I've never been in the army. I don't have an American flag flying outside my house. Independence Day doesn't get my all choked up. But besides traveling in Europe and hearing the people bad-mouth the good ole U.S. of A, going to the US Open is when I get my most jingoistic impulses.

I was watching the Jesse Witten vs. Stephane Bohli of Switzerland match, standing next to Scoop Malinowski, who was cold-cocked walking up to people and asking them if they knew who is the heavyweight champion of the world (no one did, but they eyed Scoop suspiciously anyway) and when Bohli won the first set and yelled, "Yeah," or the Swiss-equivalent, I got roused.

How dare this Swiss dude come into my hometown and yell out after winning a first set against an American! Shouldn't the umpire give him a penalty point or something for this faux pas?

I'm not a big Jesse Witten fan. I like how he looks like a heavier-set Connors or a bar-room brawler and he hits his forehand like an animal, but I've never actively rooted for him before. But after that first set, I started doing my Spadea-rooting routine for Witten. "C'mon, Jesse, let's go." And then three claps. Don't ask me why three claps are the right number, it just feels right. Some players will look over at you, particularly qualifiers who aren't used to people knowing their first name, and sort of say with their eyes, "Yeah, you think this comeback is possible?" But Witten to his credit, didn't even look over at me, even though I was cheering and whooping now after every point he won.

And he started winning every one practically. Bohli started getting acutely upset to the point where on one point where he felt a ball was not called long to his favor, after the point, he stopped and looked up at the umpire and said, "A joke, right?" But Witten just started hammering Bohli, who started hearing more and more support for Witten. The Swiss Davis Cup captain, Severin Luthi, the guy who coaches Federer from time to time had watched the first set, but left afterward. I love it when I start rooting for a guy and he turns it around and others in the crowd start rooting for him. I left and Witten was up 4-0 in the third set and he wound up winning 6-0 in the third.

Before, I was watching Stefan Koubek of Austria play Daniel Silva of Brazil, two pint-sized lefties, who were having thrilling points in the first set. Silva was up a break, but Koubek, the baddest dude in tennis with blonde blond short hair, a tattoo of some kind of scorpion or snake on his back, no sleeve shirt, a vicious forehand and this look on his face that said to Silva, "I don't care how hard you're trying or how many Brazilians in the crowd are rooting for you while no one's rooting for me, I'm going to kick your butt." And he did. He's the Jean Claude Van Damme of tennis.

Then I was watching Peter Polansky play Michael Russell and Polansky should be, by my viewing at least, the No. 1 player in the world. I have no idea why this guy with his beautiful game is playing the qualies or that I've barely heard of him because watching him play, running like the wind with his Borg-like blond hair flowing behind him, hitting gorgeous shots off both wings, I can't see why this guy isn't No. 1 in the world. If anyone can tell me, maybe Peter Polansky (by the way, is there a better name in tennis?) reading this blog, himself, can fill me in.

Finally, I found out why it isn't good to champion 18-year-olds as future Grand Slam winners after watching only one of their matches.

I went back again to watch Grigor Dimitrov play the top seed, Brazilian Tomaz Bellucci. Dimitrov still looked brilliant, almost effortless, moving with quick, balletic steps and hitting beautiful, searing shots. But it became apparent after a while, that while Bellucci had winning shots, Dimitrov doesn't really have any major weapons. He's kind of Federer-lite. He doesn't serve too many aces, or hit the other-worldly Fed inside-outside forehand, and he doesn't have the whip on the Fed crosscourt forehand. So while you're aware he's great, maybe it'd be better if you weren't so aware how great he is because then he'd be shortening points by putting the ball away. Dimitrov lost in straights to a disappointed crowd who had heard about his brilliance and had shown up to crowd his court (even Feliciano Lopez came by to watch along with all the tennis scribes).

But that's sometimes how it goes at the qualies. The young phenom doesn't turn into the instant champion and the older, more experienced quali player shows that he's not there just to be champion-fodder. 

Redhead is a published author, former Satellite-level tennis player and coach and a thought-provoking and incendiary presence on the Tennis Week.com message board.