DUSSELDORF, 24 May 2003 — Chile will take on the Czech Republic in the final of the World Team Cup today after they won a South American showdown with defending champions Argentina. Fernando Gonzalez gave Chile a perfect start by earning his first victory over David Nalbandian in five meetings.
He beat the Wimbledon runner-up 6-4, 7-5 and Marcelo Rios followed up with a 6-3, 6-3 pounding of Gaston Gaudio. Gonzalez dictated much of the play against Nalbandian, but he also committed several careless errors when going for the big shots, especially off his forehand. His power, though, always gave him the advantage against a steady but unspectacular opponent.
He also refused to concede after falling behind in each set. Nalbandian led 4-2 in the first set, only for Gonzalez to win the next four games. And he led 5-2 in the second before Gonzalez staged another fightback.
Nalbandian’s resistance collapsed completely after he failed to serve out for the second set at 5-3, winning only two points in the last three games. Rios was always in control against an opponent he has beaten in straight sets in their previous meetings. Playing only his second match since withdrawing from the Miami event with injury two months ago, he sometimes displayed much of the class that once made him one of the world number one.
Despite his encouraging performance, Rios insists that he feels ill-prepared for next week’s French Open. “I think I’m not ready to play the French Open,” he said. “I need more matches and to play five sets is pretty tough, but I’ll do my best. I’m not saying I don’t have expectations, but obviously I don’t feel like five years ago when I went to the French Open and knew I could win the tournament.”
Roddick to Face
Davydenko in Final
In St. Poelten, Austria, top seed Andy Roddick enjoyed a swift passage into the Austrian Grand Prix final yesterday to keep alive hopes of a first title this year. The 20-year-old American was leading 6-2, 2-0 in his semifinal against Spain’s David Sanchez before the eighth seed retired with blisters and handed Roddick a final showdown with Nikolay Davydenko.
The Russian sixth seed reached the final of the 380,000 euro ($442,400) claycourt tournament by beating unseeded Dutchman Martin Verkerk 7-5, 6-1. Roddick’s blistering serve and forehand ensured he dominated the match from the outset and when Sanchez took time out at 5-2 down to have a blister on his foot dressed the battle was all but over.
The top seed, whose five career titles have all been captured on home soil, said he was pleased with his performance this week because until this tournament he had failed to win two matches in a row on European clay.
With the French Open starting at Roland Garros in Paris next week, the timing could not have been better. “I felt good out there and it’s great to be in the final here before Paris. Next week’s going to be madness, so this was great preparation,” Roddick said.
But he added that his first priority was trying to dispatch Davydenko before he gave Paris any more thought.
Davydenko, like Roddick, has stormed through the tournament without dropping a set. The Russian is enjoying his best year on the ATP Tour with two titles in Adelaide and Estoril and could join Andre Agassi and Roger Federer as the only players to have won at least three events this season if he triumphs in the final.
Rubin Races Through to
Madrid Open final
Top seed Chanda Rubin reached her first final of the season when she raced to an impressive 6-0, 6-4 victory over Iroda Tulyaganova of Uzbekistan in the $170,000 Madrid Open yesterday.
Rubin, who was runner-up to Monica Seles in last year’s tournament, gave the seventh-seeded Tulyaganova little chance as she reeled off a series of fierce service returns and powerful ground strokes to win in comfortable fashion.
The 27-year-old American will meet local favorite Maria Sanchez Lorenzo in today’s final. The unseeded Spaniard claimed a similarly comprehensive straight sets victory when she brushed aside Austria’s Barbara Schett 6-1, 6-3.
Rubin, who is seeded eight for next week’s French Open, looked as though she was keen to spend as little time as possible in the scorching sun, breaking serve in the opening game and then ripping through the first set in just 26 minutes.
She appeared to be on course for a whitewash when she broke again at the start of the second but Tulyaganova, who was a quarter-finalist in the German Open earlier this month, staged a mini revival. The 21-year-old broke back to level at 3-3 but Rubin responded immediately by stepping up a gear to break again and she was never threatened from then on.
Sanchez Lorenzo got off to a flying start to lead 4-0 and broke serve for the third time to take the first set. Schett provided a little more resistance in the second set but she still had few answers to Sanchez Lorenzo’s fine returns and she surrendered her serve in the sixth game to trail 4-2. Sanchez Lorenzo then served out for a comfortable victory.
