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Knotted up Australia, France tied 1-1 in Davis Cup chase
Posted: Friday December 03, 1999 04:49 PM
NICE, France (AP) -- Cedric Pioline won two thrilling tiebreaks and fought off a determined late comeback from teenager Lleyton Hewitt to make it 1-1 between France and Australia after Friday's first day of the Davis Cup final. Pioline saved a set point in the first set and was pulled back from 5-1 to 5-5 in the third before edging Hewitt 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (8-6), 7-5 in a rousing match. Mark Philippoussis overran a nervous Sebastien Grosjean 6-4, 6-2, 6-4, to give Australia an opening win in the best-of-five match final. France desperately needed Pioline's victory to avoid a first-day whitewash and the close first set, which lasted one hour, 22 minutes, was a sign of things to come. "Cedric's match was typical Davis Cup with both guys giving their best with absolutely no limits," said French captain Guy Forget. "Cedric was getting frustrated in the third set but I told him to believe in the quality of his game. He reacted and never gave up." Pioline looked ready to take the set after racing to a 5-1 tiebreak lead but Hewitt - saving three set points -- pulled the scores back to 6-6. On the next point Pioline volleyed a low backhand into the net, but the Australian, serving for the set, double-faulted to make it 7-7. Hewitt, 18, suddenly lost his nerve. First he hit weakly into the net and then a wayward stroke gave Pioline the tiebreak 9-7. Both players continued to play accurate, baseline tennis and incredibly the second-set tiebreak followed an almost identical pattern. With the partisan crowd making a deafening noise at the indoor Nice arena, Pioline took a 5-1 lead, but Hewitt again saved three set points to make it 6-6. This time Hewitt hit long after the changeover and, facing set point, put a forehand wide of the line at full stretch. Hewitt showed great character in the third set, storming back from 1-5 to level the scores at 5-5, saving a match point in the process. Pioline seemed to be rocking, needing to save four break points at 5-5, but rallied to break service in the final game, winning the match with glorious forehand winner. "I was fighting all the way but I just couldn't get that breakthrough or that piece of luck that would have put the game my way," Hewitt said. "It felt like I had 50 break points at 5-5 in the third but I just couldn't get the break."
"Physically I felt god and think that it would have been really difficult for him to win a four or five set match because the sets were so long," he added. Philippoussis' one hour, 57 minute-win was more comfortable, with the Frenchman's game wilting under the high expectations of the 10,000 home crowd. Both players looked tense in the early part of th match, moving uneasily and hitting wild unforced errors, but it was Philippoussis who held his nerve. "This was definitely one of the most important wins of my career, maybe the most important," Philippoussis said. "I was calm, surprisingly calm with all the noise out there. But when I heard the national anthem I went out and knew I was ready." One of the main reasons French captain Guy Forget chose to play on clay was to blunt Philippoussis' thundering serve. But it was the Australian who had won the players' only meeting - on the red clay of Monte Carlo this year -- and Philippoussis said his performance was a sign of an improvement on the surface. "I have worked really hard to play on all surfaces and hopefully proved today that I have a complete game," he said. "I was prepared to play 20 shots to win a point and physically I was ready to play for five hours if that was necessary." The match was a contrast of physique and technique. At six feet four (1.94 meters) the Australian towered 7 1/2 inches (19 centimeters) above his opponent, and his big-serving style at times overpowered the scrappy Frenchman. With the arena decked n French flags, and fans roaring every point won by Grosjean, both players struggled to settle. In game three, Grosjean double-faultied twice, left a Philippoussis shot that dropped well inside the line and, on break point, and hit one yard (meter) long with a comfortable forehand. One of his second services was so wide that it landed outside the doubles court. The enormous hopes of the French crowd began to weigh heavily on Grosjean, and Philippoussis won nine out of 11 games to sew up the first set, win the second set and take control of the match. In the first game of the second set a stunning Philippoussis forehand winner had Australian captain John Newcombe off his seat for the first time. There were more fireworks from Philippoussis on the next point, a smart backhand volley breaking service and Grosjean, head down and struggling to find any kind of fluency, couldn't fight back.
In Saturday's doubles match, Fabrice Santoro and Olivier Delaitre of France play Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge.
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