Shark Bites - Roland Garros Preview
By Greg Sharko
* Andre Agassi is attempting to become the first player to win the year's
first two Grand Slam titles since countryman Jim Courier won both in 1992.
Agassi defeated Rainer Schuettler in the final at the Australian Open in
January. In 1992, Courier defeated Stefan Edberg at the Australian Open and
Petr Korda at Roland Garros.
* Agassi is one victory away from tying Pete Sampras with 762 career match
wins. The last time the two were tied came in 1994 when Sampras tied Agassi
with 294 match wins after his first round victory at the Australian Open.
* The toughest potential third round match is three-time Roland Garros
champion and No. 15 seed Gustavo Kuerten against No. 21 Gaston Gaudio, who
defeated the Brazilian in the first round of Tennis Masters Series Rome
earlier this month Gaudio leads the ATP circuit with 26 clay court match wins
this year.
* There are six former Roland Garros champions in the field and they are
split evenly in the top and bottom half of the draw. Three-time winner
Gustavo Kuerten, last year's champion Albert Costa and 1989 titlist Michael
Chang are in the top half. The bottom half of the draw consists of Agassi
(1999), Carlos Moya (1998) and Yevgeny Kafelnikov (1996).
* There are two 30-over first round match-ups as 1989 champion Michael Chang
(31) plays Frenchman Fabrice Santoro (30) and No. 23 seed Younes El Aynaoui
(31) takes on Frenchman Anthony Dupuis (30).
* No. 3 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero, 16-3 lifetime at Roland Garros and last
year's runner-up, is the only player to reach the semifinals or better in
each of the past three years in Paris.
* In four of the past five years (except 1999), a Tennis Masters Series
champion on clay has advanced to the final in Roland Garros the same year.
This year's TMS champions were Juan Carlos Ferrero (Monte Carlo), Felix
Mantilla (Rome) and Guillermo Coria (Hamburg).
* The youngest player in the singles main draw is 16-year-old Frenchman
Richard Gasquet (turns 17 on June 18) and the oldest player is 33-year-old
Andre Agassi.
* In January, Brian Vahaly was the last name placed into the main draw at the
Australian Open and he got to play No. 2 seed Andre Agassi in the first round.
On Friday, Vahaly's name was the first player called into the main draw and
this time he will play top seed and world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt in the opening
round.
* Greg Rusedski is scheduled to return to action for the first time since last
year's US Open. The British No. 2 underwent left knee surgery in March. He
plays Nikolay Davydenko in the first round.
ATP Director of Media Relations Greg Sharko, the statistical guru of men's
professional tennis, is in his 17th year with the ATP. Based out of the ATP
International Headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Sharko also serves
as editor of the ATP Official Guide.
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