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by Christopher Gerby Tarango/Vacek vs. Damm/Prinosil Doubles: First Round Court 3 Court 3 played host to its very first main draw match on Tuesday morning. It was always strictly a practice court in the past and didn't even have any seating until bleachers were added this year. The untested layout didn't meet with Jeff Tarango's approval. Immediately after arriving on court with partner Daniel Vacek, Tarango picked up his plastic chair and carried it all the way to the other side of the court, where he could sit in the shade. He talked Vacek into joining him and managed to clear the unorthodox move with the chair umpire. So we were treated to a truly unusual site during the changeovers: one team seated on the far end (facing the umpire) and the other on the near end (next to the umpire). That respite from the sun's rays couldn't protect Tarango from having his serve broken in the second game of the match. It was the only break Martin Damm and David Prinosil would need in the opening set. It was about 30 minutes of standard, unspectacular, serve-dominated doubles, won 6-3 by the Czech/German pairing. Reigning Wimbledon doubles finalist David Rikl arrived in time to see his countrymen Vacek and Damm win their first service games of the second set. Then it was Tarango's turn to struggle again. Jeff faced three break points, but on all three occasions put in a first serve which Damm couldn't return in play. After five deuces, Tarango recorded a service winner to hold for 2-1. Another round of successful holds (with nary a break point to speak of) took the score to 4-3. The sun disappeared behind some clouds during that seventh game, so Tarango and Vacek spent the ensuing change of ends lugging their chairs back to their original location. Prinosil held at love for 4-4 and Vacek matched him to 5-4. Daniel slammed his racquet twice in frustration during Damm's hold for 5-5. Tarango escaped a pressure packed Game 11 to keep the set on serve and Prinosil held at 30 to force a tiebreak.
Tarango/Vacek got the first mini-break when Damm missed a volley at 1-2. Leading 3-1, Tarango nearly caught the baseline with a forehand pass, but the chair umpire called it out. "That is a disaster!" bellowed Vacek. Tarango was the calm, rational one for a change, telling Umpire Chagas "I know that was out -- that was a good overrule -- but why didn't you call the serve out?" Vacek disregarded all that and kept on with his anti-overrule stance. "Just pay attention! Call the score and don't do anything else." In the midst of all the commotion, Tarango and Vacek were still in control of the tiebreak. A great return by Tarango drew a Damm error for 6-3, giving his team their first match point. Jeff closed it out himself, ripping a swing volley to win the tiebreak 7 points to 3. Tarango's clutch shot-making made the difference in a 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 slugfest which easily could have gone either way. Andy Roddick vs. Hyung-Taik Lee Singles: First Round Court 1 I don't need to tell you who Andy Roddick is. Judging by the big crowds "A-Rod" has been drawing both in practice and in this first round match, it's obvious the word is out about the ultra-talented teenager. Standing in his way on Tuesday was Hyung-Taik Lee, the Korean baseliner who came from out of nowhere to make a fairy tale Round of 16 run at last year's US Open. Lee was successful in his first two service games here, but coughed up two double faults in a break for 2-4. Roddick then showed what all the hype is about with this Game 7 display: ace, service winner, big inside-out forehand winner, service winner. The love hold put Roddick firmly in command of the set at 5-2. He made some loose errors in the next few minutes, but secured a 6-3 win of the set with a shot that clipped the tape and fell in. At 1-1 in the second set, Lee once again found himself overpowered, missing a forehand on break point to give Roddick another lead. Andy then went on a thoroughly impressive run, holding at 15, breaking at love, and staving off a break point to hold for 5-1. Lee was really struggling with his own game, which at its best features silky smooth groundstrokes. He did show off some of those skills in a hold for 2-5, but soon after was facing a match point. Roddick double faulted it away, earned a second match point, and squandered that one with an overly ambitious forehand. Roddick put in a big first serve to earn match point # 3, but netted a half-volley. Lee caught the baseline with a forehand of his own to earn break point. Stunned by the non-call, Roddick put his arms over his head and stared at the umpire. He then fired an angry-looking ace and an even bigger service winner to earn a fourth match point. Roddick appeared to close out the match with a gigantic ace down the T. He walked towards the net and autograph-seeking fans rushed out of the stands, but a fault had been called, so everyone had to head right back to where they were. A forehand error cost Roddick that fifth match point and a Lee winner saved # 6. The young American's howitzer serve kept bailing him out of trouble, though, and he earned a seventh match point. This time he followed a second serve into the net and knocked off a backhand volley. Roddick kicked his leg into the air and raised a clenched fist, having finally secured the 6-3, 6-2 victory. After smacking 11 aces in 67 minutes, Roddick should feel pretty confident on Montreal's fast courts. "I think my first serve percentage could have been a little bit higher, but I came through with serves, you know, on some big points." If Roddick is feeling the pressure of high expectations, he doesn't show it. "I'm having a blast. I get to play tennis for a living, which is pretty cool, right? The only adjustment is you're on the road a little bit more and you don't get to see your friends quite as much. But, you know, the opportunities that I'm getting and what I get to do far outweighs the negatives." I asked Andy about his quest for a nickname to replace the one he already shares with baseball star Alex Rodriguez. "I don't know. (ESPN's Chris) Berman did that poll, but nothing's catching on. I think A-Rod's sticking pretty good right now." B Bryan/M Bryan vs. Hewitt/Rafter Doubles: First Round Court 1 The stands surrounding Court 1 were absolutely filled to capacity for a marquee doubles match between the energetic, identical Bryan twins and Australian stars Lleyton Hewitt and Patrick Rafter. The chanting Aussie fans were on hand, of course, but were being countered by some cries of "USA! USA!" It was great atmosphere and the match built toward an exciting first set conclusion. Hewitt saved a break point en route to 6-5, but righty Mike Bryan held at love to force a tiebreak. A pair of uncharacteristic errors at the net by Rafter surrendered mini-breaks as the Bryans sprinted to a 6-2 lead in the 'breaker. The Aussies saved two set points, but Bob Bryan blasted an unreturnable lefty serve to win the tiebreak 7-4. Holds from Bob, Lleyton, and Mike took the second set score to 2-1. Rafter then got down 0-30 and missed another first serve. When the ball came back to him, he kicked it into the stands, utterly frustrated with his subpar play. At 15-40, a nicely angled return by Mike forced another errant volley from Rafter to make it 3-1. Bob put together an easy hold for 4-1 and hit a lunging backhand return winner to take a 15-40 lead against Hewitt's serve. The Aussies were still fighting and they did get back to deuce, but Bob earned a third break point with a forehand pass that eluded Hewitt. Bob then ripped a backhand at Rafter, who missed his backhand volley wide and stood frozen in place. He was not playing like himself at all and now his team was in very dire straits at 1-5. It ended very quickly after that, Mike Bryan serving out the 7-6, 6-1 win at love. Rafter and (to a lesser extent) Hewitt were clearly out of sorts in that second set, but major credit should go to the Bryan twins, who have developed into a well-oiled machine. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe (who's been working with Andy Roddick this week in addition to his TV commentary duties) should think seriously about bringing them on board as his doubles team in September. Gustavo Kuerten vs. Ronald Agenor Singles: First Round Centre Court The # 1 player in the world battling the oldest player on the tour sounds like the recipe for a sentimental novelty act, not a competitive tennis match. However, anyone who watched Ronald Agenor practice about an hour before his first round bout could see this is a not man treating the sport as a lark. He seriously, stoically ripped groundstroke after groundstroke as no more than a dozen fans looked on. Unlike fellow old-timer Gianluca Pozzi, Agenor isn't one to drive his opponents batty with off-pace junk balls. He still muscles the ball around like he did in his prime, hitting with considerable depth and power. On a quick court, that just might be enough to trouble three-time French Open c champion Gustavo Kuerten. Kuerten won the opening point of the match with a drop shot, perpaps sending a message that he was going to make the old man run this evening. However, it was Agenor whipping a backhand down the line to finish a love break for 3-1. The crowd was definitely into this one now and a real buzz circulated through the stadium when Agenor took another love game for 4-1. Kuerten finally started to find the range, though, and picked off a high forehand volley to get back on serve at 3-4. The Brazilian contingent tried to start up a chant for their man, but were actually drowned out by a group of still-fervent Agenor fans waving Haiti's flag. After an exchange of love holds made it 5-4, Kuerten got himself into a 0-40 hole on his serve. He gallantly saved the first two set points, but then had a second serve ruled a fault by chair umpire Norm Chryst. It was a wild way to end an improbable set, won 6-4 by Ronald Agenor. Kuerten continued to struggle with both his game and the line calls as Agenor inched ahead 2-0 in the second set. Would Guga actually follow Andre Agassi (bounced in straight sets by Ivan Ljubicic this afternoon) out of the tournament? He tried to supply an answer by reeling off four winning games in a row, playing some great defensive tennis and liberally employing his drop shot. Agenor would not go away, though, and came up with a dropper of his own to hold for 3-4. Another overrule from Chryst gave Agenor a break point in Game 8. He converted it immediately, driving a forehand pass cross-court to move within two games of victory at 6-4, 4-4. Despite all his experience, Agenor looked a little tight as he played a timid 9th game, suddenly slicing balls and hoping for Kuerten errors. Those errors had come in bunches during this match, but Guga got back on track just in time, breaking for 5-4 and launching a service winner for 40-30. On set point, Agenor sent a running forehand into the net. This match was dead even, one 6-4 set per man. Just when you might expect Agenor to fold up his tent, he opened the third set with a hold and hustled his way to a 15-40 chance on Kuerten's serve. Alas, the # 1 seed dodged the break points with an overpowering forehand and a delicate backhand down the line. Then he creamed two aces in a row to hold for 1-1. At 2-2, Agenor recorded an ace of his own for 40-0, getting a big ovation. He dumped a forehand in the net on the next point, though, and stuck the racquet handle in his mouth, walking around with it there for a while. A forehand error from Kuerten ended the game in Agenor's favor, though. Realizing new balls would be put in play during the changeover, Ronald lobbed one of the old balls to his group of supporters. He was clearly enjoying this turn-back-the-clock experience and sharing that joy with his fans. Kuerten's serve was becoming downright impenetrable -- he hit two more aces in a love hold for 3-3. Facing a break point in Game 8, Agenor misfired on a forehand and pulled up, having suffered what he later called a "little muscle pull" in his right leg. That pretty well brought Agenor's dream run to an end. Kuerten launched two more aces (he had eight in the final set alone) for 5-3 and then broke Agenor at love, ending the 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 thriller with a winning backhand return. It was a disappointing way for Ronald Agenor to go out, but he left the court with his head held high, applauding the fans and getting a huge ovation in return. Kuerten went about winning the crowd back during a little post-match game in which the victorious player and some kids try to serve balls at targets to win prizes. I've seen this game played countless times over the course of six years in Montreal, but never with a participant as lively and creative as Gustavo Kuerten. After missing everything on his first serve, he picked up two handfuls of balls and threw them at the targets all at once. When a little girl was having trouble hitting the ball over the net, Guga held it down for her and invited her up to the service box. When even that didn't work, he picked up one of the targets (a racquet bag) and moved it around so it was guaranteed to connect with the ball. Not exactly within the rules, but it was great fun and even had the jaded journalists in stitches. Agenor was pleased, if not surprised, by his performance. "I expected it, because I had nothing to lose. Kuerten is basically the # 1 or # 2 in the world. My goal was to play my best tennis and I was close to doing that. There were a few things I could have done better, but he's # 1 for a reason." After all the big matches he's played in a career spanning parts of three decades, Agenor labeled this experience "definitely one of the best." The original goal of his comeback (after years in retirement) was to become the oldest man in the Top 100. Since Agenor accomplished that last year, I asked what he was aiming for now. Ronald took that as an opportunity to deliver a blistering tirade about ATP politics. "My problem is that I don't have access to the big tournaments. I only have to go to challengers and it's terrible for my tennis. The last six years, I've not been able to get one wild card in any ATP Tour event, so I'm really punished by that. The tour system is made a certain way where most of the tournaments are owned by management companies. I have nobody representing me, so they give priority to their players, so therefore a player like me is out. I have no wild cards whatsoever." I followed up by asking Ronald if he's still working on a book about his experiences on the tour. "Yeah, it's still in the process. I kind of stopped because I had too many things I was doing at the same time, but hopefully one day it will come out." Agenor left the press conference in a cheerful mood, announcing "See you in two years! I'll be 38 then." Gustavo Kuerten was relieved to be through to the second round, where he'll face Gaston Gaudio. "I think much more (important) than the way I played was (the) way I hang in the match, fight, was pretty much the key to win out there." The speed of the surface has obviously required an adjustment. "Anyone who's playing can see it's a very fast court, slides a lot, the ball don't kick too much. I can say it's much difference than the surface we played last week (in Los Angeles), but hard courts can be very fast or very slow, depends on the ball, the city, the weather... Sometimes a match like this is just what you need (to) get your rhythm." Guga was eventually prompted to answer a question in French. While initially reluctant, he managed to go on at great length in the unfamiliar tongue. "Pretty good," he said, grinning and pretending to check his watch. Bhupathi/Paes vs. Humphries/O'Brien Doubles: First Round Court 1 While this year's French Open singles champion was struggling in the stadium, the doubles champs had their hands full on Court 1. Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes lost the first set 6-3 to the American tandem of Scott Humphries and Alex O'Brien. "The Indian Express" rallied to take the second by the same score, but O'Brien staved off a break point to go up 2-1 in the third. Paes and Humphries held to 3-2 and Bhupathi appeared to make it 3-3 with an ace. It was called a fault, though, and Mahesh badly missed a volley after putting in his second serve. Two points later, Humphries tucked away a backhand volley to break for 4-2. The Indians had chances to break right back, but clutch serving from O'Brien and stellar net play by Humprhies made it 5-2. Paes kept his team alive with a forceful hold for 3-5, but an upset was still in the offing. Scott Humphries powered home an ace and two service winners in closing out the 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win. Bhupathi and Paes, who hadn't played together since a dismal first round loss at Wimbledon, now find themselves saddled with a two match losing streak. Humphries and O'Brien, meanwhile, advance to a Thursday meeting with Jeff Tarango and Daniel Vacek, which could be interesting. Even though they're fellow Stanford alumni, Humphries and Tarango have a less-than-friendly history. |