Defying the odds: upsets and comebacks

I am taking a quick break from watching - as well as taping - the Rafael Nadal and Gael Monfil match. As expected the match is filled with brilliant shot making and incredible displays of athletic ability on both ends. I have followed Gael Monfil ever since he was a junior, when he won grand slams on three different surfaces – grass at the All England club, the red dirt of Roland Garros, and the Australian Open hardcourts. But like many before him the transition to the pro circuit has not been as seamless as one would expect. And the fluctuations in the match is an indication why: Gael Monfil is able wow the audience with his wide array of skill and natural talent, but has not yet – although he still has time - been able to kick it up a notch during crunch time, something Rafael Nadal, winner of six major titles so far in his relatively young tennis career, is obviously more than capable of doing. Will this US Open be the moment when Gael Monfil is finally able to live up to his true potential?

First on the women’s side but now increasingly on the men’s, additionally, we are seeing the futility of a great number of seeded players in the face of the depth of the field and consequent fierceness of the competition. Andy Murray, one of only a small number of players on tour with a good record against Roger Federer, and a player I thought had a better than average shot of winning the title this year, succumbed to Marin Cilic, a player Andy Murray has actually beaten in the past, although not decisively. Also, after a long fought match, Andy Roddick went down to John Isner, who then had no answers for the shot making variety and athletic versatility of Fernando Verdasco (a player Andy Roddick, nonetheless, stood a good chance of beating). And Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: a player with an abundance of skill and talent and energy, apparently overpowered (I did not get to see this match) by lower seeded Fernando Gonzalez, who has long been a dangerous prospect for any opponent and is showing no signs of slowing down. The difficulty in predicting who would win any given match has certainly added to the suspense and excitement of the tournament this year. Below are a few photographs of today’s action at Flushing Meadows, courtesy of the Times.



Kim Clijsters greeted opponent, 18th-seeded Li Na of China, after storming into the semifinals with a 6-2, 6-4 victory.

Photo: Andrew Gombert/European Pressphoto Agency



Spraying ground strokes and misreading returns, Murray bore little resemblance to the steady, self-assured counterpuncher who has thrived on North American hardcourts this year and displaced Rafael Nadal as the world's No. 2 player.

Photo: Josh Haner/The New York Times



Cilic fought off two set points at 4-5 in the opening set, then rolled to a strangely straightforward 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 victory in 2 hours 8 minutes.

Photo: Josh Haner/The New York Times

Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company