U.S. Open Match to Watch: Day 10

Rain on Tuesday means all the Tuesday matches are moved to Wednesday, so a full day of action plus even more.

It will be worth staying up late to watch Roger Federer and Jo-Wilifried Tsonga play the second match of the night session.

Federer holds a 4-3 career mark over the French player, but Tsonga has won the last two encounters, including Wimbledon and Canada this summer. 

Both matches went the distance and I expect this one to do the same.  Tsonga appears to be playing with a bunch of confidence and that should allow him to eek out a 5-set win.

Roger Federer Goes Between the Legs Again Today in Qatar

He's done it again, and he makes it look so easy.

Roger Federer had a sluggish first set playing today in Qatar, but the No. 2-ranked Swiss hit his stride in the second. Leading 5-2  over Dutch player Thomas Schoorel and faced with a ball that changed direction after clipping the top of the net, Federer flicked it through his legs for a clean winner into the corner.

“It’s one of the best shots again of my career, one I’m going to look back on and smile, of course,” Federer said. “It was quite fantastic.”

The 21-year-old Schoorel, playing only his second ATP-level match, managed a smile as the crowd applauded. Schoorel went on to hold his serve, but Federer sealed the win in the next game.

Federer successfully pulled off the shot—also known as a “tweener”—at the previous two U.S. Opens, at last year’s Shanghai Masters and at the 2007 Dubai Open.

What's Next...Multiplying Loaves and Fishes?

The two best tennis players in the world can really do it all.  Is it not enough that Rafael Nadal can wear opponent after opponent down from the baseline on just about any surface?  Or how about Roger Federer hitting "tweeners" for winners all over the court.

Now we see they can walk on water.  Actually they are playing on some plexiglass island in Doha, Qatar to promote the start of the 2011 ATP season.

Federer Goes "Between the Legs"...Again

Roger Federer did it again.  Another between the legs shot for a winner.

This time against John Isner in the second round in Shanghai.  Isner had to know it was coming back, but the expression on his face said he was surprised and amazed at the same time.

The players now are on tot Fed.  They have to be ready for this shot to come back.  The thing is, fed is not only trying to get the ball back in play, he sees himself hitting a winner with it.

Federer and Djokovic Serve Up a Classic

Almost 4 hours of high quality tennis on a perfect day in New York.  What more could we ask for? Well, we're not going to get the #1 vs. #2 final we all wanted, but we got a great semi today. Everybody who thought Novak Djokovic would win 7-5 in the 5th set raise your hand.

There we big serves, there were break points and drop shots.  Just about anything you could imagine in a tennis match happend on Ashe Stadium Court today.  A standing room only crowd and a television audience that turned away from a bunch of blow out football games today got quite a treat.

Nadal vs. Djokovic will be hard pressed to have a final this close tomorrow.