Top Spin Blog » Schuettler

U.S. Open Kicks Off With Qualies

Joe Samuel Starnes — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:02:19 +0000

Most tennis fans consider the U.S. Open a two-week event, but in reality, there are three weeks of play starting Tuesday, Aug. 19, with the qualifying draws — what insiders refer to simply as the “qualies.”

The qualies are a battle of 128 players hoping to win three matches to earn one of 16 open spots at the Open table. For those who have cracked the top 100 before, the qualifying tournament is a dreaded sign that their game has fallen and may never get back up. Last year’s Open qualifying draw included longtime pro Andrei Pavel who is 0-5 this year and ranking has plummeted to 237. Other players, however, like Rainer Schuettler, who also played last year’s Open qualies, have proved you can play the qualies and still turn their careers around; Schuettler reached the Wimbledon semis this summer and is now ranked in the top 40.

But for less-accomplished players — youngsters on the way up and journeyman pros who’ve never cracked the top 100 — it is a chance to reach the main draw of the U.S. Open, perhaps the greatest feat of their tennis careers. Reaching the main draw also means a substantial payday for low-earning players: first round losers in the main draw earn $16,500, and a win or two can mean much more.

This tier of players is not appreciated by most tennis fans. Professional tennis at the minor-league level is a very tough row to hoe. While everyone obsesses over Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, there are legions of very talented players battling it out for peanuts and coveted-ranking points on the Challenger and Futures tours. Consider that the 147th best baseball player in the world earns a few million each year in a guaranteed contract that will be paid even if he injures himself in April and misses the season. In tennis, Sam Warburg, the American ranked 147th in the world as of Aug. 10, this year has earned only $68,201 and has career earnings of a mere $231,207. That’s a pittance when you consider the expenses of travel and training professional tennis demands. (Warburg was fortunate to be one of eight men granted a wild card into the main draw and will not play in this year’s qualies.)

For fans, the Open qualies are an excellent alternative for those who find attending the main draw of the tournament too crowded and too expensive. Attendance at the qualifying tournament is free, and there are always multiple matches taking place on the outer courts from which to choose. There are no binoculars required to see the matches, as is the case if you have upper level seats in the Arthur Ashe Stadium during the premiere matches. From the top sections of Ashe, the view of the court is about the same as a window seat from the airplanes taking off and landing at nearby La Guardia. At the qualies, you can sit in the front row for free and see some spectacular tennis at drop-shot range.

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Clement Loses, Misses Shot at Second Long-Match Record

Joe Samuel Starnes — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:40:08 +0000

Arnaud Clement, loser to Rainer Schuettler 8-6 in the fifth set of a quarterfinal match Thursday, missed by sixteen minutes adding his name to the history books for the longest match ever played at Wimbledon in the Open Era. The match lasted five hours, 12 minutes; according to Radio Wimbledon, the longest match is five hours, 28 minutes. Clement already is part of the record for the longest match in the history in 2004 when he lost to countryman Fabrice Santoro in the French Open in a match that lasted six hours and thirty-three minutes. Of course, as Greg Garber wrote on ESPN.com , “That’s the longest Grand Slam match ever, going back to 1968, before which only sketchy records exist.” Schuettler tomorrow plays Rafael Nadal, a match which stands a good chance to be the shortest match ever.

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Roddick loses, Blake Upset By the Oldest Man Left in the Draw, and Levine Out Too

Joe Samuel Starnes — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:15:47 +0000

No. 6 seeded Andy Roddick won the first set but then lost three in a row to 40th-ranked Janko Tipsarevic on Thursday, capping a dismal day in London for the American men.

Earlier in the day, World No. 94 Rainer Schuettler, 32, defeated No. 9 seeded James Blake in five sets Thursday, coming back from two-sets-to-one and a break in the fourth, avenging his straight set loss to Blake in this year’s French Open.

Their defeats spoiled hopes of a Roddick-Blake matchup in the fourth round. The two top-ranked Americans have never met in a Grand Slam.

Qualifier Jesse Levine lost in a tough five setter to Austrian Jurgen Melzer. Bobby Reynolds is now the lone American men of the twelve who played Wimbledon to reach the third round.

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