MELBOURNE, Australia -- They share much more than
their French nationality. Arnaud Clement and Sebastien Grosjean
are firm friends and doubles partners.
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ARNAUD CLEMENT
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Seed: 15
Age: 23
Lives: Geneva, Switzerland
Plays: Right-handed, double-handed backhand
Best Grand Slam performance: Semifinals, Australian Open 2001.
Record at Australian Open: 2000-Fourth round, 1999-Second
round, 1998-First round.
1st round: beat Tommy Robredo (Spain) 6-3, 6-2, 7-5
2nd round: beat Alberto Martin (Spain) 6-2, 6-1, 6-1
3rd round: beat Roger Federer (Switzerland) 7-6, 6-4, 6-4
4th round: beat Greg Rusedski (Britain) 6-3, 6-2, 7-5
Quarterfinals: 5-Yevgeny Kafelnikov (Russia) 6-4, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6
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But on Friday the civilities will be put to one side, at
least on court, when the pair fight for a place in the
Australian Open final.
Clement, the 15th seed, and Grosjean, seeded one place
lower, posted impressive quarterfinal victories against Russian Yevgeny
Kafelnikov and Spain's Carlos Moya on Wednesday.
The victories meant a French player will contest an
Australian Open final for the first time since Jean Borotra, one
of the legendary Musketeers of French tennis, won in 1928.
It is also only the second time two Frenchman have contested
a Grand Slam semifinal since tennis went open in 1968.
The previous occasion was in 1983 when Yannick Noah beat
compatriot Christophe Roger-Vasselin before going on to win the
French Open crown.
But for Clement and Grosjean, both through to their first
Grand Slam semifinal, the historical significance will count for
little as they vie for a place against either defending champion
Andre Agassi or Australian Pat Rafter, who contest the first
men's semifinal on Thursday night.
"It's unbelievable. We've been practicing (together) five or
six years, we grew up together, played a lot together. To play
the semifinals is something unbelievable," Clement said after
his 6-4, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 victory against Kafelnikov.
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SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN |
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Seed: 16
Age: 28
Age: 22
Lives: Florida, U.S.
Plays: Right-handed, double-handed backhand
Best Grand Slam performance: Semifinals, Australian Open 2001.
Record at Australian Open: 2000-Third round, 1999-First round
Route to semifinal:
1st round: beat Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) 6-0, 7-6, 6-4
2nd round: beat Jan Siemerink (Netherlands) 6-3, 6-0, 6-4
3rd round: beat Thomas Johansson (Sweden) 6-4, 6-1, 6-4
4th round: beat 4-Magnus Norman (Sweden) 7-6, 6-3, 0-6, 6-4
Quarterfinals: beat Carlos Moya (Spain) 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
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Clement and Grosjean contested the doubles competition in
Melbourne and made a friendly bet at the start of the
season-opening Grand Slam over who would lose the first set at
the tournament.
After five matches both have only dropped one, although
Grosjean was the first -- against world No. 4 Magnus
Norman in the fourth round.
"I don't have to think I have my friend in front of me,"
Clement said of Friday's clash. He leads their head-to-head 2-0.
"I have to think it's just a player and I have to beat him.
For the moment, for us I think it's unbelievable," he said.
Clement triumphed against 1999 Australian Open champion and
last year's runner-up Kafelnikov in an entertaining, if
error-strewn, quarterfinal. The Russian committed 79 unforced
errors as he failed to capitalize on third and fourth set leads.
Both 23-year-old Clement and Grosjean, a year younger, go
against the trend of big men hitting huge serves.
Clement, who stands just 5-foot-7 and wears low
prescription glasses, uses his speed around the court, an
attribute he had in abundance as he chased everything against
Kafelnikov.
Adding merit to Clement's never-say-die display was the fact
he was hampered by a sore left thigh, for which he had courtside
treatment and an injury timeout.
He is confident he will be fit for Friday.
Grosjean, who was told seven years ago by French tennis
officials that he was too small to make it as a professional,
had earlier produced a near-flawless first set to beat former
French Open champion and 1997 Australian Open finalist Moya 6-1,
6-4, 6-2.
The 22-year-old from Marseille, who is 5-9, went on to win the French junior championship in 1995 and
was the world's No. 1 junior in singles and doubles the
following year.
The last Frenchman to make the semifinals of the Australian
Open was Nicolas Escude in 1998.
While the winner is likely to be a heavy underdog against
either Agassi or Rafter, Moya for one was impressed by what he
had witnessed first-hand against Grosjean.
"If he keeps playing like this, he has a good chance to win
here," the Spaniard said.
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