Dent Fixed, Martin Broken at ATP San Jose

Posted on February 11, 2004

American Jan-Michael Gambill scored a rare upset on opening night at the ATP stop in San Jose, ousting No. 8 seed Wayne Ferreria 6-1 in the third set. The only other seeded player in action, No. 4 Taylor Dent, cruised to a straight-set win over countryman Paul Goldstein, his first match following his disastrous outing against Andy Roddick at the Australian Open.

"I was coming off the most embarrassing day in my tennis life and I didn't know how I was going to rebound," Dent said. "It was more nerve-racking than it probably looked. I came out and played a solid match -- a nice comfort zone for me."

Three all-unseeded first-round matches also took place, with American veteran Todd Martin bowing out (l. to Moodie), joined on the sidelines by Russian comer Dimitri Tursunov (l. to (Q)Hippensteel in three), and Germany's Lars Burgsmuller (l. to American Robert Kendrick), losers all. TM continues to struggle in his effort to balance tennis, fatherhood, and being the voice of reason for the ATP player side during the seemingly constant stream of controversy.

Tuesday's schedule in San Jose includes (2)Agassi vs. Labadze in the featured night match, (WC)Haas vs. (6)Spadea in the German's highly-anticipated comeback, Saulnier vs. Vahaly, Jurgen "Tuna" Melzer vs. Carlsen, Vliegen vs. Popp, (Q)Reichel vs. (3)Fish, and (Q)Mamiit vs. (5)Ginepri in an all-American match-up.

No main draw matches in Milan Monday, but the qualifying was finished with four players into the main in Ivo "I Dated Hingis" Heuberger (d. Pozzi), Italian homeboy Vincenzo Santopadre (d. countryman Bracciali), Italian Andreas Seppi (d. Bastl after losing the first set 6-0), and the Swiss Stephane Bohli (d. the Italian Vico). Goran Ivanisevic won in his first match back from injury, teaming with the local Seppi to beat Dutchmen "Everybody Loves" Raemon Sluiter and Martin "Berzerker" Verkerk. The top-seeded Hanley/Koenig also went down to local wildcards Bracciali/Galimberti.

On court Tuesday in Milan are (Q)Santopadre vs. Carraz, Fabrice "F-You Forget" Santoro vs. Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic (first meeting), T.Johansson vs. Davydenko, (3)Robredo vs. (WC)Corretja in an all-Spanish match-up (Robredo leads series 1-0), (WC)Ivanisevic vs. Ulihrach in an all-comeback (Goran leads 7-1), (Q)Seppi vs. (7)Sargsian, and (Q)Heuberger vs. A.Martin.

On the dirt Monday in Vina del Mar, all three South American seeds in play advanced in (2)Gustavo "Guga" Kuerten (d. Lisnard), (3)Mariano Zabaleta (d. Ferrer), and (4)Gaston Gaudio (d. Gasquet in three). Two unseeded dirtballers also moved into the second round in Argentina's Jose Acasuso (d. N.Lapentti), and Spain's Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (d. Behrend in three). Yawn.

Tuesday's full slate in Vina del Mar includes (WC)Garcia vs. (Q)Capdeville in an all-Chilean, Montanes vs. (5)Gonzalez, (WC)Gamonal vs. (8)Saretta, (1)Massu vs. Verdasco, Miranda vs. Vasallo Arguello, Blanco vs. (Q)Marin, (7)Volandri vs. Portas, (6)Chela vs. Sanchez, Luis "Me So" Horna vs. (WC)Hormazabal, (Q)Cermak vs. Levy, and veteran (Q)Franco "The Squirrel" Squillari vs. O.Hernandez.

WTA REVIEW
Both low-wattage seeds in action Monday at the Paris-indoor advanced, but not without some effort, in Italians (5)Francesca Schiavone (d. Loit in three) and (7)Farina Elia (d. (WC)Alexandra "Dr. A" Stevenson in three). Two unseeded players also moved into the second round in Spain's Maria Sanchez Lorenzo (d. Daniilidou in three sets) and Slovak Tina Pisnik (d. Denisa "Hanging" Chladkova). The final round of qualifying was also completed, with four moving into the main draw in Anabel Medina Garrigues (d. (WC)Bedanova), Croatian comer Karolina Sprem (d. Weingartner), Russian riser Dinara Safina (d. Schaul), and Jelena Jankovic (d. Parra).

Five matches are on tap today in Paris with Serna vs. Mandula, Jankovic vs. Safina, Vento-Kabchi vs. Sprem, Smashnova-Pistolesi vs. Golovin, and Cohen-Aloro vs. Schaul.
ATP SAN JOSE MULTIPLE CHAMPIONS
John McEnroe won five singles and eight doubles titles in San Jose during his career, while Andre Agassi is shooting for a record six titles:

5--Andre Agassi (2003,'98,'95,'93,'90)
5--John McEnroe (1986,'84,'82,'79-78)
2--Michael Chang (1992,'88)
2--Mark Philippoussis (2000-99)
2--Pete Sampras (1997-96)

WTA PARIS-INDOOR MULTIPLE WINNERS
2--Martina Navratilova (1994-93)
2--Serena Williams (2003,'99)
 
DAVIS CUP WORLD GROUP APRIL QUARTERFINALS
Sweden at U.S.
Argentina at Belarus
France at Switzerland
Spain at Netherlands

WTA TOP 10 WINNING PERCENTAGES
(as of Sunday, Feb. 8, 2004)

1. Justine Henin-Hardenne (BEL) 10-0 1.000
2. Lindsay Davenport (USA) 10-1 .909
3. Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) 7-1 .875
4. Kim Clijsters (BEL) 6-1 .857
5. Paola Suarez (ARG) 9-2 .818
6. Amy "Joltin' Joe" Frazier (USA) 8-2 .800
7T. Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) 7-2 .778
7T. Chanda Rubin (USA) 7-2 .778
9. Mara Santangelo (ITA) 13-4 .765
10T. Anastasia Myskina (RUS) 6-2 .750
10T. Patty Schnyder (SUI) 6-2 .750
10T. Fabiola "The Fabulous One" Zuluaga (COL) 6-2 .750

NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Graydon Oliver, the American doubles specialist who tested positive for the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide, caught a break when an independent Tennis Anti-Doping Program tribunal determined that the source of the diuretic was a mislabeled, over-the-counter herbal sleep management product. Where are you buying that crap, the gas station check-out counter? Oliver, 25, has received a two-month suspension...The ATP San Jose stop will have a special ceremony to honor the U.S. Davis Cup team, not just the current crop of players but also old-timers Jack Kramer, Ted Schroeder, Vic Seixas, Art Larsen and Tom Brown...The current eight-year U.S. Davis Cup drought is the longest for the U.S. in the Open Era (since 1968), and longest since the 11-year gap between victories in 1926 and 1937...U.S. Davis Cup rookie Robby "Baby Courier" Ginepri is all business, refusing to join Andy Roddick and the Bryan twins in getting team-building short hair cuts, but breaking down (and even smiling occasionally) in playing some competitive ping-pong with the boys over the weekend. Mardy Fish also refused to shave his blonde locks, understandable since he was benched with a 1-2 singles record for the team...Back on tour this week in Milan, Goran Ivanisevic says he is too young to hang it up just yet: "I don't want to accept the fact that I had a surgery for nothing. I want to play at least one more Wimbledon in good health. And I want to feel the atmosphere of the Olympic Games for the fifth time. But that doesn't mean I'll say, 'I quit' at the end of the year. I don't know what will be. But when I see (Andre) Agassi still defeating those 10 years younger players at the age of 34, I think 'Why wouldn't I be like that, too?'"...The French Tennis Federation will meet on Friday to discuss the future of Davis Cup captain Guy Forget. On the agenda: Forget kicking Fabrice Santoro, one of the top doubles players in the world, off the team, and spouting off to the media how the FFT is conspiring against him and his team...Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko awarded Belarus number one Max Mirnyi and team captain Sergei Teterin the country's highest honor -- the Order of Fatherland, while Vladimir Voltchkov, who was limping on crutches on Saturday, was presented with the Order of Courage after Voltchkov's Sunday win over Russia in Davis Cup play...Ai Sugiyama climbed to a career-high No. 8 this week...The Greg Rusedski drug decision will come within two weeks...Alexandra "Dr. A" Stevenson dropped back-to-back service games to lose her three-set match yesterday in Paris...The ITF says there will be no changes made to the Davis Cup format, with defending champ Australia requesting that winners get a first-round bye the next year, this before they were dumped in the first round this year by Sweden...The ATP Vina del Mar stop is the first of the early year dirt swing that includes Buenos Aires, Costa do Sauipe (Brazil), and Acapulco, right before the hardcourt TMS-Indian Wells and TMS-Miami...Lots of bugs with the ATP Fantasy Tennis website live scoring, listing two No. 3 seeds, and Gaston Gaudio as unseeded...From BBC Sport: "The ATP has failed to answer several key questions about the nandrolone scandal, despite being asked on several occasions by BBC Sport. The unanswered questions include: whether any ATP trainers were disciplined for giving players nutritional supplements despite being warned that such supplements could lead to positive drugs tests; if anyone in ATP management has been disciplined; who at the ATP bears ultimate responsibility for a mistake that could have cost players their careers and reputations."...Tommy Haas on playing this week for the first time since 2002: "This is a second career for me," the German told Reuters. "I still believe I have a lot of tennis left in me. I still have the same goals I had before but now I appreciate being healthy and having the chance to play. You only get a couple chances in your tennis life and off court and need to take advantage of those things."...China's capital Beijing has applied to hold the season-ending WTA Tour Championships AND the ATP Masters Cup together from 2005 to 2007, organizers said Tuesday, because they've got the cash...Only one Top 15 player, Vera Zvonareva, is planning on playing at the WTA Memphis stop, ouch...Brad Gilbert beat Michael Chang 6-4 in their one-set exhibition Monday night at San Jose.