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by Christopher Gerby Tommy Haas vs. Andrei Pavel Singles: Semifinal Centre Court They may not be the biggest names in this Masters Series field, but Tommy Haas and Andrei Pavel played world class tennis to earn their semifinal berths. While they looked a bit nervous in the early going on Saturday afternoon, they did continue to produce some big hitting. Haas had the first chance to break serve, but just barely missed a forehand return. Pavel survived to hold for 1-1 and saved another break point on the way to 2-2. Haas had been taking care of his games pretty convincingly, but a double fault and two consecutive forehand errors gave Pavel a 3-2 lead. Attempting to break right back, the German pushed Pavel in an extremely long, tense Game 6. Haas had five break points in the game, but on almost every occasion Andrei would follow a first serve into the net and put away a clutch volley. After nine deuces (making it the longest game I've witnessed this week), Haas drove a backhand pass long to trail 2-4. Pavel stayed in front and attempted to serve out the set at 5-4. An error off Pavel's forehand (his weaker side in this match) gave Haas his eighth chance to break serve. However, once again the Romanian made a successful rush to the net, knocking off a forehand volley and pumping a fist. He followed that with an ace and a service winner, completing a 6-4 win of the opening set. Aggressive play was paying off for Andrei, who to this point had more winners and more unforced errors than his opponent. Haas delivered a couple aces in the opening game of Set 2, but whenever Pavel could get a serve back in play, he was dangerous. Tommy wound up losing the game with a backhand error and, overcome with frustration, flung his racquet across the court. Pavel held and broke again, taking firm control of the match. Haas was then treated for a lower back injury, which he would later say began in the middle of the first set. This was a grim situation, especially with Pavel continuing to improve on the other side of the net. He went to 4-0 with an ace and scored a love break for 5-0. Haas had clearly surrendered...and he made it official by shaking Pavel's hand, retiring from the match. After respectfully pausing for a few moments, Andrei began applauding the crowd, waving, and raising his arms in victory. A final score of 6-4, 5-0 may not have been the way he wanted to enter the final, but it's hard to argue with his second set performance: 6 winners versus 0 unforced errors. Back on Monday, Marat Safin was booed off the court for retiring with an injury one game away from defeat. In the same situation, Haas was able to exit to a mostly positive crowd reaction. In the post-match press conference, I asked if he was perhaps worried about being jeered the way Safin was. "Not really worried. I obviously tried my best today... You come out here to perform a great match and to get injured and stuff, that's not the way you want to leave the court... By retiring or going off the court thinking about your lower back and a lot of big tournaments coming up in the future, that's something that, you know, I didn't have planned." A run to a career-first Masters Series final isn't what Andrei Pavel had planned when he arrived in Montreal the night before the tournament began. "I played first round against (Xavier) Malisse, who came from the semifinal in Los Angeles, beating Safin. And I just went on the court and said, listen, I mean, you got here pretty late, just play your game, try to play aggressive. And from that point, it got better and better." It's been a week to remember for Pavel, who has now gone three consecutive matches without having his serve broken. Even on the verge of the biggest match of his career, he remains a laid-back character. "I'm really relaxed and happy... I'm going to have a relaxing afternoon and go tomorrow and try to win my first title in the Masters Series." Johnson/Palmer vs. Gambill/Larose Doubles: Semifinal Centre Court Virtually overnight, Simon Larose went from a fledgling nobody ranked in the 300's to something of a national hero. He played his doubles semifinal in front of a packed house, with the fans cheering his every move and reporters actually paying attention. Unfortunately, he and partner Jan-Michael Gambill were squaring off against one of the world's best teams, 2nd seeded Donald Johnson and Jared Palmer. Whereas Gambill and Larose primarily think of themselves as singles players, Johnson and Palmer have spent years honing their doubles skills. An early break of Larose was enough to give the Americans a 6-4 win of the first set. Simon was unbowed, though, and actually dove on the hard court, trying to return a volley while up 1-0 in the second set. Palmer and Gambill exchanged easy holds to 2-1. Larose got a thunderous ovation for whipping an unreturnable backhand pass in Game 4, but Johnson managed to hang on for 2-2. The least experienced player on the court looked it in Game 5, as Larose committed a volley error to get down break point. But he and Gambill dug their way out, taking a 3-2 lead. Whereas Johnson and Palmer were using the court like a chess board, opening up angles and picking the right times to poach, Gambill and Larose were hanging in through sheer power. They got to 4-4, but the Canadian struggled again, double faulting for 30-40. This time Johnson made the most of the break chance, ripping a forehand at Gambill, who reflexed a volley into the net. Simon Larose's yellow brick road was finally leading to a dead end. Jared Palmer served it out at love, clinching a 6-4, 6-4 win as one last Larose return floated out. Despite the loss, this tournament made a huge impact on Larose's career. "It's a great week for my confidence, a great week for publicity, and hopefully I'll take a lot more out of it... I know I have the desire and I know I have the talent." I asked Simon if, playing against the reigning Wimbledon champions, he was able to learn anything that he could use in the future. "Yeah, these guys move unbelievable at the net. These guys are always on the ball. When they have a slight opening, they don't miss it -- they go for it. And of course they have a lot more experience than I have, especially in doubles, and they're great players. Just playing against them was a big honor for me. They really know how to play doubles. Their I-formation was good. They don't have the biggest serves, but they compensate with their volleys and their great moving. That's what you've got to do in doubles is always make the return a question. You know, where is the guy at the net going to go. And they do a great job. To look at them move, you learn a lot and try to take their tactics." Larose hopes he'll have plenty of chances to put those lessons into action. "If I continue working every minute when I'm out there on the court as hard as I've been doing this week, I think I'm going to take very big steps in the next few years." Patrick Rafter vs. Fabrice Santoro Singles: Semifinal Centre Court After starting the tournament with wavering concentration and meager expectations, Patrick Rafter entered the weekend as the favorite to win it all. However, he'd first have to outlast Fabrice Santoro, a somewhat surprising semifinalist with a history of playing well in Montreal. Santoro is like an itch you can't scratch, driving opponents to distraction with his slicing, dicing, unorthodox strokes. Players aren't used to seeing a guy hit snarky little touch shots with two hands, but at least Rafter went in knowing what to expect. He came out of the blocks fast, opening with an ace and holding at 15. Santoro held for 1-1, though, and put Rafter through his paces in the next game. Pat needed to use most of his arsenal (including two more aces) to dodge four break points before closing out the game with a lunging forehand volley. Santoro then held serve at love, looking for all the world like he was going to give the Aussie fits well into the evening. When he's healthy and focused, Rafter has the ability to play dominating hard court tennis. He demonstrated that in the second half of the first set. Suddenly everything fell into place: a high percentage of first serves, impeccable net play, and challenging groundstrokes. Handcuffing Santoro with big passing shots and deftly angled volleys, he rolled to a 6-2 win of the opening set. Rafter ran his streak to seven consecutive games, pulling ahead 3-0 in the second. Santoro just wasn't finding the answers and his frustration grew by the minute. After one futile point, he picked up a ball and hit it over the net, baseball style, with the handle of his racquet. Santoro held for 1-3 and nearly got back in the set as Rafter slogged through a temporary loss of concentration. He let one Santoro return drop for a winner and missed a fairly routine volley, but woke up in time to hold for 4-1. They traded holds to 5-2 and Rafter closed in on victory at deuce. Santoro went for one of his trademark two-handed slice forehands, but pushed it long to set up match point. The Frenchman then ended the 6-2, 6-2 match the way no player hopes to, with a double fault. All in all, it was 66 minutes of pretty outstanding tennis from Patrick Rafter, who waved with his racquet and threw his headband into the crowd. "It's pretty tough physically when you see that you have many chances and you can't get them," explained Santoro after the match in his halting English. "Mentally it's getting more and more difficult, (but) I try my best to the end." There wasn't much to ask Rafter about the one-sided victory, so talk turned to his wardrobe. Pat's had a very good record since he began wearing rather ugly, old-fashioned headbands on the court a couple weeks before Wimbledon. I asked if Paul Kilderry (the Aussie doubles specialist who talked Rafter into trying the headbands) should ask for a share of his winnings. "Well, he asked for a cut of my Wimbledon prize money and right now he needs it," Rafter quipped. He'll be switching headwear for the final, though. "When it's in the middle of the day and that, I will be wearing a hat. I do try to look after my skin." Rafter's also benching his lucky yellow shirt. "It's going to be too hot, I think... During the day, I'll stick to the old whites, mate -- get the Wimbledon colors back." Of course, Rafter will have more than fashion to worry about as he takes on Andrei Pavel. "I think he's got one of the best backhands in the game; beautiful. He's a great mover. He's a great athlete. He's a good competitor. And he's been serving well and he's been playing the big points well." If Patrick and Andrei both bring their A games, it should be a very enjoyable final. Novak/Rikl vs. Adams/Schalken Singles: Semifinal Centre Court While we were shooting the breeze with Rafter, the very solid Czech combination of Jiri Novak and David Rikl scored two service breaks against veteran David Adams. That second break finished up a 6-3 win of the opening set, but Adams and Sjeng Schalken struck right back, taking a 2-0 lead in Set 2. The unseeded team's joy was short-lived -- Adams got broken at love for 2-all. Novak and Rikl really have their doubles down to a science. Jiri is the power guy, forcing errors with his heavy returns and passing shots. David does the dirty work, scrambling around and utilizing his quick reflexes at the net. Adams and Schalken are no slouches, either -- they were the ones who ousted # 1 seeds Jonas Bjorkman and Todd Woodbridge in the second round. At 4-4 in the second set, Schalken earned triple break point with a winning volley and then rolled over a big cross-court backhand to break Novak for 5-4. The Dutchman double faulted for 15-15, but then came up with three service winners in a row to win the second set 6-4 and force a third. Losing a set for the first time in the tournament was all the motivation Novak and Rikl needed. They won eight of the next ten points, breaking Schalken for a 2-0 lead. Sjeng pelted Jiri with a volley to earn break point in Game 3, but after three deuces he wound up losing the game on an errant return. Adams was then broken again, giving the Czechs a seemingly insurmountable 4-0 advantage. Adams/Schalken fought their way to 15-40 on the Rikl serve, but lost four consecutive points to fall behind 0-5. Match point came a few minutes later and Rikl cashed it in, putting away a backhand volley to secure a 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 win. Sunday afternoon will see a rematch of the Wimbledon final, with Novak and Rikl facing Johnson and Palmer. Both lefty/righty combinations are experienced and fundamentally sound, so the title is very much up for grabs. It should be played in front of a sizable crowd, since even this semifinal affair kept most of the seats filled. The reverence for doubles is understandable -- we are, after all, in the land of Sebastien Lareau, Daniel Nestor, and (retired doubles ace) Grant Connell. |