Myskina Pounds Shaky Dementieva for French Open Title

Posted on June 6, 2004

Unless you stayed in bed all day Saturday you already know that Russian Anastasia Myskina pounded shaky countrywoman Elena Dementieva 6-1, 6-2 in the French Open women's final.

The final was the biggest blowout since 1988 when Steffi Graf beat Natasha Zvereva 6-0, 6-0. Myskina will move to a career-high rank of No. 3 on the WTA Rankings. For more info, go to www.moreinfoaboutthathorribleall-Russianwomen'sfinal.com.

In the men's doubles final, waffles Xavier Malisse/Olivier Rochus upset No. 6-seeded Frenchmen Michael Llodra/Fabrice Santoro 7-5, 7-5, halting the Frenchmen's bid to become the first team ever to win the first two slams of the year. For the Belgians it was their first career title as a team in only their third pairing.

On court today is the men's singles final in (3)Guillermo Coria vs. unseeded Gaston Gaudio (Coria leads 3-1 in career meetings) in the historic all-Argentine championship, the women's doubles final in (1)Virginia Ruano Pascual/Paola Suarez vs. Russians (2)Svetlana Kuznetsova/Elena Likhovtseva, the boy's singles final in (1)Gael Monfils of France vs. American (14)Alex Kuznetsov, and the girl's final in (1)Sesil "The Mouth" Karatancheva vs. unseeded Madalina Gojnea of Romania.

NOTES, QUOTES, AND BARBS
ESPN commentator Mary Carillo: "Fitness is huge, and I wish the women's game had a higher fitness level."...Anastasia Myskina showed up at Roland Garros this year with a 1-4 career record...Why was ESPN showing a tape of the Tim Henman-Guillermo Coria match Saturday when the men's doubles final was being played live? Guess old habits are hard to break -- surprised they didn't throw on an A-Rod tape...Richard Krajicek was never able to win a French Open title but his little sister Michaella did Saturday, teaming with Katerina Bohmova to win the girl's doubles crown...Gaston Gaudio will dedicate victory to Argentinian sports heroes Diego Maradona and Guillermo Vilas if he beats countryman Guillermo Coria today: "Maradona is one of Argentina's greatest idols and it's important that everybody gives him support to make him happy again...It is great that Vilas is up in the stands watching us because it is down to him that we started playing tennis in the first place. Everything we have achieved, we owe to him. Maradona and Vilas are our idols. If I won on Sunday, I don't think I will be an idol. I am not even close to them."...US Open tickets go on sale Monday...Guillermo Coria has won 48 of his past 50 claycourt matches...Kim Clijsters' coach says she has a less than 50 percent chance of playing Wimbledon with her bum wrist...This year's French Open final was the same score for Elena Dementieva that Dementieva's coach Olga Morozova lost to Chris Evert in the 1974 final...Anastasia Myskina: "I was crying before the match in the locker room, and the physio really helped me. They just explain what I should do on the court, how I have to breathe because it's really hard to hold emotions."...Elena Dementieva: "I've been waiting for this moment all my life to play in the French Open final, but I was too nervous to play my normal game. I'm happy for my friend, she played better."...Andy Roddick is super-excited about the grasscourt season: "I'm super excited about 2004. Queen's is a great tournament in its own right and it's an awesome warm-up for Wimbledon."...Last year at Hamburg, Guillermo Coria incited some ill will against Gaston Gaudio in a match, staring him down and pounding his fist against his chest, and the two had to be separated in the locker room...From the Washington Post: "But speaking to reporters afterward, (Elena) Dementieva evoked empathy as she tried to explain her poor performance and the serve she couldn't control. She was no longer the professional athlete who couldn't get a basic skill right. With her visor off and long, blond hair draping her shoulders, she seemed more like a teenager who, try as she might, couldn't learn to parallel park. "I don't know how to serve," she finally conceded, as her eyes welled with tears. Asked by the moderator if she wanted to come back and answer questions later, Dementieva declined and kept fielding questions."...Asked what it might be like to struggle with serving the way Elena Dementieva did in the French Open final, Martina Hingis smiled, then said: "Ask Anna Kournikova, I don't know." Ouch!