The U.S. Open: An American Feel

Noticeably different from other recent majors in the world of Tennis, there are 2 Americans remaining on the men's side as we enter the quarterfinals and 1 woman still playing in the semifinals. For the women, this  is not a rare occurrence as the Williams sisters have been near or at the top of the world rankings for the better part of the last 10 years, other than a brief hiatus a few years back. However, the American men have  struggled in recent majors and failed to make much of an impression as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have dominated the game. In fact, if either Andy Roddick or John Isner can manage to win one more match, one of them will be the first American in a major semifinal since Andy Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009.

Both Roddick and Isner have extremely tough matches on their hands as Roddick must battle defending champion Rafael Nadal while Isner prepares to take on the hope of Great Britain in Andy Murray. Historically, Roddick and Nadal have met just once in a major in the second round of the 2004 U.S. Open, won by the American in 3 sets. However, that was 7 years ago and well before Nadal had made a name for himself and become arguably the world's top player. The bigger story for this match is Roddick's potential re-birth which is due to the fact that for the first time in over 2 years, he looks as if he has regained the swagger that has not been seen since a heartbreaking loss to Roger Federer in the 2009 Wimbledon Final. 90% of the crowd tomorrow will be pulling for the underdog in Roddick, helped by the fact that this is the U.S. Open and frankly, if you are an American, most fans are pulling for an All-American semifinal showdown between Andy Roddick and John Isner.

The match between Isner and Andy Murray presents a duel of 2 young players, one who has been so painfully close to winning a major title in Andy Murray and the other being better known for just 1 match over the course of his career. Isner is the same man who defeated Nicolas Mahut in the longest professional tennis match ever played, 11 hours and 5 minutes over the course of 3 days at Wimbledon in 2010. He has never appeared in a quarterfinal at a major and will make his debut tomorrow when he takes on Murray. Murray has been a runner-up 3 times at majors, including the 2008 U.S. Open when he lost to Roger Federer. Without a doubt, Isner is the Cinderella that everyone is rooting for as he is the least recognizable name left in the field. Despite that, if Isner wasn't an American underdog, I would be among those pulling for Murray in a match due to the fact that he has never won a major before. Either way, most people probably do not want to see Federer, Nadal or Djokovic win another major. It has become almost a foregone conclusion over the last few years that one member of that trio will win the Grand Slams.

Here's to hoping for an All-American semifinal matchup between Roddick and Isner. Its been a long time since us Americans have been able to celebrate a Grand Slam Winner, not since Andy Roddick won the 2003 U.S. Open. Long live the Red, White and Blue.