Day 3 at the US Tennis Open: American Men and Usual Suspects Win. Clijsters' Upset.
No need for umbrellas, just the necessity for plenty of sun screen at the 2012 US Tennis Open on Day 3, August 29th, Wednesday. From the start to the finish of the day, there were few surprises and the Americans moved with few wrinkles to their next rounds.
John Isner, the 6'9" 27-year-old who turned pro in 2007 and made a name for himself playing France's Nicolas Mahut in the longest match (It lasted three days.) in tennis history at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, took center court on Ashe at 1:00 pm Wednesday, August 29th. He didn't disappoint his admirers and fans by beating Belgium's Xavier Malisse 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 7-6 including two exciting tiebreaks. Isner who is seeded 9 in the tournament was expected to do well, as Malisse's overall ranking is 57 and he is 32-years-old and pushing the envelope. However, Malisse played exceptionally well, considering that he needed to recover quickly from his injury which forced him to retire in a match with American Sam Querrey at the Farmer's Classic in July 2012, one month before the US Open.
It was a great day for American Men's Singles overall. Those who competed on Wednesday won their matches. Though some might not be players whose names you would easily recognize like Isner, these players have met the challenge and made it past the first round of the US Open which is no small feat, considering the skill of the professionals and the level of expertise it takes to qualify. Brian Baker, (ranked 70) who turned pro 2 years before Isner and who is the same age won his match against the Czech Republic's Jan Hajek (ranked 92) in straight sets: 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
Continued on the next page
Follow Technorati