U.S. OPEN NOTEBOOK
Pete Sampras wasn’t the only popular American Grand Slam winner riding off into the proverbial sunset. Michael Chang played the last match of his career yesterday at center court at the U.S. Open, and received a standing ovation from the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.
Granted, he lost to 15th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-3, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 in the first round, but the 31-year-old had his normal flair for the dramatic. After the match, he walked back to center court and waved goodbye to the fans, taking a half-bow.
“It was emotional for me,” the Hoboken-born Chang said. “I tried to keep my mind on other things. But I had a lot of emotions going through me before, during and after the match. I did have fun today. It was a goal of mine to have fun today and to have fun this last year.
“If you walk away from the tour feeling like, ‘I should’ve done this, I should’ve done that,’ having regrets, not walking away with a smile, then something’s not right. It’s important to walk away feeling good, regardless of whether you win or lose.”
How could he not feel good after this career? Chang became the youngest player to win a match in the U.S. Open (15), the youngest to win a Slam, when he took the 1989 French Open at 17 years, three months.
He always made his living with his quick feet, but has won just two matches in this farewell tour. Against the ultra-aggressive Gonzalez – who made 51 errors – he flashed some of his old ability.
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No. 11 Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand choked and wheezed past France’s Cyril Saulnier 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (4). Srichaphan won the TD Waterhouse Cup last week but had seen a U.S. Open doctor at the time; yesterday he needed an injury timeout and an inhaler in the first set.