Теннис

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Nalbandian bundled out by impressive Hanescu

Sunday, May 29, 2005

Tenth-seeded David Nalbandian will not repeat his semi-final finish of a year ago at Roland Garros after a 6-3 4-6 5-7 6-1 6-2 defeat at the hands of Romanian Victor Hanescu.

The Argentine started poorly, but seemed in control of the match after taking the second and third sets. However, Hanescu found his form in the fourth and fifth, and ran away with the victory.

"I was a little bit nervous because I played on center court, one of the biggest courts in the world, and also a very nice, nice court," Hanescu admitted. "But I started the match very well. I won the first set. After this set, I was more confident. And then I was staying there, I was fighting, and finally I won."

Hanescu becomes just the fifth Romanian to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final in the Open Era. And sitting 90th in the world entering Paris, he becomes the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage here since Andrei Medvedev (100) and Marcelo Filippini (140) in 1999.

"I felt I couldn't really do very much. He was pushing his game to the limit. Everything was coming out well for him," Nalbandian said.

It took Hanescu just over an hour to recover from the two-sets-to-one hole. He won the last four games of the fourth to regain control, and then raced to 4-0 in the fifth.

"I think when I was trying to hit harder and to play more aggressive, it was better for him," Hanescu explained. "When I played soft and with short balls, long balls, when I start to mix the game, it was better for me."

The six-foot, six-inch Bucharest native played superb tennis over the final two sets, committing just eight unforced errors and posting 19 winners. He countered every move Nalbandian made and seemed to find a line at every significant point.

Often in the final two sets, Nalbandian was left shaking his head in disbelief.

It has been a long road to a Grand Slam quarter-final for Hanescu. He actually was interested in basketball as a child, but was told he was too young to play at a local club, so he moved onto the empty tennis courts nearby.

As he learned the game, his family had no money for quality training and he received very little support from the Romanian Tennis Federation.

"When I was 15, I found a sponsor in Romania who gave me some money to play tournaments," Hanescu said. "With this money I start to play small tournaments, working hard with my coach every day.

"Now I'm here. I'm very happy. For me it's a dream. It's a big dream to be here, to win such a match like this on a center court."

In the quarterfinals, Hanescu will face the winner of Roger Federer-Carlos Moya.

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30 мая 2005, 15:14

Шарапова доигрывает матч и ждет соперницу по четвертьфиналу

Российская теннисистка Мария Шарапова вышла в 1/4 финала турнира «Ролан Гаррос». В понедельник она завершила прерванный в воскресенье из-за дождя матч четвертого раунда против испанки Вивьес-Ллагостеры, выиграв остававшиеся до победы три гейма.

В четвертьфинале Шарапова сыграет с победительницей матча между россиянкой Светланой Кузнецова и бельгийкой Жюстин Энин-Арденн.

Открытый чемпионат Франции. Париж (Франция)

Женщины. Четвертый круг

Мария Шарапова (Россия, 2) - Нурия Льягостера-Вивес (Испания) - 6:2, 6:3

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Argentines Crash Out

Defending champion Gaston Gaudio crashed out in the fourth round of Roland Garros on Monday, losing a 4-0 lead in the fifth to go down 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-4 to David Ferrer. And last year's runner-up Guillermo Coria was ousted by Russian Nikolay Davydenko 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(1), 6-2 in a day of upsets in Paris.

Ferrer next meets No. 4 seed Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals while Davydenko takes on the winner of Marat Safin and Tommy Robredo also in action today.

On Sunday, Roger Federer moved a step closer to a potential semifinal showdown with Rafael Nadal - and a career Grand Slam - when he defeated former No. 1 Carlos Moya 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the Roland Garros quarterfinals.

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Monday, May 30, 2005

Singles - Fourth Round

[12]Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) d [8]Guillermo Coria (ARG) 26 63 76(1) 62

[20]David Ferrer (ESP) d [5]Gaston Gaudio (ARG) 26 64 76(5) 57 64

[9]Guillermo Canas (ARG) W/O [28]Nicolas Kiefer (GER) (neck)

[4]Rafael Nadal (ESP) d [23]Sebastien Grosjean (FRA) 64 36 60 63

[15]Tommy Robredo (ESP) vs. [3]Marat Safin (RUS)

Mariano Puerta (ARG) d Jose Acasuso (ARG)

64 61 61

Doubles - Third Round

[12]Damm (CZE)/Hood (ARG) d Matkowski (POL)/Waske (GER) 36 64 64

Doubles - Quarterfinals

Knowle (AUT)/Melzer (AUT) vs. Gonzalez (CHI)/Massu (CHI)

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W 200 €880,000

F 140 €440,000

SF 90 €200,000

QF 50 €116,180

R16 30 €62,020

R32 15 €36,140

R64 7 €21,795

R128 1 €13,100

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Indomitable Henin-Hardenne next up for flying Sharapova

Monday, May 30, 2005

Second seed Maria Sharapova finished off Nuria Llagostera Vives 6-2, 6-3, setting up a highly anticipated quarterfinal against 2003 French Open champ Justine Henin-Hardenne, who saved two match points before edging Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6, 4-6, 7-5. Serbian teen sensation Ana Ivanovic also moved into the quarters, outlasting Italian veteran Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-3.

It was a remarkable recovery by Henin, who could barely run after nearly three hours on court and looked like she would be drop-kicked back to Paris by the more muscular Russian.

But Kuznetsova shook and strained when she held the match points at 5-3, missing an ugly backhand down the line and pushing a weak backhand slice into the net. She committed a slew of unforced errors in the next three games to lose the match, as Henin merely had to bunt the ball back in the court.

Even though she was exhausted, Henin sensed the match wasn't over.

"I was seeing her very nervous," Henin said. "She was afraid to win the match; that was very clear. And when you can see that in the eyes of your opponent, that is very good for myself. Even if I didn't play a great match, it's very good because I stayed really positive and I never stopped fighting. So this kind of win makes me very, very happy."

Kuznetsova employed the right strategy to win the contest, attempting to wear her smaller foe down in end to end rallies. But even though she won the US Open last year, she doesn't have the mental toughness yet of the three-time Grand Slam champion.

"She didn't win it, I lost it," Kuznetsova said. "The moment I had to so something, I didn't do anything."

After their match was called off due to rain on Sunday night, the free-swinging Russian and the Spanish retriever came back on court at 3-3 in the second set and Sharapova overwhelmed her in the flash of an eye.

"I've been playing a lot better in my last two rounds than I did in my first two. I've actually been feeling a lot better," Sharapova said.

Sharapova has never reached the semifinals of a clay court tournament, but is in fine form here and says that she shouldn't be overlooked.

"I never thought I needed to prove anything to anyone," she said. "I think I'm getting better and better. If people underestimate me on clay, then they'll be surprised."

While she's not a fleet mover on clay, Sharapova owns one of the best serves on tour and can torch the ball off both wings. Like Lindsay Davenport, who stunned Kim Clijsters on Sunday, Sharapova feels that her go-for-the-line style can be effective if she's on form.

"That's a great example of different things can happen on clay," Sharapova said. "I think everyone thought that Kim was going to be the favorite. With the way Kim moves and the power on the clay she has, I thought she was going to win. But there are a lot of things in tennis, mentally and physically. All of a sudden things turn around. It's not like Lindsay all of a sudden started playing a different way. She's just playing the way she's been playing for all her years. If she could win that match, I think a lot of girls have a chance of playing good clay court players and still playing their game and still winning. It's not just a physical game out there."

Even if she can appear bored at times off court, Sharapova remains a driven competitor. When she comes on court on Tuesday, she will be fired up to deliver a butt kicking.

"I have that mentality with every single match I play," she said. "If I go on the court and I feel like I don't want to be out there, then there's really no point in going out there. There are times when you're tired and you physically feel fatigued. But I'm usually mentally always ready for every single match I play."

Sharapova hit straight through Henin in the quarterfinals of Miami on hard courts, but three weeks ago in Berlin, Henin turned the tables on her red clay. Henin knows she will have to move the tall Russian around to win the match.

While most players would be dead to rights trying to play the day after such a harrowing affair, Henin once won a similar contest against Jennifer Capriati in the 2003 US Open semifinals and came back the next day and scalded Kim Clijsters for the title.

"It's gonna be another tough match," Henin said. "Kuznetsova is playing very, very heavy. The ball is coming very, very strong. Sharapova is probably playing faster, but not as heavy. But I will try to forget what happened in Berlin. I played very good match. But here it's the French Open and it's different kind of pressure. But I believe I can win."

The 17-year-old Ivanovic - who upset Amelie Mauresmo in the third round - came back from a break down in the third set and showed a veteran's head. Ivanovic finished with 34 winners to 30 for the Italian.

The confident hard-hitter with a fine touch will play Nadia Petrova in the quarterfinals.

"You just practice hard. Of course, you have some goals," Ivanovic said. "And the way the year started, I was really happy about it. I had some chances to play against top players. So it helped me to see that it's not so far away. That gives me more motivation and was a temptation for me to compete on such a level."

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Last year’s heroes exit as Gaudio and Coria crash out

Monday, May 30, 2005

Last year's finalists Gaston Gaudio (5) and Guillermo Coria ( crashed out of this year's tournament within minutes of each other on a sensational afternoon at the French. Reigning champion Gaudio threw it all away against Spain's David Ferrer (20) after leading 4-0 in the fifth set (2-6, 6-4, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4).

Blowing hot and cold, the Argentinean ace finally froze in the decider to bow out after 4 hours 5 minutes of explosive tennis. Ferrer marches on to a quarter-final face-off with Rafael Nadal, a 6-4, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 winner over Sebastien Grosjean.

Coria, meanwhile, was rolled over by Nikolay Davydenko (12) 2-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2 in 3 hours 6 minutes. The clay court harrier was overpowered by the hugely impressive Russian, who after a hesitant start was a model of hard-hitting consistency.

Davydenko has already exceeded expectations and with nothing to lose now will prove a very tough proposition here on in. Next up for the Russian is a quarter-final with the winner of the Tommy Robredo - Marat Safin match later this afternoon.

Asked about that match, Davydenko was unable to contain his delight: "Yeah, enjoy play against Marat or Robredo. It doesn't matter. I enjoy to play today against Coria. I enjoy to play in Roland Garros. I enjoy in quarterfinal also. Is also enjoy. It's good."

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Fired up Nadal tames Grosjean

Monday, May 30, 2005

Spanish teenage standout Rafael Nadal broke French hearts Monday after putting an end to the spirited challenge of Sebastien Grosjean, France's lone representative left in the men's draw.

In a match that spanned two days, the 18-year-old No 4 seed out-stroked his 27-year-old opponent 6-4, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 in three hours and eleven minutes to reach the quarter finals on his first try.

The Spanish southpaw, playing in his first Roland Garros, is now looking to emulate Swedish great Mats Wilander who clinched the title on his French Open bow in 1982.

His foe in the quarter finals will be fellow-countryman David Ferrer, who upset reigning Roland Garros champion Gaston Gaudio in a dramatic five-set battle.

"He has been playing very well. He is impressive really," Nadal said. "I realize I'm going to have to play my best tennis against him."

The fifth-ranked Nadal was leading 6-4, 3-6, 3-0 when play was interrupted for the day on Sunday. The first half of the match was marked by a 10-minute interruption as the crowd reacted to a disputed line-call that Argentine umpire Lamian Steiner refused to check.

The 24-ranked French player finally got the fans to quieten enough for play to restart.

Nadal kept his cool, but the incident proved a turning point as a pumped-up Grosjean, roared on by an even more pumped-up centre court, began threading winners and forcing his young opponent back.

Suddenly the home hope was on the offensive, and he won four straight games to grab the second set 6-3 as Nadal slumped.

But the Mallorca-born is consumed by self-belief, and out he came in the third to wrest the game from Grosjean's grasp. With the rain falling, and the light fading, "Rafa" found his range again and pummeled his way into a three game lead before a probably relieved umpire called time on proceedings.

"The crowd yesterday didn't really behave as they maybe should behave when watching a match of tennis," said Nadal. "But this is France, it's not Spain. I'd never seen anything like that in Spain, that's for sure. It was just silly."

"I'm saying: 'Don't be stupid. Don't lose your focus. Get on with your job. You're winning,'" added the Spanish ace.

"I tried to concentrate. But it's not easy because you miss your first serve, everybody starts cheering. You make a mistake, and again people start shouting. It was difficult. Then in the third set, I managed to concentrate. It was really much better because I could start that third set feeling much calmer."

When play resumed on Monday, Nadal came out firing while Grosjean scrambled.

The lightening fast Spaniard broke down the resistance of the Frenchman who netted an easy backhand approach to concede his serve in the eight game. Nadal then served out to win the set to love.

Nadal refused to allow nerves to creep into his game in the fourth set. He broke again and served out the contest, coasting to victory on his second match point when Grosjean sailed his backhand wide.

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Generations bridge gap to semis Tuesday

Monday, May 30, 2005

The women's quarter-finals see the established stars mix it up with the new girls on the tennis block Tuesday. Lindsay Davenport v Mary Pierce and Maria Sharapova v Justine Henin-Hardenne are the highlights, but starlets Sesil Karatantcheva and Ana Ivanovic also share the spotlight.

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Lindsay Davenport (1) - Mary Pierce (21)

For the first time in six long years, Lindsay Davenport has made it through to the quarter-finals in Paris. And what a struggle it has been for the top seed, who has been down and very nearly out in every one of her matches so far. Her last round victory was her most heroic. Trailing 6-1, 3-1 to Kim Clijsters, who she had not beaten in six previous encounters, the Californian somehow dragged herself back into it before prevailing in the third. She must be tired after all that effort, but full of confidence too.

30-year-old Mary Pierce is slowly but surely entering the exclusive club of French tennis legends. Her smiling on-court demeanour has endeared her to the home crowds yet again this year, and she is clearly thriving on the support. Against Patty Schnyder, the 2000 champion had her fans squirming as she somehow contrived to miss 11 match points before finally collapsing over the finish line. The former world number three is on a cloud and playing out of her skin.

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Maria Sharapova (2) - Justine Henin-Hardenne (10)

Maria Sharapova is through to the French Open quarters for the second year straight. After dropping a set in her first round match, the Wimbledon champion has been getting better with every passing round. A set up and 3-3 in the second set overnight in her match with Nuria Llagostera Vives, she grabbed three straight games Monday morning to see things out.

Justine Henin-Hardenne, in contrast, battled for 3 hours 15 minutes to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova, and could pay for that Tuesday. The Belgian has looked less than convincing thus far, especially given her imperious run of form pre-tournament which saw her triumph in Charleston, Warsaw and Berlin. Added to her exploits here, that makes it 21 straight wins for the 2003 champion.

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Elena Likhovtseva (n°16) - Sesil Karatantcheva

Sesil Karatantcheva is the sensation of this 2005 French Open. At just 15 years 10 months, last year's junior champion is one win away from emulating her idol, Gabriela Sabatini, who reached the semis here in her first appearance at Roland Garros in 1985. Karatantcheva insists she is not playing to her full capacity either, as the nerves get to her, but she was still good enough to beat Venus Williams in the third round.

Elena Likhovtseva may be fourteen years Karatantcheva's senior but she is no more accustomed than the Bulgarian to playing Grand Slam quarter-finals. Her last sixteen win over last year's beaten finalist Elena Dementieva, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 7-5 was a career highlight. Now Likhovtseva will want to take revenge over her young rival who beat her at the Gold Coast tournament in a third set tiebreaker earlier this year.

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Nadia Petrova (7) - Ana Ivanovic (29)

Nadia Petrova made her breakthrough at the French Open two years ago when she defeated Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati on a run to the semi-finals. The number seven seed looks capable of doing at least as well this year after seeing off Elena Bovina (16) in three hard-fought sets Sunday.

Ana Ivanovic has made a name for herself at this year's French Open. Her courageous three-set win over home third seed Amélie Mauresmo in the third round was followed by another solid performance in the last round against Francesca Schiavone (22). Trailing 3-1 in the third set to the Italian, the 29 seed reeled off five straight games to upset the odds again. The 17-year-old from Serbia and Montenegro has been flying up the world rankings this season and beat Petrova in their only previous encounter. That came in Miami at the start of the year when Ivanovic won 6-4, 7-5.

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Federer and Nadal on collision course

Monday, May 30, 2005

Roger Federer (1) and Rafael Nadal (4) are just one win away from a momentous last four clash. But before they can turn their minds to their semi-final, the tournament favourites need to keep their focus against dangerous quarter-final opponents

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Roger Federer (1) - Victor Hanescu

While no-one is surprised to see top seed Roger Federer disputing yet another Grand Slam semi-final spot, the same cannot be said of surprise package Victor Hanescu. The latest in a distinguished line of Romanians, Hanescu follows Tiriac, Nastase, Voinea and Pavel into the record books as the fifth player from his country to attain the quarter-finals in the Open Era. His five set win over David Nalbandian in the last round took his on-court time to over ten hours so far, compared to just over seven for Roger, who has won every match in straight sets so far.

Triumphant in 45 of the 47 of the matches he has played so far this season, Federer has been in astonishing form all year long. His two losses came in epic five set matches with Marat Safin and Richard Gasquet, so it is difficult to see Victor Hanescu troubling the brilliant Swiss. Hanescu played some high class tennis of his own in the last two sets against Nalbandian though, and will need to reach those heights again if he is to have any chance.

The pair have only met once before, in a Davis Cup match in 2004. Roger Federer was tired when he arrived in Bucharest from Melbourne where he had just won the Australian Open but still won 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-1.

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Rafael Nadal (4) - David Ferrer (20)

When two clay court aficionados of the calibre of Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer meet, fireworks often fly and that could well be the case again here. Nadal showed remarkable self belief to crush French hopes Richard Gasquet and Sébastien Grosjean. Gasquet was dismissed in double quick time but Grosjean, and a partisan French crowd, had Nadal reeling ever so slightly at one set all. The way he proceeded to punish the Marseille man spoke volumes of the Spaniard's grit and skill. Compatriot David Ferrer, 23, showed equal doses of courage and stamina to overturn defending champion Gaston Gaudio in the last sixteen.

Ferrer will be on a high following that breakthrough win over Gaudio but he will be shattered too. Four exhausting hours chasing Gaudio's topspin deliveries all over court No1 must have taken a lot out of him. Nadal, in contrast, was short, sharp and sweet in racing away with his overnight match against Sébastien Grosjean.

Nadal beat Ferrer in the semi-finals of the Masters Series event in Rome, but it was close (4-6, 6-4, 7-5) and long (2 hours 29 minutes). Last year Ferrer got the upper hand in Stuttgart on clay (6-3, 6-7(3), 7-5). The two also met on the hard court in Miami earlier this year when Nadal won 6-4, 6-3.

Translation: David Tutton (Sportstranslations)

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