Was Venus Williams vs. Justine Henin in the semis the de facto womens final?
Yeah, no question. This was the Wimbledon winner vs. the French Open winner — it was basically for the unofficial title of player of the year. Obviously one had to go on to win the title, but this was by far the most interesting women’s match we can expect from the weekend. Both have been playing well, they’re in shape — unlike Serena, there are no questions about Venus’ physical or mental well-being. What’s the most overlooked storyline of the Open? I might be slightly alone in this, but the thing that struck me about young American phenom John Isner is that this is a guy who came out of nowhere. He was on nobody’s radar screen before the spring. Now, I’m talking to Martina Navratilova and Jim Courier and they’re telling me this guy’s upside is far greater than Donald Young’s. The players he’s played against are saying he’s got one of best serves in the men’s game. And nobody whose job it is to go out and find the next great American had any idea. This guy is playing in a tennis hot
