A Tennis Convert...At Least for One Night [J. Mark English]

Last night I helped a friend move a piece of furniture in his apartment. Afterwards we sat down, drank a cold beer, and flipped on the U.S. Open on the USA Network. He is die hard tennis fan, and follows Andre Agassi.

For myself, I do not enjoy watching tennis and golf. I'd rather see the highlights on Sportscenter, or read about the event in the paper or on the internet. Simply put - I do not have the patience for individual sports.

Last night may have changed my perspective. I was wrapped up in the event of the U.S. Open. Agassi struggled to stave off Andrei Pavel. Pavel took the first set 7-6, then lost the next two to Agassi 6-7, 6-7. Each set was fiercly contested. The crowd was electric. As the match went on, and the hour got closer to midnight, the New Yorkers turned their appreciation in full throttle towards Agassi. Pavel could barely withstand the pressure by the fourth set, and lost 6-2.

It was thrilling to Agassi, the ancient lion of the sport of tennis, against a no namer Pavel who came so close to ending Agassi's career. I look forward to watching more of the U.S. Open over the next two weeks.