US Open Betting / Sean Calvert / 30 August 2008 /

Sean Calvert was shocked by the atmosphere, fans and noise that are all part and parcel of Flushing Meadows as he made his first trip to the US Open last night. Then there was the usual drama that characterises any Marat Safin match...

No Day Four review yesterday, as I was in transit to New York, but having arrived and shaken free the jetlag I excitedly boarded the 7 train to Flushing Meadow for Day Five of the US Open.

The first thing that strikes you upon disembarking the subway at Willets Point/Shea Stadium and walking down the boardwalk to the Billie Jean King Tennis Centre is the sheer noise surrounding the place.

This is a tennis tournament like no other. There's a huge train junction next door and the planes from La Guardia fly overhead every five minutes or so. Combine that with the thumping music from Ashe stadium and the interesting etiquette of the supporters and it's surprising that the players can concentrate on the match at all.

Being in possession of only an evening ticket for Thursday's games, I wasn't allowed into Grandstand for Carlos Moya v Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but utilising a skilful technique honed over the years at various sporting events, I managed to slip past security and into Louis Armstrong in time for the start of Marat Safin v Tommy Robredo.

Earlier in the day I had been denied a sizable payout on an accumulator after the ever-reliable Tommy Haas decided to throw away a two set lead to Gilles Muller, but I was convinced that the rest of the day's matches would go my way. Seriously - Gilles Muller!!

Involving Safin in any kind of wager is always a dangerous game, but it looked good for the Russian as he deservedly took the first set with a run of three straight games from 3-4 down.

It wasn't without incident of course and the fiery former champ was fortunate to escape without a warning when he hammered a forehand back at Robredo after being broken.

The ball dissected Robredo, the lineswoman and a ball girl before bouncing back off the far wall of the court and narrowly missing Robredo's head, startling the Spaniard.

The second set was another competitive affair, which Safin had his chances in, notably when holding break points at 5-5, but he was unable to make the most of his opportunities and the Spaniard prevailed in a tie break after a couple of rain delays.

The stopping and starting didn't seem to aid Safin's questionable temperament and he eventually received his mandatory code violation when smashing his racquet early in the third set.

The crowd loved it - those who were paying attention did anyway, but it failed to inspire the Russian who let the set slip away for a 2-1 deficit.

I've been lucky enough to attend a number of tournaments all over the world, but I must say I was surprised at the amount of fans who were talking on their phones and moving around in between points on a regular basis. Add that to the changeover noise from Ashe (MC Hammer's U Can't Touch This for the record) and Safin's mental fragility and you've a recipe for disaster.

He looked most displeased with the whole situation and capitulated badly in the fourth, going down by way of the dreaded bagel before storming off court.

I still hadn't visited my seat on Ashe by this stage as the prospect of Lindsay Davenport v Marion Bartoli - surely two of life's unlikliest professional sportspeople - didn't exactly set my pulse racing, so instead I made the short walk to the balcony overlooking Grandstand to watch Moya v Tsonga.

Tsonga was my selection for this one and he took it comfortably in four with some ferocious hitting that Moya had no answer to. If he can stay fit, Tsonga will cause problems in his section of the draw.

With the rain still falling I made my way via the hot dog stand to Ashe after Davenport's defeat and here more than anywhere else in the venue I was taken aback by the fans.

The US Open is more of a social occasion than a tennis tournament to most and I have doubts that many of them even know who they're watching at times, but it does make for an entertaining spectacle, although I challenge anyone to try and find their way out of Ashe once inside.

The place has about two exits in total and they are impossible to find, so if you're thinking of going along, build an extra half hour in at the end.

The rain delays meant that Andy Roddick and Ernests Gulbis didn't get on court until after 10.30 pm and I felt a bit sorry for them having to wait around until so late before starting, but this is New York and the show must go on.

So, my first visit to Flushing Meadows was certainly an eye-opener, but thanks to the 'efforts' of Messrs Safin and Haas, not exactly a profitable one.

As I write, it's 1 am here and Roddick and Gulbis are on serve in the fourth. It could be along night on Ashe, but I'll be back tomorrow with Nadal, Murray, Nalbandian and Wawrinka to look forward to.

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