Roddick and Kuerten Clear Their First Hurdles
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.
- Vacek surrenders a mini-break with a volley error -- 1-0 DAMM/PRINOSIL
- Tarango pumps his fist in celebration of a winning forehand pass -- 1-1
- Damm service winner -- 2-1 DAMM/PRINOSIL
- A pair of Tarango service winners -- 3-2 TARANGO/VACEK
- Vacek hits a forehand return wide -- 3-3
- Prinosil records a service winner -- 4-3 DAMM/PRINOSIL
- Tarango puts away a backhand overhead -- 4-4
- Prinosil commits an unforced forehand error -- 5-4 TARANGO/VACEK
- Prinosil bangs home a smash -- 5-5
- Prinosil earns match point with a winning forehand volley -- 6-5 DAMM/PRINOSIL
- Two more service winners from Tarango give his team set point -- 7-6 TARANGO/VACEK
- Forehand pass by Vacek forces a volley error by Damm -- 8-6 TARANGO/VACEK
Tarango and Vacek had new life, but they still hadn't won a return game.
That continued to 3-3 in the third set, when they surprisingly opened
up a 0-40 lead on David Prinosil's serve. Prinosil saved the first
break point, but Tarango threw a lob over his head at 15-40 to win
the game and surge ahead 4-3. The American gave the break right
back, though, double faulting at 15-40 on his own serve. To make
matters worse, a pair of oblivious fans strolled right past the
court while the ball was in play during Game 9. A furious Vacek
called them "f***ing retards," but they ignored him and kept on walking at a casual
pace. Once order was restored, the barrage
of successful service games also resumed and the teams worked their
way into a third set 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.
|
|
The views expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect those of this magazine.
https://tennis-ontheline.com/01mo02.htm © 2025
Last updated 26 September 2015
// -->
|