Tennis Prose




Apr/12

20

Blake Edges Kudla in Sarasota


Long day with two rain delays at the Sarasota Open. The featured 6:30 evening match between defending champ James Blake and young American Dennis Kudla gets pushed back until 8:30, after the green machine Paulo Lorenzi defeated Jan Hernych 76 63 (Lorenzi was wearing iguana green shorts and shirt).

Kudla jumps out to an early break and is up 3-1. Blake talks to himself a little bit, saying things like “Hit the ball”, “Get behind the ball”, and “Middle of the net” after one of his forehands sails helplessly into the net.

It’s not a packed house but there’s a good crowd here after the long day. I’m sitting in the stands behind the south baseline. To my left in the corner is the French Open junior champ Bjorn Fratangelo who lost in qualies and is struggling to get his pro career off the ground. Speculation is that Fratangelo may go to college for a year. Alexandra Stevenson walked by. She was out watching the two women play, there is a woman’s draw here too with young local players from the Futures level. Some of them have WTA points but are far down the rankings.

Also, sitting in the crowd a few rows behind Fratangelo is Sam Querrey, who is watching his Houston doubles partner and pal Blake. Querrey is eating some kind of sandwich with a friend.

Kudla shows some nice hands and makes some volleys at net that dazzle the crowd. But Blake gets the break back. Late in the first set Kudla is serving and chastises himself for hitting a second serve to the ad court right into Blake’s best shot – the forehand. “Went right at his signature shot,” Kudla smilingly muttered.

But he ends up winning the game and the set with some timely big serves. Querrey exits after the first set. It’s about 9:30

Blake, who changed from a white to blue Fila shirt, looks ready to be taken out as he gets broken to start the second. Kudla, in black Lacoste shorts and a green collared Lacoste shirt, capitalizes with a hold. Kudla has chances to go up 3-0 but Blake holds on. They keep breaking each other. Then Kudla holds in a long game to go up 5-4. It’s mostly quiet as the crowd has a lot of respect for Blake and also the young gun Kudla. The players don’t make much noise or say much, though when Blake gets in his forehand groove he sounds like he’s growling and grunting at the same time. Kudla seems to copy Blake’s grunting when they get into long exchanges.

As the match nears a conclusion there is more desperation in the players and Blake expresses it by yelling “No!” after a miss. Another time he loudly says, “Oh no!” Blake’s appearance is different now, he almost looks like Kimbo Slice with his thick beard. Despite the grizzled look, he’s still a gentleman on the court.

Blake wins the first point in the 5-4 game when suddenly the lights go out. They stay out for a few minutes and I decide to leave. It’s 10:30. (Frantangelo, with his coach and dressed in orange adidas shorts and a black shirt, is still there watching and studying the match, captivated.) I check the Live score later and see Blake won the set 7-5 and it’s 1-1 in the third. I just had a feeling at the end of that second set that Blake was going to pull it out, Kudla just isn’t ready – or ruthless enough – to score prominent scalps like the former ATP #4 James Blake just yet. Eventually, as it seemed would be the outcome, Blake indeed wins it 57 75 75. The match is over and it’s past 11:30.

Blake’s game still looks good but his movement is not as cat-like quick and on stretch balls he misses a few too many. He’s a bit stiff – I don’t think running the NYC Marathon in Nov. is all that great of an idea for Blake (I just got the email yesterday from the NYRR as a matter of fact, that Blake and Amani Toomer are two of the celebrity runners for this year’s event.) On the positive side, Blake connects on many backhand and forehand winners off Kudla serves. He still has the KO power off both wings and snapped plenty of vintage winners that conjured memories of the J-Block rocking Ashe Stadium. But those flashes of brilliance were from a long time ago. Blake is nowhere near that electifying player he used to be.

Blake looked vulnerable when Kudla kept targeting his backhand corner. Kudla impressed in defeat, he is a smallish guy, very composed, he has some major talent and quickness and some surprising pop in his serve. But he will have to get a lot stronger and become more of a phsyical presence if he wants to make the top 50 or 20.

Blake will play Lorenzi for a slot in the semis on Saturday.

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1 comment

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 21, 2012 at 4:33 pm

    Blake was taken out in straights by Lorenzi who has split sets with Odesnik in the first semi, Russell and Querrey play later in the second SF but it’s a rainstorm going on right not at 2:30, heavy rains, not looking good. Play has been suspended.

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