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Back from the brink Kuerten stages remarkable comeback against qualifier
Updated: Sunday June 03, 2001 6:48 PM
PARIS (AP) -- French Open fans love two-time champion Gustavo Kuerten, and the feeling is mutual. So when he completed a harrowing escape Sunday against American qualifier Michael Russell, Kuerten drew a heart in the court with his racket, then fell to his knees and blew kisses to the cheering crowd. The Brazilian red-clay artist was grateful for the fans' support, and grateful that Russell failed to convert a match point in the third set, averting an upset that would have ranked among the greatest in Grand Slam history. Kuerten, seeded No. 1, won 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals. "I like the battles," he said. "Today was, of course, special, no? Maybe one of the greatest feelings in all my life on the tennis court was today." Russell, a speedy scrapper who left skid tracks all over the court, took satisfaction in making his mark at a major tournament for the first time. "You watch on TV when you're little -- French Open, center court, five-set match," said Russell, 23. "There I am, playing the No. 1 player in the world, packed stadium, fans screaming. It's awesome." The crowd was firmly behind Kuerten, but there was less loyalty for Frenchwoman Sandrine Testud during her 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 loss to No. 1 Martina Hingis. When Testud fell behind 5-0 in the first set, an egg landed on her side of the court. "It doesn't happen every day that you're on center court and an egg falls out of nowhere," said Testud, who could still laugh after falling to 0-15 against Hingis. No. 4 Jennifer Capriati reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for the first time since 1993 by beating No. 16 Meghann Shaughnessy 7-5, 6-1. Her opponent Tuesday will be fellow Floridian Serena Williams, seeded sixth, who eliminated Nadia Petrova 6-3, 6-1. "Supposedly Americans don't do well on the clay, but we're doing great," Williams said. Other men's fourth-round winners included No. 4 Juan Carlos Ferrero and No. 7 Yevgeny Kafelnikov. No. 6 Lleyton Hewitt rallied and led Guillermo Canas 3-6, 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-3, 4-2 when their match was suspended because of darkness. Defending champion Kuerten will next face Kafelnikov, the 1996 champion. "It's our destiny," Kafelnikov said. "He got really lucky to get to the quarterfinal." Kuerten concurred. Russell nearly became only the second qualifier to beat a top-seeded man in a major tournament during the Open Era, which dates to 1968. Russian Andrei Olhovskiy upset Jim Courier in the third round at Wimbledon in 1992. Would-be giant killer Russell is a stocky 5-foot-9 -- six inches shorter than the lanky Brazilian -- with the thick thighs of a sprinter. He chased down shots in both corners with a persistence that quickly began to flummox his foe. Russell won one scrambling exchange with a lob volley over the head of Kuerten, who reacted by flinging his racket at his chair in frustration. "If you want to put on your running shoes and run a lot of stuff down, like I do, you can give yourself a chance against anybody," Russell said. The Detroit native was a juniors champions who played briefly at the University of Miami and turned pro in 1998. Based now in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., where his father manages the ATP tennis center, Russell has slowly lifted his ranking to a career-best 122nd by playing second-tier tournaments in such far-flung locales as India, Vietnam and Mexico. He qualified for the past four Grand Slam events and last week advanced beyond the opening round for the first time. He has no agent or endorsement deals, buys his own shoes, went through about 15 pairs last year and showed how Sunday. In the third set, Russell won an exchange reminiscent of Jimmy Connors at the 1991 U.S. Open. Kuerten hit three consecutive overhead slams and Russell hustled to get them all back, smacking the last one up the line for a winner. Serving for victory at 5-3, Russell reached match point, but Kuerten survived a 26-stroke rally, staying alive by inches when one of his shots landed on the baseline. "It's unfortunate we have umpires," Russell joked, "because I would have called it out." Kuerten finally ended the dramatic exchange with a forehand winner. "I played a pretty solid point," Russell said. "Obviously I didn't take it. I wasn't aggressive enough with it. He's not just going to give you the match. "He stepped up and cracked a forehand. From there, he basically took control." Nearly 90 minutes after Russell's match point, Kuerten closed out the victory with an overhead. The players shook hands, and Russell gave Kuerten a playful jab in the stomach. "I told him, `Too good. You should have missed the ball on that match point,'" Russell said. He then watched in amusement as Kuerten carved a heart in the clay. "I was going to go out there and do a little tic-tac-toe," Russell joked. "I'm happy he felt so good about winning the match."
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