I saw something today at US Open qualies that I’ve never seen in over two decades of attending the tournament. A fan actually altered the outcome of a match.
Here’s what happened. Lanlana Tararudee of Thailand was leading American Ann Li 3-love in the third set after splitting the first two 62 46. Lanala was in control, Li was out of energy and totally flat. Until this male fan with a backwards Yankees cap and Honey Deuce drink in hand arrived at court 7 and stood on the steps viewing the court behind the baseline Li was on. The first messages he gave Li were, “Let’s GO! Now you get low!… Let’s GO… Big Serve, Come on!… First point…”
Clearly the fan gave Li a spark and she started competing again instead of rolling over in frustration. The fan changed the flow of the match with his positive energy, powerful voice tones. Li won the game and was on the board 1-3.
He kept on barking out spirited encouragement and Li kept responding by winning points. He awakened her. “Nice shot!… We got this!… Right here! Lets GO! At 1-3 15-40 Li seized the opportunity. “That’s the break!… Let’s GO!… You got this!!… USA!”
The reason I started jotting down his exact quotes in my notebook was because I somehow could tell immediately where this match was going. I knew I was going to have to write an article about this miraculous, unique story. And I wanted to make sure to remember all of his exact quotes.
2-3. Then 3-3. But Lanlana fought back and raised her game for 4-3. They changed sides again and Li came back over to the fan’s side. Of course she won the game for 4-4 and then 5-4. “Nice!!… Let’s pull it out!… This point right here!… Let’s go, get low!… 15-40, double match point. Li converted it, game set and match Ann Li… with a little help from her unknown no. 1 fan.
By the time I got around my aisle and over to where he was stationed on the steps, he was gone, I looked around in every direction, gone with the wind.
But an hour later I found the man of the moment, he was watching the Pigossi match on court 13. I approached him and said, “You won that match for Li…” He looked at me and said, “We played in a tournament.” Instantly I suddenly remembered him and his name, Brian Da Silva, we played last year and he beat me in a pro set first round of an open tournament 8-6.
Tennis is such a delicate game where one shot, or the words of one fan can change the outcome. I am one hundred percent certain Brian Da Silva won the match today for Anne Li. Without his energy and support and encouragement, she would never have gotten back on track and mounted the comeback that she did to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Poor Lanlana was the better player today and she has a bright future. She has power, heavy pace, heavy spin, mixes up her speeds and heights, big serve, she can do it all except she’s a little shaky at net for volleys. But her two-man coaching team needed to increase their verbal support and energy in the third set, because that is what Lanlana needed most. Live and learn.
Anne Li · Lanlana Tararudee · US Open
