Tennis: Ivanisevic advances with hard-fought triumph
KEY BISCAYNE, United States : Often-injured Goran Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon champion, won for only the second time in two years, advancing to the second round of the WTA and ATP Masters Series event.
The 32-year-old Croatian wild card defeated France's Nicolas Escude 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (9/7) to book a second-round date with Spain's Rafael Nadal, the lowest-rated player in the 96-man field to receive a first-round bye.
Ivanisevic, ranked 592 in the world, is the lowest-ranked player in the field at the 6.5 million-dollar hardcourt event. He could face Swiss world number one Roger Federer in a third round match.
Ivanisevic had lost nine of 10 prior starts over the past two years. He beat Czech Bohdan Ulirach at Milan last month in his 2004 opener but lost his next three starts and had a save a match point in the final tie-breaker to win here.
"I needed this," Ivanisevic said. "Sometimes I feel, 'What am I doing here. Go home.' Sometimes I hit a good shot and I feel like a little kid. Two years outside, it's tough to come back. You have to go to gym every day, work hard.
"I didn't expect to win to be honest. I thought I could have a good match."
Left rotator cuff surgery in 2002 kept Ivanisevic from defending his Wimbledon title. He has not played in a Grand Slam event since the surgery.
"If I knew after Wimbledon what I would go through, I would have stopped immediately after Wimbledon," Ivanisevic said. "I go through the problems and have surgery on the shoulder.
"It's better, but it's never going to be the same. It's up and down. It's good when I don't force it. In the end I was serving the best and on match point. It's good."
This was the first Masters Series start for Ivanisevic since last year at Indian Wells after left shoulder and elbow and right knee injuries kept him 0-3 last year. The pain has given him plenty of time to ponder his tennis farewell.
"This last two years, I have a lot of time to think how I want to stop," Ivanisevic said. "I have a lot of good and crazy thoughts. I finally decided. I'm not going to tell you yet but I know the way I want to stop." But Ivanisevic was not shy about saying that he wants to play at Wimbledon this year for the first time since his 2001 title run.
"Last year I was at Queen's. At least I was in the neighborhood," Ivanisevic said. "This year I hope to step onto the grass. I owe that to the crowd.
"I hope to be fit there. If I am fit I can be very dangerous. I still think I can beat these guys if I play well like I did today." Ivanisevic, who beat the Frenchman in 2001 at Cincinnati in their only prior meting, needed two hours and two minutes to subdue Escude in warm and windy conditions.
Ivanisevic won the first set in 33 minutes, blasting six aces with five double faults and taking the only break, then opened the second set by breaking Escude at love. But six more service breaks followed in a frantic set. Escude broke Ivanisevic as he served for the match at 5-4, then held and broke again to force a third set.
"I had already won," Ivanisevic said. "I suprirised myself how easily I was playing and I stopped playing. I was strong in my mind. I fought back. Before it might have ben 6-1 in the third set and I would go home. I hung in there."
Escude grabbed a 7-6 tie-breaker edge but Ivanisevic responded with his final ace and a service winner, then smacked a forehand winner for the victory. Escude complained of pain in his right elbow, saying he would have the arm examined when he returns home.
"I felt this pain when I arrived here and it became worse," Escude said. "It was bothering me more and more as the match went on. I didn't play my best tennis. But at the end I had a match point. That's tennis." Britain's seventh-seeded Tim Henman, who lost last week's Indian Wells final to top-ranked Swiss Roger Federer, will open in round two against 64th-ranked Austrian Jurgen Melzer, who beat Croatia's Ivo Karlovic 0-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4.
Australia's Lleyton Hewitt, seeded 17th but seeking his third title of the year, will face Sweden's Robin Soderling in his second-round match. Soderling eliminated Spain's David Ferner 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
On the women's side, Japan's Shinobu Asagoe defeated Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik 6-1, 7-6 (7/5) to book a second-round date with Russia's Maria Sharapova.
South Korea's Cho Yoon Jeong lost to Luxembourg's Anne Kremer 6-4, 7-6 (9/7).
American teen Angela Haynes was to face Spanish qualifier Marta Marrero later with the winner to face Serena Williams on Friday in her return after an eight-month layoff.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_sports/view/77011/1/.html
Ivanisevic ends injury agony
From correspondents in Key Biscayne, Florida
March 25, 2004
INJURY-plagued Goran Ivanisevic won for only the second time in two years today to advancing to the second round of the ATP Masters Series here.
The 32-year-old Croatian wildcard defeated France's Nicolas Escude 6-4 5-7 7-6 (9-7) to book a second-round date with Spain's Rafael Nadal, the lowest-rated player in the 96-man field to receive a first-round bye.
Ivanisevic, ranked 592 in the world, is the lowest-ranked player in the 96-man field at the $6.5 million hardcourt event and could face Swiss world No.1 Roger Federer in the third round.
Ivanisevic had lost nine of 10 previous starts over the past two years. He beat Czech Bohdan Ulirach at Milan last month in his 2004 opener but lost his next three matches.
Left rotator cuff surgery in 2002 kept Ivanisevic from defending his Wimbledon title and he has not played in a Grand Slam event since the surgery.
Britain's seventh-seeded Tim Henman, who lost last week's Indian Wells final to Federer, will open in round two against 64th-ranked Austrian Jurgen Melzer, who beat Croatia's Ivo Karlovic 6-4 6-4.
Australia's Lleyton Hewitt, seeded 17th but seeking his third title of the year, will face Sweden's Robin Soderling in his second-round match. Soderling eliminated Spain's David Ferner 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.
In the women's WTA event, Japan's Shinobu Asagoe defeated Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik 6-1 7-6 (7-5) to book a second-round date with Russia's Maria Sharapova.
South Korea's Cho Yoon Jeong lost to Luxembourg's Anne Kremer 6-4 7-6 (9-7).
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,9070221%255E23216,00.html
