No. 31 Schuettler reaches quarters

Blake hurting after loss MELBOURNE, Jan 20 (Reuters) -- James Blake said it was "ridiculous" to expect him and U.S. Davis Cup teammate Andy Roddick to fill Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi's shoes after his 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 defeat by Rainer Schuettler at the Australian Open on Monday. The 23rd seed failed in his bid to reach a first Grand Slam quarterfinal, losing in just under two hours in balmy conditions made tougher by smoke from bushfires blowing in from 200 miles northeast of Melbourne. "We're following Sampras and Agassi, I really think those are enormous shoes to fill," the American told reporters. "What do they have, 21 Grand Slams between them? "That generation of players is, if not the best, one of the best generations ever. I think it's crazy to say that there will ever be another generation like that. It's ridiculous," added Blake, one of the so-called 'Generation Next' of American tennis that includes Roddick, Taylor Dent and Mardy Fish. "This [defeat] hurts quite a bit but the more it hurts, I guess, that means the better I'm doing." The 23-year-old who captured his first ATP Tour title in Washington last August, conceded he still had some way to go to become a serious challenger at Grand Slams. "I did my best today, so I have nothing to be ashamed of," he said. "I definitely don't think you can play the same tennis in the second week as you can in the first week [of a Grand Slam]. You've got to step up, I never did. "It doesn't hurt as bad to lose in the first round of a challenger [event] when not too many people really care. When you are playing for something really important, [like] a sport in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, it hurts quite a bit. "Hopefully, I'll have some more that hurt even more later, losing in the finals, getting there, feeling that struggle," said Blake. "That's what I've been putting all the hard work in for, to enjoy the times when I do come through and then to feel this pain when I lose."

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- James Blake has soared up the tennis rankings like a comet, while Rainer Schuettler has been a slow burner.

With wildfire smoke hanging heavy in the air Monday, Schuettler tamed Blake's fire in their fourth round match at the Australian Open, reaching the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 victory.

The 26-year-old German was aided by a walkover through the second round when last year's beaten finalist Marat Safin withdrew, although both men played it down as a factor.

"This one hurt quite a bit," said Blake, who was in the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time. "The more it hurts I guess the better I'm doing. It doesn't hurt as bad to lose in the first round of the challenger."

Blake has attracted plenty of attention over the past two years, and of course, not all of it is to do with his dreadlocks and fashion sense. He climbed from No. 212 at the end of 2000 to No. 28 at the end of this year.

Schuettler is three years older than Blake but has been out on tour four years longer. He made a leap from No. 111 to No. 48 from 1998 to 1999 but then seemed becalmed, staying three years in the 40s, before reaching No. 23 in June and then slipping back 10 spots.

He is clearly improving with age and his meeting with David Nalbandian or Roger Federer will be his first quarterfinal in 17 Grand Slam events.

"I've tried to practice hard and work hard," Schuettler said Monday. "Yeah, I think the older you get the more you just enjoy the game and the more you appreciate what you have around. It's really a great life. It's a perfect life."

Blake has to deal with a great weight of expectation. Judges across the world were imagining a path for him through to a semifinal against Lleyton Hewitt here.

"I did my best today so I have nothing to be ashamed of. learned something. I definitely don't think you can play the same tennis in the first week as the second week. You've got to step up a little bit and I never did."

Blake, to his credit, seemed put off by a reporter's question suggesting Schuettler is a no name.

He was asked, "If you were approached in the street by someone in the United States and they said "who the hell is Rainer Schuettler?" how would you describe him?"

"The guy that just beat up on me," said Blake. "He's a great player. He's been a round for a while. I hope more fans in the United States will know players like Rainer. It seems like the Australian fans know just about every player out there. I hope the American fans really get into tennis as much as the rest of the world."

Truth is, Schuettler is a player sneaking under the radar.

"I don't care about that," he said. "I go out there and play my best and I had no pressure at all."

Want pressure? No one is asking Schuettler if he's the next Boris Becker or Michael Stich, but every single press conference Blake has to compare himself to Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. He tries hard to ignore it.

"I think it's ridiculous," he said. "It's kind of crazy to say that there'll ever be another generation like that.

"You just see the difference in men's tennis now -- there aren't too many players winning two or three Slams a year."

Thomas Johansson, Albert Costa, Lleyton Hewitt and Pete Sampras shared the four Slams last year. Maybe this time it's Schuettler's turn.

 

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