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NEW YORK -- Echoes. Long after the USTA demolishes Louis Armstrong Stadium, work that will begin immediately after the conclusion of this US Open, the echoes will remain. They will resound even after a state-of-the-art roofed stadium is built and inaugurated on the venerable Armstrong footprint in 2018.Younger tennis fans might not even know that Armstrong, originally built for the 1964 Worlds Fair and called the Singer Bowl after the sewing machine manufacturer, was the main stadium of the US Open until 1996. When Arthur Ashe Stadium was completed and put to service in 1997, Armstrong became the subordinate. It continued to produce thrilling matches, many of which lasted well into the morning hours.The very first match on Armstrong was between Bjorn Borg and Bob Hewitt. The final one was a quarterfinal mens doubles clash Tuesday between the Hall of Fame American team of Bob and Mike Bryan and Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez (they arent related) to close out an era.Everyone probably has a list of favorite Armstrong matches. Here is our top 10 countdown:No. 10: 1993 second round, Mats Wilander d. Mikael Pernfors 7-6 (3), 3-6, 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4This match didnt even start until 10:26 p.m. Pernfors, a Swede who had played collegiate tennis at the University of Georgia and won the hearts of many fans with his appealing clay-court game, was in the midst of a comeback. Wilander, a fellow Swede who had lost his drive after becoming No. 1 in 1988, was also trying to reinvent himself. Mounting a furious comeback, Wilander finally won the match before a sparse but enthralled and enthusiastic clutch of fans at 2:26 a.m.No. 9: 1995 final, Steffi Graf d. Monica Seles 7-6 (6), 0-6, 6-3This match was tantalizing because it featured one of the most remarkable, and bizarre, backstories in tennis history. Seles had been successfully challenging Grafs supremacy until a deranged Graf fan stabbed Seles during a match two years earlier. The US Open was just Seles second tournament, and first Grand Slam, back on tour. When Seles blanked Graf in the second set and it appeared that she might be picking up right where she left off, Graf roared back to win her 18th career Grand Slam singles title.No. 8: 1984 semifinals, Ivan Lendl d. Pat Cash 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4)This match was one of four epic battles on what still might be the greatest and certainly most competitive day in Open tennis history. This Super Saturday began at 11:07 a.m. with Stan Smith defeating John Newcombe in the senior mens semifinals 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. Later, Martina Navratilova captured her second straight US Open singles title, defeating Chris Evert 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors ended the days play at 11:14 p.m. with McEnroe eliminating the two-time defending champion in a five-set barnburner. But the first semifinal featuring Lendl and Cash was the most thrilling match of them all, with Lendl surviving a match point to win it. Lendl played eight US Open finals in a row starting in 1982, winning three.No. 7: 1980 final, John McEnroe d. Bjorn Borg 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-7 (5), 5-7, 6-4This was McEnroes second straight US Open title, but the path to it was agonizing. He dismantled rival Ivan Lendl in four sets in a quarterfinal, eliminated Jimmy Connors in one of their epic five-setters in the semifinals, and finally whipped Borg in final. McEnroe avenged his loss to Borg in the Wimbledon final of a few months earlier. Borg would not be the same player again after this final.No. 6 1981 final, Tracy Austin d. Martina Navratilova 1-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (1)This was the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Championship. Fittingly, Americans would claim both singles titles as well as the mens and womens doubles titles. One day before McEnroe defeated Borg in the mens final for the second year running and drove Borg from the game, 18-year old Austin also toppled an icon. The blonde youngster from Rolling Hills, California, had barged right into the developing rivalry between Chris Evert and Navratilova, rattling both veterans. Navratilova was just coming to the peak of her powers at the time of this match and playing in her first US Open final. She attacked relentlessly, but Austins accuracy, consistency and nerve were too much. Navratilova, who had upset Evert in the semifinals, double-faulted on match point.No. 5: 1999 third round, Serena Williams d. Kim Clijsters 4-6, 6-2, 7-5This was the year 17-year-old Williams went on to win her first US Open title, and she remembers this three-setter on Armstrong well. No one knew who Kim Clijsters was at the time, Williams said. She became such a wonderful, great player. I was just on the come-up myself. That propelled me to win my first Open. Thats something Ill never forget.No. 4: 1992 semifinals, Stefan Edberg d. Michael Chang 6-7 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-4This match was the centerpiece of one of the greatest ironman runs in Open tennis history. Edberg had rebounded from fifth-set deficits against Richard Krajicek in the round of 16 and Ivan Lendl in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals he faced the same hopeless situation against one of the toughest, most consistent players on tour. Chang had a reputation as indefatigable, but Edberg found stamina even he didnt know he possessed to outlast Chang in the longest match in US Open history, five hours and 26 minutes. Edberg went on to defeat 1990 US Open champ Pete Sampras in the final.No. 3: 1996 quarterfinals, Pete Sampras d. Alex Corretja 7-6 (5), 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7)This was the last year Armstrong was the main stadium at the US Open. Sampras was an established talent by this point, and Corretja a young Spanish clay-court artisan. Some critics still felt that it all came too easily for Sampras, that he was not prepared to dig deep and leave it all out on the court in order to win. But in this match, Sampras demonstrated that his heart was as big as his serve. He overcame a spirited opponent, dehydration and cramps. At one point he retreated to the back of the court and vomited. Woozy and struggling to focus, he still managed to win in a fifth-set tiebreaker. It showed the tennis world that I have heart, Sampras later said of that remarkable performance.No. 2: 1991 fourth round, Jimmy Connors d. Aaron Krickstein 3-6, 7-6 (8), 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4)This match might not have had the superb shot-making or big-picture resonance of some on this list, but who hasnt seen it repeated during a US Open rain delay (in the pre-roof era) or cited in any number of documentaries? Connors was 39 years old, and it was his birthday. He roared back from a 5-2 deficit in the fifth set as the crowd sang Happy Birthday. This match was the apex of Connors remarkable run at that US Open. Its resolution was as improbable as a feel-good sports movie, even if it left Krickstein feeling lousy, like he had been reduced to a prop in the narrative created by a man whom he considered a friend and mentor.No. 1: 1988 final, Mats Wilander d. Ivan Lendl 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4This match was played on a Monday, which unfairly diminished its impact. Its the least acknowledged of all the greatest tennis matches. But it is right up there on the short list of the most compelling tennis matches of this or any other era. At four hours and 55 minutes, its still the longest singles final in US Open history. Lendl was well-nigh invincible at the US Open by then, having won the three previous finals. But Wilander was in the midst of his career year. A win in the final would earn him the No. 1 ranking for the first time in his career and make him one of the few men in tennis history to win three majors in the same year (Wilander never did win Wimbledon).The match was a brilliant struggle in which each player freely changed tactics each time his opponent seemed to gain some comfort. Games were fought over as bitterly as sets. Unforced errors were scarce. That Wilander seemed a David against Lendls Goliath only enhanced the occasion. Winning the match took so much out of Wilander that he soon went into a motivation and rankings swoon from which he never really recovered. Custom Padres Jerseys . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. 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MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves entered unrestricted free agency with two priorities at the top of their list -- add a shooting guard with range and bringing back Chase Budinger. Within the matter of a couple of hours on Tuesday, new team president Flip Saunders accomplished both of those goals. The Timberwolves agreed to a four-year, $30 million deal with shooting guard Kevin Martin and a three-year, $16 million with Budinger, according to two people with knowledge of the deals. Budingers deal includes a player option for the final season. The people requested anonymity because an official announcement has not been made. The agreements, which cant become official until July 10, were two strong moves to address the teams woeful outside shooting last season. The Wolves ranked dead last in 3-point shooting percentage last year, and Saunders made it a point to get more shooters to complement point guard Ricky Rubios slick passing. Both players are intimately familiar with coach Rick Adelmans corner offence, a system that is predicated on quick passing and moving without the ball. Martin played for Adelman in Sacramento and Houston before taking a bench role in Oklahoma City last season. He averaged 14.0 points and shot 42.6 per cent on 3s last season and was looking for a chance to get back into a starters role. The 6-foot-7 Martin will get that in Minnesota, which has been looking for a bigger shooting guard after playing the undersized Luke Ridnour and J.J. Barea in that role for most of last season. Budinger averaged 9.4 points and shot 32 per cent from 3-point range last season. He only played in 23 games thanks to a knee injury that derailed a promising start to the year, but Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman and new President Flip Saunders made no secret of the fact that they badly wanted Budinger back in Minnesota. The Timberwolves paid Budinger a visit at his San Diego home on Sunday night, arriving just after the mmarket opened at 9:01 p.ddddddddddddm. on the West Coast. Budinger also entertained an offer from the Milwaukee Bucks, but ultimately decided to remain with the Timberwolves and a coach he has grown very fond of in his short time in the league. Budinger played for Adelman in Houston before arriving in a trade prior to last years draft. His ability to shoot from the perimeter and move without the ball paid immediate dividends, helping him fit right in with the system Adelman was still installing in his second season with the Timberwolves. Budingers high-point last season came early on in a game against the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 9. He scored 18 points in the game, including the game-winning layup with less than 1 second to play that came after he made the kind of cut to the basket from the 3-point line that few other Timberwolves players showed the instincts to make. But the very next night in Chicago, Budinger tore the meniscus in his left knee and did not return until late March. The Timberwolves sorely missed him. They had to rely almost exclusively on the pick-and-roll on offence, something that Adelman has historically been reluctant to do in favour of his more free-flowing, motion-based corner offence. But without Budinger there to make cuts away from the ball and come off screens, the Wolves had to simplify things. After Andrei Kirilenko declined his $10.2 million option with the Wolves to become a free agent, a starting job opened at small forward. The promise of significant playing time, coupled with Adelman and pass-happy point guard Ricky Rubio, no doubt played a role in his decision. Now the Wolves will likely turn all of their focus to restricted free agent centre Nikola Pekovic, who is expected to receive significant offers on the open market once Dwight Howard makes a decision on where he is going. Saunders has said that the Wolves, who can match any offer made, will do whatever it takes to keep him. ' ' '