Argentines Make History in Hamburg
David Nalbandian, Agustin Calleri, Guillermo Coria and Gaston Gaudio reach
the final four.
Friday proved to be an extraordinary day for Argentinian tennis at the Tennis
Masters Hamburg. Four Argentines advanced to the semifinals at the Tennis
Masters Hamburg - marking the first time any four countrymen have ever
advanced to the final four at a Tennis Masters Series event.
The historical feat was accomplished by four rising South American stars, who
have displayed their mastery on clay all week. David Nalbandian became the
first Argentine semfinalist when he fought back from a set down to defeat
Fernando Gonzalez 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.
Nalbandian's fighting spirit appeared to set a winning tone for countryman
Guillermo Coria, who blitzed past Australia's Mark Philippoussis 6-2, 6-0.
Agustin Calleri then followed suit with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over South Africa's
Wayne Ferreira. And not wanting to be left out, Argentine Gaston Gaudio
stormed past Belgium's Olivier Rochus 6-1, 6-1.
All four players in the final four are seeking their first Tennis Masters
Series shield.
The sweep by the four Argentines is proof of the country's growing clout at
the biggest events on the ATP circuit. The last time four countrymen reached
a semifinal was earlier this year in Memphis when Americans Taylor Dent, Andy
Roddick, Vince Spadea and Brian Vahaly reached the final four. Never before
has Argentina had four semifinalists at an ATP event, but to accomplish this
at a TMS event is all the more remarkable.
WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID:
Nalbandian: "At 4-1 in the third [set], it was very difficult to come back. I
had to put everything on court. I think Fernando played really good. The
difference was nothing, just one or two points."
About his Wimbledon prospects
"Maybe I will win Wimbledon this year or maybe I’ll lose my first match
there this year, you never know. I think I have the chances to do another
very good tournament. I don’t know, to be in the quarters or semis or finals
or maybe win the tournament. I think if you are ready you can do anything."
About the success of Argentines in Hamburg
"I think everybody right now is really good. Coria won easy and fast, Calleri
is playing really good in the last months, so I think he has the confidence
and I think that is noticeable. If they win today, it’s going to be a great
moment for Argentinian tennis. When we were young, we had to do many things
to become a very good pro. Right now, this moment is really good for Argentina,
everybody wants to be in the finals and win the tournament. So I think
everybody is fighting for his results."
Coria: "It went faster than I expected, but when he was serving and volleying,
I could return very well and then from the back of the court I could dictate
the points. So, he didn’t know what to do."
"It’s true, my level gets better after each match. Today I played an
incredible match. I just hope that each match I will keep playing better and
by the time I get to Roland Garros, which is my goal, I will be 10 out of 10."
"I practised really hard before the start of the season with my team and it’s
paying off now. I mean, nothing happens by chance. It’s all because of the
hard work you put in. The way tennis is played right now, you really have
almost to kill yourself every day in practise to be able to compete at this
level. So, it’s all the hard work with my team that is now paying off."
About the Argentine success this week
"It doesn’t really surprise me that there are so many here in the
quarterfinals, because we are a very good group and we play at a very high
level. Hopefully it will be four Argentinian players in the semis and that
will be something historical. And we would give our country something to cheer
about. Because there have been a lot of bad news from Argentina and I think
that us sportsmen, we can give our people something to think about, which is
positive and forget about the negative things.
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※ 編輯: Coria 來自: 61.225.201.141 (05/17 13:38)