Eclectic Day Three: Stories From Four Events |
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Eclectic Day Three: Stories From Four Events |
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Coming off disappointing early losses in Montreal and New Haven, Dominique van Roost had to be hoping just to find her form in time for the U.S. Open. After a sterling performance against dangerous Julie Halard-Decugis in the first round, the 14th seed's progress appeared to be right on schedule. The second round didn't figure to be easy, though. Magdalena Grzybowska was coming off an impressive win over her own -- a lightning quick elimination of Katarina Studenikova (see Monday's report).
Van Roost got off to a fast start on Wednesday, breaking Grzybowska's serve with a cross-court forehand pass. Somewhat uncharactersitically, Van Roost followed by hitting four good first serves in a love hold for 2-0. The third game figured to be important and both players looked very determined to win it. Grzybowska got the first game point at 40-30, but lost it on a netted backhand. She squandered two more game points on a double fault and an error. Then it was Van Roost's turn, as she lost three break points on backhand errors. An ace gave Grzybowska the ad, but a double fault took it away. Van Roost missed a forehand, but then Grzybowska did likewise. Neither player could string together two winning points in a row, so the game went on and on.
Magdalena lost game point #6 with a poor drop shot. She got a seventh chance to close it out, but put a backhand in the net and banged her racquet on the court surface with a look of disbelief on her face. Another backhand error gave Van Roost her third break point of the game, but a Grzybowska ace brought up the eleventh deuce. Grzybowska then sent a forehand wide and shook her head. Staying focused and positive throughout this ordeal, Van Roost ripped a deep forehand drive to Grzybowska's backhand. The reply hit the net cord and fell back on the Pole's side. Game 3 was finally over, with Van Roost extending her lead. Grzybowska was so disoriented after this marathon game, she nearly sat in Dominique's chair by accident!
Up 3-0, 30-0, Van Roost committed her first service fault of the day, but disagreed with the call. She looked and sounded very sure as she insisted that the ball had landed good. "No. No, it's inside. I can see." She followed with a second fault to lose the point, but fought back to win the game and go ahead 4-0. At 15-15 in the following game, Van Roost made a remarkable get, changing direction in mid-air as she returned a Grzybowska smash. The follow-up smash went into the net, giving Van Roost the point. She won the next two as well, breaking again for 5-0.
Simply not able to deal with the pace of Van Roost's groundstrokes (which occasionally drew gasps from the crowd), Grzybowska buried another backhand in the net on the first set point. The second set presented her with a clean slate, but she immediately got behind again, hitting another double fault on her way to a love break for 6-0, 1-0. Van Roost -- who'd been serving much better than usual to this point -- double faulted twice in Game 2, but won it anyway on a cross-court backhand winner. Van Roost then creamed a forehand pass to end another love break for 3-0. A match expected to be close had rapidly turned into a one-sided display of powerful shot-making.
Almost precisely 48 hours earlier, Magdalena Grzybowska had been
closing in on a possible double bagel win. Now she was the one just trying to
get a single game to her credit. Van Roost was not in a charitable mood,
however. She opened the set's fourth game with a brilliant cross-court
forehand pass on the dead run. Grzybowska closed to 30-30, but an intense
Van Roost won the next two points and slapped her thigh after each. The
Belgian actually trailed 30-15 in the following game, but she responded with a
winning drop shot and a running forehand winner. Grzybowska then lost the
game with a forehand error and hit the net cord with her racquet as she walked
to her chair. Absolutely nothing was going her way and her hard hitting opponent was completely unwilling to let up.
Jumping out to a 40-15 lead in the match's twelfth game, Dominique van Roost arrived at double match point. She got a short ball to swing at in the next rally, but sent a big forehand just wide for 40-30. Still intent on getting a game, Grzybowska kept the ball deep in the next point, forcing an error for deuce. The goose eggs stayed on the board, though. Two more big forehands by Van Roost forced the pair of errors that ended the 6-0, 6-0 blowout. Putting on a scintillating show from the baseline, Van Roost needed barely more than 50 minutes (seemingly 45 of them taken up by that third game) to gain a spot in the next round, where she'll meet Kimberly Po.
After a stroll around the grounds which included stops at a few outer courts, some practice courts, and the Tim Henman vs. Scott Draper match, I ended up right back at Court 8. Spain's favorite bleach blonde, Felix Mantilla was there, dueling with New Zealand native Brett Steven. Mantilla is a classic grinder, a clay court specialist who will keep getting the ball back for as long as it takes. Steven has more of an all-around game and is capable of exciting tennis. He's certainly better than his #97 world ranking (far below Mantilla's #19 mark) would indicate.
It's been suggested that Mantilla needs to shorten up his free-swinging strokes to have a chance on a surface faster than clay. However, he appeared to be stubbornly sticking to his usual game on Wednesday, with good early results. He won the first set 6-3, but was trailing 2-5 in the second when I settled in. Mantilla hit impressive winners from both wings for a 30-0 lead in Game 8, but two consecutive double faults dragged him from 30-15 to 30-40. Mantilla kept his nerve, though, and eventually won the game with a rare volley winner.
Leading 30-15 in his attempt to serve out the set, Steven tapped a delicate drop shot just over the net. Mantilla gave it a mighty chase, though, and wound up running chest-first into the umpire's stand. It was a scary moment, but Mantilla was unharmed. He did lose the game, though, as Steven took the 6-3 set on a forehand volley. They each held to open the third. Mantilla then got to 30-30 in the third game by running forward to whip a forehand winner and perilously leaning over the net as he stopped himself just in time. He took the next point with a high kicking serve Steven whiffed on. Mantilla's serve had been critical to his run to last week's Hamlet Cup final and it set up a forehand winner here as he held for a 2-1 lead.
Neither player was dominating on serve, but there were no breaks on the way to 4-4 in the third set. Mantilla posted an impressive love hold for 5-4 and got a 15-30 lead on a pair of Steven double faults which couldn't have come at a much worse time. Brett then sent a backhand volley well wide, but there was an awkward pause before the linesman made the call. Even though he'd won the point and was on the verge of taking the set, an annoyed Mantilla grumbled, "too late" and held his hands far apart to show the chair umpire how clearly the ball was out. There was no need for such remonstrations after the next point -- Steven netted a backhand to lose the set 6 games to 4.
Tempted as he could have been to throw in the towel against a fit, feisty, favored opponent, Steven played well in earning a break point to open the fourth set. Mantilla was still serving ably, though, and he got the 1-0 lead. Felix also held for 2-1, but not until after some tough rallies had him talking to himself. Mantilla really came out firing in the fourth game, taking a 0-40 lead. He then flicked a ball over Steven's head, who had to attempt a backhand overhead (considered the toughest shot in the sport by no less an authority than John McEnroe) on the run. He put it in the net and now trailed 3-1.
To his credit, Steven hung tough and broke right back for 3-2. He aced to end a hold for 3-3. Mantilla closed out his own hold with a service winner and ace, but Steven drew even by ending the eighth game with a running forehand winner. Mantilla double faulted to trail 0-30 in Game 9. Steven set up the next point beautifully and won it with a forehand volley. However, a pair of errors cost him the first two break chances and a Mantilla winner made the score deuce. Wide backhands by Steven then put him down 5-4.
With the end of the match in sight, the stands became completely full. The talk on seemingly everyone's lips was of the match scheduled next on Court 8: Davenport/Zvereva vs. Gorrochategui/Oremans (or -- as one fan put it -- "Lisa
Davenport playing doubles"). So Mantilla and Steven found themselves
besieged by noisily arriving fans who weren't even necessarily there to see
them! Naturally, those fans rooted for Mantilla to finish off the win. A couple
hearty Steven supporters -- whose accents indicated they were from his home
country -- continued to cheer him on.
A double fault got the next game to deuce and put the Spaniard within two points of victory, but Steven battled back to hold for 5-5. Steven ripped a forehand winner to set up a break point in the eleventh game, but Mantilla skillfully sent a backhand winner down the line for deuce and later won the game on an ace out wide which dramatically clanged off the scoreboard. That long game was the last stand for Brett Steven. Trailing 15-40 in his attempt to force a tiebreak, he put a backhand volley in the net. Generally getting the most out of his stylish strokes, Felix Mantilla fought his way to a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory.
Staying put on a court which had already featured high caliber tennis on Wednesday, I waited along with the rest of the capacity crowd for the arrival of Lindsay Davenport and Natasha Zvereva, the #2 seeds in women's doubles. That team has reached all three Grand Slam finals so far in '98 and it's not hard to see why. Davenport's hard serves and huge returns perfectly complement Zvereva's superb volleys. Odds are they would have to be clicking on Wednesday, as opponents Ines Gorrochategui and Miriam Oremans are experienced players with very solid doubles credentials.
Oremans served first and got to deuce, but ended up losing the game on a volley error. Zvereva flashed her legendary reflexes in Game 2, hopping into the air to pick off a ball which grazed the net cord, then putting away a drop volley on the next stroke. Zvereva twice faced break point, though, and a confident volley from Oremans evened the match at 1. The Belarussian came right back with impressive shots in Game 3, though, winning it at 15 with a nifty forehand winner right between Gorrochategui and Oremans. Davenport then chipped in with some nice volleying in a hold for 3-1.
The fifth game went on so long that at least one player lost track of the
score. At deuce #4, Zvereva ripped a forehand winner, smiled, and took a
few steps in the direction of her chair before realizing the game wasn't over
yet. It was one point later, though -- Davenport hit a lob which landed on the
baseline and inspired Natasha to applaud with her racquet. Zvereva then
picked up her first hold of the day for a 5-1 lead. It was already apparent that
a proven doubles team was playing a makeshift tandem -- Oremans usually
plays with sublime lefty Sabine Appelmans, who's currently taking a break
from the sport. She and Gorrochategui were hitting some nice shots, but they weren't able to forge a sustained attack.
Gorrochategui double faulted twice in the next game and missed a volley to bring up set point. Oremans doggedly kept knocking off anything that came near her at the net, though, and the underdogs survived a total of four set points before holding for 5-2. Davenport and Zvereva then played a sloppy game on serve, Gorrochategui clinching a love break with a great angled volley. Set point #5 was warded off in the following game, but the 6-3 set ended with a Zvereva return that was too much for Gorrochategui toh handle.
Zvereva struggled to a hold for 1-0, Oremans held for 1-1, and Davenport used some big serves to hold for 2-1. Gorrochategui gave away Game 4, double faulting and blowing a volley. Oremans growled after an error of her own in the fifth game, which she lost with a return into the net. With few seats available, the fans were still taking a while to get seated and quiet after the changeovers. Zvereva opened Game 6 with an error, shot a dirty look up at the stands, and muttered, "blah blah blah." Just to reinforce the point about chatty spectators, she moved her hands in the familiar symbol for talking.
The crowd quieted down and the #2 seeds heated up, earning a break point at 30-40. Zvereva then hit a volley right at Gorrochategui, who awkwardly put a defensive reply into the net for 5-1. Zvereva powered home a smash to lead 40-15 on Davenport's serve, but -- facing double match point -- Gorrochategui poached, putting away a surprise forehand volley. The Argentine had merely delayed the inevitable, though. An overhead smash by Davenport was the exclamation point on a routine 6-3, 6-1 win. Lindsay signed a number of autographs after the win and Natasha -- who had failed to do so at the conclusion of her singles match on Tuesday -- ended up signing for even longer than her partner.
On a day when I'd taken in women's singles, men's singles, women's doubles, and a bit of men's doubles action (the Bryan twins staging a very energetic, crowd-pleasing second set comeback), it made sense to finish with the other discipline: mixed doubles. Australians Andrew Kratzmann and Kerry-Anne Guse battled David Rikl of the Czech Republic and his Belgian partner, Dominique van Roost -- the only player on the court who's not a doubles specialist. I believe this was the first time playing together for Van Roost and Rikl. It showed, a
Mixed doubles is a bit of an afterthought in the world of tennis. It's only played at the four Grand Slam events (and the Hopman Cup exhibition), so many of the partnerships are random, one-time-only larks. At least these teams were coordinated: Kratzmann and Guse each wore sunglasses and caps, while their opponents sported neither. The men each held serve for 1-1, but Guse was quickly broken. It was mostly Kratzmann's fault, as he missed volleys on the last two points of the game. A convincing hold from Van Roost put her and Rikl ahead 3-1.
Kratzmann held at love for 3-2 and helped put together a spirited break of Rikl, completed when Guse punched a volley into the open court. Guse nearly lost control of Game 6 -- falling from 40-0 to 40-30 -- but she held to secure a 4-3 lead. Trailing 0-30 in the following game, Rikl and Van Roost each did some outstanding retrieving before one last touch volley eluded a tired Dominique. Kratzmann then finished up the love break with a smash. Having done a lot of running to no avail in that game, a smiling Van Roost leaned on her racquet, feigning exhaustion.
Andrew Kratzmann completely bungled his attempt to serve out the set, double faulting three times in a break for 5-4. He couldn't believe a baseline non-call in the next game, pointing at a mark and sarcastically applauding the linesman. Rikl held at love with an ace, but Guse hit one of her own in holding for 6-5. The pressure was on Van Roost's sometimes suspect serve, but she and Rikl came through, the latter winning the game on a high-flying smash, one of many points in the match which showcased his athleticism.
The tiebreak started badly for the Aussies. Rikl was all over the place, hitting a couple winners and forcing an error on the path to a 4-1 lead. Three errors in a row from Van Roost evened the score, though, and Rikl missed a lunging volley for 5-4. Van Roost attempted a tough overhead while running backwards and netted it for 6-4. That first set point was all the opening Guse and Kratzmann needed -- a backhand volley error by Rikl finished the breaker 7 points to 4. A disappointed Van Roost shook her head as she walked to her chair, but Rikl had her giggling during the changeover.
Looking to re-establish himself as the star of the match, Rikl made four winners in a love hold to open the second set. At 15-40 in Kratzmann's service game, a backhand from Van Roost clipped the tape and sailed past Guse. Having been broken for the second time in the match, Kratzmann threw his racquet. Not everyone takes mixed doubles seriously, but the Australians had their game faces on for the entire match. They came storming right back, breaking and holding for 2-2. Rikl got his second love hold of the set for 3-2, but Kratzmann held for 3-3.
The Australians finally had a brief moment of levity in the set's seventh game, when a Guse forehand nailed her partner right in the back of the head. They lost that game and the next, a Guse lob sailing long to finish the break of her serve that made it 5-3. Rikl and Van Roost fought off double break point in Game 9, then a third on another long Guse lob, but Rikl double faulted on the fourth break point.
Kratzmann managed to tie the set in pretty spectacular fashion, acing for 40-30 and smacking a high backhand volley winner, good for 5 games all. Not to be outdone, Van Roost wrapped up her hold with a pair of service winners. Guse missed a volley for 0-40, suddenly facing triple set point. Rikl missed a forehand, but at 15-40, Kratzmann badly shanked an overhead. Close as could be, the match now headed to a third set.
The men once again opened with service holds. Van Roost missed a swinging volley at 40-30 on her serve and squealed. Two more deuces followed before the Aussies secured the break, Kratzmann taking the game with a delicate forehand volley and pumpin fun.
Still fired up, Kratzmann put away a powerful backhand volley to finish off a difficult hold for Guse. Rikl was pushed in his service game, but got to 3-2 with a service winner and a backahand overhead put-away. Game 6 was the fourth in a row to go to multiple deuces, as both teams were really scrapping for every point they could get. Kratzmann double faulted twice, but held for 4-2 with a big serve. Van Roost had her easiest hold in a while for 4-3, but she and Rikl failed to capitalize on two break chances in the following game. David sent a backhand return wide to fall behind 5-3.
Game 9 ended with an entertaining rally, Rikl and Kratzmann dinking volleys back and forth until the Czech knocked off a forehand winner to hold at love. He and Dominique were still down a break, though, and would be facing the erratic-but-powerful Kratzmann serve. The match had already gone past the two hour mark and -- with ominous gray clouds hovering over Court 14 -- Andrew Kratzmann wasn't about to let it drag on much longer. He smacked an ace for 40-0 and immediately won the match with a service winner.
In an entertaining battle highlighted by Kratzmann's power and Rikl's variety, the Australians squeaked through with a 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 victory. Dominique van Roost is still alive in the other two draws, though, and she clearly had a good time in the lo
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