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Thursday Notebook Argentine enjoying run; French women look strong
Posted: Thursday June 01, 2000 03:09 PM
PARIS (AP) -- Agustin Calleri has never won a Grand Slam title but he can now say he beat the man who beat the man who has won them all -- Andre Agassi. Playing only in his second French Open, 118th-ranked Argentine Calleri pulled off a four set upset by beating No. 14 seed Dominik Hrabty 6-7(2-7), 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. Hrabty is the man who beat French Open title holder Andre Agassi in the third round of the Rome Masters Series last month. The Slovak also reached the semifinals at Roland Garros last year. Calleri turned professional in 1995 but one year later decided he was not enjoying it anymore and stopped. When he found himself loading trucks to make ends meet, he thought again. "I realized life is very hard and that I could earn my living playing tennis," he said. Now, Calleri wants to make it into the top 100 in 2000. "Today, I played really good tennis. I was very concentrated and that gave me victory," the 23-year-old said. "Although everyone says it is a surprise, I don't think it is a surprise," he added. Calleri will be hoping to shock some more when he meets Ukrainian Andrei Medvedev in the next round.
Aussies oustedIt was a bleak day for Australian tennis fans at the French Open Thursday -- Jelena Dokic, Patrick Rafter and Andrew Ilie were all beaten. Dokic, 17, was ousted 6-3, 6-1 by Czech Kveta Hrdlickova, putting an end to Aussie hopes in the women's tournament. The teenager, who stunned the tennis world at Wimbledon last year by defeating No. 1 Martina Hingis, never really seemed to settle into Thursday's second round match. "I had a lot of chances in the first set. Probably if I did better on those points it could have been a different story," Dokic said. "Sometimes, little things make a big difference." Rafter, who has been sidelined by a shoulder injury and had already admitted he was not a contender in Paris, bowed to the inevitable in the shape of Frenchman Cedric Pioline who won 7-6(7-5), 6-3, 6-4. "I think it was pretty evident in the match that I was really short of practice and hard work and definitely matches," he said. Injury was also behind Andrew Ilie's decision to retire in the fifth set against no. 12 seed Marat Safin who was leading 7-5, 4-6, 5-7, 6-3 5-0. "The problem was the start of the first game. I started having shadows of cramping when I was serving," a clearly-frustrated Ilie said. "To be stopped you know by basically cramping. I didn't do anything wrong."
Fantastic FrenchIf the Australian camp were licking their wounds Thursday, French women players were rejoicing after seven made it through to the third round. No. 7 seed Nathalie Tauziat, No. 13 Amelie Mauresmo, No. 10 Sandrine Testud, No. 6 Mary Pierce, wildcard Virginie Razzano, wildcard Emilie Loit and Anne-Gaelle Sidot all conquered their opponents on Thursday. It's the first time so many French women have made it to the third round since the tournament turned open in 1968. Playing to home crowds is obviously a plus but Mauresmo said there was a downside too. "We take pleasure from being on court, winning some matches. But we feel the spectators' expectations weighing on us," she said. The number is definitely going to decline in the next round though -- Pierce and Razzano are playing each other.
Rumor millRumors of Mary Pierce's wedding are greatly exaggerated, the Canadian-born player said Thursday. The New York Daily News said on Thursday that Canadian-born Pierce was due to marry her boyfriend, baseball player Roberto Alomar, in December. "That's news to me," Pierce said, looking surprised. When told that she was due to get married in Puerto Rico, she just arched her eyebrows and said: "That's interesting." Alomar plays second base for the Cleveland Indians and accompanied Pierce to the Australian Open tournament this year in January. Pierce wasn't the only one being quizzed about her love life in Paris. One sharp-eyed reporter asked 18-year-old Anna Kournikova if there was an engagement ring on her finger. The Russian simply said: "I don't answer questions about my private life here."
Selfish gameIt's lonely at the top - even if you are No. 1. Martina Hingis admitted Thursday that being a tennis pro doesn't mean making friends is easy. "Tennis is a very selfish game in a way because you have to work," she said. "If somebody desn't want to respect it, it's hard to find friends." But she said her mother Melanie Molitor and the latter's partner Mario were always there for her. Hingis also revealed her secret charm for winning. "I never buy anything before I win a few matches. I just want to first make myself do well, then I go shopping or something but not before," she said.
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