My new idol - Djokovic

Match point finally.

Did anyone watch the US Open Men's 2nd round last night?!

It was C-R-A-Z-Y!! 4plus am and I was feeling far from sleepy even after that evening's training. And Djokovic's spirit was enough to carry me through this morning's training as well. Woohoo~.

Let me show you the stats. 5 sets over a marathon of 4hrs 45min. Djokovic vs Stepanek: 6-7(4-7), (7-5)7-6, 5-7, 7-5, (7-2)7-6.

In case you're blur.. those in brackets are the points in the tie-breakers, in event whenever there's a 6-6 game tie within a set.

Right.. but the stats alone is no where near justifying how thrilling the match was. From the moment I switched on my tv, World No. 3 seeded Djokovic was already 2 sets and one game down in the 4th playing set.. I thought it was going to be another upset by an unseeded player, Stepanek (unseeded but once ranked no. 8 long time ago).. After the morning's disappointment - (from seeing Blake push till the 5th set and not losing.. [cos i dun like americans and support underdogs in non-homegrounds]), I was determined to catch another '5-set marathon upset' in the men's 2nd round.

But as the match progressed, I found myself rooting for Djokovic even though he wasn't the underdog. After all, this was the man that recently defeated Federer in the Masters series and I think he has a higher chance of creating the biggest upset in the Finals. This man is just incredible, tons of spirit and energy. Yet, his opponent was no less.

The match had lots of fantastic winners. Great defence and rallies from both players. Lobs and shots that find the edges of the court. WAY COOL...

Read the full report below.

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/match_reports/2007-08-31/200708311188609019718.html

Match analysis.

The match was so exhilarating. Even when the match has ended, both players showed amazing sportsmanship and manage to muster remaining energy to congratulate each other with a big hug. Though a little gay but it was really heartening to see. This is the best tennis match I've ever watched by far. Perhaps the only match that can come close would be a 'Djokovic-upsetting-Fed' Final.

Exhausting match...

Meanwhile, September holds many surprises ahead. =)