| |
Top three down Rafter falls to Brazil's Meligeni in four sets
PARIS (AP) -- The French Open is now without its top three men players. Third-seeded Patrick Rafter was ousted Saturday from the third round in four sets, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, by Brazil's Fernando Meligeni. Rafter, a serv-and-volleyer who had been playing well on clay, couldn't match Meligeni's clay-court technique. Earlier in the week, top-ranked Yevgeny Kafelnikov and the second-seeded Pete Sampras were eliminated. Also on the men's side, 1997 champion Gustavo Kuerten won easily, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3, over Sjeng Schalken of te Netherlands. And Felix Mantilla of Spain also advanced over Tommy Haas of Germany, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1, 6-4. Alex Corretja, a finalist last year, defeated Argentine Gaston Gaudio 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. On Friday, Andre Agassi advanced to the fourth round and made the shot of the tournament as well. Trying to close off a rally, Agassi's opponent, Chris Woodruff, sent a near-perfect lob sailing over Agassi's head into the corner. Agassi sprinted back to the baseline, caught up with the lob, and, his back to the net, whacked the ball through his legs. He turned around just in time to see it zing past Woodruff for a clean winner. The crowd stood and cheered. Agassi took his cap off and bowed deeply. He later advised his fans: "Don't try this at home." The moment showed just how grateful the Roland Garros crowd was to have someone to laugh with. Agassi might not reach the final weekend at Roland Garros. But his presence highlights how the men's tour has lost much of its charisma and appeal, and how the women's game has picked up most of it. On the men's side, much of the drama left on Thursday with the second-round exit of Sampras. Though Sampras has often been called "boring" because of his quiet demeanor on court, his ever more passionate desire to win at Roland Garros -- the one title that eludes him -- attracts more crowd sympathy each year. Sampras was clearly devastated at losing, and that brought some emotion to the proceedings. Michael Chang, also a crowd favorite, was trying to recapture the magic of his French Open championship -- and only Grand Slam title -- 10 years ago. But he, too, was eliminated early. Agassi himself said he is more interested now in the women's game because the level of intensity and competition has risen. "Now you've got more depth, so you are seeing better matchups early on," he said. "We're seeing Mauresmo and Hingis second round."
| ||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. Terms under which this service is provided to you.
| ||||||||||||||||
