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Minor setback Ferrero has to work a bit, still advances to round of 16
PARIS (Reuters) -- Fourth seed Juan Carlos Ferrero was annoyed with himself for spoiling his perfect record at this year's French Open by dropping a set in his 6-1, 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-2 victory over Jacobo Diaz in the third round on Friday. Ferrero took the first set with ease and raced into a 4-0 lead in the second before suffering a lapse in concentration that briefly let his fellow Spaniard back into the match. And the 21-year-old Davis Cup winner, bidding to improve on his run to the semifinals last year, gave himself a ticking off for what might have been a more costly mistake. "I just got a bit lost out there for a while," said Ferrero, who next plays 14th seed Thomas Enqvist or Czech Jiri Novak. "He started hitting the ball well and suddenly I couldn't find the gaps. "It's strange. I was 4-0 up and with serve and then 20 minutes later I'd lost the set. "I think I'm mentally tired but I have to make sure I don't do that again. "If you start to make mistakes you get tired and you don't feel so confident. I've got to cut it out." The good news for Ferrero as he eyes a possible semifinal rematch with top seed Gustavo Kuerten, the man who ended his run in an epic five-setter 12 months ago, is that he is feeling fit after coming into the tournament with a nagging groin strain. "The only tiredness I felt was mental," he said. "I didn't feel any physical pain. "I also enjoyed the conditions more today. In my first-round match it was 33 degrees out there. It's better now it's cloudier with less sun." Three matches in to Roland Garros and Ferrero is also more and more pleased with a run of form that has brought him claycourt titles this season in Estoril, Barcelona and Rome and a runners-up spot in Hamburg. "This is maybe the best I've played," he said. "I've played some unbelievable tennis in the last month, starting with a great final against Carlos Moya in Barcelona and going on to Rome and Hamburg. "I've played a lot of matches and I'm very confident."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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