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Vive la France Clement ousts Kafelnikov; Grosjean downs Moya
Updated: Wednesday January 24, 2001 10:03 PM
MELBOURNE (Reuters) -- He threw everything at former champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Then a victorious Arnaud Clement threw his shirt, shoes and socks into the crowd in celebration. The Frenchman set up a semifinal with compatriot, friend and doubles partner Sebastien Grosjean with an upset 6-4, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 win over the Russian fifth seed. It ensures a Frenchman will contest the final of an Australian Open for the first time since the legendary Jean Borotra won in Melbourne in 1928. It will also be only the second time two Frenchmen have contested a grand slam semifinal since tennis went open in 1968. In 1983 Yannick Noah beat Christophe Roger-Vasselin before going on to win the French Open. "I can't believe it," said Clement, the 15th seed. "I just fought and fought. I came back and after the (third set) tie-break I felt physically better and better and I could run and run." On facing Grosjean, his doubles partner in Melbourne, he said: "It's unbelievable. We've been practicing five or six years, we grew up together, played a lot together. To play in the semifinals is something unbelievable." Grosjean, the 16th seed, beat Spain's Carlos Moya 6-1 6-4 6-2 earlier on Wednesday. The winner of their match will play either defending champion Andre Agassi or local hero Patrick Rafter in the final. Refused to surrender The 23-year-old Clement simply refused to surrender against Kafelnikov, last year's losing finalist, who led 3-0 and had a set point in the third set. He had three more in the ninth game of the fourth set but he lost both sets in tiebreakers as a flood of 79 unforced errors undid him. Clement wears glasses but took them off early in the match because the sweat was blurring his vision. He also struggled with a sore left thigh, and had an injury time-out and courtside treatment at the start of the third set. "I had a sore right ankle before the match and maybe I compensated a bit much, my left thigh started hurting," said Clement. Olympic champion Kafelnikov, winner of the 1999 Australian Open and runner-up to Andre Agassi last year, admitted it was a match that had somehow got away from him. "He kept fighting, he was down in the third and fourth set," the Russian said. "I let my chances slip away. "I don't know why, but it's just one of those days where you are trying hard but things are not going the way I want them to go. All day I had no rhythm at all." Both Clement and Grosjean go against the growing trend in the game of big men hitting huge serves. Too small Clement, who stands at just 1.73 meters, chased everything after the Russian took the second set. "When you are smaller like me and Sebastien you can run faster than the tall guys," said Clement. Grosjean, once told by French tennis officials that he was too small to make the grade, produced a near-flawless first set to lay the foundations of his win over Spaniard Moya in 98 minutes. The victory lifted the 22-year-old from Marseilles into the first grand slam semifinal of his career. His best effort in 12 major starts before arriving in Melbourne this year was making the fourth round at Wimbledon in 1998. "I am very happy to be in the semifinals," Grosjean said afterwards. "Today was my best tennis for the week. "I think I played a very great first set. I had many winners, I didn't miss a shot... I was surprised to win easily." It was a dominating display from Grosjean, who said that seven years ago he was told by the French federation that he was too small. Grosjean, who is now 1.75 meters tall, went on to win the French junior championship in 1995 and was the No. 1 junior player in the world the next year. Asked if he had suffered as a result of the assessment, he said: "I already had a reaction when I won the junior championship in France. But now I've forgotten it." He said he had forgiven them. "It was seven years ago. I was 15." Grosjean upset world No. 4 Magnus Norman in the fourth round. He advanced when the Swede conceded when the umpire called a "let" on match point after Grosjean had sent down what appeared to be an ace and thought he had won. With the retractable roof on the Melbourne Park center court closed for rain, Grosjean started strongly and was rarely troubled by former world No. 1 and 1997 Australian Open runner-up Moya who is rebuilding his career after a debilitating back injury. Grosjean made few errors as he raced through the opening set against a surprised Moya in 26 minutes. The second was a closer affair, but he took a stranglehold on the match when he broke in the third game of the final set, doing so again in the seventh game and sealing the win when Moya hit a forehand return out. "I think he played a great match. Maybe I haven't played my best but I have to give him credit, he played great," said Moya. The Spaniard, who pulled off one of the upsets of the tournament when he beat Australian teenager Lleyton Hewitt in an epic third-round clash, said playing indoors probably suited Grosjean better but added he was beaten by the better man. "Today I would say he was simply too much for me. If he keeps playing like this, he has a good chance to win here," he said.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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