A Painful Day for U.S.

NEW YORK —  The kids were not all right. Day 4 of the U.S. Open was especially cruel for young Americans, and the end result was that Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe might be scrambling for another singles player for the Sept. 21-23 relegation round against India.

Within minutes of one another, Taylor Dent and his aching back and Jan-Michael Gambill and his aching shoulder were out of the Open in the second round Thursday.

Joining them was another promising American teenager, wild card Robby Ginepri. Two rounds are not even completed, and James Blake is the lone wild-card survivor. Qualifiers Justin Gimelstob and Jack Brasington play today.

The departure of the 20th-seeded Gambill was not unexpected, considering he had retired because of an injured right shoulder in his last two tournaments. Russian Mikhail Youzhny was leading Gambill, 6-4, 4-1, when Gambill called it quits.

Gambill has been suffering from inflammation of the nerves in his shoulder and will have an MRI exam today.

The timing is not good for Davis Cup considerations. McEnroe must name the team by Sept. 11 and find a healthy singles player to go along with Andy Roddick.

“This thing hurts,” Gambill said. “Obviously, if I can’t play the U.S. Open, if it’s in the same condition as it is now in two weeks, I won’t be playing Davis Cup.”

This has been a lost year for Gambill after a promising 2000. He went out in the first round of the first three Grand Slams, twice to Chris Woodruff, at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Dent, a wild-card entry from Newport Beach, needed treatment on the court from Spreen midway through the second set against Mariano Zabaleta of Argentina. But his inability to convert break points--0 for 8--hurt him more than his sore back in a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 loss.

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Meanwhile, Roddick, who turned 19 on Thursday, is in the business of ending careers. Veteran Slava Dosedel of the Czech Republic lost to Roddick in the first round, then announced he is retiring after 12 years on the tour.

Dosedel’s best Grand Slam finish was the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open in 1999. He also was known for his fleeting acting career and the happy face stenciled in his racket.

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Michal Tabara of the Czech Republic was hit with a nominal fine a day after he spit in the direction of Gimelstob following a contentious five-set match in the first round. The International Tennis Federation fined him $1,000 for unsportsmanlike behavior.