2013 U.S. Open Series

                It is that time of year again!  Now is the weeks between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open where there is a lot of televised tennis.  Five weeks to be exact.  Then it is the U.S. Open.  All these weeks make up the U.S. Open Series.  So far there has been one tournament; two if you are watching both the men and the women.  I happen to be watching, and will be talking about, only the men.  Some of the women’s matches I have caught a few moments of here and there, however. 

                Last week the men played in Atlanta.  I was not able to see all the matches, but the ones I did see were good.  Often I was torn because I liked both of the players on the court.  The Isner/Hewitt match was especially difficult because I so wanted them both to win for two very different reasons.  I was really cheering for Lleyton Hewitt.  It is so great to see him doing well again, especially since people have tried to write him off so many times.  As for John Isner, I just like him.  He seems like a nice man and I am always glad to see him do well.  Isner ended up winning, but it did take three sets.  The final was also pushed to three sets.  Isner played Kevin Anderson.  The match consisted of three sets, three tie breaks, and zero breaks of serve.  Who won could have easily gone either way.  I would have been fine with either player winning, but I was happy for Isner when he did win.  He had gotten close a couple times before and now he holds the title.

                This week the action is in Washington, DC.  I am not sure who is all playing in that tournament.  I have seen Juan Martin Del Potro’s name as well as Mardy Fish’s.  Finally I may get to see a Juan Martin Del Potro match.  That does not happen too often.  Isner is also at this tournament.  I think he plays every tournament during the series, including the U.S. Open.  That is a lot of tennis.

                After Washington are the mandatory tournaments in Canada and Cincinnati.  These are where all the big names show up.  I hope more than just the last three days of these tournaments are aired.  That seems to be what is happening with the other tournaments.  At least it is on the cable channels I get.  There are so many people to see and I do not want to miss them!

                Once the Cincinnati tournament is over, most take the week off to rest and prepare for the U.S. Open.  Some go on to compete in Winston-Salem, NC.  To my understanding this is a fairly new tournament.  Or at least new to the city of Winston-Salem.  It has only been there for a couple years, and both years were won by John Isner.  That must be really exciting for him since he grew up nearby.

                Finally it is the U.S. Open. There is so much excitement that surrounds these two weeks. While the Grand Slam is exciting enough, I think the tournaments leading up to it really help. I know it does for me. With the Atlanta tournament already complete, I am anxious to get to the U.S. Open. But I can wait, because I certainly do not want to miss any of the events, or fun, in between.