What a difference a year makes. Or maybe it’s the lingering effect of a hurricane that threatened to upend one of the world’s premier sporting events.

I am talking about the US Open tennis tournament and the incredibly great weather that followed in the wake of Hurricane Irene’s sweep through New York the day before the tournament’s official start.

To be expected, attendance dropped by a few thousand on the opening day, but by the end of the week a new record was established when 62,062 showed up on Friday, Sept. 2.

Like many others, I had planned to be in New York on the first day of the tournament, but the tropical storm and the airline schedule dictated otherwise.

Arriving on the second day of the US Open proved to be rewarding, the balmy, sunny weather contrasting nicely with the oppressive heat that I endured at this time last year.

Better than the weather condition at the Flushing Meadows complex was the opportunity to witness one of many first round upsets.

In a first in the Open Era, none of the three Grand Slam women’s champions from this year advanced past the first round of the US Open.

Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters, the two-time defending US Open champion, was forced to pull out with an injury, a most unfortunate way for someone to exit.

The day before I arrived, Petra Kvitova, from the Czech Republic, who won the women’s title at Wimbledon in July against Maria Sharapova in straight sets, was defeated soundly by Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania.

On the second day, I witnessed the stunning upset of French Open champion Li Na of China, who was knocked out of the tournament in straight sets by unseeded Romanian teenager Simona Halep.

Another pleasure of visiting the US Open in the early going is the chance to watch the unseeded perennial New York crowd favorite, James Blake.

Blake, who has never advanced past the quarterfinals, has a style of play that is great fun to watch, but he’s also erratic and prone to mistakes that can prove costly.

Fortunately, Blake didn’t do himself in on the first round, as he dispatched, though not easily, Jesse Huta Galung from the Netherlands in three sets to one.

Not attending the first day caused me to miss Roger Federer, the previous winner of five US Open titles. But seeing him in a contest with an unknown is like watching a cat swat at a mouse.

The guy I really wanted to see on the first day was the highest ranked American. Mardy Fish, who won this year’s US Open Series, is poised for a deep run this time.

Ranked No. 8 in the world, Fish has come a long way, because in the past he has never gone beyond the quarterfinals of a major tournament. In 2008, Fish was defeated in the quarterfinals of the US Open by Rafael Nadal.

So far, as I write this story, Fish has won his first three rounds in straight set victories. If he keeps winning, Fish would likely have to face Roger Federer in the semifinals.

Rafael Nadal, the talented Spaniard, is defending the US Open title he won last year. Though he won at the French Open in June, Nadal is now struggling after burning his hand on a hot plate.

On the second day, I got a chance to watch Nadal in his first round victory. Beating Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan should have been easy, but Nadal had to rally to win the second set in a tie-breaker.

The best match that I had a chance to see pitted two highly-ranked women, Australian Samantha Stosur and Russian Nadia Petrova, in a marathon slugfest.

The third round match between Stosur and Petrova clocked in a three hours and 16 minutes, making it the longest women’s singles match in recorded US Open history since the advent of the tie-break in 1970.

On a disappointing note to men everywhere, the reigning beauty of the court, Maria Sharapova, seeded third, did not survive the third round. Sadly, she has struggled since her championship run in 2006.

The US Open concludes this year with the men’s singles final on Sunday, Sept. 11, a momentous day for reasons having nothing to do with tennis.

Fittingly, upon the tenth anniversary of the attack on America, a 9/11 memorial ceremony will take place on the tournament’s final day.

Queen Latifah will preside over the memorial tribute. For both the women’s and men’s singles championships “9-11-01” will be painted on the stadium court as part of this memorial tribute.

In the few days remaining before the end of the US Open, you can catch the action on CBS, ESPN or the Tennis Channel. Better yet, make your travel plans for next year.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.