FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — Ten years into his pro career, Mardy Fish is more and more finding himself in new territory: playing the role of favorite at the U.S. Open. With back-to-back titles in Newport and Atlanta, and with his run to the Cincinnati finals, he’s no longer being overlooked.
“This is a scenario playing these first few rounds, in this tournament, that I’m not used to much,” he said. “There’s a lot of people who have talked about my summer and how well I’ve played. To be honest, I felt like I’ve been the underdog most matches in my career. This is the spot that I want to be in. You want to be the favorite and winning a lot, so I think my summer has changed a lot of that.”
In his first eight appearances at the U.S. Open, Fish never advanced beyond the second round. He broke through to the quarterfinals in 2008, but a rib injury kept him off the Flushing courts last year.
“I’ve got a really good opportunity,” said Fish, who has climbed from No. 108 in March to No. 21. “I feel like that was the beginning of maybe a 12-month run that I can try to get myself into the top 10.
The slimmed-down 28-year-old looked strong from the service stripe on Thursday in surging into the third round with a 7-5, 6-0, 6-2 takedown of Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas. Fish registered 14 aces and won 42 of 50 first-serve points.
“I’ve been in a lot of positions in my career, but I’ve never put myself in a Grand Slam sort of as a guy who people talk about,” added Fish. “I’ve come in under the radar. This is a new — certainly new for me — and I enjoy it.”
