France Takes Lead After Epic Contest

publiziert: Freitag, 6. Apr 2001 / 23:50 Uhr

Neuchatel - Switzerland's quarterfinal tie against France in Neuchatel has opened with a nerve-jangling marathon between the Swiss No. 2 Marc Rosset and the French No. 1 Arnaud Clement. After five hours and 47 minutes, it was Clement who emerged the winner, nailing victory on his eighth matchpoint to outlast Rosset 6-3 3-6 7-6 6-7 15-13 and give France the first point of the best-of-five tie.

Hinging on a handful of points, the outcome of the match depended on the consistency of the second serve, if the statistics are to be followed. Clement clocked up a 71% to Rosset's 39%. Both converted four break points each. In truth, as Clement said afterwards, despite the 'monstrous' Rosset serve, he managed to win because he took the rare chances that came his way. The Frenchman's concentration on court was such that he had no idea what the final fifth set score was because the scoreboard stopped at nine.

Playing his first Davis Cup match since July 1999 and with little recent successful matchplay, the question on everyone's lips at the start had been 'would Rosset be up to the task?'. But with 20 more Davis Cup ties under his belt than Clement, it seemed he might. The 6'7" giant of tennis has struggled to find his form failing to progress beyond the second round of any tour event in 2001. In contrast, his younger opponent has enjoyed a successful start to the year, reaching the Australian Open final for the first time as well as winning both his singles matches in France's first round Davis Cup match against Belgium. With Clement ranked 11 on the Entry System and Rosset currently 62, the visitors clearly had the advantage on paper. Rotterdam, their only meeting this year, went the 24-year-old Frenchman's way with Clement winning in three sets.

In a match of contrasting styles, rallies were short, frequently punctuated either by a stunning volley from Rosset or an equally audacious forehand from Clement. With both players having it their way in turn, the first two sets were split.

The ensuing sets produced longer rallies with both men wrestling to pierce the other's defences. No matter how they tried, the match remained evenly balanced. The inevitable third-set tie-break continued to be close but at 4-all Clement dared most. He put away a smash and then two points later hit a breathtaking backhand pass down the line for a two set lead. His celebratory gesture said it all: the stalemate had finally been broken, or so he thought.

In the fourth set, Rosset desperately tried to get back into the match. In the seventh game, a superb running forehand from him brought the entire Swiss team to their feet. With the score now at 4-all, both sets of fans urged their side on. The 5000-seater stadium fell silent as a second tie-break began and when a Clement error gave Rosset the fourth set on his third set point, the home fans were ecstatic.

With everything still to play for, the fifth set quickly went France's way, despite Rosset having the better five-set record - including a notable win over Jim Courier in the 1992 Davis Cup Final against USA. The diminutive French man raced to a 30 lead but Rosset refused to give up. With confidence soaring and his serve finely tuned, the Swiss player levelled the set at 3-all, then 4-all, 5-all, through to 7-all and then 10-all with five matchpoints saved en route. It was a stand-off between Rosset's serve and Clement's groundstrokes. The stress was unbearable. 'Ross-et, Ross-et, Ross-et,' chanted the Swiss. 'Clem-ent,' retalliated the French. Both men traded serves, both held. 12-all. 13-all. 14-13 to Clement. And then 0-40 on the Rosset serve. Three more matchpoints for France. How many more could the Swiss giant save? Two were quashed. But on the third, Rosset netted his volley. Suddenly all the stress was over and the French were celebrating. Now the pressure was on Swiss No. 1 Roger Federer whose task it was to even the tie with a win over French No. 2 Nicolas Escude.

(kil/dpa)

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