He was my favorite player for years, and now he's finally won a match. Yes, he recently won a title on the challenger circuit, facing tougher opponents (I'm sure) than Julian Knowle. However, he has a seven-match losing streak on the ATP, and it's gotta feel good to get one back, in no-doubt-about-it fashion, 6-1, 6-2. Next up for Chang is James Blake, quickly becoming one of my new favorite players. The winner will face (hopefully) Any Roddick, who needs to get by a second-rate but dangerous Spaniard, Alex Calatrava.

This tournament is fast becoming obsolete ... men just don't DO clay in the US anymore ... but it's got the top seven American men and nine of the top 10. Last year Roddick won it, but the talent level has improved immensely this year. Hopefully they'll find a way to keep it this strong in the future.

The US Clay Court Championships is scheduled to be televised this Saturday and Sunday on the Outdoor Life Network, 2:30 Central both days.

[quote]Originally posted by bridgeportjake:
... but it's got the top seven American men and nine of the top 10.

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This tournament has only Haas, Agassi, then the number 3 seed is Roddick, who's not in the top 10, BPJ
I'm following the Godó tournament in Barcelona, which has a classier clay court contingent, with all the Spaniards and what they (the Spaniards) call the "Argentine Armada".
Robredo, Arazi, Portas, Costa, Clément, Enquist, Kratochvil and "time to retire" Kafelnikov are already eliminated. A strong field.
<edited to add that I always liked Chang too>

[ April 24, 2002: Message edited by: Tom ]

Clement's struggling this year, and Jan Michael's clay court record continues in Houston. Thanks for the info on the tv schedule.

Dude, sorry if I wasn't clear. I meant 9 of the top 10 Americans were at this tournament. Not bad for such a small draw (32 players), few points, and low purse.

[quote]This tournament has only Haas, Agassi, then the number 3 seed is Roddick, who's not in the top 10, BPJ

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Andre Agassi beat Russia's Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to win his clay-court debutat US Men's CCC in Houston...Oh yeah, GO ANDRE!

OK, so Andy is not in the Top 10 right now. He's 14. For shame! He should go hide his head... Whatever! Don't hate!

Andy's trying to defend his title, yes? Go Andy. It'd be nice if he joined Agassi this year in doing well at the French Open. Unfortunately, I hold little hope that Sampras will do much on the red clay even with his new coach. But Andy and Andre can go far into the second week...I hope..

[quote]Originally posted by bridgeportjake:

This tournament is fast becoming obsolete ...

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au contraire, mon ami. i think the goal is to get the americans to do their french open tuneup here instead of enduring the rigors of european travel. it appears to be working. some big appearance money has helped achieve that this year, of course.

i'll be out watching on friday and saturday nights. really hoping to catch an agassi-sampras semi, just so i could tell the grandkids i saw them play. (if i had grandkids)

I think it's a mistake to rely on the American clay court season as a warm-up for the French. You have to get used to the style played by the Europeans & South Americans as well as the surface itself. I doubt that playing a bunch of other hardcourt players on clay is good preparation for facing the true dirtballers.

While I agree with faydman that it is great that Americans can practice on clay without leaving home, I also agree with JC that it is not the best practice. The real test right now is in Barcelona. This reminds me of a notorious little league world series where Taiwanese teams were not allowed. We can crown a domestic champ, but it means little. There's no harm intended here, of course, it is a fun tournament, and I'm curious about the results. But Haas is the only non-American with any chance of winning.

[quote]Originally posted by JC:
I think it's a mistake to rely on the American clay court season as a warm-up for the French. You have to get used to the style played by the Europeans & South Americans as well as the surface itself. I doubt that playing a bunch of other hardcourt players on clay is good preparation for facing the true dirtballers.[/QB]

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Another big difference is that American red clay is different from the European stuff. Of course, courts vary a lot, but in general, American terre battue plays a bit quicker than its European counterpart.

Yeah, JC, I fully agree...while getting off the hard courts and onto some kind of clay is a start, it's not a full warmup for European red clay and all those european and south american players who play such smart clay court tennis...I hope Sampras and the other Americans are upping their endurance (and patience) workouts, that'll help in itself...

[quote]Originally posted by BoSoxRudy:


Another big difference is that American red clay is different from the European stuff. Of course, courts vary a lot, but in general, American terre battue plays a bit quicker than its European counterpart.

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well, at this tournament, they trumpet the fact that the red clay was specifically flown in from paris and is an exact match to the clay at roland garros.

There's still the German & Italian Opens to go before you get to RG. My feeling is better to get as many matches as possible in on the stuff, rather than go out in the first round of Barcelona.

The problem is that Monte Carlo (like all Masters Series events) is "required" of all players in the Top 50. I'm not exactly sure what "required" means - after all, both Sampras and Agassi missed MC. But it's a hassle to get all the way from the US to Europe and then back again, playing tennis the entire time. It's a shame that such a choice needs to be made - clay court tennis in the US has a long & important history, and is going strong on the women's tour.

Anyway, Haas is GONE! Wayne Arthurs? Wasn't he the one who got humiliated on clay in Argentina (Davis Cup)? Looks like the door is even more open for Roddick (or perhaps Blake) but Coria will be tough too. Go Andy and/or James!

[quote]Originally posted by faydman:
well, at this tournament, they trumpet the fact that the red clay was specifically flown in from paris and is an exact match to the clay at roland garros.

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Wow!!! My bad; didn't know. That's impressive. It must have cost a fortune!

Note to ATPers: whatever you do, DON'T win the small tournament preceding the French Open this year. You're probably better off not winning the German Open, too. It's become positively impossible to win consecutive tournaments. Ferrero is OUT of the Barcelona tourney, knocked out in straight sets by compatriot Alberto Martin.

Monte Carlo finalist Carlos Moya was kicked out by Gaston Gaudio.

So who's the favorite now? It's probably Corretja (taken to three sets by Lapentti) or Costa. They'll play next, and the winner should have an advantage over Canas or Pioline. In the top half, it's Hewitt v. El Aynaoui and Martin v. Gaudio. Lleyton is back to showing that he's a threat on any surface, but my heart is to go with the Moroccan. And Martin should win, unless he has a letdown after the huge win over Ferrero.

This is definitely a tournament for clay-court junkies.

Go Younes!

Doesn't this always happen leading up to the French Open? All that clay court tennis is exhausting and it's really tough to come back two days later in a new tournament...Oh, that JC is such a doll

Why, thank you, Bryan. I had no idea you cared...

Good to see Todd Martin in the quarterfinals at Houston. He's enjoyed a good, solid career.

In Barcelona, there are three Spaniards and two Argentines in the quarterfinals. I'd like to see Corretja win, or Pioline (both on the same side of the draw). Pioline, like Martin, has had a good, solid career.

Each time I see "Chang, Chang, Chang" in "Today's Active Topics" I think "Chang, Chang, Chang, went the trolley! Ding, Ding, Ding, went the bell..." Am I gay or what?

(and a shout out to the lovely and talented Miss Judy Garland)

[quote]Originally posted by Michael-M'sFan:
Each time I see "Chang, Chang, Chang" in "Today's Active Topics" I think "Chang, Chang, Chang, went the trolley! Ding, Ding, Ding, went the bell..." Am I gay or what?

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Thank GOD I wasn't the only one. And yes, you most certainly are.

I actually was trying to evoke Aretha Franklin's Chain of Fools. Is that still gay enough?

I have to admit that Clang, Clang, Clang was my first association, too, though actually I would prefer to listen to Chain of Fools.

Michael Chang forever!

Not sure how long Michael can keep going, but whenever he decides to 'pack it in' - I'd love to be there to help!

What a body. Love those legs!

Thanks for the memories, Mikey!

thegoal.com

Was it 1986? When ol' Mikey stole Roland Garros from Lendl? Wow. To play for so many more years on the tour and never win another big one. I saw him in person later that summer as the #1 seed @ Stratton Mountain in Vermont absolutely pummel an unranked player by the name of Sampras. Hearing about him still playing is almost painful. I mean, look at Jim Courier, younger than Mikey and he quit several years ago. For me, like many others I assume, all the "I love god" stuff was kind of hard to get past. Everytime he won anything he thanks "the lord". Geez.

It was 1989. I remember it well. For me, it was one of the worst French Opens ever because two players I really couldn't stand beat two of my all time favorites in the singles finals: Chang (blech) over Stefan Edberg, denying Edberg a career grand slam; and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (blech again) beat Steffi Graf, denying her a 2nd consecutive grand slam.

Wertheim has an interesting take on Chang's and ASV's persistence. While he too wonders why ASV and Chang continue to play, he reminds us that since you only make $$$ if you win in tennis, it's not like they're denying anyone else a livelihood or opportunity -- quite a contrast to other sports where aging superstars get megabucks contracts long past their prime <cough, Cal Ripken, cough>. If I had to guess, I'd say that every once in a while, Chang & ASV still put together a match that harkens back to their glory days, and maybe that plus the sheer joy of playing a game they love keep them going.

It was interesting that in the early days, Chang always cleaned Sampras's clock, even well after Pete's big breakthrough at the 1990 U.S. Open. The turnaround in the rivalry was their QF match at the 1993 U.S. Open, where they split the first two sets, both in tiebreaks, before Sampras played out of his mind in the final two sets (6-1, 6-1). I remember watching that match with my jaw hanging open because I just couldn't believe what I was seeing from Sampras. No less than Ion Tiriac claimed that those magical two sets were the best tennis he had seen anyone play, ever.

Sampras readily admits that the 1990 U.S. Open were two incredible weeks where he got white-hot and the breaks went his way. He didn't feel like he really "earned" a slam until his 1993 Wimbledon victory. I don't think Chang quite so readily admits that the same thing happened to him in at the '89 French.

Never been a fan of Michael "Harold Solomon" Chang. Okay, he's faster than Solomon ever was but it's hard to be a mosquito in a world of killer bees. Not to mention his "born again" opinions have been not too kind to gay folk.

I agree with the Wertheim column's view, but I must point out that there is a difference between Chang, who has practically disappeared from contention, and ASV, who is still world number 17 or so. She just demolished Pisnik at the German open, and she took a set from Venus last week. Her game isn't exciting, and has seldom been, but she's still a force to be reckoned with.

I would agree; while Chang has barely registered the last few years, ASV continues to play like an ex-Champion, giving top players a hard time here and there, thrashing lesser players here and there, and often just crashing out early. It's tough to keep your motivation going after playing for so many years, not to mention the wear and tear on the body, longer recovery time, etc. I respect ASV quite a bit for her persistance and consistency. I'll never forgive her for beating Monica at the French in 98, but that's my problem...
She's also just a terrific doubles player.

Michael lost Thursday (May 9th) in the second round of a (minor) Challenger event in Birmingham, Alabama.

Even with his positive thinking, not sure how much longer he can keep it up.

Here's a pix from happier times. Michael (and brother) at the French Open four years ago:


geocities.com

Wow, Chang's even starting to lose in the early rounds of Challenger events??? It really sounds like it's time to hang it up. At least when Agassi's game descended into the dark scary depths, he won the Challenger event he entered.