Rabble Fails To Defeat Haas

In the worst display of unsportsmanlike conduct since the French Open crowd booed Martina Hingis off the court in her final loss to Steffi Graf in 1999, the U.S. Open crowd failed to defeat Tommy Haas as he played against the original class act, James Blake.
Making catcalls as Haas served, applauding wildly when Haas faulted or made errors, chanting Blake's name as though at some team sport like soccer instead of an individual sport with just two people on either side of the net before a screaming, out-of-control mob of thousands, the New York crowd set a new low for unsportansmalike spectator conduct. How few of them realized the amazing comeback story of Tommy Haas, riddled by injuries and whose parents nearly died a few years back in a motorcycle accident?
Should Haas have won a Grand Slam by now given his amazing shot-making ability and talent? And has he been something of a disappointment as a result despite a career that most could only hope for in their wildest dreams? Yes and yes. Is he usually the one who's so often called unsportsmanlike rather than the crowd? That would also be yes.
The play in the best match thus far on the men's side periodically was at a high level. And sometimes both players seemed to be choking. Their were more momentum swings than screams on a roller coaster ride.
But the crowd showed no appreciation for Haas. Fighting his way back from match points to even the final fifth set at 6-6, the crowd was so biased for Blake that it barely applauded both players for having reached that stage of the match.
How is anyone able to ignore thousands of people pulling against you in such a hostile way? Maybe as a pro, you're able to tune it out. But Haas clearly looked rattled serving to try and even the match down 4-5 in the fifth. It was as though the crowd wasn't content to leave the outcome to tennis strokes, but wanted to transform the match into two against one--the crowd and Blake versus Haas.
James Blake, known for his sportsmanlike conduct on and off the court, congratulated Haas after the match. Blake's a likable guy. You can see why the crowd was rooting for him.
But the crowd's rooting for him may actually have been his undoing. It's widespread knowledge that Amelie Mauresmo has difficulty doing well in the French Open because the crowd is pulling for her too much and putting too much pressure on her. I wonder if Blake felt too much pressure too. The second and third to last points of the match certainly looked like he was succumbing to the pressure.
The U.S. Open is anything but quiet. With music blaring on courts while players change sides and onto surrounding courts, and people getting up in the middle of points and walking who knows where rather than waiting until between matches to change their seat, it's hardly Wimbledon.
Perhaps Blake's personality, calmer and classier, is suited more to Wimbledon than the U.S. Open. The crowd's performance today made this spectator wonder whether Ashe Stadium is just too big or the spectators' manners too infinitesimally little.