NEW YORK -- A point from another U.S. Open upset, and otherwise unaccustomed to Grand Slam success, Ahsha Rolle stopped for a moment to figure out how to celebrate.
A simple jump in the air? A fall to the court? Decisions, decisions.
While pondering that, Rolle flubbed her first match point by missing an easy volley. Not to worry: The 109th-ranked Rolle soon did wind up flopping on her back after beating 57th-ranked Karin Knapp of Italy 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 Wednesday night to reach the third round at Flushing Meadows.
"I was thinking about way too many things," Rolle said. "I was like, 'OK, just think about the point and then do it."'
The 22-year-old from Miami Shores, Fla., was 0-2 in Grand Slam play until this week. But she knocked off No. 17 seed Tatiana Golovin in the first round and now will face No. 15 Dinara Safina in the third.
She got plenty of support from the American crowd -- and at one point noticed her mom yelling so loudly, Rolle hushed her. She also sought guidance on the sideline by flipping through a well-worn Bible, where she's penned notes such as "believe in yourself" and "move your feet."
Aside from the victories, Rolle got another thrill this week: Venus Williams said, "Hi."
Twice.
As a 9-year-old, Rolle went with a friend to the Williams' house in Florida to watch Venus and Serena practice.
"This was before they really hit it big," Rolle recalled. "It's amazing to be in the locker room with them, saying, 'Hi.' It's cool."
Henman still around
When was the last time Tim Henman played as well as he did at the U.S. Open on Wednesday?
"It's been a while," he acknowledged.
Henman extended his career by winning his first-round match at what is going to be the last tournament of his career. The six-time Grand Slam semifinalist knocked off 27th-seeded Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
"The whole nature of the match -- not only the level of play, but the support, the atmosphere out on a big court," Henman said. "It was fantastic."
The Brit, who turns 33 on Sept. 6, announced last week that he'll retire following the U.S. Open and a Davis Cup match next month. He's been hampered by back and knee problems lately and came into the U.S. Open with a 5-11 record this year.
As if that wasn't daunting enough, he went into Wednesday with a 1-5 mark against Tursunov, including 0-3 at Grand Slams -- one loss each at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.
"If I had lost in straight sets today, I don't think it would have been the biggest deal in the world. But having said that, yeah, to play against him, of all people ... and play that well, it's great," Henman said. "It certainly leaves -- yeah, sort of leaves - a good taste."
Ginepri's tournament
If Robby Ginepri had his way, every tournament would be the U.S. Open.
The best moment of the American's pro tennis career came at Flushing Meadows two years ago, when he reached the U.S. Open semifinals.
"A switch pops in my brain or something that says, 'Start playing,"' Ginepri said Wednesday after beating Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-0, 6-3, 6-1 in the first round.
"I feel extremely comfortable on these courts. I've always really strived to do well. I've watched this tournament growing up for so many years. To actually be a part of it is phenomenal for me."
And he also caught a break Wednesday: He won't have to face No. 7 seed Fernando Gonzalez, the Australian Open runner-up, in the second round. That's because Gonzalez was the only one of the top-16 seeded men to lose in the first round, eliminated 6-4, 6-1, 3-6, 5-7, 6-4 by Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia.
Ginepri's 2005 semifinal run, coupled with winning his second career title at Indianapolis - like the Open, played on hard courts - helped him end that year ranked 17th.
A rougher 2006 pushed him out of the top 50, although he did get to the third round at the U.S. Open before losing a fifth-set tiebreaker to Tommy Haas.
Now ranked 64th, Ginepri has only been as far as the third round at two tournaments in 2007, the Australian Open and Queen's Club.
"It's tough to have a good ranking and establish a name for yourself -- do what you want to do to exceed," said Ginepri, the runner-up to Andy Roddick in the 2000 U.S. Open junior event. "If you're only playing good tennis three months out of the year, it's not going to cut it."
