|
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
The streak is over Spadea upsets Rusedski to end skid
Posted: Monday June 26, 2000 11:37 PM
LONDON (Reuters) -- Vince Spadea shook off the label of the biggest loser in tennis on Monday by dumping 14th seed Greg Rusedski out of Wimbledon in the first round. Spadea, who had lost a record 21 consecutive matches on the ATP Tour before Wimbledon, won an epic lasting nearly four hours 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 6-7, 9-7. "We were like gladiators out there," said Spadea after the match which, with a rain interruption of one hour 45 minutes, took up most of the opening day's business on court one. The 25-year-old American, who last won a match in Lyon in October, said it was a relief to succeed again, especially after wasting four match points. "If I had lost this match I was thinking :'Holy goodness! I am going to have to stay in Europe until I win a match." "But here I am, six months on. It was worth the wait." Spadea, who has been working on his game with 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash, said his heart sank when he saw he was drawn against Briton Rusedski, whose big serve is suited to the fast grass courts at Wimbledon. "My parents left and went home two days ago. I think they saw the draw and thought 'Vince, man...'" he smiled. But Spadea was determined to do well. "Hey man, you have just got to go out and do it," he said. "I am not scared of anyone." Spadea showed great courage on Monday, holding his nerve after Rusedski had saved two match points in the fourth set to take the match into a decider. Spadea had made a storming start before the rain break -- helped by a string of double faults from the Briton -- and he broke Rusedski on his fourth breakpoint to go 3-1 up in the fifth. Rusedski, still suffering the effects of a foot injury which put him out of action for the first two months of the year, saved another match point to hold for 5-5 and broke to go 7-6 up. But as the light faded Spadea seized on mistakes by his opponent to break for 7-7 and held to take the lead again. The Canadian-born Rusedski saved the first of two more match points in the 16th game but succumbed on the second and Spadea's nightmare finally ended. Rusedski was devastated, saying he planned to go "as far away as possible from Wimbledon" for the remainder of the fortnight. But he paid tribute to Spadea. "He is too good a player to have lost as many matches as he lost in a row," said Rusedski. Spadea, in turn, had words of praise for Cash. "He has been very generous and it has been an amazing experience to work with someone of his playing stature." Cash had helped him improve his grasscourt game, he said. "I have got a lot of character. Now if I can get my game up there we are going to have a big thing going here."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
