Top-seeded Bjorkman stunned at MFS Pro
Posted: Friday August 28, 1998 10:38 PM
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Chang (above) defeated Gianluca Pozzi of Italy 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 AP |
BROOKLINE, Massachusetts (AP) -- Qualifier Sebastien Grosjean of France upset top-seeded Jonas Bjorkman 7-6 (9-7), 6-1 Friday to advance to the semifinals of the MFS Pro Tennis Championship at the Longwood Cricket Club.
Bjorkman had appeared headed to win the first set but double-faulted in the tiebreaker at set point. Grosjean, whose best previous showing had been a fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon, then rallied to win the tiebreaker and a convincing second-set victory.
Bjorkman, of Sweden, was frustrated with his defeat.
"I think if you pressure him, you can defeat him," Bjorkman said. "I made too many mistakes. That was the difference today. I lost it more than he won it."
In other quarterfinals Friday, fourth-seeded Michael Chang
defeated Gianluca Pozzi of Italy 6-4, 2-6, 6-1; Paul Haarhuis of
the Netherlands beat countryman and defending champion Sjeng
Schalken 0-6, 6-4, 6-3; and third-seeded Cedric Pioline of France
defeated Thomas Muster of Austria 7-5, 6-3.
Saturday's semifinals will have Grosjean against Chang and
Haarhuis facing Pioline.P>
Pozzi broke Chang in the second game of the first set before Chang rallied.
"The first set was when I had my chances," Pozzi said. "I played well in the second set. He's very good, but if I had won that first set, the match would have been mine."
Pozzi won the second set with breaks in the fifth and seventh games, dominating the set with a strong baseline game that kept Chang off-balance.
Chang, however, resumed control in the final set. He broke Pozzi in the second game and went to a 4-1 lead. He again broke Pozzi in the sixth game and served out for the match.
Haarhuis fought off three break points in the second set and came back to win it by breaking Schalken in the seventh game.
"I started moving better," Haarhuis said. "When he was playing so well, I just tried to stay in it."
Haarhuis and Schalken held serve and were tied 3-3 in the third set.
Haarhuis then changed tactics, employing a serve and volley game. He broke Schalken in the seventh game and went on to register 10 consecutive points, winning the final three games.
"The momentum definitely turned in the third set," Haarhuis said. "In the last three games of the match, he mentally wasn't there anymore."
Pioline bounced back from an early break in the first set,
breaking back in the eighth game to even the set.
The players held serve in the next two games, but Pioline broke
Muster in the 12th game to take the first set. In the second set,
the players were on serve until the eighth game, when Pioline again
broke serve. He then served out the match in the ninth game.
"I felt good. My backhand worked well," Pioline said. "I
tried to volley and come in. I've always had problems with him. I
expected a very close match and I was fortunate it went well."
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