As the somewhat quiet month of February (at least in the tennis world) concluded, one player made an unexpected yet welcomed return to relevance again.
Ryan Harrison, the now 22-year-old American, who not that long along was tipped as the “next big thing” reached the Acapulco ATP 500 semifinals last week. Continue reading
So Ryan Harrison lost a heartbreaker on the Grandstand court of the U.S. Open today after having three match points before losing to Sergey Stakhovsky 6-3, 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8) after just over four hours of play with a few mild rain delays thrown in. Should we be concerned that Harrison choked the match? Not at all. In fact, in his press conference just afterwards, the 18-year-old from Shreveport, LA, showed true poise and expressed confidence that his whole ride from the qualies to the second round of the last Grand Slam of the year was a good experience for him. Throw in that many seasoned tennis journalists from around the world expressed high regards for the maturity and confidence that Harrison expressed in his post-match interview after what could have been a devastating loss, and the consensus is in. Harrison is the real deal. Continue reading
Filed under U.S. Open
Farmers Classic Qualifying at Sycamore Courts.
Far, far away from the drinks bar and air conditioned tents surrounding the stadium court at the UCLA Tennis Center where this year’s Farmers Classic is set to start tomorrow are the Sycamore Courts nestled up in the hills near Sunset Boulevard and Bel Air. But don’t let the location fool you. For it’s here that a more familiar and less glitzy part of professional tennis commenced this weekend that many ATP pros are all too familiar with – the qualifying rounds. Past champions and future hopefuls all play side by side to earn a coveted qualifying spot in the main draw. And what do they get for all their hard work? A few ATP ranking points and probably the unenviable task of playing the top seed in the first round. Continue reading
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Filed under ATP
Adjusting the Net 