NOTEBOOK U.S. Open

Medalists bow out: Olympic medals weren't worth much Wednesday. On the men's side of the draw, No. 14 Fernando Gonzalez, a double medalist at Athens, made an early exit, losing to Robin Soderling 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-7 (4), 6-1. Gonzalez won the doubles gold with Nicolas Massu and the singles bronze at Athens. Also losing was No. 17 Alicia Molik, a bronze medalist at Athens, who was beaten by Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-3. Tomas Berdych, who defeated No. 1 Roger Federer in the Olympics, beat No. 32 Jonas Bjorkman 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3.
Spadea remembers: Vince Spadea was at the end of the line. There had been a disheartening 21-match losing streak and his ranking had all but disappeared, down to 229. Three years ago, he was alone in New York City, sitting in a Manhattan cafe, trying to figure it all out. "No friends, nothing to do, four days before Sept. 11, feeling like this dark cloud over me, just contemplating what is going to happen," he said. "Watching people in New York City is kind of an experience. Everyone's kind of on a mission, going somewhere, trying to make a productive day out of it. Here I am walking aimlessly." Surrounded by new people, Spadea rebuilt his tennis career. He won his first tournament at Scottsdale earlier this year, came into the U.S. Open seeded No. 23 and defeated Luis Horna 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 in Wednesday's first round.
Associated Press
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