Spectator's collapse triggers Gonzalez' downfall
Thursday October 9, 08:34 AM
VIENNA (AFP) - A spectator who collapsed in the front row of the gallery of the Wiener Stadthalle inadvertently contributed to the demise of Fernando Gonzalez in the first round of the CA Trophy.
The world number 22 was making a fair attempt at upsetting the second-seeded former world number one from Spain, Carlos Moya, when the incident happened. Gonzalez eventually went out 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-1.
The score was one set-all and the final set was still on serve after three games, but the Chilean was 15-40 on his delivery when he was prevented from continuing by the commotion after a woman fell to the floor.
There was a four-minute delay as a doctor came into the arena and inspected the patient, who was eventually carried away on a stretcher.
The woman, who had apparently not had enough to eat and drink, recovered quite quickly - but Gonzalez did not.
On resumption Gonzalez immediately delivered a double fault and dropped his serve game to go 1-3 down.
The whole mood of the contest changed, with Gonzalez serving three more double faults to go 1-5 down and Moya rushing away with the last four games.
Gonzalez declined to blame the interruption for his downfall.
"It wasn't really that - I played great tennis today," he said. "And that first break in the last set was because of me."
Moya commented generously: "It (the incident) happened at 1-2 and 30-40 so it was a difficult situation for him.
"It isn't easy to play when something like this happens, or to try to forget it."
Moya, currently seventh in the ATP Champions Race but one of the three in the top eight still unsure of qualifying for the Masters Cup, looked focused and determined.
He sometimes played a more conservative game than usual, driving deep and straight and denying Gonzalez angles from which to project the spectacular winners which sometimes fuel his adrenalin.
Instead he self-destructed and Moya progressed for a second round meeting with Vince Spadea, the world number 31 from the United States.
Earlier Moya's Davis Cup team mate, Albert Costa, also came through. The eighth-seeded former French Open champion disposed of Sargis Sargsian of Armenia 6-4, 6-4 to earn a meeting with Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden.
The former world number four, Nicolas Kiefer of Germany, also came through in straight sets, beating the wild card home hope Alexander Peya 7-5, 7-5.
The fourth seed to bite the dust was Wimbledon quarter-finalist Sjeng Schalken who fell in the second round 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 to Tim Henman, the Briton playing his first tournament since splitting with American coach Larry Stefanki.
"I think I worked out a good game plan by myself," said Henman. "You don't want to give a guy like that rhythm to hit the ball because he can beat some very good players.
Henman served a double fault to lose the second set but then played like a man transformed, breaking serve at once in the third.
Although he was often forced to rally from the back by one of the most fluent ground strokers in the game, he always looked the probable winner after that, mixing in sliced backhands cleverly with attacking forehands and getting to the net whenever possible.
He next plays the winner of the Costa-Bjorkman match.
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