Remembering - 2000 US Open

2000 US Open

My first experience of a Grand Slam tournament outside of Melbourne occurred in the Sydney Olympic year of 2000, so indeed it was a significant sporting year for an Australian.

I planned a month trip to the United States, my first time in North America, and the initial two weeks would be based in Manhattan. The tennis part of the excursion was the most expensive, because I joined a tour where accommodation was five star, and tickets I chose were premium. I had saved up to enjoy the final major of 2000 the best way I could.

Unlike for the Australian Open, I didn’t purchase tickets through the tour operator for every session. That would require a second mortgage ! I secured a seat for the Labour Day Weekend and for the semi finals and finals.

Other days and nights I would either purchase tickets depending on the schedule, or watch on television in the less expensive hotel where I was housed on the non tour days and nights.

The travel to the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens was by bus on the tour days and nights, or by the NYC Subway at other times.

Defending singles champions were Andre Agassi and Serena Williams.

The year to date had seen Agassi follow up his 1999 US Open win by defeating Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the Australian Open, Gustavo Kuerten win his second title at Roland Garros, triumphing over Magnus Norman, and Pete Sampras won an epic Wimbledon final against Patrick Rafter.

Lindsay Davenport conquered Martina Hingis in Australia to win her third Grand Slam title, Mary Pierce overcame Conchita Martinez in Paris for her maiden Grand Slam trophy, and Venus Williams defeated Lindsay Davenport at Wimbledon to also claim a first major title.

So could the US Open provide a fourth different player in either or both singles events to win a 2000 Grand Slam tournament ?

It wouldn’t be second seed Kuerten, as he was dumped by big serving Australian qualifier Wayne Arthurs in the opening round in the first big upset. Arthurs continued to the fourth round, knocking out two fellow Aussies before Thomas Johansson finally ended his run.

Philippoussis, the 15th seed and 1998 finalist, lost in the second round, as did Lapentti (16) and Squillari (13), but the biggest name to go was Agassi, losing to Frenchman Arnaud Clement.

Roger Federer was playing his first main draw US Open, and after coming back from a two set deficit in his first round, he made it through to the third, only to lose to Juan Carlos Ferrero. That round also was the exit point for four seeds - Kafelnikov (5), Corretja (8), Pioline (10) and Henman (11).

The round of sixteen saw the departure of two of the three Swedish players remaining, both seeds - Enqvist (7) and Norman (3) - leaving quarter finalists:

Arnaud Clément (France) v Lleyton Hewitt (9) (Australia)

Pete Sampras (4) (USA) v Richard Krajicek (Netherlands)

Marat Safin (6) (Russia) v Nicolas Kiefer (14) (Germany)

Todd Martin (USA) v Thomas Johansson (Sweden)

The New York crowd was happy to watch both Americans play their way into the semi finals with four set victories, and they were joined by Lleyton Hewitt after a straight sets win over Clément, and Safin who took four to beat Kiefer.

I was of course hoping for Hewitt to upset someone who I regard as the best male player I’ve seen, but Pete Sampras won the important points in a three set match not as straightforward as it sounds. Two tiebreakers were required, and Hewitt demonstrated the type of tennis which would a year later take him to the winners trophy.

The other semi final could have set up an all American final, but Russia spoiled that party, as Marat Safin also used two tie breakers in his three set win over Todd Martin.

The Russian demonstrated to the world in no uncertain terms that he was something special when he demolished Pete Sampras 6-4 6-3 6-3 in the final, capturing his first Grand Slam tournament trophy. At just 20, the potential for a long career at the top of tennis was huge for Safin.

Interestingly, his record didn’t fulfil expectations. After New York 2000, apart from three finals in Australia, where he won his second and final major in 2005, the output included just three semi finals and a quarter final at the other majors.

Five first round losses and nine in second rounds was not the sort of return the talent deserved to generate.

The top five seeds in the women’s singles included the winners of the first three majors, but top seed was Martina Hingis, while defending champion Serena Williams was fifth seed.

Of the seeds, only France’s Julie Halard-Decugis (16) failed to hurdle the first round, and Belgium’s Dominique Van Roost (14) lost her second round to an American Lilia Osterloh.

The earliest big name to fall was Conchita Martinez. The seventh seed exited in the third round, courtesy of Russian teenager Elena Dementieva. Not so much of an upset, as Elena a few weeks later picked up a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics in singles.

Amanda Coetzer (13) and Anna Kournikova (12) were sent packing with Martinez before the round of sixteen, where fourth seed Mary Pierce was the high profile casualty, forced to retire after dropping the first set to German Anke Huber (10).

Quarter finalists were:

Martina Hingis (1) (Switzerland) v Monica Seles (6) (USA)

Venus Williams (3) (USA) v Natalie Tauziat (8) (France)

Elena Dementieva v Anke Huber (10) (Germany)

Serena Williams (5) (USA) v Lindsay Davenport (2) (USA)

The top three seeds made it into the semis, together with Dementieva.

Venus Williams lost the opening set to Hingis, but finished well to make the final with a three set victory.

 Lindsay Davenport won the first set easily against Dementieva, but was taken to a tie break in the second before closing it out and setting up a repeat of the Wimbledon final with Venus.

The Williams sisters had won 1 major each coming into the US Open, but Venus edged ahead, defeating Lindsay Davenport 6-4 7-5 in the final, and in the process becoming the only player, male or female, to win more than one Grand Slam singles title for 2000.

Not only that, Venus won gold later in the month in the Sydney Olympics, both singles, and doubles with sister Serena.

So in my first overseas Grand Slam experience, I saw Venus Williams capture her first of two US Opens, and Marat Safin win his first major.

I also saw Lleyton Hewitt win the Men’s Doubles crown, partnering Max Mirnyi.

Julie Halard-Decugis and Ai Sugiyama were Women’s Doubles Champions.

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Jared Palmer won the Mixed Doubles.