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Still winning French Open champ Kuerten advances to second round
Posted: Tuesday June 27, 2000 10:56 AM
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten moved into the second round of Wimbledon on Tuesday, beating American Chris Woodruff 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) with a flurry of 29 aces. Kuerten served out the victory with his an ace. The fourth-seeded Brazilian reached the quarterfinals on grass last year before losing to Andre Agassi. Kuerten lost the second set but probably should have won it as he showed his is more than just a clay-court player. The Brazilian broke to lead 3-2 in the set and was serving at 5-4 but was broken when a ball that appeared to be two or three inches long was called in and made it 5-5. The upset Brazilian went on to lose the set. After falling behind 6-5, he stomped off the court at the changeover, slammed his racket to the ground, and argued furiously with Portuguese umpire Jorge Dias. The victory was Kuerten's first over Woodruff -- they are 1-1 -- and gave him an impressive victory over an established grass-court player. The win was Kuerten's 14th straight, a career-record for the Brazilian who has won 18 of his last 19 matches. He is trying to become the first player since Bjorn Borg to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back.
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