Agassi rallies
Posted: Wednesday May 28, 2003 9:37 AM
Updated: Wednesday May 28, 2003 8:50 PM
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Harkleroad won despite
blowing a 5-1 lead in the third set and losing five consecutive games. |
PARIS (AP) -- Andre Agassi sat in his chair a few extra seconds at each changeover, resting his body and composing his mind.
He also was stalling, letting the kid who was giving him a hard time wait around on court before play could resume.
Agassi needed every drop of energy and resolve to reach the French Open's third round Wednesday. He rallied from a monumental deficit and overcame some surprisingly ragged crunch-time nerves to oust Croatian teen Mario Ancic in five sets.
"Sometimes, you just have to find a way. You have to dig deep and come up with the goods," said Agassi, who double-faulted three times when serving for the match. "As long as you're still in, it's a new tournament. I have a new life right now."
The eight-time Grand Slam champion lost the first two sets and trailed in the third before cobbling together a 5-7, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 comeback for his 763rd victory -- sixth most in history and one more than Pete Sampras.
It's also 750 more than Ashley Harkleroad, who took the first significant strides of her tennis life by knocking off No. 9-seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 7-6 (2), 4-6, 9-7 in 3 hours, 8 minutes.
Without a Grand Slam match win before this week, Harkleroad could have folded after letting a 5-1 lead evaporate in the final set. Hantuchova, a quarterfinalist at the last three majors, even served for the match at 6-5.
"I just kept really calm. I just said, 'OK, Ashley, you're not going to lose this. You're going to fight,"' she said. "I've always been very feisty. A fighter. Ever since I was 8."
As Harkleroad watched Hantuchova's final forehand float wide, she let out a shriek and sprinted to the courtside seats to hug ... her agent. Ah, to be 18 and a veteran endorser. Nike signed Harkleroad in early 2001 and invited her to a celebratory pasta dinner Wednesday night.
Hantuchova also has a deal with the company, and the players created a mirror image, with identical sky-blue outfits. Hantuchova wasn't thrilled, saying, "I don't really like it when there are two players wearing the same thing on the same court."
The atmosphere was raucous around Roland Garros, as it usually is on the third day of the French Open. Tickets are set aside so tennis clubs can bring children because schools have half days on Wednesdays.
Dozens of boys gathered near the court, pens and paper at the ready for autographs, during the match between Harkleroad and Hantuchova.
Until this victory, Harkleroad probably was known best for the midriff-baring togs she wore during a first-round loss at the 2001 U.S. Open, drawing a writeup and photo in Sports Illustrated.
"A lot of people compared me to Kournikova. That was just a compliment for me," said Harkleroad, perhaps forgetting for a moment that Anna might be famous, but she's never won a tournament.
When Harkleroad turned 18 on May 2, she no longer had to follow a WTA Tour rule that limits youngsters' play to prevent burnout. "At 17 1/2, I was really getting anxious to go play, because I was ready," she said.
It might seem like a long time coming. Harkleroad started hitting tennis balls when she was 4, played a tournament at 8. Her parents played tennis on dates in high school.
"We don't want her to have any expectations," said Jay Berger, who has coached Harkleroad since March. "We want her to enjoy competing, and that's what she's doing."
Berger, who won three tournaments in the 1980s, also works with Laura Granville through the U.S. Tennis Association. The 31st-seeded Granville beat 1997 French Open champion Iva Majoli 6-1, 6-2, to move into a third-round meeting with No. 8 Chanda Rubin, who eliminated Cara Black 7-6 (6), 6-3.
"Ashley's playing just so well, and it gives all of us confidence," Granville
said. "It's nice that we're starting out not having expectations on us."
| Wednesday, May 28 Harkleroad survives three-hour match Associated Press
PARIS -- Rattled by the stress of a French Open marathon, American Ashley Harkleroad settled her nerves, choked back tears and earned a milestone victory. The 18-year-old native of Roseville, Ga., advanced to the third round of a Grand Slam event for the first time Wednesday, beating No. 9-seeded Daniela Hantuchova 7-6 (2), 4-6, 9-7. Harkleroad won despite blowing a 5-1 lead in the third set and losing five consecutive games. The letdown left her on the verge of defeat, and her eyes glistened with emotion. "I was so tight and wanting it so bad, I guess,'' she said. "I said, 'OK, Ashley, you're not going to lose this. You're going to fight.' I tried to breathe and relax.'' She did, and after three hours, eight minutes of tennis, Harkleroad earned the first match point. When Hantuchova sailed her final shot wide, Harkleroad squealed, dropped her racket and sprinted to the stands for a celebratory hug from her agent. Defending champion Serena Williams won with much less drama. She overcame 32 unforced errors and extended her Grand Slam winning streak to 30 matches, beating Marie-Gaianeh Mikaelian 6-3, 6-2. Harkleroad also beat Hantuchova at Charleston, S.C., in April, but this win came on a much bigger stage. Hantuchova, who had reached the quarterfinals in the last three major events, contributed to her defeat with 106 unforced errors. "Sometimes I was going too much for it and doing too many mistakes,'' Hantuchova said. "In the end, it was just a couple of points that decided the match.'' She was exactly right: The slender Slovakian won 131 points, Harkleroad 133. American Laura Granville, seeded 31st, beat 1997 champion Iva Majoli 6-1, 6-2. No. 21 Lisa Raymond lost to Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 7-6 (3), and No. 23 Anna Pistolesi lost to Magui Serna 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Clarisa Fernandez, a semifinalist last year, was beaten by Barbara Schett 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. Schett will next play Williams. Other second-round winners included No. 4 Justine Henin-Hardenne, No. 8 Chanda Rubin, No. 14 Eleni Daniilidou, No. 16 Ai Sugiyama, No. 18 Meghann Shaughnessy and No. 19 Patty Schnyder. Harkleroad, a runner-up in the juniors at Roland Garros last year, is ranked 52nd -- tops among U.S. teenagers. She has drawn comparisons to Anna Kournikova, and her matchup with the equally photogenic Hantuchova attracted a crowd of cheering youngsters who made Court 1 sound like a schoolyard playground. The two blond opponents appeared almost identical because they wore matching powder-blue outfits -- to their dismay. "It's a nice color,'' Hantuchova said with a rueful smile. "But I don't think it's good when both of us are wearing the same thing.'' Despite some sloppy shotmaking, the match was filled with entertaining, scrambling exchanges. Through a series of momentum swings, Harkleroad showed impressive persistence. "I've always been very feisty and a fighter,'' she said. "I don't know where it came from. It's just me.'' Harkleroad began rushing her shots in the third set to fall behind 6-5. She recovered with help from the erratic Hantuchova, who committed eight unforced errors to lose eight of the next nine points. Harkleroad held serve for an 8-7 lead, and errors by Hantuchova on the final three points gave the American the victory. Henin-Hardenne beat Jelena Kostanic 6-2, 6-2, while Rubin defeated Cara Black 7-6 (6), 6-3.
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Hantuchova crashes out
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Women's
round-up
Ninth seed Daniela Hantuchova was knocked out in the second round after losing to Ashley Harkleroad 7-6 (7/2) 4-6 9-7 in an absorbing contest at Roland Garros. Hantuchova made numerous unforced errors and contrived to lose the first set after being 4-1 up in a disappointing performance. Both players struggled to hold serve in the opening set but Harkleroad fought back from an unpromising position to snatch it on a tie-break as Hantuchova's composure deserted her. The Slovak rallied in the second set and a break of serve in the seventh game gave her the chance to level the match at a set apiece. The third set saw Harkleroad speed into a 5-1 lead as Hantuchova's forehand went awry but, with the match at the American's mercy, she seemed to tense up and a run of five games allowed Hantuchova to edge 6-5 in front. Hantuchova looked to have broken Harkleroad's spirit, but the 18-year-old displayed admirable resolve in a nail-biting climax to edge out her opponent after three hours and nine minutes of dramatic tennis. But unlike Hantuchova most of the other top players had little trouble. |
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