Tenth Time's the Charm

James Blake finally did it.

After deeming Wimbledon the place to shake off his demons, Blake came up too short at the All England Club in late June, having to save his magic for the Magician himself - Fabrice Santoro - in a thrilling night match at Arthur Ashe.

And though Blake's road only gets tougher with Stefan Koubek in the third round and potential match-ups with Tommy Haas, Nicolay Davydenko and Roger Federer looming, he'll take comfort in his victory over the Frenchman. But for Blake to win his first Grand Slam, he'll have to pull out some of the tricks he did Thursday night against Santoro.

Not only does the five-set win give Blake a new confidence (he's now 1-9 in such matches), but it also sends a message to the rest of the men's draw: James is ready for anyone.

Though Santoro, mostly a journeyman who's made his living by playing crafty (and oftentimes ugly tennis), is far from the league of Federer, Blake has to know now that he can (and probably will) be stretched to five sets again during this tournament.

2-9 anyone? James'll take it.

On Goes the Open

Last night I got to catch a rare glimpse of tennis on the tube, watching John Isner boom his way into a third-round match-up with Roger Federer. It was also the first time I've watched Fed play since Wimbledon, and I forgot how easy and fluid he makes everything look.

The game of tennis seems to be blooming at the US Open this year, at least on the men's side. You've got rising American stars, top players holding on to their precious status, champions struggling to stay on their game and veterans making one last stand. The story lines are aplenty, hopefully the good tennis will be, too.

It was great to see Tim Henman post a victory in a Slam other than Wimbledon yesterday, and against a seed no less. A week-two run for the Brit? Maybe.

And while my boy Frank Dancevic couldn't quite hold on against Safin, I think it's safe to say he's on his way up. I predict at least a third round appearance at the Aussie...and that he finishes this year in the top 50(!).

But if Isner wants to crack the cream of the crop, he can't miss shots like this one in DC:

Justin's Curtain Call

Andy Roddick made pretty easy work of Justin Gimbelstob in the elder American's last appearance at the US Open.

It was mostly fun tennis to watch, but the best part came after the match.

USA Network stayed on court for an interview with Gimbelstob, giving the veteran his due air time. It's hard to watch a guy as respectable and good-hearted as Gimbelstob step away from the game, but everyone has their time.

And lucky for us, he isn't going too far: he's got his eye on sports broadcasting.

Tennis Chatter: The Open Begins

John Isner served an impressive 34 aces in his upset win in the first round of the US Open.

2007 Roland Garros junior champ Alize Cornet snacked on 29th seed Samantha Stosur in just 68 minutes.

Andy Murray hushes critics and shrugs off injury to lose just five games while advancing to the second round.

Other than Venus and Serena, American women went just 2-6 on the day. The other two winners? Meghann Shaughnessy (who beat American Vania King) and Asha Rolle, who upset 17th seed Tatiana Golovin.

Rolle's win put an exclamation point on African American tennis for the night following the wins of the Williams sisters and the honoring of Althea Gibson for her tennis legacy.

Night at the Open

In tonight's US Open coverage on USA, Serena Williams wasn't the only one making a fashion statement. Now I by no means am a fashion expert - I'm actually far from it. I do, however, have a sense of what is okay and what is not. And Tracy Austin's outfit was just not okay.

(Austin's outfit was designed by Papa Smurf. AIPT photo.)

While Tracy was struggling with her fashion off the court, Tatiana Golovin was struggling with her game on the court. This French girl really baffles me. After finishing the summer with a solid performance in Canada and teaming up with Mats Wilander in what seemed to be a great partnership, she's goes out in the first round to a wild card?

Sounds like confidence issues if you ask me.

Donald Does It

Donald Young finally notched his first win at a Grand Slam tournament, just a week after winning his first-ever ATP match.

Maybe the whole I'm-going-to-work-my-way-up method is working well for him.

Taking the Hard Road

Remember Frank Dancevic from this summer? How about from this appearance. Or this one. The rising Canadian star had a stellar summer, going 8-3 in three events and seeing his ranking jump from #113 in the world to #67.

When the US Open draw deadline came up a few weeks ago, however, Dancevic didn't have a high enough ranking to slip into the main draw, meaning he would have to qualify for the year's last Grand Slam. After beating Andy Roddick and Fernando Verdasco, not to mention making the quarters of a Masters Series and taking Rafael Nadal to a dramatic three sets, Dancevic became a hot name on the tour, but his ranking still bestowed one thing on him that the Nadals and Roddicks of the tour didn't have to go through: US Open qualifying.

(Dancevic and his signature one-handed backhand. Photo by Eduardo Cavasotti via Flickr.)

So over the past week, Dancevic has played as the number one seed in a tournament for the first time this year, though it was a tournament with sixteen winners instead of one, all earning their right into the US Open main draw.

Joining Dancevic will be a cast of hard road takers, men who are just coming up in their careers like American teen Scoville Jenkins (who was not granted a wild card) and Amersfoort champion Steve Darcis along with journeymen like Andrei Pavel (once ranked #13), Rainer Schuettler (2003 Australian Open finalist) and Alexander Waske (playing in his 3rd-ever Open at the age of 32). They all advanced through the grueling three rounds of the qualies, just for the chance to get a crack at the main draw - and - the biggest tennis tournament on tour.

Dancevic gets Marat Safin in the opening round; Jenkins, not as lucky, meets Roger Federer. But for these guys the journey is already well underway. And while Safin and Federer might be working out the kinks in the superior games on Monday and Tuesday at Flushing Meadows, the qualifiers will have three matches under their belt and the hope for a chance to play just one more.

Tim Says Good-bye

Surprised? Not really.

But man, I think I'll miss Tim Henman a lot.

Travel Day

Getting up at 4:30 a.m. New York time means that I'm up at 1:30 Seattle time. If my math is correct, I've been up almost 21 hours now...so pardon any fractured sentences or misspelled words.

Travel days always take the wind out of you, but I find it also kick starts your body in a certain way. The excitement of being in a new place - even if it is a familiar one - always gets my blood bumping.

I've been trying to keep my head about the aftermath of the Ethicist column that ran in Sunday's NYT. I certainly didn't anticipate such reaction, but have also learned a great deal through the process. And what is life without character-building learning experiences? I will say this over and over again: TENNIS Magazine is a clean, professional and dignified publication - both online and in print. No ifs, ands or buts about it. I wrote that letter months ago, and the editor in question has since left for unrelated resasons.

In the real tennis world, something called the US Open is looming. Men's and women's draws were released today and there are some interesting match-ups early on and potential quarterfinal battles. I will chat more about this sometime over the weekend.

But for now I must put an end to the 21-hour day; sleep sounds good. Tomorrow: Montana bound.

Come One, Come Rain

The rain drops started on Tuesday and they never stopped. I hoped for most of the day that they would stop, that the Pilot Pen might get some play in before my train back to New York. Come mid-afternoon, however, the rain had hit a persistent level and I had lost all hope.

I boarded a train back to New York at 3 - about five hours earlier than I had planned - with a little bit of disappointment weighing on my shoulders. It was, no doubt, a great experience just to have the chance to utilize my press pass, see the behind-the-scenes happenings and get a glimpse of what the future might hold.

(I just hope the future doesn't involved washed-out Tuesdays. AIPT photo.)