In his match against Ljubicic, Harrison displayed wisdom and control. He kept his opponent away from the net at just the right points, and he never let up on his serve or attack.

Ryan’s Facebook update now reads: “What a match today. Biggest win of my career by far and so pumped to do it at the US Open. Got doubles and mixed doubles tomorrow so back at the hotel resting and then a little sushi later for dinner.”

It was definitely the match of the day, just like I had predicted. The crowd was a little stunned to see this “kid” win the first set. By the time the fourth set began, the crowd had doubled in size and Court 11 was the place to be. He may have entered the Open as a 220th-ranked qualifier, but I am still of the opinion that Ryan Harrison is the future of American tennis.

On Thursday, Ryan has a mixed doubles match with partner Melanie Oudin, and a men’s doubles match with partner Robert Kendrick. Here’s hoping he has a couple of relaxed wins with both of those as he focuses on Round Two.

If he is playing in the US Open to win, this is the way to do it. He was always a guy that played hard and, well… frankly, and played hard. No one knew how to have fun off the court as much as Mardy. But now he’s having as much fun on the court, and it’s great to see. As Jimmy Connors put it, “Better late than never.”

Fish, currently ranked number 21, is definitely on a path to a better ranking. He has always worked hard, but now he is working just as hard without getting tired.

His game is fairly comprehensive; classic serve-and-volley, baseline big hitters, and a big serve. He puts plenty of spin on the ball, and he plays best when he is in a tense, defensive game.

When the temperature stayed above 95 degrees, his opponent, Jan Hajek (of the Czech Republic) called for a trainer midway through the fifth set. But Mardy Fish was more alive than ever. After falling behind two sets to one, he turned up the volume and closed the match, 6-0, 3-6, 4-6, 6-0, 6-1.

His years of experience paid of mentally and his commitment to fitness paid off physically. But let’s not entirely credit his new success on the court with his new fitness. It is also the result of a guy who loves the game just sticking to it, through thick or thin. Mardy Fish has always been a player who had a good time on the court, and that is still true today. Winning may not be everything, but winning had given Mardy Fish a confidence that makes him today’s Parcbench US Open Player of the Day.

Last year she was a virtual unknown, just a teenager with a dream and a lot of talent and self-discipline. You might remember her as the girl with the all-important word “Believe” written on her sneakers. This year she starts the tournament as the spunky darling of American tennis.

As any top-seeded tennis player will tell you – along with that rise in notoriety come expectations; from yourself, from your coaches, and from the fans who show up just to watch you play. Melanie Oudin has fought her way to a number 44 ranking. She is currently the highest-ranked American woman behind the Williams sisters, and is also the youngest female player in the top 75. She may not have beaten any of the top-20 players yet this year, but she is more than ready to. And as she proved at the first round match on Monday, this may just be her time to rise in the rankings.

In Monday’s match against Olga Savchuk, Oudin took a few minutes to shake off the first-round nerves. Once she did, there was no stopping her. In the second set, after breaking Savchuk’s serve for a second time, Oudin completely took charge. She easily won the first four games without surrendering a point and finished the match with a two-handed backhand winner down the line. The entire match took a mere 56 minutes, resulting in a final score of 6-3, 6-0.

If you look closely, you will see that instead of “Believe,” this year the 18-year-old Oudin’s sneakers have “Courage” written on them. The message may have changed slightly in a year, but Melanie is still the same hard-working player she always was.

I am looking forward to her mixed doubles matches this year, where she is partnered with the equally impressive and promising Ryan Harrison. Talk about the future of American tennis…

If “Believe” and “Courage” help her maintain her confident and positive outlook on the court, I am sure that sooner or later we will be reading the word “Champion” on her sneakers.

Shino Tsurubuchi called a foot fault against Serena Williams at last year’s U.S. Open semifinal against Kim Clijsters. That was a year ago. Tsurubuchi’s call handed the match over to Clijsters, as Serena’s foot fault resulted in a double fault, with match point ensuing. Let’s not forget that Serena, who went into a profanity-ridden tirade against Tsurubuchi, had alreay been given a code violation earlier in the match. So her tirade resulted in a penalty point to Clijsters given by the chair umpire after Serena approached the lines judge in a totally out-of-line threatening manner.

Well, as of today, Shino is back where she belongs – officiating at this year’s U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows. With the lights, the music, and the fans, it is her favorite tournament to work.

Tournament organizers noted to The Associated Press on Saturday that the lines judge, “is a world class official and we are confident in her abilities… Consistent with U.S. Open officiating assignments, Ms. Tsurubuchi will officiate in both men’s and women’s matches, and will rotate through the various on-court officiating positions.”

So if you want to get a glimpse of one of the true professionals out there on the court, you’ll have to check out the action all around. You never know where you’ll find her. This means that she will spend at least some time in the same position as last year — along the baseline – where she called the foot fault against Serena.

Shino never likes making that foot fault call. She has said that she sits there thinking, “Please don’t cross that line because if you do, then I have to call it, and I don’t want to.”

Serena was immediately fined $10,000 by the USTA for unsportsmanlike conduct. Later that year, Serena was fined another $82,500 for the incident — a tennis record – but hardly a dent in the over $32 million she had made to date playing the game.

Most importantly, Serena was also warned she would be suspended from the U.S. Open if she had another tirade at any Grand Slam tournament in 2010 or 2011.

But we won’t have to worry about seeing Serena squirm from having to be on her best behavior this year at the Open. She withdrew last week.

But Shino – like New York City, she’s still there.

As for the journeyman player bringing hope, many are impressed with Mardy Fish’s recent return to form. Having lost some weight, he is in the best shape of his career so far. Another AMerican who definitely has it in him to pull off a win this year is John Isner. Don’t be surprised if this marathon man stays in for the long haul.

Serena Williams may have pulled out of the US Open due to injury (and, no doubt, so that she doesn’t have to deal with returning to the site of the catastrophic performance she gave while threatening a ball-person last year), but Irina Falconi will be representing the USA. That’s right – Irina Falconi. She’s the only American woman out of 15 who entered the qualifiers to grab one of the eight final berths into the US Open.

There was also some great (and expected) news on the American men’s tennis front. 18-year-old Ryan Harrison will be playing in his first US Open! I’ve written about Ryan Harrison before (click here), and I still feel I’ll be writing about his accomplishments for decades to come.

Ryan Harrison, 18, is the youngest American in the top 250 and reached his first ATP world tour quarter-final last month. I was at his qualifying matches this week, not just so I can say “I was there” someday, but because Ryan has an astonishing way of staying focused and treating the game with just enough respect. Even battling serious cramps in one match, Ryan was incredibly light on his feet, and his serve just keeps getting better and better.
By the time he won his final qualifying match, the crowds were chanting “USA! USA! USA!” When’s the last time any of us heard that at the US Open. Although he doesn’t want to admit it yet, Ryan can’t be surprised when tennis fans tell him he is the next great hope for American tennis. I heard quite a few fans telling him that on his way off the court. Of course, they could just as easily have been saying that to Ryan’s younger brother, Chris, who is definitely going to follow in his brother’s footsteps in a couple of years.

Here are a few photos taken at Ryan’s final qualifying match on Friday. You will get used to seeing much more of him soon. Trust me.

Hey, Generation Y! We’re officially the most undirected age bracket in human history. Congrats! We are a proud legion of kids that have no clue who we are, what we want or when we should get it.

Except me.  I’m an exception to the rule. But let’s get to that later…

Jessie Rosen, author of the LemonDrop article with the darling self-explanatory headline, Dear NY Times, Here’s Why I Haven’t ‘Grown Up.’ Love, a 20-Something, goes on to convey her own struggle with self-discovery and the decision to take a chance on her writing career before it’s too late.

However, all the focus on trying to have the ‘right career,’ or be in the ‘right place’ before some mystical age when we’re supposed to have our lives together, whatever that even means, is more likely to keep us scrambling rather than making the most of a situation.

It’s lent to an acceptance of the non-committal, the trial period. It has been the worst betrayal of our elders to placate our generation with promises of time and infinite do-overs. Your job is a dull dead-end…so what? Suck it up, pansy. Quit complaining and take the opportunity to learn something about yourself, even if it’s simply how much torture you can take. Eventually, change happens, life is anything but static.

The churning, and “black box” feelings I’ve felt, are ultimately natural. But what separates me from the Rosen’s of the world is that I’ve stopped making plans. More often than not, any plans I’ve mapped out for myself never came to fruition as I’d thought.

Alternatively, I now take opportunities. I refuse to believe that my job will be the sole determinant for my happiness. With that in mind, I make the time to cram every activity, class, event and social gathering into my schedule with the sole mindset of, ‘hey, you never know.’ Ultimately, diversifying my activities has given me a greater, clearer idea of myself and what I want from life as a whole, beyond the confines of career satisfaction.

And I didn’t have to move back in with my parents.

Did I mention I’m 2 years younger than my LemonDrop counterpart?

Why should anyone move back with family and store up cash before launching a kamikaze mission to become a successful writer? Rosen has put her eggs in one basket and designated it as her last chance to try something wild before resigning herself to the title of “grown up.”  It is a fairly fatalistic mindset.

I may not be certain of where my career will be even 6 months from now, but honestly, I don’t worry about it. It’s not the only thing in my life. In the words of Fight Club, you are not your job. Jobs come and go but your real fulfillment should come from the pride you take in a job well done, even if the company is going bankrupt or your boss is a tool.

Every 30-something I speak with says they wish they’d done it my way, the traditional way. It’s easy look at someone else’s life by age 50 and say, ‘Now’s the time’ or ‘I wish I’d been that brave.’ However, they know you could fail miserably and they’d rather it be you that deals with the fallout.

The Men:
Top seed Rafael Nadal (ESP) will have a fairly smooth path to the semifinals. This is supposed to be his year to win his first US Open. If all goes predictably (which I don’t really think will happen this year), Nadal would meet No. 4 Andy Murray (GBR) in the semifinals. Keep in mind that Nadal is 8-4 overall against the tenacious Murray, but he has lost four out of their last five matches on hardcourts. Along the way, he could face Fernando Verdasco (ESP) or David Nabaldian (ARG) in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Andy Murray might have to beat USA’s Sam Querrey in the fourth round. That one is not a done deal.



The other side of the draw poses a potential quarterfinal between five-time US Open champion Roger Federer (SUI) and No. 5 Robin Soderling (SWE). This is a possible threat to Federer’s reaching the semis. Once there, either No. 9 Andy Roddick (USA) or No. 3 Novak Djokovic (SRB) await him. 



The Women:
Even with Serena Williams (USA) having dropped out of the tournament, top seeded Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) will have a few challenges in her path to advance in the draw.

 

The top section of the women’s draw has Wozniacki, who lost to Kim Clijsters (BEL) in the final last year, facing 2006 champion Maria Sharapova (RUS) (remember her?) in the fourth round. A quarterfinal match against 2004 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) for either of them. 

The winner of this section then would likely face No. 4 Jelena Jankovic (SRB).



On the bottom half of the of the women’s draw, two-time US Open champion Venus Williams (USA) doesn’t face much of a challenge. It is possible that No. 10 Victoria Azarenka (BLR) (if she focuses on something besides her grunting) could upset her in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Venus Williams will likely face defending champion Kim Clijsters. The winner (Clijsters for my money) will probably meet Sharapova or Wozniacki in the final.

But any predictions that are made at the time of a draw announce are merely guesses based on past performance. This year’s US Open hasn’t begun and anything is possible. One of the most exciting paths to victory might just be John Isner’s (USA). He would have to take out up-and-coming USA tennis superstar Jack Sock in the second round (which does not make me happy), but this might just be Isner’s year to take out everyone in his path. Once he gets on a roll in front of the hometown crowd, John Isner could easily beat (in this order): Youzhny (RUS), Berdych (CZE), Murray (GBR), Nadal (ESP), and finally Federer (SUI). Think it can’t happen? Just watch.

The evidence is plentiful and the whole thing is sad. The way Roger has handled himself is sad. The way McNamee sold out his friend is also sad. Nobody likes a rat. McNamee made his own bed and should have dealt with that. Alas he has a family and was pressured by the government, and rightfully so, and he has no choice but to squeal.

Clemens has made a bigger deal about this then he should have.  He should have came out and took the Andy Pettitte approach. Pettitte’s approach is the blueprint on how to handle this sort of thing. Roger didn’t take that route. Instead he took the I didn’t do it no matter what route. That works in life if you know, you didn’t do it. Everyone believes that Roger cheated. Since that is the case he should have cut his loses. He could have spent the last two years rebuilding his image. Instead, he is saddled as a cheater and a liar. That’s a double whammy.

Here is to Roger Clemens. You turned a mistake into a criminal case where you will probably do jail time. Not a very good idea in retrospect. I loved him as a player and when he was with my Yankees and I wish him the best but Rocket, you cheated

Marlon Wayans couldn’t use his head when it came to keeping himself safe online: the former “In Living Color” star lost control of one of his social networking accounts, last Friday, to an unidentified cracker in the market for personal information. Los Angeles police have opened up an investigation into the matter, hoping to give the guilty party a spot on his very own show for the Prison Cable Network, but they don’t believe that Wayans has been hurt by the attack as of yet.

Psst . . . Marlon, buddy . . . never use “password” as a password – what were you thinking?

Via the NY Post:

Newark bankruptcy court testimony on 8/16 revealed something interesting about New Jersey “Real Housewife” Teresa Giudice: when spiraling down the debt hole, she tried to spend her way out of the blues – with a sixty thousand dollar shopping spree, three quarters of which was spent on home furnishings, at high end design stores. With dues to creditors that almost touch the $11M mark, what is she thinking? Is it law that all celebrities must act as though they don’t have to live within their means?

Sure, no one can tell Teresa – or her husband Joe, for that matter – how to spend their money, but don’t you think she’d be the least bit concerned about when she was spending it, if she didn’t want her creditors filing separate lawsuits?