ESPN film on Jimmy Connors at 1991 U.S. Open premieres Tuesday

There have been few sporting events, for this reporter anyway, as exciting as the 1991 U.S. Open when Jimmy Connors, at 39, improbably made it to the semifinals with the excitement and tension and noise and fan delight building during each match Connors won.

Jim Courier eventually ended Connors’ run in the semifinals. Stefan Edberg won the title. But those were footnotes to Connors’ wild fourth-round win over the totally overwhelmed Aaron Krickstein.

Almost forgotten in Connors’ win over Krickstein was that he had beaten Patrick McEnroe in a first-round, five-set match that began at 9:15 p.m. ET the night before and finished at 1:35 a.m. that morning. There were only a few thousand fans left at the end but they sounded as if they were 20,000 strong as a defiant Connors pointed to all four corners of the stadium.

Tuesday at 5 p.m. PT, ESPN will show, as part of its “30-for-30” film series, a piece on that U.S. Open. For any tennis fan it’s a must-watch. For any sports fan it’s a should-watch.

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