Aug 31 st - Opening Night at 125 th US Open with the Stern Tennis Association – Big Stars, Big Event

By

 Mike Hochanadel, MBA2

michael.hochanadel

Thirty-six of your fellow MBA 2’s, Part-timer’s, Alumni, Alumnae and friends attended opening night at the U.S Open in Flushing Meadows, Queens. The Stern Tennis Association (STA) organized the outing for the third consecutive year in an effort to make it an annual event. This outing is a great way to reconnect with classmates and get excited up about upcoming Tennis Association events.

For those of us who had not been to a professional tennis tournament before, we were a bit surprised when we walked through the tunnel with beers in hand and entered a stadium filled with…silence. It felt more like a library than a professional sporting event. Granted, I have watched many tennis tournaments on television and I knew that tennis fans remain quiet during points but experiencing the scene firsthand was quite different then let’s say the Yankees-Red Sox games to which I am accustomed.

Upon getting to our seats (which weren’t the worst seats in the stadium I might add) we were treated to two stellar performances. In the first evening match, Maria Sharapova defeated her opponent Eleni Daniilidou in straight sets. Despite tennis etiquette, some fans couldn’t help themselves and “I Love You Maria” could be heard several times throughout the match. As far as I know it did not come from our section, but given the company, that can’t be confirmed.

In the second match, Andre Agassi defeated Razvan Sabau in a similarly impressive match. Agassi, always a crowd favorite, looked very strong in what is incredibly his 20 th consecutive U.S Open. As expected, he drew a standing ovation upon taking the court and thanked each person for spending a day of their lives to come and see him play. Who knew the first STA event of the year would be such an emotional one.

The event was a success and good times were had by all. However, there were a couple of minor snafus, like when the STA President led his team to the wrong subway and when he tried to kick a part-timer and his wife out of their seats. However, these were only minor glitches for the beginning of what is sure to be a great year for Stern and for the Tennis Association.