VOLuntarilyConservative

What a fantastic night at the U.S. Open! The women took center stage (finally!) and lived up to the hype. Maria Sharapova (whom the VOLConWife begrudgingly allows me to watch play every now and then) squeaked by Nadia Petrova in three long sets, followed by Kim Clijsters outlasting an out of shape Venus Williams in three.

The Clijsters win was especially pleasing, since it allows both of the Williams sisters to return to what they really care about - reality TV shows, fashion design, etc. It's funny that Anna Kournakova became the source of such ridicule for doing the same thing from the beginning of her tennis career, yet the Williams sisters catch no flack for showing up to tournaments overweight, out of shape, or disinterested in nothing but pushing clothes. It was great to see heart win out over talent on this night. It's a shame that the women's draw is so top-heavy that matches such as these don't occur until the quarterfinals (unlike the men's draw), but that is the way things have been for as long as I have been watching tennis.

The focus returns to the men's draw on Wednesday, though, as Agassi and James Blake meet in an all-American quarterfinal. I have no rooting interest in this one, as I believe both to be the best stories coming out of the first week.