The Hindu : Venus, Kuerten advance on a rainy opening day

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 28, 2002

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Venus, Kuerten advance on a rainy opening day

PARIS May 28. Struggling with her serve and overcoming the cold weather, Venus Williams won her opening match at the French Open and avoided the upset that knocked her out early a year ago.

The second-seeded Williams beat Germany's Bianka Lamade 6-3, 6-3 on a chilly, rainy first day at Roland Garros on Monday.

In other early first-round matches, top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt beat Andre Sa of Brazil 7-5, 6-4, 7-5, while Australian Open champion and ninth-seeded Thomas Johansson downed Franco Squillari of Argentina 6-2, 7-6 (6), 6-2.

Three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten finished off Ivo Heuberger of Switzerland 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 in one of several matches interrupted by rain.

Williams, ousted by Barbara Schett in her first match last year, managed to get in just 43 percent of her first serves, had six double faults and made 35 unforced errors.

``The first set I felt good and then for some reason I started to be tight. Maybe I was thinking about last year,'' Williams said. ``The rest of the match I was just trying to hold on.''

Williams breezed through the first four games, yielding just five points, but lost two straight service games before regrouping and taking the first set in 27 minutes.

Her serve bogged her down in the second set, but she was able to save seven break points. Trailing 3-2 and love-30, she came up with an ace and service winner in a four-point run and then took the final four games against Lamade, who'd won just two main draw matches all year.

Williams, who withdrew from the Italian Open because of a ligament sprain in her right wrist, refused to use that an excuse.

``It was a little tough this morning because it was really cold. It was tough to warm up. But once I got going, it seemed to do OK,'' Williams said.

In other matches on Monday, No. 18-seeded Alex Corretja, last year's runner-up, beat Bohdan Ulihrach 6-1, 6-4, 6-1, No. 16 Younes El Aynaoui eliminated American Jan-Michael Gambill 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, No. 10 Amelie Mauresmo beat Camille Pin 6-4, 6-1, Elena Dementieva, seeded No. 13, defeated Adriana Gersi 7-5, 6-3, No. 23 Anne Kremer downed Janet Lee 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) and No. 31 Rita Grande ousted Marianna Diaz-Oliva 6-4, 6-4.

Defending champion Jennifer Capriati won't play until Tuesday, when she meets fellow American Marissa Irvin. Also on the schedule Tuesday are Serena Williams and Andre Agassi.

Capriati, the top seed, says she hasn't sneaked a peak at her dramatic victory from a year ago.

Her win over Kim Clijsters in last year's final was tennis at its edgy best, two friends slugging it out before Capriati captured an exhausting and exhilarating third-set tiebreaker, 12-10.

``I really haven't seen it again,'' Capriati says. ``I only remember playing it. So I'm sure they'll play it a couple times on TV or something, some highlights. But I think I have a few things to really look at to get me inspired for myself to play good tennis.''

The results (prefix denotes

seeding):

Men's singles (first round): 18-Alex Corretja (Esp) bt Bohdan Ulihrach (Cze Rep) 6-1, 6-4, 6-1; 9-Thomas Johansson (Swe) bt Franco Squillari (Arg) 6-2, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2; 1-Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) bt Andre Sa (Bra) 7-5, 6-4, 7-5; 7-Gustavo Kuerten (Bra) bt Ivo Heuberger (Sui) 7-5, 6-2, 6-2; 16-Younes El Aynaoui (Mar) bt Jan-Michael Gambill (U.S.) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; Arnaud Clement (Fra) bt Julien Benneteau (Fra) 6-0, 6-1, 6-4; Alex Calatrava (Esp) bt Nicolas Kiefer (Ger) 6-3, 6-0, 6-4; 30-Sjeng Schalken (Ned) bt Ivan Miranda (Peru), 7-6 (7-2), 6-0, 6-1; Davide Sanguinetti (Ita) bt Julian Knowle (Aut) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3; Michel Kratochvil (Sui) bt Dominik Hrbaty (Svk) 6-0, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-3; Andrei Stoliarov (Rus) bt Jonas Bjorkman (Swe); 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5; Todd Martin (U.S.) bt Martin Vassallo Arguello (Arg) 6-2, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5; Albert Montanes (Esp) bt Anthony Dupuis (Fra) 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.

Women's singles (first round): 2-Venus Williams (U.S.) bt Bianka Lamade (Ger) 6-3, 6-3; Adriana Serra Zanetti (Ita) bt Jana Nejedly (Can) 6-1, 6-2; 11-Daniela Hantuchova (Svk) bt Cara Black (Zim) 6-2, 6-3; 13-Elena Dementieva (Rus) bt Adriana Gersi (Cze Rep) 7-5, 6-3; Ludmila Cervanova (Svk) bt Lilia Osterloh (U.S.) 6-4, 6-4; 23-Anne Kremer (Lux) bt Janet Lee (Tai) 6-1, 7-6 (7-5); Asa Svensson (Swe) bt Selima Sfar (Tun) 6-0, 6-2; 31-Rita Grande (Ita) bt Mariana Diaz-oliva (Arg) 6-4, 6-4; 10-Amelie Mauresmo (Fra) bt Camille Pin (Fra) 6-4, 6-1; Alina Jidkova (Rus) bt Saori Obata (Jpn) 0-6, 6-2, 6-0; 29-Iva Majoli (Cro) bt Kristina Brandi (U.S.) 6-4, 6-3; Wynne Prakusya (Ina) bt Anca Barna (Ger) 1-6, 7-5, 6-1; Samantha Reeves (U.S.) bt Zsofia Gubacsi (Hun) 6-1, 6-1. — AP

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