Looking for Sam Querrey? On Tuesday, for the first time at the U.S. Open, you'll find him at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
As the U.S. Open moves into its second week, Querrey, the third-ranked American and 20th seed here, has plied his trade in Louis Armstrong Stadium, which seats 10,103, compared to 23,771 in Ashe. After a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over Nicolas Almagro in the third round Sunday, though, he'll certainly get top billing for his next match.
Querrey hasn't shielded his dissatisfaction with his place in the U.S. Open hierarchy. "For whatever reason, they haven't given the Americans a look at Ashe this year," he said Friday. "If you go to the French Open, they have [Richard] Gasquet, [Julien] Benneteau, [Gael] Monfils. They're on center court every day."
Querrey clearly feels slighted. He shouldn't, though. We tested his French Open theory and didn't uncover favorable numbers. At this year's tournament, Monfils was the only Frenchman among the three mentioned above who played on Court Philippe Chatrier. Gasquet wasn't worthy of center court even though he played Murray, also the No. 4 seed at that event, in the first round.
Six American players — Andy Roddick, James Blake, John Isner, Venus Williams, Chelsey Gullickson and Beatrice Capra — will have made an appearance on Ashe through Sunday. In the 35 matches completed in the stadium as of this evening, 11 would have included an American.
At this year's French Open, the first seven days included 24 matches on Chatrier. Five of those included French men and four included French women. Overall, this amounts to a 6 percent difference in favor of the French. It's something, yes, but hardly the dramatic everyday favoritism that Querrey describes.
If anything, the lack of Americans on center stage this year shows that the Open's organizers are willing to put the biggest draws in the sport — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova — on Ashe, despite the tug of nationalism. The Open is for tennis fans first, and they want the stars on the biggest stages.
Querrey's best bet is to become one himself. At this year's tournament, he's off to a great start. His win over Almagro puts him in the fourth round for the second time in his career.
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