US Open Series Champions

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I fully expected Elena Dementieva to win the premier event in Cincy, but Jelena Jankovic outlasted her in the semifinals and made the world No. 1 look like a rank amateur in the final. She is the defending US Open runner-up and she does enjoy the summer hardcourts, so perhaps she'll use this victory to move past her career ennui.

Dinara Safina is the top-ranked player in the world based upon her results at tour-level events. Like it or not, that's the way it is and I accept it. But what would be her ranking without on-court coaching? There's a reason she can't win a Slam. She can't get chewed out and berated by her demented-looking coach coached on the changeovers.

Juan Martín del Potro can go jump in a lake. Seriously. And get fit. I get so tired of hearing commentators talk about the difficulty of performing well during the dog days of summer because of the heat. So tired of hearing the excuses they rain on players who do what del Potro did in the Montreal final: hit a brick wall physically and have to go through the motions to avoid another blotch of retirement on his record.

Wasn't that long ago a certain someone won Indianapolis, made the semifinals in D.C., and then won Montreal (without a first-round bye!), Cincy (without a first-round bye!), and the US Open, avenging his D.C. loss in the first round at Flushing Meadows, and didn't hit a wall until Davis Cup on clay a week later.

Del Potro is young. Being able to physically recover more quickly than the old folks is part of youth, no?

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Andy Murray, who Karen likes to call the best best-of-three player on the tour, was the willing recipient of del Potro's breakdown to win his first Rogers Cup. He replaces Rafael Nadal as the No. 2 player in the world today.

What a difference an injury makes.