Rusedski Wins, Reid Stays Hot With Upset at ATP Sydney

Posted on January 13, 2004

Two seeds were bounced Monday in Sydney when Aussie teen Todd Reid continued his hot start to the year by upending No. 6 seed Nicolas Massu after trailing 0-4 in the third set, and Swedish qualifier Joachim "The Other" Johansson stunned No. 2 seed Rainer "Houston, I Have a Problem" Schuettler in straight sets. "To come back from 0-4 in the third is good against anyone, let alone a Top 20 player," said the wildcard Reid. "I started off okay in the first, and I just lost my way sort of. He was running around balls and hitting a lot of winners. I just lost my way. Then 4-0, I think he had new balls and he was serving with the wind. Somehow I got a break. I don't know how I broke him. Then at 4-1, my legs just kicked in again. I sort of looked up to the stands and I saw [Australian Davis Cup coach] Wally Masur. I started thinking to myself, 'How you going to play Davis Cup one day if you can't come back from here?' So that sort of spurred me on a little bit." Last week in Adelaide, Reid reached his first ATP quarterfinal, beating top-seeded Wayne Ferreira en route. Schuettler, who last year qualified for the Masters Cup in Houston, will be hard-pressed to repeat his Top 8 finish. Other winners on the day were No. 7 seed Lleyton Hewitt, who beat Sargis Sargsian in his first tournament match since last year's US Open, and unseeded Greg "I Didn't Do It" Rusedski, who edged Juan Ignacio Chela in two tiebreaks in an all-doping match-up. "I need to try to win matches and play matches," Rusedski said, thinking out loud. "This tournament's a really good barometer for how you're going to do in Melbourne because if you look at the draw, there's not one bad match. My next opponent most likely will be the Wimbledon finalist, Mark Philippoussis, which is going to be a difficult second round. I just look forward to my next match on Wednesday." In doubles, No. 3 seeds Knowles/Nestor were stunned in straight sets by the team of Calleri/Volandri.
On court Tuesday at Sydney are Ferreira vs. Blake (American leads head-to-head 1-0), (Q)Ramirez Hidalgo vs. (4)Philippoussis, (1)Ferrero vs. (WC)Chris "Penthouse" Guccione, Bjorkman vs. (5)Srichaphan (first meeting), (8)Verkerk vs. (WC)Arthurs in a serving contest, (3)Moya vs. (Q)Bogomolov Jr., Calleri vs. Mirnyi, Clement vs. Fish (The Fish leads 1-0), (Q)Gasquet vs. Mantilla, Lopez vs. Kucera, Llodra vs. Youzhny, and in an all-Spanish match-up, Robredo vs. Costa.

Two of three seeds in action advanced at Auckland Monday, with winners including No. 1 seed Guillermo "The Wizard" Coria (d. Kiefer) and No. 2 Jiri Novak (d. Malisse in three), with No. 7 Fernando Gonzalez (l. to "Everybody Loves" Raemon Sluiter) falling by the wayside in his first tournament back after injury. "I'm happy because it was the first match of the year," The Wizard said. "I didn't play very well, but I'm happy. I feel I'm at about 70 percent in terms of match fitness, but at 100 percent overall fitness. I'm feeling a little tired at the moment. I just want to feel more loose as the week goes on." In unseeded play, Spain's David Sanchez beat the hapless Jan-Michael Gambill, and Frenchman Gregory Carraz outlasted Slovak Karol Beck in three.
On tap Tuesday in Auckland are Stepanek vs. (6)Gaudio, (3)Kuerten vs. (WC)Corretja in a veteran battle (defending champ Guga leads head-to-head 6-2), (WC)Nielsen vs. Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty, (WC)Rea vs. (Q)Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic, T.Martin vs. (5)Spadea in an all-American (TM leads 3-0, with their last meeting at the 2000 US Open), (8)Nieminen vs. Santoro (FRA), Rafael "The Prodigy" Nadal vs. (4)Schalken (first meeting), Luis "Me So" Horna vs. (Q)Kohlschreiber, (Q)Muller vs. N.Lapentti, A.Martin vs. Koubek, and (Q)Hemmes Jr vs. Soderling.


WTA REVIEWS/PREVIEWS
Up-and-coming Croat Karolina Sprem caused the only seeded upset at Canberra Monday, ousting No. 5 Petra Mandula 6-4, 6-0. Five seeds moved into the second round in (3)Silvia Farina Elia (d. Kurhajcova), (4)Tamarine Tanasugarn (d. Mikaelian), (6)Emilie Loit (d. C.Fernandez), (7)Marlene Weingartner (d. (Q)Obziler), and (9)Maria Sanchez Lorenzo (d. Aussie (WC)Dominikovic 6-0 in the third). Other un-seeds into the second round were qualifier Mara Santangelo of Italy (d. Arvidsson in three), Czech Sandra Kleinova (d. (Q)Panova), and Swiss Emmanuelle Gagliardi (d. Cohen-Aloro).
On tap for Tuesday are An.Serra Zanetti vs. Suarez, Ruano Pascual vs. Sequera, Farina Elia vs. Santangelo, Tanasugarn vs. Pennetta, Martinez Granados vs. Kostanic, and Vakulenko vs. Ondraskova.

A dull day in Sydney Monday saw one seed advancing in (7)Chanda Rubin edging Aussie wildcard Cindy Watson 7-6(3), 6-2, and three un-seeds into the second round in former Wimbledon winner Conchita Martinez (d. Maleeva 6-0, 6-0), Italy's Francesca Schiavone (d. (Q)Jankovic in three sets), and gangly American Meghann Shaughnessy (d. (Q)A.Svensson). Top-seeded Martina Navratilova and countrywoman Lisa Raymond also made a successful start to the year, pounding the team of Dragomir-Ilie/Pratt 6-0, 6-2.
Tuesday in Sydney sees action including Coetzer vs. Schnyder, Sugiyama vs. Dechy, Casanova vs. Smashnova-Pistolesi, Krasnoroutskaya vs. Hantuchova in a tongue-twister, and Cargill vs. Dementieva.

The seeds came tumbling down at Hobart Monday, with the exodus including (1)Eleni Daniilidou (l. to Garbin, retiring with a back sprain), (2)Svetlana Kuznetsova (l. to qualifier Maria Emilia Salerni of Argentina 6-1, 6-1), and (3)Elena Likhovtseva (l. to Amy "Down Goes" Frazier). This event just reverted from Tier XVIX to Satellite. Two seeds moved into the second round in (4)Fabiola "The Fabulous One" Zuluaga (d. Zheng) and (7)Anca Barna (d. Ashley "Anna 2.0" Harkleroad in straights), with additional unseeded winners including American qualifier Mashona "Sister Of" Washington (d. Benesova), Slovak Martina Sucha (d. Reeves who retired with a back sprain), Rita "Ain't It" Grande (d. (Q)Keothavong in three), Klara "Kouky" Koukalova (d. (Q)Yoshida), and to the cheers of the Aussie home crowds, wildcard Samantha Stosur (d. Czink).
The order of play Tuesday will be Medina Garrigues vs. Frazier, Zuluaga vs. Stosur, Sucha vs. Morigami, Grande vs. Asagoe, Vento-Kabchi vs. Camerin, Barna vs. Washington, Koukalova vs. Salerni, and Garbin vs. Brandi.

2004 SINGLES TITLE LEADERS
(through Jan. 11)

1-Eleni Daniilidou (GRE)
1--Nicolas Escude (FRA)
1--Dominik Hrbaty (SVK)
1--Carlos Moya (ESP)
1--Ai Sugiyama (JPN)

2004 DOUBLES TITLE LEADERS
(through Jan. 11)

1--Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA)
1--Martin Damm/Cyril Suk (CZE)
1--Kuznetsova/Likhovtseva (RUS/RUS)
1--Rafael Nadal/Tommy Robredo (ESP)
1--Jugic-Salkic/Kostanic (BIH/CRO)

ATP SYDNEY WINNERS
Four players have won the Sydney title twice: Aussie John Fitzgerald, Americans Pete Sampras and Todd Martin, and Aussie Lleyton Hewitt. The teams of Todd Woodbridge/Mark Woodforde and Paul McNamee/Peter McNamara each won the Sydney doubles title three times:

2003 Hyung-Taik Lee
2002 Roger Federer
2001 Lleyton Hewitt
2000 Lleyton Hewitt
1999 Todd Martin
1998 Karol Kucera
1997 Tim Henman
1996 Todd Martin
1995 Patrick McEnroe
1994 Pete Sampras
1993 Pete Sampras
1992 Emilio Sanchez
1991 Guy Forget
1990 Yannick Noah
1989 Aaron Krickstein
1988 John Fitzgerald
1987 Mecir Miloslav
1985 Henri Leconte
1984 John Fitzgerald
1983 Joakim Nystrom
1982 John Alexander
1981 Tim Wilkison
1980 Fritz Buehning
1979 Phil Dent
1978 Tim Wilkison
1977 Roscoe Tanner
1976 Tony Roche
1975 Ross Case

NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES, AND BARBS
Greg Rusedski says his support is growing in his doping battle with the ATP: "I've had people come up to me and say, 'We're behind you 100 per cent, this is ridiculous.' A lot of coaches and a lot of players have come up to me, sympathizing with me. I can't ask for anything more." Well, you could ask for no drugs in your system...In a late result from the Doha doubles Sunday, (3)Damm/Suk beat (WC)Koubek/Roddick 6-2, 6-4 in the final...Lleyton Hewitt has won his last 11 matches at the Sydney event...In the lead-up to the Australian swing, Swede Joachim Johansson has been practicing extensively with Lleyton Hewitt -- Johansson has been dating Hewitt's sister Jaslyn for four years...How bad is American Paul Goldstein's year thus far? Last week in Chennai, Goldstein blew multiple match points against Carlos Moya, who went on to win the tournament, then this week in Sydney he again blew multiple match points in the qualifying against Swede Joachim Johansson, who went on to qualify then beat No. 2 seed Rainer Schuettler...2003 Aussie Open runner-up Rainer Schuettler, who will enter Melbourne next week with an 0-2 record on the year: "In practice I've hardly lost a set this year but I've lost two matches. It's not ideal going into the Australian Open this way. I need more matches to be prepared. But if I can win a few matches there my confidence will come back quickly." You may be No. 1-ranked on the practice court, but don't bank on making the year-end trip to Houston again...The Tennis Masters Cup documentary "Tennis Masters Cup Uncovered" will be shown on U.S. television Jan. 17 at noon on ESPN2 and The Tennis Channel (time/day TBA) prior to the 2004 Australian Open, while German broadcaster ARD announced it also will air the show during the tournament...To the annoyance of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the ATP has refused to sign up to the guidelines the WADA seeks to impose on all sports -- instead the ATP pays for its own drug testers and draws up its own rules, and fixes its own punishments...When will the ATP come out with the six players who tested positive but went unpunished last year? Will it come out at Greg Rusedski's trial next month?...Former Greg Rusedski coach Sven Groeneveld says Pat Cash is out of line in his relentless attack on his former protege: "Greg is being made out by some people to be unprofessional. I am particularly shocked at Pat Cash and what he is saying. (Cash) has used recreational drugs in the past. I wonder about his type of character. He has sunk so low to make Greg look like a prime suspect. Cash always talks about not receiving any money from Greg and trying to say he broke agreements. Greg would not do that. He is very loyal, and whenever I needed anything, he was always there...Certain things are being kept secret by the ATP. There is something wrong with the system."...The perpetually injured Mary Pierce has pulled from the Aussie Open, with the Frenchwoman apparently out of shape due to injuries...Aussie Todd Woodbridge says Greg Rusedski should stop lipping off to the press, and that other players should leverage the situation to get the "W" on court: "They know he is going through turmoil and I think they would be trying to use that to their advantage."...Kim Clijsters says her ankle injury will not keep her out of the Aussie Open, but says it may need surgery in the future...Greece's Eleni Daniilidou, a title winner last week, is now in doubt for next week's Aussie Open after a back sprain...Jennifer Capriati has officially pulled from the Aussie Open with a back injury...Clean-cut all-American boy Andy Roddick says there is no doping problem on tour: "I know the players who I play with are clean. I see on a daily basis how hard people work. That's the way I approach it. It takes just a couple of people who maybe have done the wrong thing to put the focus there (on doping)." There you have it folks...Martina Navratilova has won every major singles, doubles, and mixed title on tour, and is now eying the Athens Olympics as the last hurdle: "The Olympics to me is like the fifth grand slam. Since I never played in it, it would complete the career," Navratilova told a news conference after she and doubles (but not life) partner Lisa Raymond won their first-round match at the Sydney international on Monday. "We are playing the whole year together, so we should end up as the No. 1 U.S. team unless Serena and Venus decide to play more than the grand slams together."...Fed Cup champion France will stage their first round tie against Germany on indoor clay courts in Amiens in April.