By Dylan Butler
Laura Bergquist had always wanted to experience the U.S. Open. And when she and her husband Joe just happened to be in New York on business this week, the Wichita, Kan., native got her opportunity Monday on opening day of the 2001 U.S. Open at the National Tennis Center in Flushing.
“I’m not in Kansas anymore,” she proudly proclaimed.
No, Laura Bergquist was in tennis’ Emerald City watching the wizards of the sport do battle.
“It’s amazing, it is really what I expected,” she said. “I didn’t expect to be that close. On TV this place looks so big. We just got on a subway and paid $1.50 to get here. How cool is that?”
Tennis fans from all corners of the country Monday flocked to the National Tennis Center for the opener of the 14-day Grand Slam event. Some spectators, like Theresa Haberle and Greg Weise from New Hampshire, are die-hard fans who have returned to the U.S. Open.
“We’ve been to Wimbledon and the French Open and between this and the French it is a tossup for the best event,” said Weise, who was enjoying his first taste of crepes from the Food Court. “We’re going to go a couple of days. We like the opening rounds because you can see everyone.”
Jamie Vogel, 23, from Manhattan, has gone to opening day almost every year for the past decade. Her sister, Stephanie Vogel, 26, enjoyed the atmosphere, but was a bit perturbed not to see her favorite men’s player, Justin Gimbelstob, who hails from her hometown of Livingston, N.J.
And there were also some first-timers at the Open as well as the sport, like Bronx resident Lauren Stoltzh.
“I wasn’t expecting it to be like this with so many courts,” said Stoltzh, 19, a sophomore at Seton Hall University. “I’m used to going to a Yankee game and sitting down for nine innings. I like this, though it’s a lot different.”
Stoltzh was a bit confused about the scoring, asking her friend Michelle Keenan, also from the Bronx, for help.
“I like it here because you can walk around and there’s a bunch of different things to do,” said Keenan, 19, a sophomore at Sacred Heart University.
The Food Court was a popular place Monday as fans sat and soaked in the atmosphere, while many noshed on a variety of different foods ranging from Tex-Mex to ice cream to traditional ballpark fare like hot dogs and hamburgers.
But not everyone was happy with the prices, which included $6.75 for a stuffed baked potato, $7.50 for a cheeseburger and $15.75 for a cold Maine lobster roll.
“The prices are really steep,” said Paykan Safe from Dallas. “It’s something they can improve on, not so much the price but the quality. But you expect that from a place like this, you don’t come here for the food.”
The new-look Food Court was one of the changes fans who attended previous Opens noticed. New additions included an awning over certain sections and an additional video screen to complement the big screen on the side of Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Another change included two big screen TVs inside Arthur Ashe Stadium to aid those sitting in the upper echelon of the gigantic stadium.
The awnings were put to good use Monday as heavy rains soaked the grounds late in the afternoon, forcing people to scurry for cover.
As fans waited for the matches to resume, many watched a rerun of the classic Jimmy Connors/Aaron Krickstein 1991 quarterfinal match on the big screen televisions while still others listened to the steady stream of jazz music from a band shell between Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadiums.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 143.
