US Open Questions

Why did last night’s match between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick start after 10:00 pm? It was almost 11:00 when Federer won the first set tie-break, which was also the same time I turned off the television to go to sleep.

Federer is, obviously, the #1 seed at the US Open; Roddick was the #5 seed. So why were they meeting in the quarterfinals? Shouldn’t the #1 seed face the #8 seed in the quarters with the #4 seed playing the #5 seed assuming that the top seeds advance? #1 should not face #5 until the semifinals.

Finally, will the US Open ever change its format so that the final set doesn’t end in a tie-breaker? This is one of my pet peeves in sports along with a shoot-out to end World Cup soccer matches. If it’s tied 6-6 in the third set in a women’s match or fifth set in a men’s match, they should keep going until someone wins by two games. If someone wins the final set 20-18, that just makes for exciting tennis. Just the other day, Venus Williams defeated Jelena Jankovic 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4). I could be wrong but I don’t believe that Wimbledon, the French Open or the Australian Open end this way.