DUSSELDORF, Germany, 23 May 2003 — The Czech Republic booked the first spot in the final of the 1.85-million-euro World Team Championships yesterday, defeating the US 2-1 through a final doubles victory.
Jiri Novak and Radek Stepanek carried the load for the Czechs, who moved into the title match at the eight-nation competition for the first time since splitting from Slovakia a decade ago.
The old Czechoslovakia won the title in 1981 and 1987, with Slovakia taking the honors in 2000.
The hard-working pair beat Americans Mardy Fish and James Blake 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 to conclude Red Group (play with a spotless 3-0 mark.
Blake gained a jolt of confidence as he put the Americans ahead to start, beating Novak 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. But Stepanek stopped veteran Todd Martin 6-2, 7-5 in the second singles.
Blake was pleased with his effort over Novak, a Top ten player. The 23-year-old American also snapped a five-match loss streak on clay.
Australia lost their doubles against Spain, giving the Europeans their only win of the week for a 1-2 mark.
Alex Corretja defeated Wayne Arthurs after more than two hours of battle on the clay on a threatening afternoon to square that tie at one win.
Playing in leaden conditions after a morning of rain which slowed down the clay at the Rochusclub, the Spanish veteran drew the scoreline level at 1-1 as he took a 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 win over the Aussie left-hander.
Lleyton Hewitt had given Australia the early lead, beating Spain’s Carlos Moya 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
Hewitt, competing for only the second week this season on clay after skipping the April European events, will go into the French Open starting Monday as top seed and with extra confidence from beating 1998 French Open winner Moya, one of the power threats on the clay.
Hewitt dismissed his lack of time on the surface, saying he just couldn’t be bothered to come back to Europe so soon from his base in Adelaide.
Top Seed Rubin Eases Into
Madrid Open Semis
In Madrid, top seed Chanda Rubin breezed into her first claycourt semifinal of the season with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over fifth seed Paola Suarez in the Madrid Open yesterday.
The American world number eight, runner-up to Monica Seles in last year’s tournament, got off to a perfect start when she broke her Argentine opponent in the opening game.
She broke again in the fifth to go 4-1 up as Suarez struggled to cope with her powerful passing shots.
Suarez put up more resistance in the second set and recovered from 2-0 down to lead 4-3.
But a double fault and a costly forehand error helped Rubin break in the ninth game and the American served out to take a comfortable victory.
Rubin will meet seventh seed Iroda Tulyaganova of Uzbekistan in the semis today.
Tulyaganova fought back from a break down in each set to beat Zimbabwe’s Cara Black 7-5, 6-4.
Black, who beat third seed Conchita Martinez of Spain in the first round, broke to lead 5-4 in the first set, but Tulyaganova broke back immediately to draw level.
The 21-year-old then produced a delicate backhand drop shot to break in the 12th game and claim the set.
Tulyaganova, who reached the quarter-finals earlier this month in Berlin, repeated the trick in the second, coming back from 3-1 down to win through.
Earlier Austria’s Barbara Schett reached her first semifinal in more than two years with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over fourth seed Clarisa Fernandez of Argentina.
Schett will meet Spain’s Maria Sanchez Lorenzo, who posted a battling 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Swiss qualifier Emmanuelle Gagliardi in the last quarterfinal of the day.
The tall Spaniard looked as though she would run away with it after racing through the first set, but Gagliardi leveled as the players exchanged five breaks in the second.
Sanchez Lorenzo edged the third after the Swiss player’s serve wavered in the last game of the two-hour match.
Roddick Rolls On Into
Austrian Last Four
In St.Poelten, Austria, top seed Andy Roddick outclassed 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek yesterday to reach the last four at the Austrian Grand Prix and keep alive hopes of a first title this year.
The 21-year-old American, using this 380,000 euros ($442,400) claycourt event to warm up for next week’s French Open, beat the Dutchman 7-5, 6-1 in just over an hour. Roddick, who has clocked the second fastest serve on the ATP Tour behind Briton Greg Rusedski, served hard and consistently and never looked in danger of losing the upper hand against his opponent, 10 years his senior.
“He was a top 10 player for years so I knew I had to play well to beat him,” the American said, adding that he had not expected to beat him so easily.
“My forehand was good today — I could control the points from the baseline and I returned well, so I think that was the key,” Roddick said. The top seed next plays either eighth seed David Sanchez of Spain or unseeded Croat Mario Ancic.
