The final result for the Women’s U.S. Open Tennis Championship was a bit of a letdown with how easily Sloane Stephens beat Madison Keys in straight sets. Stephens overwhelmed Keys with a 6-2 and 6-0 score. The ending was rather undramatic after 2 weeks of some really great women's tennis. I was really hoping to see a strong 3 set match in the final.
If Sloane and Madison can stay at this level with their individual games, they will both have a chance to step into the Williams sisters' shoes when Venus and Serena decide to retire. I predict the Williams sisters will remain in the tennis circuit for another 2 or 3 years, but the new stars have a long way to go to achieve the status that the Williams sisters have achieved in women's tennis.
On the men's side, Rafael Nadal won his 16th Major by defeating a surprise finalist, Kevin Anderson from South Africa. Nadal handily beat Anderson in straight sets. As great as it was to see Anderson make it to the Final, it had to be a bit humbling and nerveracking to come up against Nadal for his first chance to win a Major. All in all it was a great U.S. Open.
The Philadelphia Eagles gave us a nice surprise with a win in their first regular season game. It was somewhat close until the very end. The Eagles recovered a fumble and ran it in for a TD with under 5 minutes left to finish at 30-17 over the Washington Redskins. The Eagles were pretty consistent on the offensive side of the ball, especially passing-wise. They need to run the ball a little better so they don't become a one dimensional team. The defense held their own as well, especially the defensive line.
The entire Eagles team will have to have a good game this week against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs beat the defending champion, the New England Patriots, in the season opener. This will also be the first time that Andy Reid has coached against the Eagles in a regular season game so it will be interesting to see how the crowd reacts.
I have avoided saying much about the Philadelphia Phillies for a while, but there seems to be a bit of a light at the end of the tunnel. Over the past six weeks, two of their new players, Ryhs Hoskins and Nick Williams, have been carrying the Phillies' offense. Their efforts have helped to improve their record, even though they have the worst record in baseball.
Ryhs Hoskins has chalked up an incredible 17 home runs in 33 games. Nick Williams is playing consistent defense in the outfield, along with some good hitting. Two big issues for the Phillies in the off-season will be finding some more consistent starting pitchers. This might force them to trade someone like Miguel Franco to create the room needed for some more good, younger players. It's always a shame to see that have to happen, but that's baseball.
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A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
