Despite Loss, Rubin Makes Great Strides in Grand Slam Debut

Noah Rubin entered his Grand Slam debut in the U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Tuesday afternoon with a fighting chance. With a wild card in hand, earned by capturing the Kalamazoo National Championships, Rubin had a shot to do something that only two players who have taken the title in the last 10 years has been able to do. Of the last 10 Kalamazoo champs, only two have won heir first round match at the U.S. Open.

Before gracing Court 13 in front of a partisan New York crowd, right in view of the Unisphere, Rubin had reason to believe that he can add a favorable number to that statistic. On the other side of the net in the broiling late-summer sun was an Argentinean clay-court specialist by the name of Federico Delbonis. Look through his season record and it would relax Rubin supporters to see that the lefty from Argentina had won a grand total of one match on hard courts in 2014. Considering the U.S. Open is played on hard courts, that probably was not a good thing for Delbonis’ confidence.

Yet, as fans crowded Court 13 as the players took the stage, it was the young American who was in a quick hole. An extremely confident young man looked anything but for a split second early on, as he was broken on his first two service games to fall behind 0-3 in the opening set. Rubin was able to fight back and get one of the breaks back, but lost the opening set 4-6.

In the second set, the youngster started putting his head down and grinding points out against the Argentinean, using his speed nicely to keep Delbonis from gaining complete control of points. Rubin was broken at 2-2 and couldn't recover though, losing the set 3-6. While he couldn't get the break back, he continued to fight on each point. Instead of succumbing to the early break and deficit, Noah thrilled the bullring-type of crowd with shot making that one would not expect from a five-foot, nine-inch kid who many critics have termed as undersized. As long as he fought to get into a rally with Delbonis, he did not have trouble hanging in or advancing a point himself, showing that he has a dangerous backhand. One of the hardest shots on the professional circuit is a down-the-line backhand, yet Rubin was literally launching himself into it to push his opponent back.

There was one thing that hurt Rubin, and changed the feeling of the match though: 51 percent first serves in, 51 percent first serve points won. Neither of those is a good statistic, and they both turned the tide of the contest. Rubin was trying to spot-serve, aiming rather than going after the ball, yet he still was not putting a high percentage in the court, leading to a lot of second serve return opportunities for his opponent.

In a sport where the easiest shot of a rally is a second serve return, that usually is not a good thing.

The crowd tried to get behind Rubin throughout the match and energy ran through the overcrowded surroundings of Court 13, but there was not enough sustainable play to really make the crowd a factor and affect Delbonis.

“Yeah, it was nice,” said Rubin of the strong crowd support. “It pumps me up every once in a while, but I'm still out there just to give it all. Nothing is going to change whether it is one person or a thousand people I know.”

As Delbonis patted Rubin’s back at their handshake, the Junior Wimbledon champion and Kalamazoo winner had lost his first match at a major in the men’s draw, 6-4, 6-3, 6-0.

With his play, Rubin showed he can hang around with the big boys. One thing is for sure, he believes it, and that might as well be more important than all.

“I learned that I can definitely compete with these guys at the best level, but definitely have things to learn,” said Rubin. “Fitness is one. I mean, nerves came into play a little bit also. So my fitness can definitely be at a higher level, but I can play with these guys on any given day. We'll see how I improve.”

The key now though is the future. Rubin has showed he can play with the big boys and your first match at the U.S. Open is tough for anyone. Noah's strength is his mental game and on Thursday he will look to bounce back in doubles with his partner and fellow countryman Stefan Kozlov as they take on veteran American Michael Russell and fellow youngster, 17-year-old Jared Donaldson.

Credit all photos to Calvin Rhoden