U.S. OPEN NOTES
For Jennifer Capriati and Elena Dementieva, just finishing a set in their U.S. Open fourth-round match yesterday must have been like Ahab chasing that whale: Nature just wouldn’t cooperate.
The match was delayed more than 2 ½ hours at the start, and when it did begin, Capiarti ran the young Russian ragged, winning 4-0 when rains halted play after just 13 minutes. Play resumed after about a 4:20 delay, but they got in just another 36 minutes before having to stop yet again.
Dementieva had regained some composure, but Capriati still led 6-2, 3-2, 30-love on the verge of a yet another break. Dementieva’s serve was so horrible, unable to use her 5-11 frame and put any body weight into it, Capriati had little trouble with it.
Ironically, after over a four-hour delay, when they resumed at roughly 6:20 p.m., both CBS and USA Network were in a 6-7 p.m. window in which no tennis was being televised.
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Day matches between Andre Agassi and Taylor Dent, and Guillermo Coria and Jonas Bjorkman have been postponed until today. All other day session matches not finished last night will be played today . . . No. 4 Andy Roddick faces his personal tonic today, Xaxier Malisse, against whom he is 7-0.
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Second-seeded Roger Federer has a shot to become the first man since Pete Sampras in 1995 to win the U.S. Open and Wimbledon in the same season. But to do it, he’ll have to clear a huge personal hurdle – 13th-seeded Argentine David Nalbandian. Federer is 0-4 against Nalbandian.
“I’ve had my difficulty with him in the past. But it’s not like I have no chance: They’ve always been close matches,” Federer said. “His game tends to get difficult for me. But that’s in the past.”
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Michael Chang will be honored with a special ceremony between matches tonight at Arthur Ashe Stadium. . . . Fans with unused tickets can exchange them at the box office for tickets to day sessions today, tomorrow or Thursday. Fans who can’t do so can mail them in for day-session tickets for next year’s Open. . . . The Open set an all-time attendance record for its first week, drawing 381,891 to break the 2001 mark of 371,131.
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During the rain delay, players found unusual ways to amuse themselves. U.S. under-18 chess champ Dmitry Schneider, a New City, N.Y., resident, played eight players simultaneously without losing once – although Max Mirnyi gave him a spirited match.
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One celeb spotted in the players’ lounge was Matthew Perry. The “Friends” star played junior tennis, and is buddies with Capriati. Perry has hit around on occasion with Capriati, and watched her match sitting with her father.
“I love tennis. I’ve been a tennis fan all my life. Now I get to hang out in the players’ lounge and pretend like I’m a tennis pro,” said Perry. “My heart is with Capriati. Jennifer and I have been friends for a couple of years. The tournament is pretty open. Capriati and [Kim] Clijsters have great chances. I hope that’s what happens.”
