Grounds Pass: The Outer Court guide to the 2012 US Open (Day 3)

by: Jack Han

Those of you who picked Option A yesterday were treated to two epic matches (Almagro over Stepanek in 4, and Petzchner over Mahut in the 5^th set tiebreak).  Let’s see what we have on queue for Day 3:

Mallory Burdette vs Lucie Hradecka (Court 11, 11AM start)

I’ve actually yet to see either of these ladies play in person, however Burdette is a former NCAA champ with plenty of fighting spirit playing in her first US Open singles tournament.  If any young American can come out of nowhere to repeat Melanie Oudin’s fairytale 2009 Open run, she can.

(31) Varvara Lepchenko vs Anastasia Rodionova (Court 17, second day session match)

Lepchenko plays not unlike a WTA equivalent on Rafael Nadal, with a heavy lefty forehand and plenty of strength to grind behind the baseline.  Rodionova plays a lot of doubles, and is therefore not as net-adverse as most of her peers.  In addition, the naturalized Aussie is pretty feisty (given a recent run-in a WTA player friend of mine had with her on a practice court at the Roger’s Cup).  This should be a very competitive match and a good way to get Day 3 started.

(21) Tommy Haas vs Ernests Gulbis (Court 17, third match day session)

Hope you grabbed a good seat earlier, because this is going to be a barnburner.  Haas, despite being ranked 21 at the Open, is actually closer to a top-10 player given his hard court results this summer (independently verified here: http://heavytopspin.com/2012/08/13/tommy-haas-old-and-winning/).  On the flip side, Gulbis can (and will) win or lose against pretty much anyone out there.  Either this will turn out to be a great 4-hour long match, or you will witness some intense moments of self-loathing and racquet smashing.  No matter; just be there.

(19) Philipp Kohlschreiber vs Michael Llodra (Court 13, fourth match day session)

Look for Llodra to bum-rush the net at every opportunity, unless Kohlschreiber manages to push the Frenchman back behind the baseline with a barrage of heavily-spun one-handed backhands.   Both guys play with a ton of variety, and a certain flair that you will need to see in person to fully appreciate.  As an added bonus, watch out for other members of the large French pro tennis contingent (Benneteau, Mauresmo and other players/coaches) in the Court 13 stands.  They like to cheer each other on any chance they get, and that means great photo and autograph opportunities for fans.  Let me know who you end up meeting via Twitter!

*****

About the Author: Jack Han is a business lecturer, entrepreneur, 4.5 level player and occasional tennis writer living in Montreal, Canada.  Check out his personal blog at bcomconfidential.wordpress.com.

Follow him on Twitter at @KSplayersClub or on Instagram @SoireeCulturelle

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