KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2010 / SPORTS / 3.
U. S. OPEN
Nadal claims grand slam honor, defeats Djokovic
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
NEW YORK - Rafael Nadal won tennis' heavyweight title Monday night after a rugged exchange of heavy body blows with Novak Djokovic.
In taking the 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 victory, Nadal, at 24, becomes only the seventh man in history to win all four grand slam tournaments — Australian, French, Wimbledon and U.S. — during his career. And he becomes the first leftfender to win the U.S. men's title since John McEnroe in 1984.
Monday night's duel was delayed one day by rain, and interrupted for almost two hours again, offering physical respite to Djokovic after his draining five-set upset of Federer on Saturday night.
Djokovic, the 23-year-old Serb who has existed just outside the Nadal-Federer power axis for several years, had the Open's dithering weather, which included an on-court temperature drop of almost 40 degrees during the
Nadal's attempts to run Djokovic to the four corners of Arthur Ashe Stadium were typical for the patiently aggressive Spaniard, willing to play shot after shot after shot while looking for an offensive opening. But Djokovic was not exactly getting pushed around, matching Nadal's athletic court coverage with scrambling gets and showing off some dandy offensive strokes of his own.
When Djokovic began to wobble a bit late in the second set, the rain delay allowed him to regroup and hang on to the set, which he had led 4-1 but had to rescue at 7-5.
Nadal had 26 break-point opportunities in the match (compared with four for Djokovic), and though he converted only six, he slowly but steadily was wearing down Djokovic. Eventually gone was the spunk Djokovic showed in taking a quick 4-2, 40-15 lead in the second set, which he let slip to deuce after pulling Nadal far
off the court with a searing cross-court backhand, then netting a volley that brought the crowd full force into the proceedings and tipped the scales back toward Nadal.
tournament's two weeks and nasty winds, turn from burden to friend.
Djokovic already had briefly lost the grip on his emotions in the first set when Nadal, in a long fifth game full of big punches by both men, took Djokovic to deuce four times and to break point a sixth time with a hustling retrieval of a Djokovic mis-hit.
So much for Djokovic's record on hard court against Nadal — 7-3 entering the tournament, including victories over Nadal the previous three times — that offered him a bracing confidence. Though Djokovic lost to Federer the previous three years at the Open, twice in the semifinals after the 2007 final, Nadal never had been to the Open final.
But the Spaniard's first trip to the final left him collapsed on the baseline in happiness when Djokovic slapped a forehand wide on match point.
COLLEGE SPORTS
President pays tribute to Texas Christian University riflery team
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
WASHINGTON - The five members of Texas Christian University's national championship rifle队 team were already beside themselves to be on the South Lawn of the White House Monday evening at a celebration of all NCAA sports champions when President Barack Obama gave them the first shout-out.
"We've got the sharpshooters from the TCU rifle squad. Where are they?" Obama asked as the all-female team's members, standing near the camera risers, screamed. "I think that they may be able to give the Secret Service a run for their money."
The TCU Horned Frogs team earned some extra attention since it's the first all-female national rifle championship winner in NCAA history - the sport can have all male, mixed gender and all female teams.
"That was so awesome," said Sarah Scherer, 19, a sophomore from Fort Worth, Texas, "to be recognized by the president."
Obama spoke briefly to the 650 student athletes from 32 schools, praising them for being students and athletes. "You didn't do it as professionals," he said. "You put in countless hours of practice for the love of the game and for the pride of your school."
As the president worked the rope line, shaking hands and talking to many of the students, he reached the TCU team — athletes stood out in their black dresses and matching purple and black TCU cowboy boots.
"He said, 'Check out the boots,' said Caitlin Morrissey, 19, of Topeka, Kan.
TCU chancellor Victor Boschini, who also was at the event, said that the university had given the president his own pair of TCU boots, as well
- all the championship teams brought
that he, too, practiced shooting with a rifle. "He said he practiced with the Secret Service," said Riford, who graduated from TCU in May and now works in Fort Worth.
ship teams brought some item of clothing with their logo which were collected at a security checkpoint.
"It's a real once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us," Boschini said.
"I showed him my ring," she said.
"It's a great experience," said
They spoke about Hawaii and Punahou High School.
There was another surprise for the president - team member Simone Riford, 22, of Hawaii graduated from Obama's Honolulu high school - and was wearing her class ring to prove it.
Obama told the TCU team
"That was so awsome to be recognized by the president."
SARAH SCHERER Rifle team member
Scherer, who grew up in Boston. "Our sport is not very well known so to be invited to the White House is very exciting."
E r i n
Lorenzen,
22, of Fort Wayne, Ind., who graduated in May, said that had once she visited the White House on her 8th grade class trip. "This time it'll be inside the fence," she said beforehand.
Sarah Beard, 19, a sophomore from Danville, Ind., said that winning the championship as a freshman "was a good way to end my first year."
Coach Karen Monez was thrilled that Obama gave them such personal attention.
MLB
"It can't get any better than that - to be recognized at the start."
Samardzija pitches shutout in debut
ST. LOUIS — Jeff Samardzija pitched shutout ball in his first major league start this season and drove in a run to lead the Chicago Cubs past the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 on Monday night.
The Cardinals fell seven games behind first-place Cincinnati in the NL Central. The Reds beat Arizona 7-2 and reduced their magic number to 13 for clinching the division title.
Associated Press
There's no beating the heat
Karlie Brown/KANSAN
Colin Stalter and David Willig. sophomores from Overland Park, play basketball outside the Ambler Student Recreation Fitness Center Monday evening. The warm weather allowed the students to exercise outside, though the humidity has put a damper on their activities.
KCBEERFEST:LEGENDS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16 @ 2:00PM
TASTE LEARN GIVE
Join us in October for the 4th Annual KCBeerfest @ Legends Outlets Kansas City. Sample hundreds of beers from around the world, learn more about craft brews, and raise money for charity!
$25 in advance / $30 at the door
WWW.KCBEERFEST.COM
KCBeerfest is a fundrasiser for the AIDS Services Foundation of Greater Kansas City (www.asfkc.org) and the Kansas City Free Health Clinic (www.kcfree.org).