The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : American hopes low at Roland Garros

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Sunday, May 22, 2005

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American hopes low at Roland Garros

PARIS: American hopes for a French Open champion are low once again.

Serena Williams, who pulled out of this year's tournament with a lingering ankle injury, was the last American to win at Roland Garros, in 2002, and had made at least the quarterfinals since 2001.

But her countrywomen and men have largely struggled in Paris.

Since Chris Evert won her seventh and last French Open title in 1986, the only other American champions in the Grand Slam tournament on clay have been Jim Courier (1991-92), Andre Agassi (1999) and Jennifer Capriati (2001).Courier has long been out of tennis. Agassi, 35, no longer is at the top of his game, and Capriati is sidelined with an injury.

Top-seeded Lindsay Davenport reached her only French Open semifinal in 1998 and has not reached the final eight since 1999. She skipped the 2001 and 2002 tournaments, and was knocked out in the fourth round in 2003 and 2004.

Venus Williams is seeded No. 11, but has never gone beyond the quarterfinals at Roland Garros.

Andy Roddick, seeded second in the men's draw, has never advanced past the third round. That was in 2001. Since then, he has made two first round exits and was eliminated in the second round last year.

Agassi made the quarterfinals three years running from 2001-2003, but bowed out in a first round upset to French qualifier Jerome Haehnel last year.

No threat

Agassi's best showing on clay this season was a semifinals loss to Guillermo Coria at the Rome Masters. But a subsequent first round loss at Hamburg did not do much for his confidence.

Both Roddick and Davenport won clay titles this season — Roddick at Houston and Davenport at Amelia Island — but their patchy form at Roland Garros over the years makes it unlikely they will threaten this time.

Venus Williams lost in the quarterfinals to Davenport at Amelia Island, then suffered a straight-set reversal to French teenager Tatiana Golovin at Charleston.

Not since Courier has an American truly dominated at the French Open.

Courier reached three straight finals, was the runner-up in 1993 and a semifinalist in 1994. Fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras never made it past the semifinals.

The American lack of success contrasts sharply with the Spaniards and South Americans — whose players grow up on clay, whereas Americans train more on hard courts.

Aside from Agassi's lone triumph, every French Open men's winner since 1997 has been either from Spain, Argentina or Brazil.

This year promises to be little different — France's Richard Gasquet aside.

Rafael Nadal of Spain and Gasquet, both 18, have been in sparkling form recently. Nadal has five clay-court titles this year and Gasquet knocked out world No. 1 Roger Federer at the Monte Carlo Masters before losing to him in the Hamburg Masters final — where Nadal did not play because of a blister on his left hand.

Nadal's record is 41-6 overall this year.

Coria, one of four Argentines among the top 10 seeds at Roland Garros, was runner-up here last year and a semifinalist in 2003. He is getting back to his best form and would have more trophies this season if not for Nadal — who beat him in finals at Monte Carlo and Rome. — AP

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