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果醬這場的相簿
Grosjean digs deep to force decisive fifth rubber
http://www.daviscup.com/news/newsarticle.asp?id=14192
08 Apr 2007 - Small Sport Arena "Luzhniki", Moscow, Russia - Chris Bowers
When a Davis Cup by BNP Paribas tie produces three successive five-setters,
it’s not surprising that it should be decided on a live fifth rubber – and
that’s what is happening in this enthralling Russia-France quarterfinal.
Safin steps in for fifth rubber
For large stretches of the fourth match, Russia looked within touching
distance of sealing a home semifinal against Germany, Igor Andreev bouncing
back from losing the first set against Sebastien Grosjean to dominate for the
next two and a half sets. But Grosjean regrouped in the fourth and took the
only break of the fifth. His 75 46 26 63 64 victory leaves the destiny of the
tie in the hands of Paul-Henri Mathieu for France and Russia’s Marat Safin,
who replaces Mikhail Youzhny.
Throughout the three hours 56 minutes the contest lasted, it was a classic
clash of styles, the big-hitting brawn of the 23-year-old Andreev against
the all-court guile of the 28-year-old Grosjean. When Andreev brought the
first set to the boil, using some enormous forehands to create two break
points at 15-40, Grosjean was being overpowered. But he played four superb
points to hold serve, and then broke Andreev on a long and patient rally to
take the set in 53 minutes.
Andreev broke early in the second, and should have gone a second break up
when he had Grosjean at 0-40 in the seventh game. But Grosjean came through
that game, and clearly sowed the seeds of doubt in Andreev’s mind. The
Frenchman saved a set point at 3-5, and then with Andreev serving to level
the match, Grosjean saved two more as the Russian clearly tightened. But
when Andreev converted his fourth to make it a set-all after 103 minutes,
he had come through his ordeal.
Andreev rampant in third set
Within a few minutes, it appeared Andreev had also broken Grosjean’s
resistance. The Frenchman’s opening service game of the third set was
taken by the newly rampant Russian, and another break made the third
set score 62. There were flashes of Grosjean’s best form, but only
flashes – nothing to put together a serious threat.
When the man from Marseille struggled on his serve early in the fourth,
the end looked imminent. But first he had three break points at 3-2,
which Andreev saved by winning five points on the run thanks to some
massive serving. And then he had another two at 4-3 – Andreev saved
the first, but a flat forehand down the line gave Grosjean the break,
and after three hours and four minutes, the match was all-square and
the tie had a third successive five-setter after Youzhny’s win over
Richard Gasquet on Friday and Saturday’s doubles rubber.
When Grosjean missed a break point in the opening game of the decider,
the momentum could have turned back Andreev’s way. But Grosjean broke
in the fifth, re-established his calm after an angry discussion with
the umpire Jake Garner when serving at 4-3, and closed out victory
with an unreturnable serve on his second match point.
Fifteen hours played in Moscow
It means that this tie has had 19 sets out of a possible 20, in 15 hours,
15 minutes of play, and will have at least three more sets. If anyone had
a pedometer fitted to Grosjean, he would probably have broken some record
for distance covered, given the running he had to do from well behind his
baseline.
"I'm confident now about our chances of winning," Grosjean said in an
on-court interview immediately after his victory. If Mathieu can win
his third decisive fifth rubber – and his third against Russia – all
Grosjean’s running will have been worthwhile.
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