Q: I'm sure you've gotten the "future of American tennis" questions before. This week we had Justin Gimelstob beating Korda, Jeff Salzenstein nearly beating Muster, and your great results. So, would you say the next generation is coming into its own?
Woodruff: Well, I don't know. I guess until one of us really does something -- what I would say big like winning a Grand Slam, or continually gets like a Chang, who's always in the final and always has great success -- until one of us steps forward like myself, or Gimelstob, or Salzenstein, Spadea, Joyce; until a couple of us guys step forward, there really aren't that many of us once you get past Sampras and Chang. So, I think we're in trouble a little bit.
Q: How did it feel to finally win a tiebreak?Here are some other highlights...
Kuerten: It's good, huh? 6-4 down, I was already prepared for the third set. Then something happened and maybe I'm gonna change now my tiebreak type, was like 5-12.
Joe Lynch of the ATP: 8-14 now.
Kuerten: So 7-14. That's bad. Hopefully no tiebreaks tomorrow.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov on fellow Russian Anna Kournikova: "No question she's a very good looking girl. She's playing tennis extraordinarily well, hitting the ball hard, but I don't know. For the past few years I've been doing so good that nobody was really caring in Russia about women's tennis. But since she started to play well, maybe it will change things... I see her being on the top very soon because she's a very talented girl. I don't know about women's tennis much, but that's my personal feelings."
Woodruff on nearly being eliminated by Jan Siemerink in the second round: "I should be out of the tournament... 4-5, 30-40...he put the volley in the net. He's a great volleyer, obviously, so I was lucky. Shoulda been trunk slammin'."
Woodruff on attracting females with his on-court appearance: "I don't really care, to tell you the truth. I've got a couple girls that I run with at home."
Michael Chang on ever becoming #1 in the world: "I think it's possible. Last year, if Corretja had hit that one passing shot (against Sampras at the US Open)... I should have bugged him about it."
After winning his first two matches by dominating on serve, Enqvist got off to the wrong kind of start on Friday, being broken by Kafelnikov and quickly falling behind 2-0. Three aces in the next game got the Swede back on track, though, and he would earn a break for 2-2. Enqvist continued racking up aces as the set went on, but Kafelnikov was holding just as easily. The set went to 5-5, Enqvist building a 40-15 and appearing on his way to a tiebreak at worst. Instead, he dropped four straight points and the game. Kafelnikov had to shrug off two break points himself to finish the set, but he did, winning it 7-5.
It was Kafelnikov demonstrating the service power early in the second. He smacked four aces in a long hold for 1-1 and three in coming back from 30-40 to hold for 3-3. He began missing first serves with alarming regularity after that, however, and Enqvist managed to break for a 5-3 lead by running down a Kafelnikov drop shot and sending back a forehand winner. However, Enqvist handed the break right back with four consecutive errors and Kafelnikov added an easy hold for 5-5. Enqvist then held at love for 6-5; Kafelnikov at 15 for 6-6.
Enqvist started off the tiebreak as well as possible with an ace and took a 3-1 lead on an ugly backhand error by Kafelnikov. Errors from each player got it to 4-2, where Enqvist proceeded to put one forehand long and another in the net. Another missed Enqvist forehand gave Yevgeny his first match point up 6-5, but he blew it with a wide backhand. Enqvist missed a backhand of his own, allowing Kafelnikov a second match point, this one on serve. The Russian was wild with the backhand again, though, and he added to his misery with a double fault. Now up 8-7 and inheriting his first set point, Thomas took charge with a service winner. After 1 hour and 43 minutes, we were headed to a third set.
Kafelnikov held with an ace for 1-0. Enqvist, his first serve percentage dwindling as the match went on (he later attributed this to the wind), got down 30-40 on another missed backhand. The next point was among the longest rallies of the match and it finally ended as an Enqvist forehand went long of the baseline. Having gotten down a critical break, Enqvist rifled a ball high into the sky (but did not receive a code violation). He saw a bit of light at 30-30 in the next game, but a Kafelnikov slammed that door with a forehand winner down the line followed by a service winner. Kafelnikov drew Enqvist into more long rallies in the next game and, despite initially trailing 15-40, broke again on one of Enqvist's 54 unforced errors.
Desperate just to get a game, Enqvist earned a break point, but Kafelnikov denied him with a strong serve out wide and won the game when a defensive lob went wide. Down 5-0 in the 3rd, Enqvist finally got a love hold. The Russian was "in the zone" on serve, though. He got an ace for 15-15 and another for 40-30. Kafelnikov then locked up the victory with another good serve which Enqvist returned long. Yevgeny Kafelnikov missed his chances to win this one in straight sets, but he finished strong on his way to the semifinals.
Philippoussis walked into this match without having suffered a service break yet in the tournament. Woodruff, whose returns had given Goran Ivanisevic fits on Thursday, ended that streak quickly. In fact, he converted two of six break points on his way to an early 4-1 edge. After getting down 15-0, though, Philippoussis scored four straight points and his first break for 4-2. Showing the variety he says exists in his game, Philippoussis completed his first hold of the afternoon with a nice topspin lob. However, Woodruff came right back to take a 5-3 lead, an ace at 30-30 the key to that hold.
In the ninth game, Philippoussis hit an atrocious backhand and did an effeminite impression of it, drawing some laughs from the crowd. He was pushed to deuce, but got the ad when Woodruff crashed into the net chasing a nice touch volley. Philippoussis took the next point and trailed just 5-4. That's when Woodruff, as he would say, "put on the accelerator" -- an ace for 40-0, followed by a second serve ace for the game and set. It was "Country" 6, "Scud" 4.
Philippoussis should have replied with one of his dominant service games, but instead he got right back behind the 8 ball, losing the game on a double fault. The holds came pretty easily after that, getting Woodruff to 4-3. The Tennessee native threw away the next game with errors, however, and the second set was even at four games apiece. A tentative net approach by Philippoussis equaled a bad backhand volley and a 30-40 deficit. He would fight off the first two break points, but lose the third on a double fault. The wind which had bothered Thomas Enqvist was also playing havoc with the vaunted Philippoussis serve.
At 0-15 in the 10th game of the set, Philippoussis went down hard attempting to hit a tough forehand on the dead run. Woodruff showed no mercy, absolutely blasting a pair of winners for 40-15. When a Philippoussis return went long on the next point, this tournament's David had slain another Goliath. Far more emotional than after his win over Ivanisevic, Chris Woodruff pumped his fist, hit a ball to the crowd, and savored a big 6-4, 6-4 upset victory.
Thus far in 1997, only three players have won ATP Tour singles and doubles titles in the same week. Looking like a reasonable bet to join that group was Yevgeny Kafelnikov, playing well in singles and seeded #1 in doubles. He and Daniel Vacek are the two-time defending French Open champions. Their opponents, by contrast, had to come through qualifying and reached the quarterfinal round via walkover (due to Sandon Stolle's shoulder injury). Play this match on paper and it's no contest. Tell that to Aleksander Kitinov and Jeff Salzenstein. They held serve without difficulty to 3-3 and took a surprising 4-3 lead when Kafelnikov broke himself with two missed volleys and a bad backhand.
Kitinov held easily for 5-3 and looked at a first set point when Vacek double faulted for 30-40. Set point #1 fell by the wayside, but Salzenstein followed it up with a big service return winner, drawing big cheers from the crowd. After set point #2 was squandered, Salzenstein drew more oohs and aahs by running down a drop shot and returning it with a nicely angled backhand winner. After a Vacek service winner foiled set point #3, the young American impressed yet again by splitting Kafelnikov and Vacek with a backhand pass. Nonetheless, a Kitinov lob sailed wide on set point #4 and Vacek went ahead to finally hold for 5-4.
Would the dangerous Salzenstein service hold up to the pressure of trying to win a set against the #1 seeds? Maybe not -- two Salzenstein errors put him down 0-30. Jeff made an amazing backhand overhead to keep the 15-30 point alive, though, and won it on a Kafelnikov error. The battle raged on, Kitinov/Salzenstein fighting off two break points and Kafelnikov/Vacek doing the same to two more set points. The seventh set point was lucky for Kitinov and Salzenstein -- a Kafelnikov backhand return going just wide to complete a 6-4 opening set.
Kafelnikov and Kitinov exchanged holds, the latter's including an overhead on which Salzenstein whirled around 360 degrees in mid-air. Two more easy holds meant 2-2. Kafelnikov then got down 0-30 and hit a huge overhead smash long. He and Vacek fought off two break points, but lost the game on a double fault. Kafelnikov threw his racquet all the way to the net in disgust, incurring a racquet abuse warning. After a Kafelnikov forehand was ruled long early in the next game, Yevgeny and Daniel dropped their racquets almost simultaneously and began to argue, Kafelnikov angrily tugging on the net. It was an otherwise uneventful hold for Kitinov, who extended the lead to 4-2.
A pair of simply amazing Salzenstein gets in the first point of the seventh game paid off when Vacek dumped an easy volley into the net. Completely discombobulated by now, Kafelnikov/Vacek were broken at love, Salzenstein going airborne for a volley on the last point. The crowd attempted to rally the #1 seeds, but they could do little in the final game. Salzenstein served out the stunning 6-4, 6-2 win and signed many autographs for his new fans. It's been a heady week for the 23-year-old, nearly winning in his first singles encounter with a top 10 player and now advancing to a Super Nine doubles semifinal.
Krajicek was playing good ball on his way to this marquee matchup and could have been considered the favorite due to a 5-2 career record against Chang. He got off to a shaky start, though, dropping 9 of the first 11 points. Without any problems on his serve, Chang jumped out to a 5-2 lead. Krajicek was the only player left in the draw who had not dropped a set and he was unwilling to let go of that status. He held for 5-3 and built a 0-40 lead on Chang's serve with a smash and a backhand volley. The ever scrappy American fought off the first two break points, but lost the next on a backhand just wide. Three straight love holds (one for Krajicek, two for Chang) sent the first set to a tiebreak.
Unlike the start of the match, Krajicek opened strong, thumping an ace for a 3-0 lead. He followed it up with three close misses on groundstrokes, though, and got down 5-4 after failing to succeed on a pair of stretch volleys. A Krajicek ace made it 5-5. Chang next put up a lob which the wind carried a bit further than the Dutchman expected -- he badly botched the overhead, getting behind 6-5 in a moment which reeked with turning point significance. Indeed, Chang rifled in an ace on the very next point to take the tiebreak 7-5.
Four holds made it 2-2 in the 2nd, but Krajicek found himself broken again on a forehand volley error. Chang held at love for 4-2 and pressured the Krajicek serve again. When a backhand pass allegedly caught the baseline for 30-40, an absolutely stunned looking Krajicek pointed to a mark but got no satisfaction. While admitting that other disputed calls in the match may have been correct, Krajicek later swore twice that he was "100 percent sure" this ball had gone long. It apparently rattled him enough to cause a double fault, giving Chang a two break advantage and another 5-2 lead.
Chang once again failed in an attempt to serve out a set, putting a backhand into the net for 5-3. Krajicek held easily for 5-4 and made the next game awfully interesting by going ahead 0-40. Facing a second consecutive break, Michael turned his game up a notch. A forehand winner, backhand winner, and service winner wiped out all three break points. Another big Chang forehand forced a Krajicek error for the ad. Then, with his first match point in hand, Chang drilled a service winner and collected the 7-6, 6-4 victory. It was a high quality battle, decided by a few very big points. The #1 seed now finds himself two wins away from his sixth title of the year.
Although best known for his French Open run, Kuerten is a very capable hard court player. He proved that to Santoro in the opening set, taking it 6-3. Santoro had collected two Roland Garros winning scalps (Courier and Muster) earlier in the week, though, and he battled back to break and hold for 2-0 in the 2nd. The Frenchman thought he had another break in the third game, but a call went against him and he gave the chair umpire a dismissive wave. An overrule at 3-2, 40-30 further agitated Santoro, who received a code violation for the argument which ensued. He fought off three break points with a drop shot and two beautiful volleys, but finally lost the lead on an errant backhand. Kuerten was back even at 3-3.
After missing a passing shot at deuce in the following game, Santoro bounced his racquet twice. All that competitive fire couldn't stop the scintillating backhand pass the #6 seed delivered on the next point to clinch a 4-3 lead. Santoro came up with back-to-back aces to hold for 4-4, then Guga held at 30 and sprinted to his chair up 5-4. Santoro was pushed to deuce in the following game, but won it with another fine backhand volley (the normally two-hands-at-all-times Santoro was hitting his better volleys with one hand). Two more holds followed and Kuerten was faced with a situation he dreads -- a tiebreak.
Santoro took a 2-1 lead on a winning forehand volley, but made two straight errors to get down 3-2. The sixth point of the breaker was a thriller: Santoro touch volley, great get by Kuerten, great get by Santoro on the reply, and a lunging volley by Kuerten into the net. After switching sides, Santoro scored a service winner for 4-3 and went up 5-3 on a Kuerten forehand error. A Kuerten ace made it 5-4, but another missed forehand gave Santoro double set point. Fabrice missed both chances, though, the first a missed backhand while running backwards and the other a purely unforced error. A rally of deep groundstrokes followed, ending on another Santoro miss. Facing match point down 7-6, Santoro opted for another drop shot. Kuerten got to it and lobbed the ball over Santoro's head. Santoro lobbed that right back and Kuerten hit a smash. Santoro got a racquet on that, but his shot went wide and the win belonged to Guga.
A big hit with the fans this week, Fabrice Santoro left to a rousing ovation. Gustavo Kuerten has also garnered major popularity in Montreal, though, and he left with a 6-3, 7-6 win. The victory sets up a very intriguing semifinal matchup with Michael Chang, the first ever meeting between the two.