2010 US Open: Day 5

So I decided to check on the scores and saw that Kim Clijsters was down 0-3 to Petra Kvitova. WHAT? Thankfully just as I started watching, Clijsters started to find her game, and ran off with the last 12 games to win 6-3, 6-0. Geez.

Daniela Hantuchova totally choked against another choker, Elena Dementieva. Surprise! Whatever, I'm over them.

Why has Andy Murray virtually not existed so far?

I'm not a Venus Williams fan by any means, and usually I don't even find her clothing interesting (the French Open fiasco was a complete eyeroll), but I have to admit there is something that just draws me into her night outfit. The sparkles against black cloth are apparently designed after fireworks against a dark sky, and it really works well in this New York atmosphere. The shorts I could do without (and replaced with a skirt or a different pair of shorts, of course -_-), but all in all, pretty cool.

Serena Williams seemed awfully dressed up tonight for someone recovering from surgery to repair damage from major lacerations, although to be fair ESPN didn't really show her feet. Although like many others, I find her post-match demeanor often irritating and arrogant, and her sort of aloof commitment to the game frustrating, I have to say that she came off very well in the press box with John and Patrick McEnroe during the first set of Rafael Nadal vs. Denis Istomin. She was complimentary of various players, both men and women, and kept remarking that she wanted to learn a lot from Nadal's game, especially his footwork. The McEnroes keep discussing Nadal's improved serve as well.

"The girls now are so much bigger and stronger than I am... There are so many girls who are twice my size and height..." -Serena Williams

At least John and Patrick McEnroe had the sense to disagree. Hah.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am a total Nadal fan and would like nothing more than to see him win not only this match but also the entire tournament, but I developed a sort of soft spot for Istomin during his tunnel pre-match interview. He seems kind of sweet and hardworking, and the way the McEnroes were biting into his game plan and style came off as a little unnecessarily harsh. I know he has various weaknesses, including going for too much to make up for his inability/refusal to come to net, but aw.

"I love how everyone calls him 'Uncle Toni.' I bet he walks away from everyone thinking, 'Why does everyone call me "Uncle Toni"? My name is Toni Nadal!'" -Daren Cahill

LOL. Truth.

Also, I'm pretty sure John McEnroe wikied Denis Istomin between the first and second sets. I had read the article on him early in the match, and then less than half an hour later I heard the same facts spewed out of John McEnroe's mouth... Denis Istomin was in the hospital for 3 months after a car accident on the way to a Futures event in Tashkent, and it was his mother who convinced him to come back to the game... Seriously, don't commentators have better sources of information?

The second-set tiebreaker, which is happening as I write this, is crazy. As I said, although I want Nadal to win this, I kind of want Istomin to win this set just to reward him for his efforts (he was up 5-1 in the tiebreak!) and to make things interesting. Except wait, no, the set just ended. Sigh. Poor Istomin.

"Nadal down 5-1 in the breaker, applauds opponent's winner. Then reels off six straight points. That, friends, is a champion.." -jon_wertheim

And so... inevitable. Into Round 3!