Favorites Coria, Moya Roll Again at French Open

Posted on May 31, 2004

The favorites and a few surprises advanced into the quarterfinals at the French Open Saturday, led by (3)Guillermo "El Mago" Coria (d. Escude, who retired after the first set with injury) and (5)Carlos Moya (d. countryman (17)Robredo in straights).

The surprises Saturday were the sublime claycourt play of fast-court specialist (9)Tim Henman (d. Llodra 9-7 in the fifth, coming from 0-2 sets down and saving a match point), and unseeded Xavier "X-Man" Malisse (d. former champ (26)Costa 8-6 in the fifth, with the Spaniard serving for the match at 5-4).

Also advancing was Argentine (22)Juan Ignacio "Just Say No" Chela, who beat Frenchman Olivier Mutis in four after dropping the first set. That's 0-3 for Frenchmen on Saturday, ouch.

Malisse's work wasn't done in the singles Saturday, afterwards taking to the doubles court with countryman Christophe "The Roach" Rochus to upset No. 2 seeds Jonas Bjorkman and Todd Woodbridge.

Already into the quarters are (3)Coria vs. (5)Moya, and (9)Henman vs. (22)Chela. Today eight players battle for the last four quarterfinal spots in (23)Feliciano "F-Lo" Lopez vs. (28)Guga Kuerten, (8)Nalbandian vs. (20)Marat "Full Moon" Safin, Andreev vs. Gaudio, and (12)Hewitt vs. Malisse.

The Russia-USA conglomerate advanced Sunday on the women's side at the French Open, setting up some delicious quarterfinal match-ups for Tuesday.

Russians into the quarters were (6)Anastasia Myskina (d. countrywoman (11)Kuznetsova 8-6 in the third, saving a match point), (9)Elena Dementieva (d. (5)Davenport, with the American hampered by a sore knee), and (18)Maria "Grunt-o-licious" Sharapova (d. Weingartner). The Americans also had three into the quarters in (2)Serena (d. Asagoe), (4)Venus (d. (21)Fabiola "The Fabulous One" Zuluaga), and (7)Jennifer Capriati (d. (17)Schiavone).

Others into the quarters were (3)Amelie Mauresmo (d. (21)Maleeva), and (14)Paola Suarez (d. Zheng). The women's quarters now line up as (14)Suarez vs. (18)Sharapova, (3)Mauresmo vs. (9)Dementieva, (4)Venus vs. (6)Myskina, and (2)Serena vs. (7)Capriati (with Jen-Jen winning their last match-up on clay earlier this year).

Today the women take a rest at Roland Garros, with no singles matches scheduled.

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NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Amelie Mauresmo has won 13 straight matches...Guillermo Coria has won 35 of his last 36 matches on dirt, and has yet to drop a set this week...Venus Williams improved to 19-0 on clay after her win over Fabiola "The Fabulous One" Zuluaga. Venus is now 23-2 in Grand Slam fourth round matches...Serving 4-5 in the fifth, Tim Henman tossed in three doubles and escaped a match point to beat Michael Llodra Sunday. Henman in not the only member of his family to reach the QF at Roland Garros. His grandfather Henry Billington achieved the same feat in 1939. Henman knocked out two Frenchmen this week overcoming 0-2 set deficits both times. Nice choking Frenchies...Kristin Davis, star of Sex and the City, was in the box watching Venus Williams' match...Sting was on-site Sunday at Roland Garros, cheering on countryman Tim Henman...Xavier "X-Man" Malisse and Marat Safin saved matchpoints en route to the fourth round...Igor Andreev has not lost a set this week...Maria "Grunt-o-rama" Sharapova is in her first career slam QF, and she has not lost a set...Kim Clijsters was checking out (or scouting!) countryman Xavier Malisse's match with Al Costa...The all-Argentine semifinal on the men's side is still on track...American 14-year-old prodigy Donald Young lost in three sets to the No. 10 seed from Korea Monday. Young, an African-American from Chicago, is already being hyped as the next American superstar. The kid will need to add some muscle and a get bigger serve to do damage in the pros. His keep-it-in-play game works well in the juniors, but that will be about it without a little work...Forecast for Monday at Roland Garros: Chance of rain and cloudy...With the inevitable announcement that the ATP will be moving the year-ending Masters Cup to Shanghai (China, that is), Masters Cup-Houston organizer Jim "Mattress Mac" McIngvale couldn't contain himself any longer, and finally cut loose on ATP CEO Mark Miles: "I don't mind telling the truth about the guy -- he's worthless," McIngvale told the Houston Chronicle. "Mark Miles has done nothing for tennis. All he wants to do is propagate his $700,000-a-year salary and keep flying first-class tickets all over the world. I don't think he's good for the game at all...We had no relations last year so it couldn't be any worse. The guy never called me, not one time all year until he showed up (at the Masters Cup). Then all he wanted to do was whine about how we hadn't spent enough money to entertain their clients. Sure, Mercedes spends a lot of money, but it all goes to the ATP. Maybe our hospitality wasn't up to the level it was the year before (in Shanghai), but I don't have quite as much money as the Chinese government does." The Chronicle said McIngvale calls the ATP "a terrible partner, absolutely terrible," saying it offered him no help in rounding up sponsors for the Masters Cup, the rights for which cost Mac roughly $7 million to land. That's in addition to the $10 million he spent on the Gallery Furniture Stadium. "As down as I am on the ATP," he said, "I like the USTA, and I think they're doing the right things, good things for tennis. We're just going on a handshake on that deal. We're very close to the USTA. And the people who work for the ATP, the worker bees, are good people. The players are good kids, too. It's a great product. But tennis has been left in the hinterlands by golf. We've got to do a better job, like golf does, like the NBA does. Tennis just has to get more fan friendly. The people running the ATP right now don't have any idea how to do that. Taking (the Masters Cup) to China is a mistake." Worker bees, nice millionaire quote. That's good stuff, considering the last McIngvale-hosted Houston Masters Cup is roughly six months away. Mattress Mac should just tank the event and hold it at some Houston public park...Lindsay Davenport says she may bail on the Olympics, citing safety concerns; we'll give you 4-to-1 that Serena follows.