2008 US Open – Trifecta on Day 2
Tommy Haas in the first round of the 2008 US Open
It was a perfect performance on Day 2 for three NBTA alumns. One of our oldest and most accomplished players, Tommy Haas, kicked off the action with a stunning performance. He “upset” #12 Richard Gasquet 6-7(3), 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 in a match that lasted over three and a half hours. Haas had a chance to serve out the first set at 5-3, but was broken and eventually lost it in the breaker. He recovered in the second set to get an early break and even the match. After they traded the third and fourth sets, Haas broke Gasquet multiple times in the final set to take the match. It was a great win, an what we are most proud of is that Haas kept his focus and never lost his temper. Great win on a big stage for Tommy!
Right after Tommy’s match ended, Nicole Vaidisova made short work (47 minutes) of fellow Czech player Petra Cetkovska 6-1, 6-2. Nicole served very well and totally overwhelmed Cetkovska. She won 95% of the points on her first serve and converted of 5/11 break chances. All in all it was an excellent performance from her and she will face Severine Bremond in the second round.
Finally, one of our youngest players, Sabine Lisicki, took the court for her first round match. The young German didn’t waste any time, jumping out to a 3-1 lead in the first set and never looking back. She defeated Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-3, 6-4 in 77 minutes. Lisicki controlled the points, but as has been the case this year she had too many double faults (5) and her first serve percentage was a little lower than where we would like it (57%). Despite that, you can see how good she is for not having had her best serving performance. She will take on #27 Alona Bondarenko in the second round.
New pictures from Day 2 are up!
