The Hindu : Sport : Gonzalez too hot for Rafael Nadal

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Thursday, Jan 25, 2007
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Gonzalez too hot for Rafael Nadal

Nirmal Shekar

Kim Clijsters stays on course for fairytale farewell

UNBELIEVEABLE TENNIS: Fernando Gonzalez carried forth his brilliant form into his match against Rafael Nadal. — PHOTO: AP

Melbourne: Gifted are those who get to realise at a young age that in many things in life, less is more. Blessed are those who have the intelligence and good sense to seek to escape the celebrity trap. Lucky are those who can reflect and realise that life's greatest pleasures are the simple ones.

As a professional athlete, Kim Clijsters is at once gifted, intelligent and lucky.

In the hugely self-obsessed world of professional tennis, the popular view is that the 23-year old Belgian, who has decided to quit later this year, is crazy.

But that, in itself, is perhaps the best indication that Clijsters, who lived to fight another day as she outlasted good friend Martina Hingis 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to go through to the women's singles semifinals of the Australian Open, is doing the right thing.

"I love simple pleasures. They are the last refuge of the complex," wrote Oscar Wilde.

Whether it takes intellectual complexity to want to give up living out of a suitcase 11 months in a year and to choose, instead, a normal family life, may be debatable. What is not is the fact that in Clijsters's case it is a conscious, well thought out decision.

Nadal ousted

In the men's quarterfinals, Chilean 10th seed Fernando Gonzalez started hot and stayed hot right through for a stunning 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 defeat of the second seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the night session to make his first ever Grand Slam semifinal.

Gonzalez, who hit 10 aces and had 41 winners, served confidently and used the backhand chip to great advantage as he outplayed the two-time French champion who appeared rusty and lacking in self-belief. Gonzalez will take on Tommy Haas of Germany in the semifinals. The German outlasted the third seeded Russian Nicolay Davydenko 6-3, 2-6, 1-6, 6-1, 7-5.

"I hope I can continue to do well. I am enjoying it. I played some unbelievable tennis," said Gonzalez.

The best-loved active women's tennis player in these parts, Clijsters is on an emotional journey through a championship in which she's been anointed favourite. Yet, she knows every time she steps on court, that it could well be her last time.

"I worked for every point and turned things around," said fourth seed from Belgium. "It could have been my last match here. I am glad that I have another one tomorrow." If all goes well, this could be a golden good-bye on Saturday. But, for Clijsters, a couple of roadblocks loom en route. First up, on Thursday, will be Maria Sharapova, the top seed, who edged countrywoman Anna Chakvetadze 7-6(5), 7-5.

Both Sharapova and Clijsters were way below their best on Wednesday and it was their grit and steely in-the-trenches resolve that saw them charge ahead with blue-collar tennis.

Sharapova made 41 unforced errors and struggled to find her rhythm against Chakvetadze in an exhausting dogfight while Clijsters, who had 62 unforced errors, never found the rhythm that she desperately sought, and just about managed to get her nose ahead in the end.

After splitting the first two sets, Hingis looked the sharper player early in the third as she won the first two games of the decider before surrendering the advantage with a double fault on breakpoint in the third. Clijsters broke to 4-3 and not much later Hingis hit yet another double fault to give the Belgian two matchpoints. A forehand up the line kept hopes of a golden farewell alive.

Sharapova, who copped a code violation warning and was fined $2000 for receiving illegal on-court coaching during the match from her father Yuri — a highly combustible character at the best of times — managed to play the big points better in a scrappy contest in which Chakvetadze never let the No.1 seed settle down.

Bhupathi & Stepanek lose

Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi, seeded two, quickly ended the hopes of Mahesh Bhupathi and Radek Stepanek in the quarterfinals of the men's doubles competition with a 6-3, 6-2 victory.

High quality service returns and wonderful coordination saw Bjorkman and Mirnyi dominate the match.

In the mixed doubles event, Leander Paes and Samantha Stosur of Australia got past Chris Haggard and Eleni Danilidou 6-3, 6-4 to go into the third round.

India's Rupesh Roy, playing with the Australian Stephen Donald, made the semifinals of the boys doubles event with a stunning 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(5) victory over the top seeds, Roman Jebavy and Martin Klizan.

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