Tuesday, Jun 10, 2003
Tuesday, Jun 10, 2003 |
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Tennis
The champions were laughing all the way to the bank after respectively pocketing $983,000 and $967,000 — but far more importantly breaking their respective Grand Slam ducks. In the case of the 23-year-old Ferrero the coronation was the culmination of a tremendous claycourt season and sweet relief after being beaten last year by compatriot Albert Costa while suffering from an ankle injury. This year Ferrero, who warmed up for the tournament by landing his ninth Tour title in Monte Carlo, swept away the bad memories of that final by squashing Dutch new face Martin Verkerk 6-1, 6-3, 6-2. ``I will keep working until I am No. 1 in the world,'' said Ferrero, who while now tops the ATP Champions Race is still ranked three behind Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi on the ATP entry system. In the case of Henin-Hardenne the 21-year-old put Belgium on the map with her country's first ever Grand Slam victory. Belgian fans were seeing double after Kim Clijsters, whom Henin-Hardenne had sent packing 6-0 6-4 in the singles final, then captured the doubles on her 20th birthday along with Ai Sugiyama of Japan. While Ferrero is the king of clay after scoring his 28th victory for just two losses on the game's most gruelling surface, Henin's win was a boon for all those who had had enough of the Williams Show — outgoing champion Serena Williams and elder sister Venus having both featured in the last four women's Grand Slam finals. Henin-Hardenne, previously seen as a lightweight in the face of the raw power of the Williams and the likes of Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo, threw off that image in clubbing Serena in three sets in her semifinal. The loss, depriving her of a fifth straight Slam crown, hurt Serena so much she dissolved into tears afterwards. Henin-Hardenne dedicated her win to her late mother Francoise, who encouraged her to take up the game and who died of cancer in 1995. And she received a heroine's welcome when she arrived back in Brussels central square yesterday afternoon after humbling Clijsters. On learning that her compatriot and Fed Cup teammate had won the doubles Henin-Hardenne was jubilant. ``Kim and I are very proud to be children of Belgium. Our success is yours. Your encouragement helps us to progress,'' said Henin-Hardenne. While Ferrero and Henin-Hardenne parcelled out the major honours, beaten men's finalist Verkerk played a starring role as the shock of the tournament. The 24-year-old had never won a single Grand Slam match in his life having preferred the good life to one spent on the training court. But he came from nowhere with his huge serve to knock out German 11th seed Rainer Schuttler and 1998 champion Carlos Moya of Spain on the way to the final. Verkerk described the run as a joke, but the joke was on him at the last when a streaker disrupted the final. It was a rare moment of light relief for the first ever Dutch finalist, who said he wished he'd known that compatriot and supermodel Karen Mulder had been rooting for him. ``Something good about today and I don't see it!'' If Belgian fans were seeing double with Henin-Hardenne and Clijsters so were American fans in the men's doubles. The U.S. contingent had hardly been spoilt with the demise of the Williams sisters coupled with Andre Agassi's quarterfinal exit to Argentine Guillermo Coria. But twins Mike and Bob Bryan set a new record on their way to winning their first Grand Slam title together at the expense of defending champions Paul Haarhuis and Yevgeny Kafelnikov. The 23-year-old Californians, seeded third and born just two minutes apart won 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 to set a record for titles won by brothers in the Open Era with 11. — AFP
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