http://www.daviscup.org/news/matchreport.asp?id=12311
09 Feb 2003
France Completes 4-1 Victory Over Romania
The challenge is always difficult to play with the result of the tie already
sealed. But the crowd came in masses to fill the seats of the Sala
Polavalenta and watch Victor Hanescu and Gabriel Trifu try and avoid a
humiliating 5-0 defeat.
The first of the two dead rubbers saw 21-year-old Bucharest native Hanescu
take on Fabrice Santoro. One hundred and twenty-eight spots separated the
two in the entry rankings but it was the Romanian that quickly took control
of the match. Serving from 1.98m up in the sky, there was not much that
Santoro could do. The aces accumulated, as did the unforced errors on behalf
of the Frenchman, who seemed a little more tired than usual. Hanescu won the
first set 6-1.
In the second set, Santoro managed to get the blood moving through his veins
again, but not fast enough. The final score of 6-1 6-4 was a nice surprise
for the outsider Hanescu. Romania had officially saved face.
The second rubber was more of a fight, as both men play an offensive game
based on solid first serves and a sharp net game. Trifu started serving first
and was well determined to use his teammate’s performance as an example.
On the other hand, Escude was not inspired by his teammate’s display (which
was probably a good idea). >_< 說的太刻薄了啦:S
The first set did not produce any breaks, and it was only in the tiebreak
that Escude managed to break away, taking advantage of a few unforced errors
committed by his Romanian counterpart to capture the set 7-3.
At the beginning of the second set, the French team left their bench to go
and join the local and visiting fans in the stands. However the set was won
6-4 by Trifu, who produced a more effective and polished game with a higher
first serve percentage.
The third and final set of the weekend was a duel that Trifu began by
breaking Escude – a break that he was not able to hold on to. Escude came
back and finished by breaking his opponent to win the match 6-4 in the third.
This gave the French its fourth point and a final score of 4-1.
The abiding memory of this tie was the determination and professionalism
with which the French played this first round encounter. Pre-tie headlines
read: “A Romanian trap for Forget’s team” or “Will France take it
seriously”. They certainly did. In fact, the attitude of the top-ranked
team in the Davis Cup ranking should be kept as a reference for all
supposedly “easy” ties.
Not a set was lost in the space of three live rubbers, and only one break
was conceded. The concentration of the French team remained impeccable
despite a difficult crowd, cheering on their team with enthusiasm, to say
the least.
So who’s next? Switzerland or the Netherlands. The Swiss would travel to
France while the Dutch would host Forget’s boys. The French have a 9-1
win-loss record versus Switzerland and 9-0 versus the Netherlands.
Regardless it will be a difficult tie as both teams include a lot of
talent, with rising stars such as Federer, Kratochvil, Schalken and Verkerk.
To the question, which team would you rather play, the French captain
answered: “Knowing that my old friend and colleague Georges Desniau is
coaching the Swiss, I’d rather play the Dutch. At least they will not
have their hands on our game plan!”
No matter what, no matter whom, one thing is certain Grosjean and his mates
will be ready.
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french sensation...
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