I’m not sure why I call some of my wraps “wrapettes.” I start out thinking I have nothing to say and then end up with a long, rambling post. I’ll call this one an extended wrapette. Thursday’s highlight for me was the mixed doubles final. It was fun to watch the pick-up American team of Carly Gullickson and Travis Parrott beat defending champions Leander Paes and Cara Black. The Americans have 5 doubles titles between them. Paes and Black have 91. The Americans traveled an unlikely road to the finals: Parrott’s first partner bowed out and suggested he text Carly, the last minute duo got a wild card into the draw and then fought off two match points against them in their first round match against Mirnyi/Petrova. Random observations: Leander cracks me up – in a good way. His big time ego belongs on the singles circuit. I wonder how he liked it when Carly aced him and out volleyed him at the net? Is she the next Melanie Oudin! (I’m so fickle!) Here’s a fun snippet from the Parrott/Gullickson press conference:
Q. Do you let up on your serve against your opponent? TRAVIS PARROTT: Against the girl? Q. Yeah. TRAVIS PARROTT: Hell, no.
Click here for more on the match, including video.
The Williams sisters won their doubles semifinal, a tight, 2.5 hour match against Kleybanova/Makarova: 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2. On Sunday, they will compete in their 10th major doubles final for their 10 major title. Not bad.
In the men’s quarterfinals, Juan Martin del Potro came back from a set down to take out Marin Cilic: 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1. Love the way del Potro answered the Roger question:
Q. You had a great presence against Federer in Paris, and the moment wasn’t too big for you. Would you like to see him again, Roger? JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Of course not. (laughter.)
And he got a Dumb Press Conference Question, too!
Q. When you play tennis, you have so many strategy to use on the court to win. It’s like a dancing Tango. Do you dance Tango, too? JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: No, I don’t. (laughter.) I just play tennis.
Del Potro doesn’t know who he’ll Tango with in the semis, as the Rafael Nadal vs. Fernando Gonzalez quarterfinal was suspended due to rain on Thursday night at 3-2 (Nadal) in the second set tiebreak. Rafa won the first set in a tiebreak, but needed to call the trainer for what appeared to be his abdominal injury. Lucky for him he’s playing an opponent who insists on using a jackhammer even when a hole punch could do the trick. I’m not saying Gonzo can’t win, but if he does, it probably won’t have much to do with Rafa’s injury. 
Friday will be either jam-packed entertainment or rained out. Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams are up first on Arthur Ashe, followed by Nadal vs. Gonzo, Interrupted, then Wickmayer vs. Wozniacki and the men’s doubles final between Paes/Dlouhy and Bhupathi/Knowles. But the weather forecast looks wet.
Heads up to US viewers – the tennis coverage switches back to CBS for the weekend.
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