A Review of the 2010 US Open in New York
While it might have seemed like Roger Feeder was about to pull off his usual championship romp at the 2010 U.S. Open, it shows just how much the balance of power has shifted in men’s tennis. It’s truly Rafael Nasal’s world and everyone else just lives in it. Despite the increasingly predictable conquest by the top Spaniard – and another terrific showing by women’s champ Kim Clysters – the Open offered up a lot of surprises and a lot of entertainment. Here are some of the highlights.
Feeder ousted in epic fashion: When Inner and Mahout locked horns up for the battle for the ages at Wimbledon; few thought better tennis could be played. Enter Novak Djokovic, who had the tough assignment of trying to keep Feeder from reaching his seventh straight Open Finals. Guess who was responsible for Djokovic exit the last three Opens? It was Feeder, so Djokovic got the monkey off his back by beating the Swiss powerhouse in what might have been the match of the year. Fans are still replaying some of the intense rallies and dramatic finishes of this match.
The weather plays a major role in the games: Tennis players always have to deal with weather, but the 2010 U.S. Open was something special. Intense heat made several players take repeated breaks and forced one to collapse on the court mid-match. Victoria Azarenka was okay in the end, but it was a scary moment for all involved. Once the heat broke, it became a question of wind and then, by the Open’s end, heavy rain. It might be your typical late August and early September New York weather, but it didn’t make it any easier on the players or the fans.
Clysters takes out Venus, romps in Final: The Belgian destroyer clinched the Open in the minds of many observers when she ousted Venus Williams in the semifinals. Clysters has been there and done that before, making this year her third Open title. While some did not expect Clysters to get by the very tough Williams on her home turf, she made it happen. Once that was in the bag, the match against Zvonareva in the Finals was basically an anticlimax. In less than an hour’s time, Clysters was ready to hoist the trophy and call it a day. Her efficiency was remarkable.
Nodal reminds everyone whose number one: Feeder’s mastery in the early rounds had handicappers looking to the Swiss master for another championship. Then came Djokovic and the Match of the Open. Rafael Nodal didn’t let anything faze him throughout the entire tournament. Shrugging off some minor challenges along the way, Nodal went into the final match ready to pounce. By the time he had the trophy – his first Open title – in hand, he had only lost one set. Not bad for the man who seemed to playing in the shadow of Roger Feeder early on. Perhaps Djokovic had been tired out by the time Nodal got to him. Either way, Nasal’s march though tennis history continued.
