PARIS -- Clay-court artist Gustavo Kuerten crafted another
masterpiece Sunday.
|  | | Alex Corretja of Spain stretches to hit a backhand shot in the men's final. Corretja lost to Gustavo Kuerten 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-2, 6-0. |
Mixing patience, power and pizzazz, Kuerten won his third French
Open title by dismantling Alex Corretja 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-2, 6-0.
The result delighted the Roland Garros fans, who all match long
chanted for their beloved "Guga."
In a reprise of his celebration after a harrowing fourth-round
win last week, Kuerten used his racket to carve a heart in the red
clay. Then he collapsed on his back with arms spread in jubilation,
exhaustion and relief.
During the trophy ceremony, he donned a handmade T-shirt that
said "I love Roland Garros" in French, with a heart symbol
representing the word "love."
"Every single time I come here, it's special," Kuerten said as
a small group of Brazilians celebrated to the sound of samba drums.
"Everything that happens here to me is wonderful. It's a place I
love to be."
The top-seeded Kuerten became the sixth man to win three French
championships and the first since Mats Wilander earned his third
title in 1988. He's the first man to win consecutive French
trophies since Sergi Bruguera in 1993-94.
But there will be no back-to-back major titles this year for
Kuerten because he'll skip Wimbledon in two weeks. Kuerten said he
wants to rest his sore groin, but he has previously complained
about the tournament's seeding system, and his career record there
is only 6-4.
Though ranked No. 1, Kuerten has reached a Grand Slam semifinal
only in Paris. Some players -- most recently Yevgeny Kafelnikov two
days ago -- have said Kuerten needs broader success to be ranked
with the sport's all-time elite.
Corretja disagreed.
"Winning three titles, even if they are on clay, what's the
problem?" the Spaniard said. "I would love to be in his
situation. ... He doesn't need to show anything. He has to feel
happy with what he achieved already. But, of course, he can go for
more because he can play anywhere."
For sure, Kuerten's the king of clay, where he has won 44 of his
past 47 matches.
The 24-year-old Brazilian played cautiously at the start of the
final, when gusts sent clouds of clay into the stands. Conditions
were worse during the first-set tiebreaker, when Kuerten missed
every first serve and once went to his chair to wipe dirt from his
contact lens.
Then the weather improved, and the Rembrandt of Roland Garros
began to paint the lines. Corretja stayed close for a while, and at
5-5 in the second set he had a break point but missed a backhand
wide.
"That point could have changed the match a lot," Kuerten said.
"After that, I played so aggressive that I put him in a tough
situation."
Kuerten held serve, then broke to take the second set, and
Corretja began to fold. He increasingly found himself pinned behind
the baseline chasing shots into both corners, and when he hit a
backhand wide to lose the third set, the Spaniard smacked a ball
into the stands.
"I wasn't feeling too well because I knew he was playing
better," said Corretja, also the runner-up in 1998. "The way he
was playing the last two sets, it was pretty difficult to beat
him."
The final set was a rout, with Kuerten winning 23 of the first
25 points. But the final game provided entertainment, if not drama.
Serving for the championship at 40-love, Kuerten blew an easy
overhead. Then he hit a backhand wide. Then he took an even easier
overhead on the bounce and hit it right at Corretja, who blocked a
lob over Kuerten's head. The Brazilian had to retreat to the
baseline and smacked a backhand long as the crowd groaned.
That made three match points lost.
"I saw myself winning all of them," Kuerten said. "I was
feeling so emotional at that time that I wanted to finish it off,
so I rushed a little bit."
There would be no miracle comeback by Corretja, however. Four
points later, Kuerten closed the victory with one last sizzling
forehand, then began skipping around the court like a kid just
released for recess.
Before mounting the podium to accept his trophy, Kuerten
carefully knocked the clay from his shoes. He then spoke French to
French Open fans for the first time, telling them: "I love playing
at Roland Garros. I love playing for you. Thank you for supporting
me."
Kuerten's native language is Portuguese, and he speaks halting
English. When did he learn French?
"Yesterday," he joked. "I was try to figure out the words I
knew, and I put all together."
Kuerten earned $590,000, and he became the first player in 25
years to win the men's title after being down match point in an
earlier round. He was one point from a straight-set defeat in the
fourth round against American qualifier Michael Russell, and
following that escape Kuerten carved a heart in the clay for the
first time.
"I never really had in my best dreams winning here three
times," he said. "So I see myself as a really blessed guy." Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Gustavo Kuerten comments on the match and his love for the clay courts of Roland Garros.
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