting and momentum swings. The rapidly
ascending 18-year-old had to call on all of his reserves to pull out a
6-3, 5-7, 7-5 thriller.
Upset of the Week: Coming out of nowhere just like his countryman
Goran Ivanisevic did at Wimbledon, Ivan Ljubicic
shocked Andre Agassi in straight sets on Tuesday. Fresh off a tournament victory
in Los Angeles, the "A-Train" pulled into Montreal late and departed
early.
Point of the Week: A few memorable rallies stand out, but there
was none better than a point Fernando Vicente won in his second
round match against Todd Martin. The Spaniard ran down three would-be
Martin winners (a smash, a forehand, and a volley) before guiding a
backhand winner of his own down the line. It was a terrific example
of the agility and racquet control Vicente used to take a 6-1 set from
the big-serving veteran.
Game of the Week: I'll cheat a little bit here and pick the
tiebreak contested by Thomas Johansson and Chris Woodruff on
Monday afternoon. It was an epic 26-point whale of a baseline struggle between the
last two Montreal champions, with Woodruff fighting off seven set
points before finally capitulating.
Fans of the Week: The original quartet of chanting Aussies
disappeared midway through the event, but not before inspiring Patrick
Rafter, making Andrew Ilie smile, and getting numerous rounds of
applause for their enthusiastic routines. Imitations which cropped
up over the weekend paled by comparison.
Racquet Toss of the Week: Tommy Haas gets bonus points for
distance and Andy Roddick made a nice rookie attempt, but nobody was
more destructive than Nicolas Escude. The Frenchman turned his
bat into a mangled mess after dropping serve against Bohdan
Ulihrach.
Best Interviewee: Thoroughly relaxed and unflappably honest,
Patrick Rafter was a joy to have around in his Montreal swan song.
Questions good, bad, and otherwise were fair game for the Aussie's
quick wit. "I'm a funny bastard, aren't I?" he mused on Friday. You
are indeed, mate.
Best Line to Open a Press Conference: "I broke your microphone,
dude. I didn't mean to," muttered by a sheepish Andy Roddick while struggling to get a
mic attached to his shirt.
Best Line to Close a Press Conference: "See you in two years!
I'll be 38 then," vowed by the ATP's most senior citizen, Ronald Agenor.
Courage Under Fire Award: Australian doubles specialist
David MacPherson soldiered through three full sets against # 1
seeds Jonas Bjorkman and Todd Woodbridge despite suffering an obviously
painful injury to his serving wrist. Who says the doubles guys don't
earn their pay?
Fan Appreciation Award: The always pleasant Daniel Vacek
called two inattentive spectators "f***ing retards" and accused the entire
Canadian public of being unable to recognize good tennis shots.
Feng Shui Award: Vacek's partner in crime Jeff Tarango
did some nifty redecorating on Tuesday, carrying his chair all the way
from its conventional spot to the other side of the court. Perhaps
Jeff would save himself some trouble if he always sat that far away from
the umpire.
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Last updated 26 September 2015
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