I got to the US Open at about 6pm, quickly scalped some tickets, and went straight to the back courts to watch the unseeded player play. Caught a female match where we sat in the first row, then a men's match, and then some mixed doubles. After a rain delay and the day sessions going over, around 8pm we went into the stadium to watch Marion Bartoli defeat Lindsay Davenport 6-1, 7-6 (3), earning Bartoli her first win in her first match in center court at the USTA.
The headline event was 26 year old Andy Roddick vs Ernests Gulbis, a 19-year-old from Latvia. Gulbis comes out with a cannon, acing and winning fast, taking the first three games in about 11 minutes. After about 25 minutes Roddick did manage to win a few games, but Gulbis won the first set.
Then something happened. The clock struck midnight and *both* Roddick and Gulbis were celebrating their birthdays. Roddick 27 and Gulbis 20. Experience mattered and Roddick went on to win in 4 sets.
ESPN reports that Roddick is washed up. Younger players are passing him by and it is only a matter of time before young kids like Gulbis give him a scare and defeat him in early rounds.
Posted by Steve from New York