Being a Sam Querrey fan must be a hard undertaking. Nearly every match is a stressful affair, often going back and forth and inevitably including a moment when (win or lose) Querrey seems to surely blow it with the most frustrating of errors. If Sam were a wrestler, he would almost certainly be called "The Ulcer" because being his fan is sure to produce one. But that is why today was so refreshing. Thursday afternoon in Queens, Querrey gave us the rare treat of a relatively easy victory, taking out Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in under a relatively short tennis jaunt. Querrey dominated the Spaniard with his serve, won all of the key points and made virtually none of his trademark heartbreaking errors, instead dominating and showing a form that harkens back to his Top 20 days.
After the match Querrey said he is feeling as good as he has in two years and he thinks he is at the level of Top 20 form. That's good, because his task gets much harder in the next round, where Novak Djokovic and a national television audience on the stage of Arthur Ashe Stadium awaits. But regardless of how that match turns out, we should take a minute to salute Sam for being a shining light on this otherwise depressing fortnight for American tennis. I had not realized how depressing the situation had become until I saw this ESPN graphic this morning:
From 33 in the Second Round to only three. That is pathetic. So while we could use this occasion to talk about Querrey's tense matches of the past or wonder whether he has any chance of holding up the Red, White and Blue versus the Djoker, we should instead take a second and give a salute. With only three left, we need to give thanks for the small bounties in our midst.
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