Roger Federer fought off some pretty good tennis from Fairfield's James Blake on Thursday night to reach the semifinals of the U.S. Open, leaving him two wins away from a ninth Grand Slam singles title. Entering the Open, Federer had reached the final of five straight majors, winning four.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods has won the last two golf majors and four in the past two years. While Federer chases Pete Sampras' record of 14 majors, Woods' 12 leaves him six shy of tying Jack Nicklaus' all-time mark.

Fans of each of those individual sports have been watching greatness for the past few years, and I, for one, have made certain to not take it for granted, because these otherworldly players are anything but common.

Considering the incredible success of Federer and Woods, I began wondering whose run of dominance has been more impressive.

We'll start with the obvious question: Is it easier to win a men's tennis Grand Slam tournament or a men's golf major?

On one hand, golf is more difficult because, rather than facing one opponent at a time, the player has the entire field to worry about. If Woods shoots a four-round total of minus-5 in the U.S. Open, and the only player within four shots of him happens to be Vijay Singh, who finished at minus-6, Woods is out of luck. And there was nothing he could do to stop Singh.

In Wimbledon, however, if Andy Roddick plays the best tennis of his life for the first six rounds, he takes no advantage into the

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final against Federer other than, perhaps, confidence. Each day is a new day.

On the other hand, Woods can have an off day on Friday of the PGA Championship, shoot a 73, and still win the tournament. If Federer doesn't have his best game in the third round, he could be out of the event.

What's so impressive about Federer is that he's a major factor in every tournament on every surface. Since the 2004 Australian Open — a span of 12 majors — Federer has won seven Grand Slam titles, and in the other five tournaments, he's at least reached the semifinals four times. Absolutely amazing.

Woods, meanwhile, has won seven majors since the start of 2001, but 11 times during that span, he finished out of the top 10.

But after question marks about this earlier in his career, Woods does face some pretty stiff challenges from players like Phil Mickelson, Singh and Ernie Els. In tennis, perhaps Rafael Nadal will become an all-time great. Roddick is experiencing a resurgence after a two-year slump and Lleyton Hewitt is not the same player he was five years ago. Some top-10 players have no business being ranked that high.

Woods will finish his career with more majors than Federer, but in tennis, 32 is ancient, while golfers are hitting their primes at that age. And tennis players face a much greater risk of injury.

My conclusion? I don't have the answer, but maybe I'll spark some conversation. Feel free to pass along your own opinions to the e-mail address listed below.

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(cheers) To Geno Auriemma for officially being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. During my freshman year at UConn, Auriemma won his first national title, going 35-0. I covered the Huskies for two years in college and on occasion since graduation, and I can't imagine many coaches or players being more quotable. But he's a better coach than he is a talker, and he deserved this honor.

Contact Chris Casavant at c.casavant@yahoo.com