Clay court tennis got serious this week, as the first important Roland Garros tune-ups were contested in Monte Carlo and Charleston. Our attention was caught by an amazing 15-year-old French lad, and a resurgent 23-year-old Swiss.
Gasquet turns heads in Monaco
There were many interesting stories in this season?s first big clay court event on the men?s tour. Tim Henman put on a splendidly artistic performance to reach the semifinals on his least favourite surface. Carlos Moya showed flashes of his 1998 form to reach, as of this writing, the final. And his final opponent, Juan Carlos Ferrero, has surely established himself as the early betting favourite for the French Open.
But the biggest news, that may affect the men?s tour for the next 15 years, was the amazing début of Richard Gasquet. The 15-year-old from the sunny French rugby capital of Béziers beat three top-100 players in succession, and became the youngest player to ever quality for a Masters Series tournament. Beneficiary of a wild card into qualifying, young Richard blew past Nikolai Davydenko and Adrian Voinea in the qualifying rounds before stunning clay court veteran Franco Squillari, 7-6(5) 3-6 7-5, in a cap
tivating match in the first round of the main draw. The kid then gave the feared Marat Safin all he could handle in the first set before running out of steam in a 6-4, 6-1 loss.
Even the most jaded of observers could not help but be thrilled by Gasquet?s potential, as his game is astonishing in its variety for one so young. "He can become a very good all-round player," commented Boris Becker?s former coach Gunther Bosch. "He does not play with power, but with timing, and is good with the slice and the drop-shot.? Gasquet?s conquerer, Safin, was also mightily impressed. ?I really like his game,? said the Russian star, ?especially his one-handed backhand. He hits his serve very w
ell, has great timing and really knows how to play."
Although Gasquet caught most of the tennis world by surprise, he was far from an unknown quantity in his homeland. French tennis fans who swear by the widely read French Tennis Magazine have been following the boy?s progress for at least five years, as Richard?s prodigious talent has been evident from an early age. And those who follow the minor leagues of tennis know that he has already won a pro tournament, a stop on the tough Spanish satellite circuit last month.
One has to look carefully to find precedents for Gasquet?s historic week. Lleyton Hewitt qualified for the Australian Open at 15, but he lost his first round match. Michael Chang won a match at the U.S. Open at 15. Both later went on to win Grand Slams. But there is also an example that could constitute a cautionary tale. Tommy Ho was the youngest player to win an ATP main draw match, at 15 years, 2 months in Rye Brook, N.Y. Unlike Hewitt and Chang, Ho never developed (although he had some success i
n doubles), and retired in 1998 after a succession of back injuries.
What makes Gasquet stand out from these examples is his game style. Unlike Chang, Hewitt and Ho, who frustrated older opponents with their speed and determination, Gasquet can also impress with his flamboyant shotmaking. His one-handed backhand is explosive, he already owns an effective serve, and has variety and composure rare in one so young.
Gasquet also seems well-grounded, and has the excellent French developmental system to support his development. If he stays healthy, we suspect that the youngster will make major waves on the tour in the years to come.
Late 90?s nostalgia in Charleston
Fans at this week?s Tier I women?s event in Charleston could be forgiven for thinking that this was 1997, as former French Open champ Iva Majoli and ex-top ten star Patty Schnyder defied the odds to reach the final.
While Majoli?s run was impressive, it was Schnyder who turned the most heads. The talented but inconsistent lefty from Basel claimed some impressive victims this week. After starting with an impressive win over clay court specialist Virginia Ruano Pascual, Patty took out French clay court ace Amélie Mauresmo and former Roland Garros champion Mary Pierce. Then, even more impressively, Serena Williams (who had been owner of a 12-match winning streak) and world number one Jennifer Capriati fell victim to
the shotmaking wizardry of the Swiss. The beaten opponents could only marvel at the wizardry of the suddenly reborn Schnyder, who had dropped from the top ten in the late 1990s but seems fit and ready to worry the world?s best. ?There's not much you can do when someone is having that kind of day,? said the resigned Capriati after her 6-4, 6-3 semifinal loss.
Schnyder had gone off the rails in 1999 when her promising career was torpedoed by a succession of personal and family problems. Notably, her association with an eerie German guru named Rainer Harnecker was front page news in the Swiss tabloids. Now fit, trim, and dedicated, the gifted Schnyder is once again primed to worry the world?s best, particularly on her beloved clay.
The Charleston failures of one-dimensional baseline bashers like S. Williams, Capriati, Monica Seles and Jelena Dokic also gave rise to another thought, eloquently expressed by the perceptive U.S. television commentator Mary Carillo. ?Big babe tennis doesn?t work as well on clay,? said Carillo. ?It?s like a classroom -- you have to use everything.?
The good news for the ?big babes? is that they still have a month to assimilate their lessons before Roland Garros.