Marat Safin survives a thriller against Gaudio
Spanish stars, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Carlos Moya, both moved closer to a
rendezvous in the final of the Open SEAT Godo 2003 in Barcelona Friday when
each of them notched straight set victories over their quarterfinal opponents.
Ferrero, who has now won 10 consecutive matches in the month of April since
losing to Marcelo Rios at the NASDAQ-100 Open, defeated No. 7 seed Gustavo
Kuerten, while Moya defeated the only unseeded player left in the draw.
Ferrero took the first set and broke Kuerten in his final service game to
win 6-4, 6-4 and move into the semifinals of the event for the third time
in four years. Moya had little trouble with Estoril champion Nikolay
Davydenko, winning 6-3, 6-4. Davydenko broke Moya to start the match,
but the Spaniard's all-court game, mixing drop shots and forehand winners,
overwhelmed the 21-year-old Russian, who has captured two ATP titles this
year. Moya is into his fourth ATP semifinal on the year.
Agustin Calleri, who fell to Davydenko two weeks ago in the final at Estoril,
advanced to his third clay-court semifinal of the year in six clay court
tournaments. He came back from a set down against Spain's Tommy Robredo
in a match that went well over two hours. Calleri is now 16-4 on clay
including a title in Acapulco in February.
In the day's last quarterfinal, No. 4 seed Marat Safin managed to
survive a two hour, 43-minute thriller against the fiesty Gaston
Gaudio. Early in the match, the Russian was in complete control
with a 6-4, 4-1 lead. But Gaudio came bounding back to win the
second set. The third set proved to be a dog fight, with Safin
finally winning 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, saving two match points. e
WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID
Moya: "I found it difficult to get into the match until I broke
his serve. I was surprised by the level of his game. Davydenko is
a much better player now compared to the last time we played against
each other. I knew he was in good form since he won Estoril two weeks
ago and we were playing in the quarterfinals of Barcelona today. You
don't reach the quarterfinals of Barcelona unless you are playing well."
"It was a short match. I always like to win the match as quickly as I
can. The fewer minutes you are on the court, the more strength you will
have in the next round."
"I often reach the semifinals and then lose. I mustn't lose sight of
where I am in the tournament. There is still some way to go. First I
am going to play tomorrow and see what happens."
"As the week has gone on, I have been serving better. This allows me
to play me off my forehand."
On playing Calleri
"I have always beaten him in the past, but it is going to be hard.
He's a player who doesn't like to move around the court to much."
Accounting for his recent form
"I used to lose my concentration when I was taking a big lead in a
match. I have learnt how to focus and concentrate again when this happens."
Ferrero: "It was a much quicker today compared to our previous matches.
Kuerten was eager to keep the rallies fast. We were hitting the ball hard
out there. To tell you the truth, I was serving really well the entire
match. When it came down to the crucial points, I played them better
than Kuerten."
"We are likely to meet again at Roland Garros. Kuerten has an amazing
charisma and can find energy from nowhere. He always arrives in Paris
with a lot of confidence and plays his best tennis there with a lot of
support of the crowds."
"I don't think I am in a position to complain if I am playing my best
tennis now before my home crowd. It is hard for any player to play
consistently well during the whole year. My level may drop a bit up
until Roland Garros, but I hope it won't be next week when I play in
Valencia."
On playing Safin or Gaudio
"I have had a lot of hard matches this week and tomorrow will be no
exception. No matter who wins between Safin or Gaudio, we are sure
to have a big rivalry."
Calleri: "I could sense Tommy (Robredo) was tired today and I took
advantage of it as I am in really good shape. He played a long match
yesterday against Corretja and I knew I would be in better shape if
the match went to three sets."
On tomorrow's match against Moya
"Moya is a former world No. 1 and champion of Roland Garros. I think
that speaks for itself. It is going to be a complicated match, but I
am in good form."
Robredo: "Of course I am disappointed to have lost today; you always
are after losing a match. I am happy though with the way I have been
playing recently. Over the coming weeks I will be playing the Tennis
Masters Series in Rome and Hamburg before Paris. My goal now is to
play my best tennis at these events."
Kuerten: "In the first set, I wasn't that comfortable on court. I
hadn't played on the center court this week and I had difficulty
seeing the ball. By the second set, I thought I was playing better.
I would have liked to see the match go into a third set but I missed
too many points. With Ferrero, you can't afford to miss any shots."
"I left the court very happy with the way I was hitting the ball. I
think I have stepped up my play from Monte-Carlo last week. I am
beginning to gain respect on clay again. Ferrero never dominated
me. I was in control of the match."
"I am going to take this week to prepare for Rome, Hamburg and Paris.
I want to arrive at Roland Garros having reached the semifinals or
final of one of the two events leading up to it. My main goal is to
do well in Paris."
"This tournament in Barcelona is like a Master Series. All the best
players have come here from Monte-Carlo. I felt very good here from
the day I arrived. I felt very welcome at the club."
Safin: "It was a tough match. I started to play well and take an
early lead at 4-1. Then be broke back but I still managed to take
the set at 6-4. I couldn't finish the match in the second set. By
the third set, he started to play much better. I lost my tennis a
little bit in the second and third sets but I fought hard. I fought
and I eventually won the match."
SATURDAY MATCHES
Two scintillating semifinals Saturday at the Open SEAT Godo 2003 in
Barcelona. No. 2 seed Carlos Moya, looking to get into his third final
on the year, takes on Argentina's Agustin Calleri. A tournament win by
Moya in Barcelona would move him to second in the ATP Champions Race
2003, while Calleri sits just outside the Top 10 in this year's Race.
Moya won all three previous matches against Calleri, including a straight
sets win on clay last year in Bastad en route to the title there.
Juan Carlos Ferrero will take on No. 4 seed Marat Safin in the day's
other semifinal. Ferrero could vault past Rainer Schuettler, currently
second in the ATP Champions Race 2003, with a semifinal victory on
Saturday. But he's not guaranteed of finishing the tournament second
in the Race since Moya could pass Ferrero if he wins the event. Safin,
meanwhile, will be playing his first semifinal of 2003, having had a
disappointing start to the year.
Moya and Ferrero have a great tradition of playing at this event. They
have faced each other three out of the past four years, with the last
two victories going to Ferrero. He defeated Moya in the final of the
Open SEAT Godo 2001. A possible Sunday final in Barcelona would be a
delight for the Spanish crowd.e
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Guga說得好有自信…「蚊子並沒有支配我，是我在控制比賽」(但是miss掉一些
關鍵點」…沒錯…Guga的關鍵點掌握還未恢復…希望他在法網就像Sampras在美網
那樣啦~~~~~:pp(PS：籤運最好不要像他那樣就好-"-/// )
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