Tie-Breaking
Driven by a collection of “musts” such as the need for spectators to stretch their legs, perhaps even television watcher’s boredom and a need for commercial breaks, set ending Tie-Breaks differ from major to major. At the Australian Open, the score must reach six-six before a Tie Break to ten is launched. The Championships moves to a seven point decider when the score reaches twelve-twelve. The US Open follows Australia’s six-six lead, before making the end of a set Wimbledon-like at seven points. This year, Roland Garros one set (and as it turned out, match) conclusion came close to match a standard. In the third round Lorenzo Sonego of Italy waylaid Taylor Fritz of the US, 7-6, 6-3, 7-6 (19-17). The thirty-six point Tie-Break is second in the Slam record book to the thirty-eight points played in the first set of the US’s Andy Roddick’s 6-7 (20-18), 7-6, (7-2), 6-3, 6-3 first round victory over France’s wild card entry Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the 2007 Australian Open.
The Bristol Stomp & Other Remembrances
In 1961 an upbeat Rock & Roll song called “The Bristol Stomp” was written about a new dance step called “The Stomp” being performed at Good Will Hose Company dances in Bristol, a borough a little over twenty miles from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The song was released by The Dovells in July 1962. Twenty-two years later in July, Emily Webley-Smith was born in Bristol, England. A solid junior, the Great Britain native turned pro in 2003 and the next year reached the second round at The Championships. Now thirty-six, playing Roland Garros had been one of her long-time “Bucket List” wishes. She was finally able to cross that one off after teaming with Vivian Heisne of Germany in a 6-2, 6-3 first round doubles loss to Alison Riske of the US and Ajla Tomljanović of Australia. She realized a goal, and may have exclaimed, as “The Bristol Stomp” lyrics bring out, “Really somethin’ when the joint is jumpin’…”
Though American qualifier Sebastian Korda lost and felt he actually won following Rafael Nadal’s 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 fourth round victory. The son of Petr Korda, 1992 Roland Garros finalist and 1998 Australian Open champion, and Regina Rajchrtová, a former top Czech Republic player, the twenty-year old admitted, prior to the match, that he had named his cat after Nadal who is his favorite player. Following the contest, with the No. 2 seeded Spaniard, Korda asked the winner for an autographed tennis shirt. When he received it, the 2018 International Tennis Federation Boys’ No. 1 said, “Best moment of my life. Thank you so much…” Losing a match had a silver lining for Korda.
During the course of a Grand Slam tournament masses of numbers are collected and used to verify what has taken place. It seems that almost everything such as racquets strung, beer and champagne, along with tournament T-shirts sold, are counted. After falling to Trevisan of Italy 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 Coco Gauf of the US was probably wishing that double-faults had not been included in the match stats. She ticked off nineteen “doubles”, (in one case double-faulting away an entire service game), in her second round match.
