Kuerten's aggressive policy pays off

Defending champion is near perfect in demolition of Ferrero and faces Spain's Corretja in bid to claim third clay Grand Slam title

Few would bet against Gustavo Kuerten successfully defending his French Open singles title tomorrow and becoming only the fifth man to win the championship after being match point down at some stage of the tournament.

Rene Lacoste, "Le Crocodile", saved two match points against America's Bill Tilden in the 1927 final. Gottfried Von Cramm, of Germany, saved one match point against Australia's Jack Crawford in the 1934 final. Rod Laver saved one match point against his Australian compatriot Marty Mulligan in the quarter-finals en route to his first Grand Slam in 1962, and Italy's Adriano Panatta saved one match point against the Czech Pavel Hutka in the first round in 1976.

Kuerten, it may be remembered, survived a match point against the American qualifier Michael Russell, who led 6-3, 6-4, 5-3 in the fourth round. The Brazilian went on to win in five sets, and has subsequently accounted for Russia's Yevgeny Kavelnikov and Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero, the very opponents he defeated respectively in the quarter-finals and semi-finals last year.

He now plays Alex Corretja, the last Spanish contender in town, who broke French hearts yesterday by defeating Sebastien Grosjean, of Marseilles, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Yesterday's contest with Ferrero was expected to be the match of the championships in the men's singles, the pair having dominated the clay-court season, but Kuerten was the more aggressive and won, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.

Kuerten, the No 1 seed, had lost only three of his previous 29 matches on the slow red surface, including the Italian Open final against Ferrero. Until yesterday, the fourth-seeded Ferrero had lost only two of 27 matches on clay.

A year ago, Ferrero had led Kuerten by two sets to one and was 3-1 ahead in the fourth set before the Brazilian turned the semi-final round, winning 6-3 in the fifth set.

The 21-year-old Spaniard also start brightly yesterday, breaking for 4-3 in the opening set. But he was able to convert only one more of his 16 break points, when trailing 0-2 in the second set, and eight opportunities passed him by in the third set.

"In the beginning it was difficult," Ferrero said. "I had so many things going through my mind. Generally, I was tired. There is a time when the body doesn't want to follow the mind."

Ferrero had conceded only one set in his five matches en route to the semi-finals, a run of comparatively comfortable victories that had not prepared him fully for Kuerten's forceful tennis. "He played at a very high level, and I didn't seize the opportunities I had," Ferrero said.

Kuerten converted five of his 20 break points, and hit 10 aces, a sign of his determination to keep Ferrero at bay. The most impressive part of the Brazilian's performance over the 2hr 10min the match lasted was his consistency in finding depth and crushing power with his ground strokes and drive volleys. "I think today I came pretty close to perfection," Kuerten said.

"Sometimes, of course, I missed a couple of shots. But I was moving well and I was enthusiastic to get closer to the final. I was creating energy from the beginning."

Kuerten said he had seen Russell on the practice courts since their fourth-round match and had spoken to him about the match point. "He's not upset. He is pleased about the way he came through the qualifying saving match point and played some of his best tennis." He added: "There was one Guga before that match point, and there was another Guga after that match point. I was blessed that day."

Kuerten will now attempt to add to his triumphs here last year and in 1997. If he does so he will become the first man to defend the French title successfully since Spain's Sergi Bruguera won his second championship in 1994. Kuerten would also become the first No 1 seed to win here since the American Jim Courier in 1992.

Whatever befalls the Brazilian, it is unlikely that he will play at Wimbledon, which starts two weeks on Monday, irrespective of what the All England Club decides to do with regards to the seedings.

"I need a break," Kuerten said. "I'm going to talk with my doctors and see how I am. But I think to maybe stop for only three or four days and start to practise on grass again to play at Wimbledon is going to be too much for me."

Ferrero is another likely non-starter for Wimbledon. "I'm not going to play tennis next week because I need to rest, but I will postpone my decision about Wimbledon until I see what the other players decide," he said. "If Wimbledon do not respect the rankings of the seeded players, then I won't go."

Grosjean, who split four breaks of serve with Corretja in the opening set, lost the tie-break, 7-2, and the Spaniard took control and advanced to his second final. He was defeated by his compatriot, Carlos Moya, in 1998. Corretja withdrew from Wimbledon last year in protest about the seedings.