Tuesday, September 6, 2005
Are Women Playing at the U.S. Open?
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Actually, I can confirm right in the beginning of this article that women are playing because Justine Henin-Hardenne and Mary Pierce are on TV as I write this article. But I had to blink twice to make sure!
It's not just me, either. I browsed around various tennis discussion forums online, and men's draw related messages outnumber the women's draw related messages almost by three-to-one. Even in most popular sports websites, the articles related to men's matches are longer and more analytical, where as most women's match news don't go much further than merely reporting the scores and who the players will face in the next round.
However, don't blame the messengers. The women's draw so far has consisted of bunch of matches, under an hour long, without much excitement. The big names have consistently outplayed their opponents, only stopping short of collecting an hourly fee for a tennis lesson, when they shake their hapless opponents' hands at the end of the matches. Svetlana Kuznetsova being upset and making history as the first title defender to lose in the first round was by far the only women's draw related newsworthy happening of the tournament so far.
One can't fault CBS and USA Channel, either. Seeing the writing on the wall, they desperately tried to talk up the Williams' sisters matchup for days and days, only to watch it offer subpar tennis quality and an obvious victory by Venus. Here is an idea: they could show more of the most exciting woman in the tournament, James Blake's girlfriend!
But don't fret, tennis fans. There is an upside to this scenario. Obviously, the higher seeds are far better players than the rest of the pack, which should result in numerous high-quality matches once they begin to clash with each other. Has this not been the scenario on the women's tour for a long time now, anyway? Were we expecting anything different during the U.S. Open? This scenario has been the reality of WTA Tour for a while.
However, I also doubt that we expected to get slapped this hard on the face with the reality.
Top-seed Maria Sharapova has yet to lose a set, has lost only 12 games in four matches, and has averaged well under an hour per match. Third-seed Amelie Mauresmo, who is not even considered as a heavy favorite to win the U.S. Open, has also yet to lose a set, lost 19 games in four matches, averaged slightly over an hour per match. Most other top seeds are in the same boat.
In fact, ladies and gentleman, not counting Kuznetsova's loss, you have to go down to sixth-seed Elena Dementieva to find a set lost by a high-seeded player. Oh, wait! Stop the press! As I am writing this, seventh-seed Henin-Hardenne just lost the first set against Mary Pierce. Maybe I should keep writing.
By contrast, the men's action has provided plenty of thrilling moments and stories. James Blake has been the story of the tournament, eliminating Rafael Nadal on the way and setting up a potentially epic battle with Andre Agassi in the quarterfinals. Of course, it helped the ratings that Americans have done well, also.
Let's put things into perspective. Davide Sanguinetti, with his shiny gray hair, still being alive in the round of 16s is a story in and out of itself. Richard Gasquet's progress has been a major story in all European tennis publications. Dominik Hrbaty's shirt is the most stunning male tennis shirt ever witnessed in a Grand Slam. Some high-quality matches also provided high-quality drama, extending to fifth set tiebreakers (ex: Xavier Malisse vs. Mikhail Youzhny).
However, these otherwise newsworthy events have been shadowed by a bald 35-year-old guy who smells blood with the early departures of Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick. Speaking of Andy Roddick, his mojo, or lack there of, has been a bigger story than his tennis display. Roger Federer, despite winning routinely, is ever-pleasant to watch. His tennis combined with Fabrice Santoro's magic shot-making was the most entertaining straight set victory by a top-seed in a long time.
Men's action has been so overwhelmed with greatness that some of the best players in the world have not even received a bit of attention so far. Have you heard much about Guillermo Coria until he got into a bickering duel with his opponent Nicolas Massu in the round of 16s? Furthermore, have you heard the third-seed Lleyton Hewitt's name mentioned other than when he played Taylor Dent?
Once again, don't fault the media. The lack of mentioning the above stories was not by design, but by necessity. The men's draw has been a dream come true for the media. Unlike the women's action, with so many stories to cover on the men's side, they had the luxury to pick and choose amongst them. The only thing that could top it all would be a clash between Andre Agassi and Roger Federer in the finals.
Oh, wow! As I finish this article, Mary Pierce has just finished the upset of Henin-Hardenne following an exciting match (too bad I can't keep writing until the end of the week). Yes, you read it correctly. It was indeed an exciting match, and yes, the ladies are playing at the U.S. Open! I am ready for some excitement on both sides the rest of the way.
Good job Mertov... Great article..