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Which Juan will come out to play for Spain?

kat — Thu, 27 Nov 2003 21:48:06 +0000

By Chip le Grand
27 November 2003

SPAIN’s Juan Carlos Ferrero couldn’t explain what had just happened.

One minute he’s playing off in the final of the US Open and winning a Masters event in Madrid; the end-of-year No.1 ranking in his grasp and the tennis world at his feet.

The next, on November 10 in Houston, he’s back in the locker room after losing within an hour to David Nalbandian; his dreams of finishing No.1 reduced to paella.

“It is the first match in the whole year that I play like this,” Ferrero said at the time.

“You never know when it is going to come.”
Things didn’t get any better. Two nights later he lost to Andre Agassi and two nights after that to Roger Federer.

A day out from the Davis Cup final, it is with baited breath that Spain awaits to find out which Ferrero will walk on to Rod Laver Arena to play Lleyton Hewitt.

Will it be the 22-year-old “mosquito” who became the buzz at Roland Garros before playing three near-perfect sets to deny Hewitt in their quarter-final in New York.

Or will it be the fast-fading Spaniard who dragged himself around Houston like someone in need of a long siesta?

Such was Ferrero’s dismal showing at the end-of-year Tennis Masters Cup – and a sinus condition that he is said to have developed somewhere between Texas, southern California and Tullamarine Airport – that the media armada docked in Melbourne is rife with speculation he won’t even play.

For Hewitt, such talk is nonsense. Hewitt has instant recall when it comes to losses and remembers every point of his game against Ferrero at the US Open in New York.

“It is a big call not to play your world No.3,” Hewitt said this week.

“That (their US Open quarter-final) was as well as I have seen Juan Carlos play and also against Andre Agassi the following day.

“He is a tough player and getting better each year. He’s getting more and more successful on other surfaces.”

There is a certain likeness between Hewitt and Ferrero. Only one year separates them and both were prodigies, with their fathers playing central and ongoing roles in their careers.

Both have achieved a major career goal: Hewitt winning Wimbledon and Ferrero the French Open.

But their attitudes to the Davis Cup reveal Hewitt and Ferrero as the same tennis beast.

Like Hewitt, Ferrero’s Davis Cup debut at 19 was a baptism of fire, one he more than survived by beating Russia’s Marat Safin and Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

Since, he has constructed an imposing 11-3 singles record for Spain. Both men already have their names engraved on the cup but Ferrero has done the one thing in Davis Cup that Hewitt has not; leading his country to victory in a final.

Alex Corretja is confident that Spain’s leading singles player will be chosen to take the court tomorrow.

Corretja has good reason to be confident as the Spanish players were told the final team before yesterday’s practice session.

“Ferrero has showed already that he is a tremendous player,” Corretja said. “He is going to have his chance to play; he is going to do it right and he is prepared to do it.

“He has been playing terrific tennis through the whole year and I think, on grass, he has proved to himself he can beat good players at Wimbledon and that is going to give him some confidence to play and win, no matter what.”

According to Spain’s Davis Cup captain Juan Avendano, Ferrero is aware of what winning a Davis Cup in Australia would mean.

In Houston, Ferrero complained that he couldn’t do much more to increase interest in tennis in Spain, which suffers from an overwhelming national obsession with soccer.

This weekend is his chance.

Where there were only a handful of Spanish media in Houston, there are 42 accredited in Melbourne.

“For him, the real challenge is to win the Davis Cup outside of Spain,” Avendano said.

“Especially in Australia, is something really big, big, big.”

Martin Storms Back, but Falls to Ferrero in Five

kat — Fri, 05 Sep 2003 05:58:46 +0000

by Joe Checkler
4 September 2003

Nobody could blame Todd Martin and Juan Carlos Ferrero for wanting to go five sets to settle their round-of-16 match at the 2003 US Open. A sparse but later-spirited Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd helped Martin take the No. 3 seed the distance in what became a two-day match, but the Spaniard prevailed 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals.
After rain postponed the first day of their match with Ferrero up 1-0 in sets, the Spaniard quickly won the second today to go up 2-0. But what followed was a calculated comeback by Martin, who won all his service games in the third and fourth set en route to forcing a fifth. But Ferrero kept his poise and finally broke Martin again to go up 4-2, and held his serve twice to win the match.

Momentum meant nothing throughout the match, first when Ferrero held the 2-0 lead after two sets and later when Martin had tied it at two-all. The two seemed destined for a fifth-set tiebreak after five games, as each breezed through service games. But when a Ferrero lob at 30-40 sailed over Martin’s head and smooched the baseline to make it 4-2, the most important game of the match had been decided.

In the third and fourth sets, Martin held his serve despite several laborious struggles. Ferrero, on the other hand, won many of his service games in less than a minute during those sets, but could not completely push the door’s button into the lock position while holding serve. Martin acted as a locksmith who didn’t require any tools but rather a little brute strength and a sprinkle of resourcefulness.

To sneak back into the match, Martin smacked a blistering forehand winner at ad out to go up 5-3, and served out the set in a five-deuce game. His serve was the key to his comeback, though, as he out-aced Ferrero by 23-12 despite making more than double the amount of unforced errors as his opponent.

For his second big break, Martin hit a backhand winner at 5-5 in the third to get it to 0-40, and when a Ferrero second serve tickled the tape and flew off to the side, the 33-year old America was up 6-5 and ready to serve out the set. He did, and the seats at Armstrong quickly became occupied with rowdy fans who wanted him to win.

But Ferrero regrouped and advanced further in the US Open than he ever has. He will now play Lleyton Hewitt.

Ferrero Wears Down Chela in Battle of Clay Courters

kat — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 06:02:48 +0000

by Neil E. Schlecht
30 August 2003

Juan Carlos Ferrero and Juan Ignacio Chela, two Spanish speakers with three names apiece and a shared predilection for red-dirt tennis, faced each other in a match that looked an awful lot like a clay-court contest. Ferrero won in straight sets after a long rain delay turned their day match into a night encounter on Armstrong Stadium, 7-5, 7-5, 6-1.

The two players moved each other around the court with similar heavy, topspin groundstrokes off both wings and occasional feathery drop shots. Unlike his compatriots, Ferrero, the No. 3 seed and current French Open champion from Spain, grew up playing on asphalt, and ultimately his shots had more weight behind them.
In the first set, Ferrero broke the Argentine’s serve with a classic clay-court play, moving Chela side-to-side by running around his backhand and hitting huge topspin forehands; he finished the point off by angling a sweet little drop shot to go up 4-3. Ferrero served for the set at 5-4, but he was broken on a sneaky Chela topspin lob that grazed the baseline. But the Spaniard broke right back and then held serve at love.

In the second set, Ferrero went up two breaks but surrendered them both, allowing Chela to equal the score at 5-5 and then broke again and finished the set 7-5. More typical of a clay court match, where the serve plays less of a role, the second set featured nine service breaks.

Chela ran out of gas in the third, and Ferrero smoked him, 6-1, but not before getting onto the highlight reel with a spectacular circus shot, a between-the-legs passing shot after running down a lob.

Ferrero, who hits a more muscular ball than his nickname “Mosquito” would indicate, is one of the few clay-court specialists with a real opportunity to go deep in the draw. He will meet the veteran American Todd Martin in the 4th Round.

Ferrero Advances to Third Round

kat — Fri, 29 Aug 2003 06:08:34 +0000

by Brad Falkner
28 August 2003

French Open Champion Juan Carlos Ferrero (aka “The Mosquito”) got off to a slow start, but regrouped to advance into the third round of the 2003 US Open with a 1-6, 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-4 triumph over Austrian Jurgen Melzer.

For the first two sets of the match, Melzer looked like a man capable of taking the sting out of “The Mosquito.”

Melzer’s crafty all-court acumen gave Ferrero fits in the first set, when he squashed the mosquito in 27 minutes. Ferrero struggled to find a rhythm on his serve, being broken in the second and sixth games of the set.

Ferrero fell behind early in the match, but took control the rest of the way with an array of blazing groundstrokes and an effective serves.
The second set was played without a service break. In the tiebreaker, Melzer fell prone to slew of unforced errors, generously handing the tiebreaker to Ferrero 7-3.

In the third set, it was Melzer’s shots that lost their sting, allowing Ferrero ample time to rip winners off of both wings.

By the fourth set, Ferrero’s serve had become such a lethal weapon that he surrendered a mere five points on his serve in the final set.

The No. 3 seed Ferrero meets 33rd seeded Juan Ignacio Chela in the third round. Ferrero’s best US Open results came in 2000 when he advanced to the fourth round.

No. 3 Ferrero ousts qualifier Vacek

kat — Tue, 26 Aug 2003 06:12:41 +0000

25 August 2003

Despite his own inconsistency and a valiant match from his qualifier opponent, No. 3 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero overcame Jan Vacek in four sets, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the second round of the 2003 US Open.

A three-quarters-filled Louis Armstrong Stadium saw a surprisingly entertaining duel between Ferrero and Vacek, complete with improbable winners, and even some humor. After regaining control of the match midway through the third set, Ferrero eyed a Vacek lob, faked a smash, and tried to loft a drop shot. Instead he barely hit the net, sending the crowd into a laughing frenzy that ended with the Spaniard half-bowing to his opponent and the stadium.
The first set was all Ferrero, as he broke Vacek twice, including the set-clinching game, without losing his own serve. The still-arriving crowd was most impressed with a development during the set’s sixth game, when the umpire’s microphone finally turned on – getting more applause than anything else in the first set.

Vacek turned a possible laugher into a match by breaking to go up 2-1 in the second set. He received his break point opportunity when a possible Ferrero winner on 30-30 hit the tape and bounced high, setting up an easy forehand winner. At 30-40, Vacek closed out to earn the break.

Although Ferrero broke Vacek back to get to 3-3 in the second, Vacek broke to get to 5-4, thanks to several Ferrero errors. He closed out the set by winning the match’s most contested game, one which saw Ferrero fight off two set points before eventually succumbing to the 27-year-old Czech Republic native.

The third set saw Ferrero break to go up 3-1, and he never allowed Vacek to come close to breaking his serve. The fourth set, the shortest set of the match at 25 minutes, was more of the same as Ferrero used deep forehands and backhands to gain control of and eventually win points.

Next for Ferrero will be the winner of the Jurgen Melzer vs. Brian Baker matchup.

Ferrero advances in Montreal

kat — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 06:15:56 +0000

from Reuters
6 August 2003

MONTREAL, Aug 6 (Reuters) – Second seed Juan Carlos Ferrero strolled into the third round of the Montreal Masters with a swift 6-3 6-4 win over Morocco’s Younes El Aynaoui on Wednesday.

Canadian wildcard Simon Larose, who upset three-times French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten in the first round, continued his winning form by battling past Argentina’s Jose Acasuso 7-6 1-6 7-5.

Ferrero had lost his six previous encounters against world number 22 El Aynaoui but the Spaniard was in full control on this occasion.

“There is a first time for everything,” said the 23 year-old Roland Garros winner.

“I didn’t do mistakes in the whole match and I played very intelligent all the time.”

Ferrero, a clay specialist, said he needed only a couple of days of practise to get used to Montreal’s hard court.

His last tournament on the surface dates back to the Miami Masters in March.

Horna Upsets Top Seed Ferrero

kat — Mon, 04 Aug 2003 06:21:14 +0000

Guillermo Coria recorded another straight-sets victory
from the official ATP website
3 August 2003

A potential showdown between the two hottest clay court players on the circuit this year, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Guillermo Coria, was denied by Luis Horna of Peru. Ferrero came into the match with a 32-3 record on clay, before Horna restored the Spaniard to a more human status with his 6-1, 7-6 (1) victory. The 22-year-old Peruvian No. 1 had just upset No. 7 seed Dominik Hrbaty to reach the quarterfinals. Horna also reached the semifinals in Amersfoort two weeks ago as well as the quarterfinals in Buenos Aires earlier this year.
Third seed Guillermo Coria continued his sensational form, defeating No. 8 seed France’s Olivier Mutis 6-3, 6-4 to extend his win streak to 13. The 21-year-old Argentine, who has won the last 28 sets he has played, is seeking his third consecutive title, having won back-to-back championships in Stuttgart and Kitzbühel wthout dropping a set. Coria, currently in third position in the ATP Champions Race 2003, is now in the lead for the most match wins on clay this season (36).

David Ferrer continued his strong play and guaranteed a Spaniard in the final when he defeated Sweden’s Andreas Vinciguerra 6-1, 6-2. He’s coming off a quarterfinal performance in Umag, and he upset No. 4 seed David Nalbandian of Argentina in the second round here. This is his first semifinal appearance at an ATP event this year.

He will face Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, who won the all-Spanish battle against Galo Blanco 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-0 to advance to his first ATP semifinal. Hidalgo took advantage of the hot conditions and his conditioning to defeat Blanco easily in the third after two close first sets.

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID:
Ferrer: “I like playing this clay court swing. I produce some of my best results during these tournaments. Today, I played very solidly and really made very few errors. The score line 6-1, 6-2 doesn’t reflect how hard we were fighting out there. He had break points on my serve and many games went to deuce.”

“I’m going to play the winner between Ramirez Hidalgo and Blanco. Both have been playing well and have very similar games. It doesn’t matter which one I meet in the semifinals. It is a good feeling to know that at least one Spaniard is guaranteed to be in the final.”

Vinciguerra: “I didn’t play well today. David (Ferrer) played a good match, but I know I can play better. If we meet again, I think it will be a different match. Tomorrow is always another day.”

Ramirez Hidalgo: “We started off very equal. It was a tough first set. I had set point at 7-6 in the tie-break, but failed to convert it and the set was his.”

“The conditions out there were very hot and physically demanding, but I felt solid and broke his serve early in the second set and held that advantage. By the third set, I could tell Galo was feeling tired. His movement around the court wasn’t as good. I began to play really well and made very few unforced errors.”

“This is the first time I reached the semifinals of an ATP event. Two weeks ago, at the Dutch Open, I made my first quarterfinals appearance. It was the first time I had direct entry into an ATP event. After playing Umag, I decided that I wasn’t going to play the qualifying rounds in Sopot so I went home, only to get a phone call from the ATP to tell me that I had gained direct entry into the Idea Prokom Open. It is funny how things work out. I have produced the best results of my career this week.”

“I am 25 years old. I started picking up points really late. I wasn’t playing many futures or satellite tournaments. I am feeling really good right now. Things have really fallen into place and I am happy where my tennis is going right now.”

Blanco: “I’ve had more satisfying results than this week. I wasn’t able to practise for two weeks before competing here as I had a back injury. Yesterday I had a very long and hard match against Albert Portas so I was feeling very tired today.”

Ferrero: “I played a good player today. He won his first two matches easily. I could have done more in the first set and I had chances to break him in the second set. A lot of games went to 30-30. I should have won the tie-break and then I felt I would have won the match because I was playing better and better.”

“I didn’t give my best tennis in today’s match. I had a bad day. I tried to give me best. Nothing specific was missing, but I couldn’t show the best tennis that I am capable of. Horna just played better. He was taking risks. All players playing a Top 10 player try their best as I used to against Agassi and Sampras. He had so much incentive today.”

“You can’t play the same level at each tournament. You are human, that’s life. It is hard to get to No.1 and it is difficult to stay there. You have to win a lot of matches and tournaments. Everyone is trying to beat you and try to take the No. 1 position.”

Horna: “I started the match off much better than Ferrero today. My tactics and game plan were really paying off. My aim was to play aggressively and make him run a lot. I was taking a lot of chances. In the second set, it came down to a couple of lucky points and that made the difference.”

“I was feeling good out there. I wasn’t thinking, ‘If I don’t win the match in two sets, I won’t have a chance in the third’. I was prepared to go all the way, but I am very happy to have won in straight sets. We are not machines, people get tired.”

“My forehand and my movement are the best and most important elements of my game. I also have a good serve and perhaps I have logged the fastest served this week with at 212 kilometres per hour. My first serve percentage is normally very high, but I knew I had to take risks and go for aces in today’s match (7 aces).”

“I am in perfect shape right now. I have just beaten the No. 1 player on clay right now. Ferrero won Roland Garros and is leading the ATP Champions Race. I am extremely motivated to play Coria in the semifinals tomorrow. He’s the No. 2 player on clay, or even the No. 1 now, I don’t know. Coria is now riding on a 13 match winning streak and has just won two important ATP titles. He’s going to be playing with a lot of confidence. I don’t think he has lost a set in a long time.”

“We have played against each other three or four times and I have always lost. I don’t think he will be losing any sleep over tomorrow’s match, he’s very tired!”

“My goal is to be the best. I want to be the best tennis player in the world. I lost a couple of years of my professional career by messing around. Since becoming a father, everything has changed. My focus and perspective on my life and career have totally changed. I have a great team working with me right now: my coach Gabriel Markus and my fitness trainer Heli Paredes. Together, we are training extremely hard.”

Coria: “I already know that I will meet Luis Horna in the semifinals. I was surprised by the result of his match against Ferrero. I must admit, he is in great form. The possibility of meeting Ferrero in the semifinals was a match much anticipated by all, but it there are still many more tournaments left in the season, so maybe we will have the chance to play against each soon.”

“In today’s professional game, it is possible to lose against any opponent, but I hope I am going to stay until the end of the tournament and to win the title.”

“My parents named me Guillermo after Guillermo Vilas. He’s a great player and in my opinion he made Argentinean tennis what it is now. We have many Argentine players who are trying to follow his footsteps, competing and doing very well at tournaments.”

“It is true that since I was a child I always admired Agassi. I managed to beat him once, but I think his career is still very strong and far from over.”

Portas Produces Goods Against Moya (Sopot news)

kat — Fri, 01 Aug 2003 06:37:16 +0000

Second seed Carlos Moya is knocked out in the first round by countryman Albert Portas, but top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero moves through in Sopot.
from the official ATP website
31 July 2003

Second seed Carlos Moya was knocked out in the first round of the Idea Prokom Open after losing to fellow Spaniard Albert Portas in a three-set battle in Sopot. Portas defeated the in-form Moya 7-6(4) 6-7(6), 7-5 to book his place in the second round against countryman Galo Blanco.
Moya, a three-time winner on the ATP circuit this year, was looking to add the Sopot crown to his Umag title last week. Moya’s 35-9 record on clay going into the match was the best on the circuit this year, but Portas, who reached the final in Sopot in 2001 and who won the first of their three previous meetings at Roland Garros in 1997, coped better with the windy conditions.

After coming back from 5-2 down in the second set, Moya saved three match points and then led 4-1 in the final set before Portas wrapped up an impressive victory on his sixth match point.

There was less trouble for top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero, the ATP Champions Race 2003 leader who recorded a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Polish wild card Bartlomiej Dabrowski to move through to the second round and continue his push towards the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston.

Ferrero, the Roland Garros champion who has a 31-3 record on clay this year (46-9 overall) as well as titles at the Tennis Masters Monte-Carlo and Valencia, will now meet Czech qualifier Frantisek Cermak for a place in the quarterfinals. Cermak recorded a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Polish qualifier Filip Urban.

Meanwhile, fifth seed Filippo Volandri, who reached the final in Umag last week before losing to Moya, also went out in Sopot after suffering a 6-4, 6-0 defeat at the hands of Argentine Mariano Puerta.

In second round action, Sweden’s Andreas Vinciguerra upset No. 6 seed David Sanchez to move through to the quarterfinals at an ATP tournament for the second time this year (Doha). The Swede, who reached the third round at the Australian Open, came through 6-3, 6-4 and will now meet Spanish star David Ferrer, who upset No. 4 seed David Nalbandian 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to reach his third quarterfinal of the year (Auckland, Umag).

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID:
Portas: “I think it was a tough match. I failed to convert three match points in the second set and another two in the final set before I managed to win the match. He was playing too well at the end of the second set and took a 4-1 lead in the third set. I started playing a lot better to pull off the win finally. It’s a good feeling to beat a player of Moya’s caliber. He’s a very good player and he has been in great form recently.

“In the next round, I will play Galo Blanco. He had a great match today, conceding just one game. He’s going to be feeling good here. Perhaps he is not a big a name like Moya, but he is still a very good player and I will have to play as well as I did today if I am going to win the match. The fact that I beat Moya today probably makes me the favorite, but that is not the key. It’s a different match and against a different opponent.”

Moya: “It was a close match. I had chances in first set but didn’t take them. He played the important points well and took a lead of 7-6 5-2. I then picked up my game and started turning things around by fighting back and winning the second set.

“I had some brilliant moments but there were points in the match were I lost my concentration. It is not easy to win a match at this level unless you are 100 percent focused on the court. Maybe if I was a little bit luckier, I would have won the match.

“With the rain over the last two days, I wasn’t able to practice enough and get a feel for the different conditions here. The balls and court are very good but different to Croatia, where I was playing last week. I could only hit for 15 minutes yesterday and 25 minutes this morning. That wasn’t enough unfortunately. Now I have some exciting tournaments ahead of me in Canada and the US. There should be some points to be won there in my race to qualify for the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston.”

Ferrero: “The court and the balls were very slow so it was difficult to play with a lot of spin on the ball. It wasn’t easy to win free points off my serve and I had to keep the ball a bit flat during the rallies.

“I didn’t know anything about my opponent before the match. I just came to the court to try and play my best tennis and see what sort of game he had. He has a good first serve and runs for all the points. He played a very good first set but his game was not holding together as well in the second.

“It has been a good year for me. I have made the quarterfinals or better in most of the tournaments that I have played. My goal this year is to be No. 1 in the world and play at the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston. I also want to win another Grand Slam.”

Vinciguerra: “I was mentally prepared to come out on court and play for a couple of hours. Spanish players tend to fight very hard and keep a lot of balls in play. It was good to finish the match in two sets today.”

Volandri: “I was very tired, suffering from pain in my back and arm. He hits the ball very hard, harder than me. I also found it difficult to adjust my game having played in Umag. The balls and courts are so different. I couldn’t find the balls or the court today.”

Ferrer: “Physically, I was feeling great. I was playing very solidly and with great rhythm. I started the third set really pumped up. I was playing really well and took a 5-0 lead. I sensed he began to relax by that stage and started to hit the ball really well. I was still playing with the same rhythm and focus and finally served the match out. I defended well and that was the key to the match. He was attacking but I kept on getting the ball back in play, allowing him to make mistakes.

“I like this clay court swing very much. I tend to log some good results during this part of the year. I reached the quarterfinals in Umag last week, a tournament where I played the final in 2002.

“My goal now is to play more consistently throughout the year. I started the year off badly so my goal now is to end the season ranked 80 or 90 in the world and work from there.”

Nalbandian: “I don’t think I played badly. Ferrer was just playing extremely well. I was attacking, but he was keeping the ball in play. He is very strong and very fast, which makes for a very good clay court player.

“I wasn’t very focused at the start of the match and he took his chances. I found that really tough. I was making some mistakes in the important points. In the first game of the third set, he started really well and broke my serve. From there he took a 5-0 lead and although I made it 5-3, it was impossible to recover.”

Zableta Stuns French Open Champ

kat — Sun, 27 Jul 2003 06:43:17 +0000

26 July 2003

Top seed and French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero suffered a surprise defeat by ninth seeded Argentine Mariano Zabaleta to dash his hopes of becoming world number one.

The Spaniard would have taken over from Andre Agassi at the top of the rankings if he had gone on to win the tournament.

But he appeared sluggish after having to play two matches in one day.

The 23-year-old had beaten 15th seed Flavio Saretta 7-6 6-3 earlier in the day but was unable to match Zabaleta in the quarter-finals a few hours later, going down 6-1 6-4.
“I’m very surprised it was such a clear victory,” said Zabaleta. “Juan Carlos always plays well but I know that he was a bit tired.”

“But to beat Ferrero on clay is the best victory for me,” the Argentine added.

The top seed said: “He played so well and I played one of my worst matches ever.”

Yet Ferrero’s progress to the last eight allowed him to take over from Wimbledon champion Roger Federer at the top of the ATP Champions Race.

Second seed Guillermo Coria also had to contest two matches in a day, although he managed to storm into the semi-finals with a ruthless 6-3 6-1 rout of eighth seed Juan-Ignacio Chela.

The 21-year-old Argentine, who was equally unforgiving in his third-round 6-1 6-0 victory over Frenchman Olivier Mutis earlier in the day, next faces 13th seed Feliciano Lopez of Spain.

Lopez wore down another Argentine, seventh seed Gaston Gaudio 6-2 6-7 7-5 in the day’s second quarter-final.

Unseeded Chilean Nicolas Massu became the first to reach the semi-finals after wearing down 2001 Kitzbuehel champion Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador 7-5 6-4.

The Hunt for Houston

kat — Sat, 26 Jul 2003 06:50:02 +0000

25 July 2003

The top three players in the ATP Champions Race — Roger Federer, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Andre Agassi — are separated by 75 points going into the North American summer hard court circuit. All three players have captured a Grand Slam title this year, marking the first time in the history of the ATP Rankings (since 1973) that the Top 3 players in the post-Wimbledon ranking have accomplished the feat.
Who’s Who In the Hunt for Houston
(Statistical information correct as at July 21)

1st. Roger Federer (547 points)
Networthy: The 21-year-old Swiss native leads the ATP circuit in titles (5), match wins (53) and has the longest winning streak (15) this year…Should eclipse his previous career-high match wins total of 58 set last year…Came into this season with four career ATP titles from 1998-2002 and at the halfway point of this year, he already has five titles…Has an 11-2 record in Grand Slam action and 11-4 mark in Tennis Masters play with a runner-up in Rome…Will lead his country into the Davis Cup semifinals against Australia in September.

TMC Tidbit: Made his TMC debut last year by reaching the semifinals in Shanghai, losing to eventual champion Lleyton Hewitt in three sets.

Pre-US Open schedule: Washington (July 28), Montreal (Aug. 4), Cincinnati (Aug. 11).

2nd. Juan Carlos Ferrero (537)
Networthy: The 23-year-old Spaniard has turned in a consistent first half of the season by winning at least one round in all 11 tournaments he has played…Has captured three titles, including his first career Grand Slam crown at Roland Garros (d. Verkerk) in June…Has turned in career-best Grand Slam showings at each of the three Grand Slam tournaments — advancing to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, winning the title at Roland Garros and reaching the Round of 16 at Wimbledon…Has a 14-2 record in Slam competition and 12-3 in Tennis Masters action, repeating his title in Monte Carlo (d. Coria)…Owns the best winning percentage on clay (.933, 28-2 record).

TMC Tidbit: Has played well in the Tennis Masters Cup the last two years, reaching the semifinals in Sydney in 2001 and the final in Shanghai last year, losing both times to eventual champion Lleyton Hewitt.

Pre-US Open schedule: Kitzbuhel, Sopot (July 28), Montreal (Aug. 4), Cincinnati (Aug. 11), Long Island (Aug. 18).

3rd. Andre Agassi (472)
Networthy: The 33-year-old Las Vegas native captured four titles in the first four months of action, a personal best, highlighted by his eighth career Grand Slam title and 16th career Tennis Masters Series crown…He became the oldest player to hold No. 1 ATP Entry Ranking at 33 years, 13 days on May 11…He took over as ATP Champions Race leader following his third straight Australian Open title (d. Schuettler)…Also won titles in San Jose (d. Sanguinetti), a tournament record sixth title in Miami (d. Moya) and clay court crown in Houston (d. Roddick)…

Has a 14-2 mark in Grand Slam play and 6-1 in Tennis Masters action.

TMC Tidbit: The veteran has participated in 11 year-end championships, winning the title in 1990 and reaching finals in 1999 and 2000.

Pre-US Open schedule: Washington (July 28), Montreal (Aug. 4), Cincinnati (Aug. 11).

Snapping At Their Heels
While the Top 3 players have virtually secured a spot in the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup in Houston in November, here’s a look at the rest of the contenders battling for the remaining five spots:

4th. Guillermo Coria (422)
The 21-year-old Argentine has already surpasssed his previous best match wins total of 2001 (26) by compiling a 37-11 match record, including 28-5 on clay…He captured his first Tennis Masters title in Hamburg (d. Calleri) and added another German title in Stuttgart (d. Robredo)…He was also a finalist in Buenos Aires (l. to Moya) and Tennis Masters Monte Carlo (l. to Ferrero)…He turned in his best Grand Slam result at Roland Garros where he reached the semifinals (d. Agassi, l. to Verkerk)…Has progressed on hard courts with a 9-5 mark, advancing to the quarterfinals in Auckland and 4th RD at Australian Open and TMS Miami.

TMC Tidbit: The last Argentine to finish in the Top 10 was No. 9 Alberto Mancini in 1989 and the last Argentine to participate in the year-end championship was Jose-Luis Clerc in 1983.

5th. Andy Roddick (370)
The 20-year-old is the only player on the ATP circuit this year to reach the semifinals at two of the three Grand Slam tournaments, accomplishing the feat at the Australian Open (l. to Schuettler) and Wimbledon (l. to Federer)…A winner on clay in St. Poelten (d. Davydenko) and on grass at the Queen’s Club in London (d. Grosjean) while reaching finals in Memphis (l. to Dent) and Houston (l. to Agassi)…Tied for the fastest serve ever (149 mph) at Queen’s in June…Working with new coach Brad Gilbert (since June) and has compiled a 10-1 record under his tutelage, 35-12 overall on the season.

TMC Tidbit: If Roddick qualifies for the Tennis Masters Cup, he would be the youngest American at 21 years, 2 mons. in the year-end championship since Michael Chang (20 years, 9 mons.) in 199

6th. Rainer Schuettler (357)
The 27-year-old German has been among the Top 8 every week in the ATP Champions Race since reaching his first career Grand Slam final at the Australian Open in January…Has compiled the most consistent season of his career with a 38-19 record…Should surpass his previous career best of 41 match wins from last year this summer…

Has lost in the first round only once in 17 tournaments…Despite not winning a title, he reached the Australian Open final (l. to Agassi) and advanced to the semifinals in Sydney and TMS Indian Wells and quarterfinals in six other tournaments…Also turned in personal-bests finishes 4th RD at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

TMC Tidbit: Schuettler is looking to become the first German to participate in the year-end championship since Nicolas Kiefer reached the semifinals in Hannover in 1999.

7th. Carlos Moya (334)
The 26-year-old Spaniard is compiling another consistent season with ATP titles in Buenos Aires (d. Coria) and Barcelona (d. Safin) and runner-up at TMS Miami (l. to Agassi)…While compiling a 39-13 match record, has lost in the first round only once in 13 tournaments…Also advanced to the semifinals at TMS Monte Carlo and Bastad and quarterfinals at Roland Garros…Last year’s Tennis Masters Cup semifinalist is on course to finish in the Top 10 for the second straight season and fourth overall in his career.

TMC Tidbit: In three previous Tennis Masters Cup appearances, Moya was a semifinalist in 1997 and last year and runner-up in 1998, losing to countryman Alex Corretja.

8th. Mark Philippoussis (245)
The 26-year-old Aussie climbed into contention after reaching his second career Grand Slam final at Wimbledon (l. to Federer)…Afterwards, climbed from 34th to his current position…Fired 178 aces en route to the final, including a co-tournament record 46 aces in his five-set fourth round victory over Agassi…Also fired 30 or more aces in two other matches…Has compiled a 25-12 match record, already surpassing his combined match wins total (24) from the last two years…His other best results were a runner-up in Scottsdale (l. to Hewitt) and quarterfinal at TMS Hamburg (d. Federer, l. to Coria)…Has a 3-0 Davis Cup record this year to lead his country into the SF vs. Sweden.

TMC Tidbit: An Australian has qualified for the year-end championship the last three years — Lleyton Hewitt (2000-2002) and Patrick Rafter (2001).

T9th. Felix Mantilla (235)
The 28-year-old Spaniard climbed into the Top 10 in May following his first Tennis Masters title in Rome (d. Federer)…Along the way, he also defeated David Nalbandian, ‘02 Roland Garros champion Albert Costa and ‘96 Roland Garros winner Yevgeny Kafelnikov…He followed with a 4th RD showing at Roland Garros…Early in the season, he jumped off to a 12-6 start with a semifinal in Auckland and Acapulco and quarterfinal in Vina del Mar and Buenos Aires…Also turned in a 4th RD showing at the Australian Open…Has a 25-14 match record, 18-8 on clay.

TMC Tidbit: A Spaniard has qualified for the Tennis Masters Cup in five of the past six years (except 1999).

T9th Martin Verkerk (235)
The 24-year-old Dutchman is one of the most improved players on the ATP circuit, having captured his first career ATP title in Milan (d. Kafelnikov) and reaching his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros …In Paris, defeated three consecutive Top 10 players in Race — Schuettler (4th), Moya (QF) and Coria (SF) before falling to Ferrero in straight sets…Afterwards, jumped from 30th to 8th in Race…His other season highlights include a semifinal in St. Poelten and quarterfinal at TMS Rome (d. Roddick)…Last year compiled a 7-11 match record and has a 20-18 mark this season.

TMC Tidbit: The last Dutchman to qualify for the year-end championship was Richard Krajicek, who reached the semifinals in 1996.