|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
French twist Fickle Paris crowds behind Pierce again
Posted: Tuesday June 06, 2000 10:17 PM
PARIS (AP) -- The standing ovation from French Open fans cracked the cool demeanor of Frenchwoman Mary Pierce, who looked up at the crowd with a grateful grin. Pierce has had a tenuous relationship with her countrymen, who are sometimes annoyed by her erratic play and reserved personality. But when she beat Monica Seles on Tuesday to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros for only the second time, Paisians finally seemed ready to embrace her. "It's a great thing to have the crowd behind you," she said. "Today was awesome. It was a lot of fun." Fans in the United States might as well cheer for Pierce, too. She lives in Florida and has a U.S.-born father, which makes her the closest thing to an American left in the tournament. For the first time in more than 30 years, there will be no Americans in the semifinals at Paris. The U.S. women went 0-for-3 in the quarterfinals, with the third-seeded Seles, fourth-seeded Venus Williams and unseeded Chanda Rubin eliminated. Michael Chang, the last of the U.S. men, lost Friday. Until now, at least one American reached the semifinals in Paris every year since the open era began in 1968. "It's just one of those things," Seles said. "And for most American players, clay is not their favorite surface, because we just haven't grown up on it." Seles was the last to depart, losing a thriller to the sixth-seeded Pierce, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Pierce coolly belted groundstrokes into the corners down the stretch, while Seles committed two double faults in the pivotal game, losing her serve to fall behind 4-3 in the final set. "I just had a terrible lapse," Seles said. "You really cannot let those mistakes creep in at those times." Williams came up short in a seesaw struggle with No. 8 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, 6-0, 1-6, 6-2. Rubin lost 6-1, 6-3 to No. 1 Martina Hingis, who will play her doubles partner, Pierce, in the semifinals Thursday. Hingis has had troubles of her own with French fans, who jeered when she threw a tantrum during last year's final. "Either the crowd is with or against you," Hingis said. "The most important thing is if you're happy and confident with yourself." In the first men's quarterfinal match, No. 4 Yevgeny Kafelnikov finally exhausted his endurance. Playing his fourth five-setter of the tournament, Kafelnikov was up a break and two games from victory before losing to No. 5 Gustavo Kuerten 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. No. 16-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero won a matchup of Spaniards, beating No. 10 Alex Corretja 6-4, 6-4, 6-. The other women's quarterfinal was also all-Spanish, with No. 5 Conchita Martinez eliminating 17-year-old qualifier Marta Marrero 7-6 (5), 6-1. Fans saved their loudest applause for Pierce. "They were really great to me, supporting me even after I lost the first set," she said. Pierce survived the day's most dramatic match and also supplied the most memorable shot, scrambling after a ball behind the baseline, leaping and hitting a forehand lob between her legs for a winner in the first set. "That's my favorite shot, actually," Pierce said. "It's a bad habit for me. I'm not supposed to do it very much, but I love to do it. I was running to the ball and all of a sudden it was right there, and it was all I could do." Under pressure as the only French player left in the tournament, Pierce was uncharacteristically at ease. From her changeover chair after the second set, she joined fans doing the wave. "I've remained calm instead of getting bothered and annoyed," Pierce said. "I know I have to do that. Otherwise I will not win." And she knows from experience that if she does not win, the fans might not cheer.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
