US Open: On the shoulders of giants

This match between Andy Murray (6) of England and Jurgen Melzer of Austria was breath-taking. It was exciting because Melzer was close to winning for a very long time and both players seemed awfully fond of trash-talking and screaming. Murray is known for being surly and angry on the court, even going so far as swearing at the ref once (He later apologized). As the game went on, the stands filled with people who were drawn by all of the buzzing. As in any sports, interesting indicates that either player/team has a chance of winning, which then implies that the underdog is playing the game of his life.

This was a very long match indeed, clocking in at over four hours. We were here for the first set, left to watch some Coin/Mauresmo at Louis Armstrong next door, then promptly came back when that turned out to be terribly uninteresting in comparison. We stood on the top level, which gave us an awesome bird's eye view of the match. I could actually see Andy Murray's face when he was serving. It was also unbelievably sunny during the first few sets, and just seeing the ball's shadow bouncing around on the ground was pretty cool. It's amazing how fast the ball goes, which is impossible to tell when we're looking at the game from the players' perspective. I just kept on jerking my head back and forth in amazement.

Here are the two men, delightfully arguing over calls. However, neither used any of their challenges, leading me to believe that they were just stirring up enmity and getting the crowd's attention. Or there aren't challenges in the Grandstand, which is very strange. Andy Murray is especially funny with his distinctive Scottish accent. Once, when he hit the ball a mile wide, he screamed in frustration, "What is that?" He also kept on screaming "What?" over to Melzer as a mild challenge. Not to be left behind, Melzer didn't skimp on his share of trash-talking (I think I heard a 'damn' somewhere in there). In the second and third sets, both players protested over just about every single call. It made for great entertainment. In the beginning, Andy Murray got into it and sulked and muttered and screamed. Melzer lost his calm a bit later (maybe when Murray taunted him one too many times). I don't think they'll be having a drink together any time soon.

In the third set, Melzer cramped up because he played the first two sets much too hard (Murray was certainly surprised that he dropped both sets). Two trainers came onto the court and rubbed cortisone (or what I think is cortisone) on his legs. Poor man. He just wasn't experienced enough to pace himself, although he might have lost by that point if he had played at a lower intensity. Having faced several five-setters himself, Murray looked soft and definitely uncrisp the first few sets. I doubt that it was deliberate. It's more likely that the young up-and-coming Scot underestimated Melzer's ability. From this point on, there wasn't really any question of who was going to win. After each break, Melzer staggered over to the baseline so stiffly that it was obvious he was going to die of pain. For all that, he still played each point to the best of his ability, running cross court if necessary. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do after his legs gave out, although he still put up a damn good fight. Murray looked a lot more energized the second half of the match, playing much better once he adjusted to what he thought would be an easy win.

This shot was just heartbreaking. It was in the middle of the fifth set, when Melzer was in incredible pain and realized that he was going to lose the game. There's no way to describe the feeling. He put so much into his game, playing through leg cramps, running even though he couldn't walk. I can't believe how much discipline he had to just keep on going. Most people, even professional tennis players, would have quit in the fourth set. It must have been so bitter for Melzer because he was so close to winning in the third set. Instead, all of the trash-talking and cramps didn't bring him victory. It's also a testament to human spirit, the wanting to, needing to keep on going even when the body breaks. Although Melzer might be crushed by his loss, I greatly admire him for the way he played and his unwavering determination. To me, that's far more impressive than Andy Murray coming back in the last two sets. Undoubtedly, getting ahead in the world is all about getting results, but sometimes the effort is praiseworthy as well. I hope I get to see Melzer play in a few more tournaments. I'm sure Andy Murray will be around for quite some time. He's a young 20 to Melzer's 27. At least Murray will always be amusing whenever he steps on the court. He's not quite John McEnroe, but not a bad apprentice either.

The last match that we watched was absolutely amazing as well. The great thing about having day tickets is that we can still watch the night matches (and the day matches end so late that they drag into the night as well). The court gives off a very different vibe at 6PM than at 11AM. Everything's still at night, which makes the game really stand out. In general, things happen at night.

Kei Nishikori, an unknown player (ranked 126th) beat the 4th seed David Ferrer in this five-setter (We only stayed for the first three sets). In many ways, this was similar to the Murray/Melzer match except that the young Japanese phenom prevailed. Nishikori took down the first two sets much too easily. Ferrer looked terribly sluggish. By the third set, it was obvious that Nishikori was caving a bit from fatigue and a lot from pressure. When he first stepped onto the court, he was free as a bird. There were absolutely zero expectations. But when he took the first two sets with well-placed shots, a wicked top-spin, and an excellent forehand, people suddenly expected him to accomplish something. It's amazing that Nishikori managed to come back in the fifth set and take the match away from Ferrer. It's the fairy tale of tennis.

I usually don't root for the underdog, but now I see why others do. It's amazing to go against one of the top ranked players in your sport, face your nerves, stretch your body until it's screaming in pain, and hopefully conquer. It's so brutal and primal, and ultimately sublime. The underdog winning is all about achieving the impossible, rising above statistics and against reason to win. It's the men's 4 by 100 free relay in the Olympics, Michael Phelps out-touching Cavic by 0.01 seconds in the 100 fly, the Patriots winning their first super bowl. The underdog triumphing is a testament to human resilience, the sheer power of will and determination. Oh, how I love sports.