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Spanish Open?
Pioline becomes only non-Spaniard to reach men's semifinals
Posted: Wednesday June 03, 1998 02:36 PM
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Pioline battled through five sets to reach the semifinals (AP) |
PARIS (AP) -- Frenchman Cedric Pioline became the only non-Spaniard in the men's semifinals of the French Open, battling through five exhausting sets Wednesday to defeat Hicham Arai.
As French flags waved in the stands, Pioline broke the Moroccan's serve for a 4-2 lead in the final set and then held on -- fighting off a break point in the last game -- for the victory.
Pioline's 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-3 win put him in the semifinals with Spaniards Alex Corretja, Carlos Moya and Felix Mantilla.
The Pioline-Arazi match was 3 hours, 42 minutes of error-filled, often tedious tennis -- the two players combined for 149 unforced errors. But French fans hardly seemed to notice, yelling 'Oui' on his points and booing loudly when Arazi questioned line calls.
Corretja reached his first Grand Slam semifinal by defeating Fili Dewulf of Belgium 7-5, 6-4, 6-3, joining close friends Moya and Mantilla in the final four.
"This is history," Corretja said. "I think it's really good because normally it's not easy to have a country put three guys in the semis of a Grand Slam. We used to see the American guys in other tournaments, but not the Spanish guys."
Deuwlf hadn't lost a set until his straight-set loss to Corretja. The 39th-ranked Belgian was a semifinalist at Roland Garros last year.
On Tuesday, No. 3 seed Marcelo Rios went the way of the oter top seeds in Paris. He was upset in four sets by Moya, losing his chance to regain the No. 1 ranking from Pete Sampras.
Corretja reached his frist Grand Slam semifinal with the win (AP) | |
The Chilean held that spot for a month earlier this year, and could have reclaimed it with a quarterfinal victory.
But at least one player remains on course -- Martina Hingis. The undisputed best woman player defeated Venus Williams on Tuesday with such ease that it put to rest any talk of a great rivalry -- at least for now.
Hingis next faces a newly inspired Monica Seles, a three-time champion in Paris, in one of Thursday's semifinals. No. 2 Lindsay Davenport plays two-time champion Arantxa Sanchez Vcario in the other.
With Davenport and Seles advancing, there are two American women in the French Open semifinals for the first time since Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert in 1987.
But there were no echoes of Evert and Navratilova when Hingis and Williams took the court. In a swirling wind that hampered both players, Hingis used her deft touch and uncanny court sense to dictate play.
Never in the 6-3, 6-4 victory did the Swiss star appear out of control, off-balance or rushed. Williams hurt her cause with 38 unforced errors.
"I don't think I was as patient as I should have been. I guess everyone knows I like to hit," Williams said. "I suppose I got a little too excited, really wanted to hit a winner."
Hingis came into the match with a 5-2 career record against the eighth-seeded Williams, but the two 17-year-olds were 2-2 this year.
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Rios, who lost Tuesday, missed out on a chance to return to the No. 1 spot in the world (AP) |
The match promised to be an intriguing battle between power and smarts. But, just as in their only previous Grand Slam tournament encounter - a 6-0, 6-4 win by Hingis in the U.S. Open final last summer - the match turned into a one-sided affair.
"It's probably good for me to lose so I can really see what I'm doing wrong and really look at myself and say, `Venus, you're not there,'' she said. Moya, the No. 12 seed who has been ranked as as high as fifth, is hoping to crack back into the top 10 this week.
He became the talk of tennis at last year's Australian Open -- for his dashing looks and talent. He upset defending champion Boris Becker in the first round, then went to the final, losing to Sampras.
But except for that tournament, the 21-year-old had never gone past the second round of any Grand Slam event. And at Roland Garros, he hadn't gotten past the second round in two previous visits.
Now Moya is the highest seed left. On Friday he faces Mantilla.
"We're going to be friends until Friday," he said. "When we get to the court, I will try to kill him."
Tuesday's play ended with Gustavo Kuerten, the defending champion who lost in the second round, disqualified from doubles. He threw his racket at the chair umpire, hitting a fan in the stands, but apparently not causing injury.
"I'm so sorry for what happened and I regret what I did," the Brazilian said Wednesday. "I know that this will make me a more mature guy and will make me grow. I want to make it clear that I never had the intention of hurting anyone on or off the court."
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