Gustavo Kuerten enters final

PARIS, JUNE 8.Top seed and defending champion Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil reached the final of the men's singles at the French Open on Friday, destroying Spanish fourth seed Juan Carlos Ferrero 6- 4, 6-4, 6-3.

The ``king of clay'' outplayed the young pretender to his crown who had beaten him in the Rome Masters series final five weeks ago to win in 2Hr 10min.

The gangling Kuerten, who last year became the first Latin American ever to take the year-ending top ranking, made a slow start as he had to stave off three break points in the opening game. But he switched through the gears thereafter, moving Ferrero at will around the court to the delight of a noisy contingent of Brazilian fans, many clad in yellow Brazil football shirts and won on his second match point when Ferrero drove wide.

``I played well right from the beginning,'' said Kuerten ``I was in control and I was playing the right shots at the right time just when needed it.'' ``I think my greater experience was a deciding factor in the match. I feel I am getting better with each match,'' said Kuerten, who dominated the net where he hit 20 winners in 24 approaches.

The 24-year-old champion from Florianapolis saw his win take him above 21-year-old Ferrero into second place in the ATP champions race and should the South American lift the trophy he will move ahead of current leader Andre Agassi. Had Ferrero reached his first Grand Slam final he would have leapfrogged Agassi at the head of the ATP champions race.

Ferrero managed the first break in the seventh game but it was a false dawn as the Spaniard, beaten at the same stage by Kuerten here 12 months ago in five sets, then lost concentration, losing three straight games as his opponent broke straight back and then took the set with a fierce backhand in 49min.

Kuerten had won 42 of his last 45 matches on clay and he was on a roll as he broke for 2-0 in the second when Ferrero netted an attempted dropshot, making it five straight games for the Samba star.

Ferrero dug in, however, and a poor service game from Kuerten ended with a netted forehand which handed the Spanish Davis Cup winner the break. Both men have dominated the claycourt season this year with six titles between them and for a while it seemed Ferrero might just start to find his form. But Kuerten closed the gate with a break for 6-4 as Ferrero netted a limp forehand. The Brazilian is hoping history will now repeat itself in that not only did he beat Ferrero in last year's semi but he also put out Russia's Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the quarters - having done so in both his previous title years of 1997 and last year.

Ferrero had spent three hours less on court than his rival to reach the last four for the loss of just one set with Kuerten dropping four and staving off a match point against US qualifier Michael Russell in the fourth round. But the Brazilian's claycourt year record of 24-3 was the best of any top seed here in the open era.

Kuerten, looking to become the first man to retain his title here since Spaniard Sergi Bruguera in 1994, had a let off when Ferrero squandered a pair of break points at the start of the third set. The challenger had to save four break points in the second game and having done so incredibly missed three more in the next game as Kuerten smacked down two straight aces. A brilliant double- fisted backhand gave the Spaniard his sixth and seventh break points of the set in the seventh game.

But `Guga' was playing the big points by far the better` and a ninth ace brought him to deuce as he fought his way out of trouble, smashing a forehand winner to the back court - after another Ferrero chance had gone begging. Ferrero, who likes fast cars but didn't at all enjoy the pace at which Kuerten was constantly driving him around the court, hung his head as he headed for his chair.

A crunching drive which landed on the line gave Kuerten two break chances which he fired long and wide but the third time he totally wrongfooted Ferrero to move to 5-3. Guga duly served out for the match when having fired long on match point he served an ace and then saw Ferrero hit wide.-AFP.

* Men's singles : Semifinal: Gustavo Kuerten (Bra) bt Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.

Men's doubles semifinal:Peter Pala and Pavel Vizner (Czech Republic) bt Arnaud Clement and Nicolas Escude (FRA) 7-5, 6-4.

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