American Miss

The American clay court swing almost ended with the perfect scenarios, almost.

James Blake fell to Mariano Zabaleta in Houston while Venus Williams was outlasted by Jelena Jankovic in the semifinals of their respective green clay tourneys.

And while tournament organizers had originally dreamed of a Blake-Roddick final in Houston (that was spoiled by an injured Roddick withdrawal prior to the start of the week), Charleston saw its top four seeds bow out before the start of their event and then Serena, Vaidisova and Schnyder all crashed out in the opening two days.

Ouch.

Perhaps everyone in the game of tennis - Americans included - is playing their cards correctly. The French Open is a mere five weeks away, and while the WTA still has Charleston underneath the "Tier I" title, players are making decisions that are more geared to the majors these days, and for these two American tournaments, that meant less than impressive fields.

Though dreamy American finals at not-so-dreamy American tournaments would've capped off a solid North American swing, there is much to look forward to in the weeks leading up to the dirty red at Roland Garros. And at least from here, it can only get better.