BY JANET STEINBERG

Cincinnati,
Ohio is really rockin’ this summer.

Events
like Balloon Glow at Coney Island, Macy’s Music Festival, Paddlefest, Midwest
Black Family Reunion, Luminosity at Music Hall, and the Cincinnati Reds, made
this Ohio River town the place to be this summer.  But t
he Emirates Airline US Open Series  in Cincinnati at
the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament at the Lindner Family
Tennis Center was the jewel in the crown of the beautiful “Queen
City”.

A highlight of the
tournament was the Friday night rivalry between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer
which I was privileged to attend.  Two of the greatest
players in the tennis world, Rafa and Roger, gave the sold-out crowd
in Center Court one of the most exciting tennis evenings they had ever
witnessed.  

RAFAEL
NADAL AND I (front row, second from the left, next to the blue rail…looking so
serious)


The
27-year old Nadal gave the 32-year old Federer quite a run for the money before
defeating him with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory in the quarterfinals.  

Federer’s
quote to the Cincinnati Enquirer after the match was as follows: “I’m
happy with my progress along the way.   Could have won tonight; should
have won tonight.  Who knows?  But at the end, I think Rafa’s
confidence and the way he’s playing at the moment got him through.”

ROGER
FEDERER AND I (front row on the left side of the blue rail…smiling this time)

JANET STEINBERG is an
award-winning Travel Writer and a Travel Consultant affiliated with
The Travel Authority, Mariemont/Cincinnati, Ohio office.