http://www.daviscup.org/news/matchreport.asp?id=12290
照片很不錯喔 ;P
08 Feb 2003, DC 官網
France Seals Place In Quarterfinals
With two points in the bag, the French team needed one more point in order to
clinch their qualification for the quarter finals of the 2003 Davis Cup by BNP
Paribas.
And despite complaints from the players ranging from a painful back, or cold
showers, all the players were on the court at three p.m. to hit the first balls
of this doubles match.
The team that played the semifinals versus the United States in last September
was reunited to try to give France the vital third point. Unlike the Parisian
clay, this time the Taraflex of the Sala Polivalenta was a lot more to the
liking of the recent Australian Open champions: Fabrice Santoro and Michael
Llodra.
Their Romanian opponents, who brought a 7-2 win-loss record to the match, could
not afford to lose and the pressure was most definitely on Pavel and Trifu’s
shoulders. The match kicked off on Llodra’s serve with a double fault and two
aces. The two French boys stayed focused but had a lot of trouble with the
serves of the tall Trifu, who stands at 1m 93. At 2-2, Llodra was not quite as
relaxed as he wanted, and found himself serving with three break points against
him. These three were saved and the game with them.
In the four following games, all servers set the pace and Llodra even served an
ace timed at 222 km/h. This allowed France to go ahead 5-4 and hope for an
opportune break. After a shot that went long, the French were presented with a
first set point, but this was saved by Pavel. However a second opportunity
followed immediately and that was too much to offer to the experience of
Fabrice Santoro. The first set went to 'Les Bleus' 6-4.
It was Llodra and not Santoro that started serving in the second set, which
turned out to be a set that seemed a little easier for the French. Leading 1-0
and with a break opportunity, the French did not however manage to take a 2-0
lead. At 1-1 Fabrice Santoro served a love game, followed by another one by
Trifu. Lots of love games and not too many points played, the set was moving
fast with a third love game by Llodra.
At 3-2 the French made their move, despite the yelling of the crowd and the
ringing of the cell phones. Santoro and Llodra took it up a notch by winning
a fourth love game but this time on the return. The scene was reminiscent of
the 2001 semi-finals in Rotterdam when Pioline-Santoro gave France the third
point on Saturday night. Indeed the Romanians where not able to do much in the
second set that would worry these two attacking players. It was after the third
set point on Llodra’s serve that the French found themselves only a set away
from qualification for the next round: the French had won the second set 6-3.
With the two first sets on their side, the French pair started off well the
third set, by immediately obtaining a break opportunity. This break would not
however not make its way to the country of wine and cheese. The next break
opportunity came at 3-4 on Santoro’s serve. This point was erased by Forget’s
Men in a beautiful manner. A poach at the net allowed Santoro to demonstrate
his magical touch and catch both Romanians off balance by sending a drop-shot
volley across the net.
With the score at 4-4, both teams held their serves and no risks were taken.
The atmosphere was now electric and the outcome of the tie-breaker was about to
determine a lot of things. Pavel served first and lost. A big confidence boost
for the two Frenchmen. This mini-break was immediately lost by the French, but
they however managed to gain the advantage and maintain a very high level of
concentration. The advantage was not to be relinquished and the tie-breaker
quickly went in favour of the visiting team, and with the victory,
qualification for the quarter finals. In three matches, the French did not lose
a set.
The quarterfinals in April will be versus either the Swiss or the Dutch.
Regardless, the French will as usual be pumped-up, concentrated and
professional.
For Guy Forget, sweet dreams in Bucharest.
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※ 編輯: esnique 來自: 218.165.185.21 (02/09 04:16)