Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic advance at US OpenRead
The opening match at Louis Armstrong Stadium Saturday did two very different things for the players involved. For Novak Djokovic, the No. 4 seed, it kept alive his quest for his first U.S. Open title. For Jesse Witten, ranked 276th, just being there rekindled his desire - not to mention his ability - to continue playing the sport.
"It makes me want to keep playing," Witten said, but even more importantly, "it gives me some money to keep playing. Now I can afford it for the rest of the year, at least."
This was a match between two players who work in the same business but whose professional lives bear virtually no resemblance - although as Djokovic admitted, their skill levels were barely distinguishable Saturday the end, thanks largely to a couple of faulty service games from Witten at the most pivotal times, Djokovic survived in four sets that took nearly 3-1/2 ours, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-4.
"It makes me want to keep playing," Witten said, but even more importantly, "it gives me some money to keep playing. Now I can afford it for the rest of the year, at least."
This was a match between two players who work in the same business but whose professional lives bear virtually no resemblance - although as Djokovic admitted, their skill levels were barely distinguishable Saturday the end, thanks largely to a couple of faulty service games from Witten at the most pivotal times, Djokovic survived in four sets that took nearly 3-1/2 ours, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-4.
So it's on to the round of 16 for Djokovic, where he'll face 15th-seeded Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic. For Witten, it's on to Tulsa, where he'll recede back onto the challenger circuit and leave behind the packed house that was chanting his name throughout the morning. The U.S. Open ride is over for him and all the college buddies from Kentucky who had been crashing on his hotel room floor this week.
And what will he miss most about the U.S. Open?
"They do the laundry every day," Witten said. "It's really nice."
Witten, 26, won five qualifying matches in five days just to earn a spot in the main draw; the day before qualifying began, Nike cut him from its sponsorship rolls. In his postmatch press conference Saturday someone asked whose logo Witten was now wearing. "This? This is just a white T-shirt," he said. "I bought this, I think it was like 10 bucks. It's comfortable."
ROGER THAT: Five-time defending champ Roger Federer made a mess of the first set but cleaned up from there against Lleyton Hewitt, winning 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 in the day's first match at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Hitting shots off his racket frame and spraying them everywhere, Federer, serving with a 4-2, 40-love lead, turned it into a lost first set with a whopping total of 23 unforced errors. But he smoothed it out to beat Hewitt for the 14th straight time and up his Open win streak to 37 matches.
And what will he miss most about the U.S. Open?
"They do the laundry every day," Witten said. "It's really nice."
Witten, 26, won five qualifying matches in five days just to earn a spot in the main draw; the day before qualifying began, Nike cut him from its sponsorship rolls. In his postmatch press conference Saturday someone asked whose logo Witten was now wearing. "This? This is just a white T-shirt," he said. "I bought this, I think it was like 10 bucks. It's comfortable."
ROGER THAT: Five-time defending champ Roger Federer made a mess of the first set but cleaned up from there against Lleyton Hewitt, winning 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 in the day's first match at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Hitting shots off his racket frame and spraying them everywhere, Federer, serving with a 4-2, 40-love lead, turned it into a lost first set with a whopping total of 23 unforced errors. But he smoothed it out to beat Hewitt for the 14th straight time and up his Open win streak to 37 matches.
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