I've come to the conclusion that the only way to see James Blake play tennis at River Oaks is to make sure you're there on day one.

For the second year in a row, the first singles match was the only singles match in the River Oaks U.S. Clay Court Championship played by the former great. With the withdrawal of twins and doubles phenoms Bob and Mike Bryan (they are stuck in Monte Carlo, poor things), Blake is arguably the biggest name at the tournament this year, and has had a recent career resurgence, climbing over 100 spots to a No. 57 ranking.

With Blake set to play a doubles match with partner and fellow American Sam Querrey on Wednesday afternoon, I made a beeline for the main court to see him in action. Instead the main action was between 19-year-old Texan Ryan Harrison and seven-seed Alex Bogomolov Jr. At the height of the afternoon heat, both players seemed to be unable to hit winning shots, with several ground stroke rallies and plenty of unforced errors.

This year's tournament is taking place about a week later than last year's and the weather is certainly a factor to consider, especially in the afternoon games during one of the hottest Aprils on record. Despite a slight Southern breeze, even sitting in the tennis boxes in the heat was uncomfortable, so when neither player ever really seemed to gain any momentum after a series of games stretched out to deuce, we went looking for bigger action.

In previous years I've been a fan of the smaller side courts, with even closer action and plenty of abs-flashing. This year the outside of the small bleachers are bedecked in green signage showing oversize heads of the players. It's part of a stepped-up sense of branding at the tournament, which includes the addition of the name "River Oaks" in the title of the tournament (making it one of the longest tourney names on the tour) and an oversized merchandise tent. This isn't your grandpa's River Oaks Tennis Tournament.

But despite the flashy new giant-head signs, the shadeless side courts are not really an appealing option, especially when the players on the court are a quartet of relatively unknown foreigners. With the notable exception of rising star and last year's finalist Kei Nishikori, who was embraced by the River Oaks crowds in the wake of the Japanese tsunami and nuclear crisis, the Americans always seem to get a little more love from the fans. That's just patriotism.

To really cool off, there are a series of porch chairs set up outside the main stadium under a slew of misters. Or there's the old-fashioned option: Beer. The snack tent has always been popular, but now there's a beach bar set up, adding music and the impression that the heat is more bearable because you feel a little bit more tropical.

Even with a long break, when we headed back inside the court, Harrison and Bogomolov were still battling in a three-set match that would run over two hours. Bogomolov was on his second shirt. By the third set, though, the breeze seemed to have more of an effect, and the players seemed to have learned the other's weaknesses, with Bogomolov running a tired Harrison around the court and keeping him on his toes with drop shots. But in the end it was two consecutive aces by Harrison that finally sealed the match, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

For me, James Blake will have to wait until another day. If he lasts to play that long, that is.

(Note to Sarah: There's still hope. Blake and Querrey won 10-8 in the third set and will advance.)