Great Scot

I write this while watching the women's final. It's currently 2-1 in the second set, on serve, with Serena having won the first, and I have to say, that although Serena is winning, I'm really quite impressed with Jankovic. I thought Serena was going to annihilate her, but although I still think Serena will win, Jelena has not disgraced herself by any means. If only Jankovic wasn't injured so often - unlike her Serbian counterpart Djokovic, I do believe she genuinely does get injured - she would really be a force. I mean, she's been to #1 in the world, so she's obviously a force, but she could be... well, forcier.

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She's not normally a player that rips winners, but she just hit a beautiful one there, as I write, to go up 40-30. She's an excellent defensive players, and the thing that has really kept her alive in this match with Serena and stopped Serena blowing her away is her retrieving ability. She obviously went to the same 'I am a wall' school as Novak Djokovic - except I think it might be even more of an integral part of her game. She has terrific movement - though I can see why she gets injured all the time, because she's sliding around on these hardcourts like nobody's business, and keeps doing Kim Clijsters splits.

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What is really letting her down in her second serve, though it's much improved from the last time I saw her play. Still, she's only winning something like 29% on it - she looks a lot more comfortable in Serena's service games than her own, like she's freer to hit out and stuff. She's not shying away from Serena's pace, either - she did let herself get a bit intimidated in the first set for a while when Serena cranked it up, but on the whole, I think she's giving a very good account of herself. She is going for her shots a bit more than she would normally, so her unforced errors are uncharacteristically high, but overall, I don't think it's hurt her that badly - her winners are higher as well.

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However, although Jankovic is still in the match, it's really hanging on Serena's racquet here - and at no point has Jankovic looked like outhitting her. I mean, who could outhit Serena - apart from maybe Venus? Jankovic is much more consistent than Serena, but that's because Jankovic doesn't have gears. Jankovic doesn't really have the ability to switch gears, because her game is so primarily defensive. Serena can just turn up the heat - and that is why, even though she doesn't play that much tennis, she is still such a dominant player, why, if she wins this match, she'll be #1. Serena has just got game, pure and simple. When she first burst on the scene way back when, her tennis was pretty primal - 'hit ball, hit ball hard' sort of tennis - but she has really evolved over the years into a smart sophisticated player. Whether or not you're a Serena fan, she's certainly exciting to watch.

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Over to the men now while Serena and Jelena fight it out. How about Andy Murray? When Rafa went up a break in the fourth after winning the third, I confess that I thought it was pretty much all over. I didn't think Murray had a prayer of getting that break back, especially when it was 3-1, 0-30. But no - Murray got that damn break, and then he got another one and that one clinched the match for him. (And what a lovely point that was when Murray won - both players at net, and Murray hit that cute little pass... how ironic, Rafa getting beaten with a pass!) I haven't been a Murray fan in the past - he sort of strikes me as a Scottish Lleyton Hewitt, personality wise, and I'm certainly not a Lleyton fan - but he has really earned this Slam final. I know Rafa hasn't been playing that well this tournament, but he's Rafa. He didn't get to be #1 in the world, overtaking the greatest player of all time, by being a schlep. And for Murray to come back when Rafa was up in the fourth really is an achievement.

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Actually, Murray's year this year strikes me as being a bit similar to Djokovic's last year. He hasn't quite had the consistency over the year that Djokovic had last year - Djokovic made semis in Paris and Wimbledon before making the final at the US - but Murray has played solidly, and his US summer is very reminiscent of Djokovic's last year. He won a Masters Series title in Cincinatti as well as making the semis - he tied Nadal for the US Open series, and Nadal only won on some sort of whicketty-whack countback system. And that's better than Djokovic did last year.

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So no matter what the result of tomorrow's final - Murray has a shot, but you wouldn't bet against the incredibly hungry Federer right now - the real question is going to be about what Murray will do from here. Win or no win, a Slam final is an incredible result - but there a lot of players that have reached a Slam final (or even won a Slam final) and then never looked like reaching another one. Think about Gaston Gaudio, Guillermo Coria, Arnaud Clement, Thomas Johansson, Marcos Baghdatis, Fernando Gonzalez. Will Andy Murray join their ranks? Or will he do what Djokovic did, and back it up?

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(Meanwhile, Jankovic has gone up a break in the second, and is 5-3, 0-30 up - are we going to a third?)

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I'd like to see Murray back it up. Obviously I don't want to see him win tomorrow - my loyalty is for Federer, 100% - but I don't want him to fade away. He's not a favourite of mine, but he has grown on me a bit, and I do like his game on hard courts. And he loves his mother, which is nice. I'd like someone to shake Djokovic up a bit specifically, and show him he's not as secure as he thinks in that #3 spot. I think Djokovic feels a bit too comfortable as a member of the Big Three - I wouldn't mind seeing Murray overtake him at all. Murray will be #4 after this tournament no matter what happens, and I wouldn't mind seeing Djokovic come back to the field a bit AT ALL. Djokovic's summer hasn't sucked, but he hasn't done what he did last year, and that was when the Djokovic band wagon really began to roll. The Australian Open is going to be a moment of truth for him. He had the good year last year, really starting from the US summer... so can he back that up? That is the real test of character.

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How did I get onto Djokovic? He LOST. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

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Not that I'm rubbing it or anything.

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(Now Serena has break points to get that service break back in the second! What is going to happen? ...and Serena's broken back! 5 all in the second!)

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(...and Serena's done it in straights! She is the new #1!)

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Today's Results

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US Open (Flushing Meadows)

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Men's Draw

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Andy Murray def. Rafael Nadal, 6-2 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Serena Williams def. Jelena Jankovic, 6-4 7-5