Roddick is the New No. 1; Federer Survives Scare to Earn Meeting with Henman



Posted on November 1, 2003

ATP REVIEW/PREVIEWRoddick becomes 22nd No. 1 (ATP)
Lots of fireworks at the TMS-Paris Thursday, including the upset of top-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero, Andy Roddick gaining the No. 1 ATP Entry Ranking for the first time, Guillermo Coria pulling from the event with illness, and Roger Federer barely keeping his year-end No. 1 hopes alive. Ferrero was ousted by the hot-handed (14)Novak in straight sets, while A-Rod made short work of (16)Robredo, in the process gaining enough points to ascend to No. 1 for the first time when the next ATP Rankings are released. "That's pretty cool," said A-Rod about gaining the top spot. "No one can take that away from me -- forever now. But my goal is to finish there. That's what I'm shooting for. I still feel like there's some work to do here at this tournament, and that's where my focus is right now. What's done is done. Like I said the other day, I'd like to be greedy and try to go for more." Coria, suffering from a fever, was a walkover against Andrei Pavel. Other seeds advancing were (3)Federer (d. (13)Martin "Berzerk" Verkerk 7-6 in the third, saving four match points), and (5)Schuettler (d. (10)Massu). "Today it was a luck, that's for sure," Fed said about the three-tiebreak scare. "The major chance he had was in the third, he made a good return and he took a good initiative and made an easy mistake. I mean, the difference was so little, and this is the reason I won." Un-seeds advancing were (Q)Arazi (d. (8)Srichaphan, ending the Thai's Masters Cup hopes), Bjorkman (d. (Q)Carraz), and Henman (d. Kuerten). Srichaphan's loss cemented David Nalbandian as the eighth and last Masters Cup qualifier.

Friday's quarterfinals at the TMS-Paris line up as Pavel vs. (5)Schuettler (Pavel leads career meetings 3-0), (14)Novak vs. (Q)Arazi (tied 3-3), Bjorkman vs. (2)Roddick (tied 1-1), and an old vs. new crowd-pleaser in Henman vs. (3)Federer (Brit leads 4-1, with Fed winning their most recent meeting last year).

WTA REVIEW/PREVIEW
Four of the five seeds in action advanced at Philadelphia Thursday, with only No. 10 Tina Pisnik withdrawing from her match with Marlene Weingartner due to an elbow sprain. Seeds moving into the quarterfinals were (2)Mauresmo (d. Cohen-Aloro), (3)Myskina (d. Pratt), (5)Sugiyama (d. Garbin in three), and (7)Petrova (d. (Q)Martina "Nurse, I Need a" Sucha in three). "I really wasn't in the rhythm," said Mauresmo, who struggled with 23 unforced errors and found herself down a break early in the first set. "It happens sometimes and you just have to deal with it. A lot came down to big points. Every time I was down, I was able to take control and win the point."

In Quebec City Thursday, top-seeded Mary Pierce snapped a three-match losing streak by outlasting Czech Iveta Benesova in a tight 6-4, 7-6(3) win in her opener after receiving a first-round bye. The Canadian-born Frenchwoman was joined in the QFs by (2)Maria "Grunt-o-meter" Sharapova (d. Callens), (6)Bartoli (d. (Q)Arvidsson), and unseeded players Jidkova (d. (7)Barna in three) and Sequera (d. Canuck homegirl Drake in three). After a deathly droning week, the QC could be saved by a Pierce vs. Sharapova final.

The Philly QFs line up as Rubin vs. Petrova (career meetings tied 1-1), Myskina vs. Weingartner (first meeting), Shaughnessy vs. Sugiyama (Sugiyama leads 1-0), and Raymond vs. Mauresmo (Mo leads 3-0). At the QC the QFs are Bartoli vs. Sequera, Jidkova vs. Sharapova, Zheng vs. Granville, and Pierce vs. Kurhajcova, all first-time meetings.

RODDICK NEW NO. 1 ON MONDAY
When the new ATP Entry Rankings are released on Monday, Andy Roddick will become No. 1 for the first time. Here is a list of the 22 players who have ranked No. 1 in the history of the ATP Entry Rankings (since 1973):

Player/No. 1 Date/Age
Andy Roddick (USA) Nov. 3, 2003 21 years, 2 months
Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) Sept. 8, 2003 23 years, 6 months
Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) Nov. 19, 2001 20 years, 8 months
Gustavo Kuerten (BRA) Dec. 4, 2000 24 years, 2 months
Marat Safin (RUS) Nov. 20, 2000 20 years, 9 months
Patrick Rafter (AUS) July 26, 1999 26 years, 8 months
Yevgeny Kafelnikov (RUS) May 3, 1999 25 years, 2 months
Carlos Moya (ESP) Mar. 15, 1999 22 years, 6 months
Marcelo Rios (CHI) Mar. 30, 1998 22 years, 3 months
Thomas Muster (AUT) Feb. 12, 1996 28 years, 4 months
Andre Agassi (USA) Apr. 10, 1995 24 years, 11 months
Pete Sampras (USA) Apr. 12, 1993 21 years, 8 months
Jim Courier (USA) Feb. 10, 1992 21 years, 5 months
Boris Becker (GER) Jan. 28, 1991 23 years, 5 months
Stefan Edberg (SWE) Aug. 13, 1990 24 years, 9 months
Mats Wilander (SWE) Sept. 12, 1988 24 years, 1 month
Ivan Lendl (CZE) Feb. 28, 1983 22 years, 11 months
John McEnroe (USA) Mar. 3, 1980 21 years, 15 days
Bjorn Borg (SWE) Aug. 23, 1977 21 years, 2 months
Jimmy Connors (USA) July 29, 1974 21 years, 11 months
John Newcombe (AUS) June 3, 1974 30 years, 11 days
Ilie Nastase (ROM) Aug. 23, 1973 27 years, 1 month

BECK CLINCHES YEAR-END NO. 1 ON TENNIS-X.COM ATP "BOTTOM 10" RANKINGS
(week of Oct. 27, 2003)
Slovak Karol Beck fought off long-time No. 1 Thomas Enqvist to clinch the top (bottom?) spot on the Tennis-X Bottom 10 Rankings for 2004. With a minimum of 30 matches, the Bottom 10 recognizes the 10 worst full-time players on the ATP circuit. Congrats!

Player/W-L/Pct.
1. Beck, Karol (SVK) 10-24 .294
2. Enqvist, Thomas (SWE) 13-27 .325
3. Portas, Albert (ESP) 10-20 .333
4. Vahaly, Brian (USA) 12-23 .343
5. Rochus, Christophe (BEL) 12-21 .364
6. Acasuso, Jose (ARG) 11-19 .367
7. Arthurs, Wayne (AUS) 14-24 .368
8. Kratochvil, Michel (SUI) 13-22 .371
9. Corretja, Alex (ESP) 14-23 .378
10. Burgsmuller, Lars (GER) 17-25 .405

NOTES, QUOTES, AND BARBS
From his win at the TMS-Paris over Sebastien Grosjean, Tim Henman has determined he needs to remove the broomstick from his posterior and loosen up for the 2004 campaign: "It is pretty evident that my demeanor, my attitude on court was pretty relaxed. I was down a set but I still felt I could win. This attitude of nothing-to-lose is something I have got to develop a little bit more." What do you have to lose? Your Wimbledon title? Your No. 1 ranking? Your career is on death's door Timbledon, may as well loosen up and go for it...Lleyton Hewitt met U.S. President George Bush while W was visiting the land down under earlier in the week. Australian Prime Minister John Howard invited Hewitt to hear W speak before the Australian Parliament, and then to a private luncheon at The Lodge, the Prime Minister's residence in the Australian capital, Canberra. "It was quite an honor," said Kim Clijster's boyfriend. "I was really surprised and impressed with the President's knowledge and appreciation of the game. Maybe if I win the US Open again, I'll get invited to his place." Or maybe you'll meet him sooner when he invades your country...ESPN commentator Pam Shriver thinks that Jennifer Capriati has a shot at No. 1 next year if she can get over her choking in tight matches: "With Capriati, she's so full of surprises you never know so I would hate to count out someone like her. Once she gets over this mental thing with the three sets, Capriati could have some more surprises up her sleeve," Shriver said in an exclusive interview with Tennis-X...Six different American men have won singles titles this year for the first time in eight years...David Nalbandian clinched the final Masters Cup qualifying spot yesterday when Paradorn Srichaphan lost at the TMS-Paris. The Argentine, who is a shaky addition with a wrist injury that forced him to pull out of the TMS-Paris, joins the other seven qualifiers in Ferrero, Roddick, Federer, Agassi, Coria, Schuettler, and Moya. The alternate position at Houston could be crucial, with numerous players ailing in Nalbandian (wrist), Moya (shoulder), Coria (illness), and Federer (back)...Leander Paes (and partner David Rikl) pulled from the Masters Cup doubles due to Pae's recuperation from a viral illness. Paes-Rikl will be replaced in the event by the No. 9 team of Gaston Etlis and Martin Rodriguez of Argentina...Nice Masters Cup qualifying choke by Paradorn Srichaphan after leading 5-2 in the first set...One Tennis-X staffer announced he was going to dress up for Halloween as Andy Roddick's backhand, whereas our intern replied: "Either we won't see you or you'll go missing mid-way through the night then."...Justine Henin-Hardenne thinks the Williams sisters will have plenty of motivation when they return to the tour: "I'm sure they won't like it that myself and Kim are one and two in the world."...Brad Gilbert is looking like money after guiding Andre Agassi, and now Andy Roddick to the No. 1 ranking, bad news for fans NOT wanting to see Gilbert's shades and smirk and Raider's cap/shirt in the player's box during every televised A-Rod match...Until Guillermo Coria withdrew from the TMS-Paris with illness, he was still mathematically capable of finishing the year at No. 1...Mary Pierce has not won a title since the 2000 French Open...Aussie Alicia Molik looks to be off the court for at least six weeks with injury: "She's torn a fascia, so she's seeing the same doctor that looked after her last time," Molik's agent Peter Smylie told Australia's The Age. "It was just a matter of rest, and a lot of treatment, and we're hoping it's the same this time."...Look for some WTA Championship qualifying announcements to come out today...Andy Roddick's Nov. 8 guest hosting spot on Saturday Night Live will feature musical guest Dave Matthews, a "bud" of the new No. 1...On Monday, Nov. 10, the Grand Central Oyster Bar in New York will celebrate its 90th birthday with a charity gala to benefit the Sean Kimerling Testicular Cancer Foundation, as well as City Harvest, with the event hosted by Mardy Fish. The Kimerling Foundation was established in memory of Sean Kimerling, the Emmy Award winning anchor of local New York WB/11 Sports and pre-game announcer for the New York Mets, who died from testicular cancer on Sept. 9, 2003.