Black Tennis Pros

When you've reached your first Grand Slam quarterfinal after years of toiling away in obscurity, as Fresno native Raquel Kops Jones did Sunday at the U.S. Open, what's the first thought that comes to your mind?

"The semifinals," a smiling Kops-Jones said.

Teaming up with fellow American Abigail Spears, the pair won its third round women's doubles match against the French team of Stephanie Foretz and Camille Pin 6-4, 7-6 (1).

With all four players trying to reach their first quarterfinal in a major, Foretz and Pin appeared tentative while Kops-Jones and Spears attacked the net from the start. The American team won the first eight points and jumped out to a 5-1 lead in less than 20 minutes.

Once Foretz fought off two set points on her serve at 1-5, Kops-Jones and Spears began to spray their ground strokes well beyond the baseline and miss routine put away volleys.

"It was definitely nerves," Kops-Jones said. "They began to establish their presence more as the match progressed, but I definitely let them get into my head."

Foretz and Pin rallied to 4-5 before strong serving from Spears clinched the first set. Despite being up a set, Kops-Jones and Spears never appeared settled as they loudly chastised themselves many times during the match.

"We beat Stephanie two weeks ago when she played with a different partner, so we were aware of how fantastic an opportunity this was for us," Spears said. "We knew that we were capable of winning the match if we served well and executed well."

Down 4-5 in the second set, a winning lob by Foretz gave the French pair two set points on Spears' serve. Spears fought off both with aces, and an overhead winner from Kops-Jones leveled the second set at 5-5.

Both Pin and Kops-Jones held their serves to send the second set into a tiebreaker. Three consecutive winners by Kops-Jones and a volley smash by Spears gave the Americans a commanding 4-1 lead. Moments later, at 6-1, a winning overhead by Kops-Jones clinched the match.

In the quarterfinals, Kops-Jones and Spears will face the No. 5 seeds, Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain, who were silver medalists in the women's doubles event at the Beijing Olympics. That match is not on today's schedule.

"It's going to be a fun match," Spears said. "They both play a lot from the baseline, so there's going to be a lot of lobs and dipping shots. I just hope we're able to have fun when we get out there and enjoy the moment."

Regardless of what happens, Kops-Jones said she is satisfied with her performance this week.

The potential drama surrounding the two American superstar sisters Venus and Serena Williams used to be palpable...but not anymore. If the sisters have shown us nothing else, they have shown us that they love each other first and foremost, and that they love tennis. Their familial relationship is foundational in their lives and no matter how many times they meet in competition on the courts, nothing changes between the two of them.

Their statements to that effect, as well as the joy that they have been able to share in earning doubles titles together, is sufficient evidence to for me to watch these ladies play without trepidation and simply enjoy their prowess.

Of their having to meet in the quarterfinals Venus said, "if I had a sister who wasn't good then it would be easier because I would just beat her. But obviously she is very good."

"We have to meet in the quarters but this would be a huge milestone for me to win this championship. That's how I see it, as trying to win the tournament."

Well, at least you can't say that American James Blake gives rotten gifts. What is a more gift for a professional tennis player friend than a ticket to the fourth round of a grand slam tournament...not much.

American Mardy Fish beat Blake 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) in the Arthur Ashe Stadium at the U.S. Open on Saturday. The good friends played until nearly midnight.

Post match Blake said, ``it's a tough feeling out there when you're the favorite, and you're expected, and you're not playing your best tennis, and can't summon your best tennis. There are some days you go out there and you feel like you can't quite string the points together that you need to, and can't make enough first serves and things don't seem to be going your way.''

Blake didn't try to cop out with the fact that he had just played in the Beijing Olympics. ``It wasn't Beijing, I don't think. It was Mardy playing some of his best tennis.''

Whatever the reason for his loss, he'll get to eat a good meal at the expense of Fish. Prior to the match Blake said that the winner had to buy the loser dinner, I don't think that Fish will mind forking up the cost of this meal.

Frenchman Gael Monfils brought the pain to Spaniard David Nalbandian at the U.S. Open today, defeating him 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Monfils was quite the athlete out there today running down pretty much anything that Nalbandian could send back across the net.

Alternatively, Nalbandian was open to taking a swipe at anything within three feet of him, but he wasn't the least bit interested in running much of anything else down.

To celebrate his victory Monfils did a very happy, happy dance. It must be in the French water, because Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was doing a victorious happy dance yesterday.

The best part of the happy dance was sportscaster Ian Eagle's remarks at the end of the broadcast. He said "...Gael Monfils, bringing the 'funkadelic'..." What the hell does that mean? Either he knows something that I don't, or he is woefully un-hip. Perhaps this is one of those cultural differences, whatever it is it's funny. For all of you unenlightened cats and kittens, Funkadelic was a group, not a dance or style (even though they definitely had their own). Remember Parliament/Funkadelic "Tear The Roof Off The Sucka?" That's my knowledge of Funkadelic. I don't know what he was talking about. He probably heard that word somewhere and has just been dying to use it.

Monfils awaits the American winner of the Pre-Wedding Buddy Match that will be played tonight, i.e. James Blake or Mardy Fish.

A blur of winners and aces coming across the net from American Venus Williams was all that Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko saw in the Arthur Ashe Stadium at the U.S. Open today. Venus knocked Bondarenko out to the tune of 6-2, 6-1.

Poor Bondarenko looked so disheartened as the second set came to a close. She managed to get in a couple of winners, but her effort was a moot point. Unless the Ukrainian received some celestial assistance, she was going down in a very few minutes. And she did.

Post match Venus was asked about her next opponent Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, who has previously defeated her. Venus smiled and said, "I'm looking forward to 'even-ing' the score. She played well that time. I am looking forward to serving well and moving well and enjoying myself out here in front of everybody."

Next month American James Blake will be part of the wedding party for good friend Mardy Fish's nuptials. But before that happens, the two must attempt to eliminate each other from the third round of the U. S. Open today in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Blake said, "It's going to be fine, it's great. We're close enough friends that, no matter what happens, we're going to be friends afterwards."

The good thing about this meeting, "there's a good chance we'll be out to dinner together...the winner pays" Blake said.

The bad thing about this meeting, one of them will be going home.

Fish sums it up pretty well in saying, "you know, for a place in the fourth round of the biggest tournament of the year, I think we'll probably put our friendship aside for a couple of hours."