NEW YORK -- Right when Roger Federer's close shot was called out, Gayle Bradshaw was ready.
"Stand by," the replay official told the computer operators inside the Player Challenge Booth, high above Arthur Ashe Stadium. Seeing Federer point his racket and the chair umpire signal, Bradshaw gave the command: "System ready ... launch!"
Seconds later, the instant-replay recreation showed up on the videoboard Saturday. Federer was right, his return early in the first set was good. The call was overturned, and Federer beat Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets in their U.S. Open semifinal.
Standing in the back of the booth, surrounded by five other people, several laptops, a couple of TV monitors and a small refrigerator, Paul Hawkins managed a slight smile.
"It's not like I hold my breath on every call, but it's nice to see it's working," he said.
With a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence, Hawkins spent five years developing the Hawk-Eye technology that's brought replay to Grand Slam tennis for the first time. In his early 30s and from England, Hawkins originally designed the system for cricket.
"Tennis didn't really have much interest at first," he said.
But after a blown call during a quarterfinal between Jennifer Capriati and Serena Williams at the 2004 U.S. Open, the U.S. Tennis Association thought again.
Shots at the Ashe and Louis Armstrong courts are measured within 3 millimeters.
"We don't actively (go) seeking comment from the players," Hawkins said, "but from what we've heard indirectly, they seem to like it."
Through mid-afternoon Saturday, players had called for 183 instant-replay challenges and 57 of those calls (31 percent) were overturned.
"I like everything about it," finalist Andy Roddick said earlier in the tournament.
There have been few complaints -- Marat Safin, known for his quirky behavior, wondered how precise the system was. Generally, there have been more questions about the challenge system, not the technology itself.
"The players are the focus at the tournament. We're here to make sure they remain the focus, rather than the officials," Hawkins said. "Going into the finals, I might be a little nervous, like the players. It took a long time to build up this system, but it would take only one wrong call to tear it down."
So far, though, so good. By all indications, instant replay may be used at next year's Australian Open.
"I'd consider it a success if at next year's Open not much is written about us," Hawkins said.
Looking out from the open-air replay booth, Hawkins could see Shea Stadium, where the New York Mets played the Los Angeles Dodgers. The NFL, NBA and NHL all use some form of replay, but baseball remains a holdout.
"With a few slight adjustments," Hawkins said, "we could have it up and running at a baseball match tomorrow."
Doubling up
Leander Paes won his fourth Grand Slam doubles title, teaming with Martin Damm to defeat Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-3 Saturday at the U.S. Open.
Paes, from India, and Damm, from the Czech Republic, were seeded sixth. Damm won his first Slam doubles championship after being the runner-up at the 2006 Australian Open and 1993 U.S. Open.
Paes and Damm had only two unforced errors to 15 by their second-seeded opponents.
Bjorkman, from Sweden, and Mirnyi, from Belarus, defended their French Open championship in June. They've each won U.S. Open doubles titles, playing with different partners.
Feeling fine
In April, U.S. Open junior boys finalist Peter Polansky needed 400 stitches after a freak sleepwalking accident threw his tennis future in doubt.
The 18-year-old Polansky was an alternate on the Canadian Davis Cup team when he wandered out his third-story hotel window in Mexico and fell. He severed an artery in his left calf and had to go through five hours of surgery.
The unseeded Polansky continued his return Saturday when he upset No. 4 Donald Young 6-3, 6-7 (2-7) to reach the final.
"I'm really happy the way things are going for me right now," Polansky said. "I've tried to just remain focused. The past few months in rehab has certainly taught me how to concentrate."
Polansky is the second Canadian to make a Grand Slam junior final this year. Philip Bester was a finalist at the French Open in June.
Polansky will play 10th-seeded Dusan Lojda of the Czech Republic on Sunday for the title.
"To be the first Canadian to win a grand slam title (in singles) would be an amazing accomplishment," Polansky said.
