Well, let me tell you about that 2001 US Open. That year, it was somethin’ else. I remember it like it was yesterday. That young fella, Lleyton Hewitt, he was playin’ against Pete Sampras. Now, Pete, he was a big shot, won a whole bunch of them Grand Slam things. But that Hewitt, he was a feisty one.
Hewitt, he was just 20 years old, from Australia. He ran like a rabbit, that one. He beat that Sampras in straight sets. Lord have mercy, straight sets! Nobody thought he could do it, but he did. That was his first big win, his first Grand Slam. US Open 2001, it sure was a big deal.
Sampras, bless his heart, he just wasn’t himself that day. He had won 13 of them Grand Slams before. But that day, against that young whippersnapper Hewitt, he just couldn’t keep up. People were talkin’, sayin’ maybe he was gettin’ old, maybe his time was up. You know how folks like to talk.
I tell ya, that 2001 US Open Tennis match, it was somethin’ to see. Everyone was glued to their TV sets. Hewitt, he was just too good. He played like a man possessed. Ran all over that court, hittin’ the ball like a mule kicks.
- That Hewitt, he won it 7-6, 6-1, 6-1.
- Sampras, he just couldn’t catch a break.
- It was Hewitt’s first big title.
- That boy, he sure made a name for himself.
- Tennis in 2001, a big year for this sport.
Before that, in 2000, it was Marat Safin who won. He was the champion, but Hewitt beat him in the semi-finals, he did. Sampras also beat Safin that year in the final. That Safin, he was good too, but not good enough to win two years straight. It is hard to win US Open Tennis matches.
They play that US Open every year. It’s a big to-do. Lots of folks come from all over to watch. They got all them fancy players, hittin’ that little ball back and forth. I don’t always understand all the rules, but I sure do like watchin’.
And that year, in 2001, there were some other matches too. One fella, Todd Martin, he played against Carlos Moya. That was a long one, went on forever. Martin, he won that one. You gotta be tough to play them long matches.
Now, I ain’t no expert on this tennis stuff. I just watch it on the TV. But I know a good match when I see one. And that 2001 US Open, that was a good one. A real good one. One for the books, I reckon. That Hewitt boy, he made history that day.
They got all sorts of other players too, playin’ in different places. I don’t rightly remember all their names. But that 2001 US Open, that one sticks in my mind. It was a real nail-biter, right down to the last point. And that young Hewitt, he showed ’em all. He showed ’em all what he was made of. This is the charm of US Open Tennis matches.
That Venus Williams, she won the women’s side that year. She’s a good one, too. Strong as an ox, that one. Her sister, Serena, she’s good, too. They both won lots of them Grand Slams. They sure know how to hit that ball. Win the US Open Tennis matches is not easy.
You know, watchin’ them play, it makes me tired just thinkin’ about it. All that runnin’ and jumpin’. I’d be pooped after just one of them games. But they do it, day in and day out. It takes a lot of gumption, I tell ya.
They say tennis is a gentleman’s game. But those folks, they play rough. They want to win, that’s for sure. And that 2001 US Open, that was a battle. A real battle. Hewitt, he was like a little bulldog out there. He wasn’t gonna give up, no sir. He was gonna fight for every point. And he did. He won that 2001 US Open, and ain’t nobody gonna take that away from him.
I don’t know what else to say about it. It was a long time ago, but I still remember it. It was a big deal, that 2001 US Open. A real big deal. And that Hewitt boy, he sure made a name for himself that day. He sure did.