U.S. Open aces and faults

By John Jeansonne

ACE

Blimp sighting! The Open has commenced.

FAULT

Neither of the U.S. Open's national playoffs winners, the man and woman who survived the first all-comers competition among more than 1,200 players around the country, made it through the qualifying tournament to the Open's main draw.

ACE

The new ballperson's shirt, blue with a white sash, could pass for a U.S. national soccer team jersey during the recent World Cup. Gooooooooooooal!

FAULT

Net-cord winners. (For the player losing the point.)

By the numbers15Courts in play Monday. Maximum activity at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

16-12 Russia vs. U.S. total entries in the women's singles field.

47 The number of countries represented in the men's and women's singles competition.

Furthermore . . .

With anticipation that

No. 1 seed Rafael Nadal (below) could play No. 2 Roger Federer in the men's Open championship Sept. 12, consider this statistic: Federer has won five of the last six Opens (Juan Martin del Potro won last year.) Nadal has won the last two Grand Slam events (French and Wimbledon). Combined, Federer (12) and Nadal (8) have won 20 of the last 22 major tourna- ments.