Grandstanding

First, let me get this out of the way: My favorite court here is the Grandstand. It's small, intimate, yet once upon a time it was the No. 2 court here. Which means that it was also once the best court fans could get into for free. Its reputation for wild matches between fan favorites with roaring, boisterous fans packed into its 2,000 seats has earned it the right to host some fun matches, despite its diminished ranking since the addition of Arthur Ashe Stadium.

So, when I changed my plans to catch the end of Svetlana Kuznetsova match on Arthur Ashe court (she went up a set and a break as I left the media center), I decided to head over to the far side of the Tennis Center for some grandstanding.

I watched 19th-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga outlast Santiago Ventura in four sets. Tsonga started off badly, falling behind two breaks at 4-1 in the first set before recovering to force a tiebreaker, which he ultimately lost. But his 137-mph serves were too much for Ventura, who struggled with his own serve, throwing in three consecutive double faults at one point.

Baking in sun and basking in the soundtrack of the U.S. Open -- the roar of the crowd from Armstrong Stadium, the subway trains in the distance, and the jets overhead -- it occurred to me that I should probably let you, the fans, know that to enjoy a day at the U.S. Open, you don't need to buy the pricier tickets to allow you access to Arthur Ashe.

Sure, you won't get to see all the marquee names like Federer, Nadal, Roddick, Serena or Venus. But this early on in the tournament, all those big stars are facing qualifiers and low-ranked players who they're likely to blow out anyway. And unless you're willing to shell out the big bucks for good seats, you're probably going to be sitting closer to the sky than you will the players.

Why not take in a more competitive match in a friendlier setting on the outer courts? If you're not a die-hard tennis fan (and my guess is that applies to the majority of New Yorkers), you'll have a more enjoyable experience that way. Plus, you'll save a little money, which you will definitely need if you plan to buy any of the Open's infamously overpriced concessions.

I'll be back later with some more thoughts, but for now I'm going to take my own advice and go for a stroll to the outer courts. Catch up with you later.