Ferrero dismantles Mantilla
By Byree Epplett
Monday, June 2, 2003

And then there were four...

Serial semi finalist Juan Carlos Ferrero continued his love affair with the
red dirt on Monday, winning the battle of the Spaniards on Suzanne Lenglen
Court. Ferrero easily eliminated countryman Felix Mantilla in straight sets
6-2 6-1 6-1 to advance to his fourth consecutive French Open quarter final.

Ferrero's victory over his close friend means that there are four Spaniards
in the final eight at 2003 Roland-Garros. Compatriots Albert Costa and Tommy
Robredo beat Arnaud Clement and Gustavo Kuerten respectively to join Ferrero
and Carlos Moya in the quarters early Monday evening.

Third seeded Ferrero 퀠the finalist here last year - carved up Mantilla (who
he has now beaten in all seven of their encounters) in a swift one hour, 40
minutes, securing his spot in the last eight, where he will meet No19 seed
Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.

Ferrero played outstanding tennis from the baseline, pinning his elder
countryman back with his solid forehand and threading crosscourt and down-
the-line winners from all parts of the court. He hit a phenomenal 53 winners
to Mantilla's 13.

Ferrero dictated points, but counter-punched with spin and angles when he
needed to and enjoyed remarkable success at the net, where he won 19 of 29
points. By the end of the contest, he had run Mantilla ragged, making him
cover at least twice as much court as himself.

He finished off the match with a screaming backhand winner.

Ferrero's French Open win-loss record now stands at an ominous 20-3 (he has
always reached at least the semi final in all three of his previous
appearances).