April 5, 2009 Men's Final

10:30 AM

Well, here we are down to the last day. It’s been a wild ride with seeds falling and newcomers moving up. The women’s draw suffered the most early exits, with Jankovic seeded three, Sugiyama, seeded 23, Bammer, 27^th, Sugiyama 23, all out in the second round along with third seed, Jankovic who went out in straight sets to Dulco in a late night battle. Ekaaterina Makarova, who defeated Sugiyama in the second, went on to take out ninth seeded Petrova in the third. Sixth seed Vera also Zvonareva bit the dust in the third, along with seventh seed, Ana Ivanovic, and 12^th

seed Marion Bartoli. Wow, seven seeds gone by round three. Wonder if that’s a record. Then there was 13 seed Wozniacki defeating the number four Dementieva in the fourth, and of course the upset in the final with eleventh seed Victoria Azarenka

victorious over would number one Serena Williams. Of course this was not a real contest since Williams was visible limping. The blond from Belarus had better watch out the next time she meets Williams, because Serena is going to be out to prove that she can’t be beaten when she’s playing at full strength. You may see her looking more like this...

Hiding from the American powerhouse than throwing her arms up in victory.

On the men’s side, second round upsets included, 14^th seed, David Nalbandian, 27th Mardy Fish, who lost to Nicolas Massu in a 3 set, nail biter, and Jurgen Melzer seeded 30.

Of course the big upset was Nadal loosing to Del Potro in the semis.

So far the best match of the tournament. Second seed Federer, lost to third seed Djokovic, in the same round, but that was not a big upset, or completely surprising. The match went three sets, with the Swiss taking the first, but Djokovic took over in the second, and controlled the

rest of the match.

So much for the past... right now everyone is looking forward to the showdown between Andy Murray, who has never been to a final here, and Novak Djokovic who won here in 2007 at age 19. Murray is exactly one week older than the Serb, they are both 21, so will one week of maturity in age prove to be an advantage? I doubt it. Most of the press corps is betting on Murray. He’s made Miami his end of year home base and is very comfortable here.

The British Press cannot contain their excitement. Murray, who ended the 2008 season ranked number four, is the highest ranked British player in the 36 years since the ATP began. World Tour rankings. Of course no one talks about the fact that he is a Scot, and a dour one at that. The Brits have been desperate for a new hero since Tim Henman retired, and Murray looks like the player that could accomplish what Henman was never able to, win the Wimbledon Championships. My word, if he even makes it to the final this year the fans and press will be wild.

12:45 PM

The stadium is filling. The Blanche High School marching band is playing a rousing welcome, The kids in their green uniforms are excited to be playing here. You can see the big smiles on their faces as they march onto stadium court.

3:40 PM

ANDY MURRAY!! He’s done it! The first Brit to not only make it to the final but to win! Murray went up 4 love in the first 23 minutes and closed out the first set in less than an hour, then the tables turned with Djokovic up 5-2 in the second. Murray fought off two set points, and ran off the next five games. He clenches his fist behind his racquet, and jogs to the net to shake hands with Djokovic.This is his largest title to date. They must be dancing on the courts in London.

So this is the end of my story for Miami. I hope you’ve enjoyed experiencing the tournament with me.

Until next time,

Cynthia