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官方网站的文~
Don't overlook the Argentine "army"
by Tim Brimblecombe
Sunday, January 25, 2004
While there's no doubt that the Russian women have come to Australian Open 2004 in numbers, Argentina has sent its own small army to Melbourne Park.
Russia has contributed 13 players to the main draw of the women's singles and 21 all up across women's qualifying, singles and doubles.
Not to be outdone, 21 Argentine men have made the journey Down Under to play in some form or another.
The number reflects the healthy state of tennis in the country, which boasts six players in the top 50. In 2003, two Argentine players finished inside the top 10 for the first time in 21 years, while Argentina has reached the past two Davis Cup semi-finals.
But despite such strength, the wait continues for another Argentine male to create the same presence on the men's circuit as Guillermo Vilas. And not since 1990 US Open champion Gabriela Sabatini was a force on the women's circuit a decade ago has Argentina enjoyed consistent success.
Vilas, a four-time Grand Slam winner, dominated the game in the late seventies, winning the French and US titles in 1977 before winning back-to-back Australian Opens in 1978 and '79. He has a total of 62 titles to his name.
Jose-Luis Clerc, who won 24 titles, reached the top 10 in 1981, while Alberto Mancini also reached the top 10 in 1989.
However, hopes remain high that another Argentine will soon be holding aloft a Grand Slam trophy - perhaps even soon as next Sunday.
The country's top-ranked player Guillermo Coria, the No.5 seed, was eliminated in the first-round, but No.8 seed David Nalbandian and Guillermo Canas have advanced to the fourth round.
Unfortunately for the Argentine supporters, only one will be advancing through to the quarter-finals as they meet each other on Monday.
Canas is currently ranked No.248 in the world, but due to an extended injury lay-off in 2003 has a protected ranking of 18.
Nalbandian is regarded as a major threat. Since his stunning debut performance in reaching the 2002 Wimbledon final - where he lost to Australian Lleyton Hewitt - the 22-year-old has consistently threatened, without quite managing to deliver.
Last year he reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and at the US Open had a third-set match-point in the semi-final against Andy Roddick before losing in five sets.
Nalbandian's form coming into the Australian Open and during the tournament has been outstanding. At the Kooyong Exhibition he upset defending champion Andre Agassi and Roddick to take the title. At Melbourne Park, he has hardly been stretched, losing just 22 games on his way to the fourth-round.
If Canas fails to advance any further he will have at least provided the tournament with one of its highlights.
Trailing two sets to love and 1-4 in the fifth set of his third-round clash against Briton Tim Henman, the Argentine showed extraordinary determination to eliminate the No.11 seed 6-7 (5-7) 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 9-7 in almost five hours.
It was Canas's second consecutive five-set victory, after he outlasted another compatriot, No.22 seed Agustin Calleri, 6-1 4-6 2-6 7-6 (2) 6-4 in the second-round.
The 26-year-old is obviously making up for lost court time by playing the five setters after missing eight months last year due to hand surgery in March.
But returning from injury setbacks is nothing new for Canas. In 2001 he was named the ATP Comeback Player of the Year after his ranked jumped from 227 at the start of the year to 15 after struggling with a wrist injury in 2000.
Canas' best performance at a Grand Slam was at the 2002 French Open when he lost in the quarter-finals to eventual champion Albert Costa after defeating No.1 seed Lleyton Hewitt in the fourth-round.
Nalbandian and Canas have met just once previously in 2002 with Nalbandian victorious
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[此贴子已经被作者于2004-1-25 15:28:45编辑过]
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发表于 2004-1-23 16:31:00
发表于 2004-1-24 18:42:00
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