The American Spectator

On the ladies’, America’s own Divine Divas, Venus and Serena Williams, easily beat fellow-Americans Lindsay Lee-Waters and Megan Moulton-Levy, next to whose very nice mother-in-law I found myself sitting in the Grandstand court. The Williams sisters, having brought back Olympic gold, are aiming to dominate still another time at this tournament where they are great fan favorites — the charming little stadium next to Louis Armstrong Stadium was packed like a can of sardines and felt positively deserted, though it was far from that, when the talented but temperamental Ryan Harrison took on Germany’s Benjamin Becker right after the divas quick win.

The doubles match was inspired only in fits and starts, as Miss Venus went sluggish on her backhand only to put in some outstanding demonstrations of net play, and Misses Lee-Waters and Moulton-Levy were, notwithstanding their evident good nature, stage-struck. By contrast, Ryan Harrison put on a superb display of all-court dominance, attacking and defending with equal effectiveness.

No need to wave the red, white and blue to say Americans young and less young are doing well, and there is no need to take anything away from such fur’ners as Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic (seeded 8th) who once again showed why he cannot be underestimated when he came back from two sets down to beat France’s Guillaume Ruffin, with the same patience and skill for which he is renown and feared. But it certainly is fine to wave the red, white and blue from time to time, and take special heart in that great American story of courage and never-say-die from Nashville, Tennessee.