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Ryan Harrison and Dustin Brown, the young lions of the U.S. Open
5 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Articles, Scoop
Two new tennis stars emerged on the world tennis stage Wednesday, with different styles, games and backgrounds…Ryan Harrison and Dustin Brown.
Dustin Brown is a 25-year-old Jamaican based in Germany with little financial backing. But he has one of the biggest serves in the sport, not to mention dreadlocks down to almost his belt-line. Brown, who says he doesn’t really mind being free of having to march to the orders of corporate sponsors, plays a different game, one that features massive serves, delicate volleys, and power from the baseline. He’s a fascinatingly uniquely talented player and all of his skills were on display yesterday as Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, the tenacious Spanish veteran, was unable to combat Brown’s mastery.
Brown eliminated Hidalgo in three exciting sets, before an energetic and enthusiastic, flag-waving, Davis Cup-atmospheric crowd that clearly inspired and uplifted Brown in the tight moments at the match’s dramatic conclusion, in which Brown kissed and talked to the first match point ball, and then threw his racquet high into the air after completing the unforgettable win. Brown raised his arms in joyous triumph, like a newly crowned boxing champion.
Brown will now take on glamor boy #4 seed Andy Murray, who is Apollo Creed to his rags to hopefully riches Rocky Balboa. With the Jamaican support likely to grow, Ashe Stadium should be a very interesting arena when Brown and Murray meet. Dustin Brown and his low-budget, travel camper, living the dream, love of the sport mentality vs. the Head, Adidas, LTA, IMG sponsored golden boy Andy Murray.
A couple of hundred yards away from Brown vs. Hidalgo, it was the classic old lion vs. the young lion on display at Court 11, where veteran Ivan Ljubicic had to deal with a fierce, vicious struggle against the ambitious American teenager Ryan Harrison.
Ljubicic had manhandled Harrison in Indian Wells earlier this year on his way to winning the Masters Series title, but in tennis, things can change quickly. Five months after that lesson from Ljubicic, Ryan Harrison showed he’s a quick learner of education on the court. This time, Harrison turned the tables on the former world #3, winner of ten ATP singles titles and over $8 million in prize money.
Harrison was brilliant and masterful, undoubtedly a star on the rise. He played like a mature veteran in so many admirable ways, at all times. While he was destroying Ljubicic in four competitive sets, never once did Harrison show up or disrespect the classy Croatian in any way. He just outplayed him and made all the right shots when he had to.
Ljubicic looked tired, overheated and at the end, hopelessly frustrated. He just could not cope with Harrison, who played like a teenaged Jimmy Connors did against veteran Roy Emerson, some forty years ago in the California tournament which was held just after the Forest Hills U.S. Championships. I remember Connors said he was willing to die to win that match – which he did – and that’s the way Harrison looked yesterday against Ljubicic.
The young lion showed he is going to be a force to be reckoned with on the ATP Tour. And you get the feeling that there will be many more old lions and ATP veterans who are going to meet their demises at the hunger and relentlessness of the young American, the exact way Ljubicic did yesterday.
Next for Harrison will be #36 ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky who just won the New Haven tournament.
Brown and Harrison were two highlights of a grand first week of the 2010 U.S. Open. And for sure, two names and contrasting presences the tennis world will be seeing much more of in the future.
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NAME · September 3, 2010 at 4:07 am
How about a week one nod to Kevin Anderson who beat Bullucci in a very lively match tonight. And he signed an autograph for everyone that wanted one.
And Nishikori with the huge win over Cilic in the brutal mid-day heat. Cilic faded in the 5th and Nishikori got stronger after earlier (mild to my eyes) cramping in the 3rd and 4th sets.
NAME · September 3, 2010 at 6:06 am
Oh, I should have mentioned Berenkis lost a very close, tough, important match. And he stayed and signed autographs. Which is rare. It shouldn’t be but it is. So he has one new fan.
zoozoo · September 3, 2010 at 9:24 am
OMG, what’s overheated is your prose! “fierce, vicious struggle”?? “brilliant and masterful”?? He beat a 30 year old journeyman tennis player who has always struggled in the heat.
Dan Markowitz · September 3, 2010 at 10:26 am
There have been some incredible surprises and I’d have to put Gasquet right up there or above the one’s mentioned. Davydenko didn’t have any praise for the Frenchman after the match, saying that he was playing so badly he couldn’t judge how well Gasquet played (typical no-praise for the winner lament of the loser–it happens all the time in tennis starting with Serena and going right over to Federer.
But, Gasquet played the New Haven qualis last year and this year’s he’s into the third round and watch out, he may go far. His forehand looks revived, his backhand is the best one-hander in the game, and his serve, except at the end when he double-faulted on his first two match points (but then served an unreturnable first ball to win the match), was top-notch. Gasquet is a sleeper in my mind.
And, of course, there’s Clement, Fish’s next opponent. The 31-year-old Frenchman joins his compatriot, Mathieu in the third round. The latter has dropped to a No. 108-ranking, believe it or not, but they have notched a couple of big heads in this event, Baghdatis and Hewitt.
Scoop Malinowski · September 4, 2010 at 2:25 am
Llodra is looking strong too. France vs. ARG in Davis Cup SF is going to be a classic. Gasquet really looked superb yesteday, that had to be one of his career best performances.