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Wednesday,
June 5, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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South
Korea record first-ever win
Costa Rica
too strong for China |
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Ireland
look to take battle into German camp Big
break for Agoos?
Rivaldo
in the dock
French
players yet to recover from fatigue? Who
will win the World Cup? The
great escape Akram
ready for Aussie swansong India
can be formidable one-day side in world Windies take on
rusty Kiwis Cronje’s
funeral today Venus ousts
Seles, advances to semis
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South Korea record first-ever win
Busan (South Korea), June 4 A packed crowd at the Asiad stadium in the southern port of Busan — which included President Kim Dae-jung — cheered the Koreans’ every move as they sent a poor Polish side packing to get their group D campaign off to a perfect start. And in truth the margin of a victory watched nationwide by millions of delirious fans on the small screen should have been far greater. The South Koreans, coached by former Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, were hoping that a warm-up draw with England and a battling 2-3 defeat to France would stand them in good stead for the tournament as they sought to secure their first ever World Cup success in 15 outings. His strategy of forcing his team to get to grips with the European style of play paid immediate dividends.
Hwang Sun-hong, a veteran of the 1994 finals, produced a stupendous left-foot volley on 26 following Lee Eul-yong’s perfectly-weighted ball in from the left flank, the ball flying past Jerzy Dudek in the Polish goal. It was Hwang’s 50th international goal in his 98th appearance for his country which came just a month before his 34th birthday. And it helped South Koreans avoid the unhappy distinction of becoming the first World Cup hosts to lose their opening match. They could have increased their lead on the half-hour, but Yoo was offside as he fired past Dudek. However, he made no mistake just eight minutes after the restart, burying a right-foot drive beyond the Dudek’s flailing fingertips. “I’m delighted with the way we played — I’m very proud of the boys,” said Hiddink, whose Holland side unluckily lost to Brazil on penalties in the 1998 semifinal. “I am tired but very happy. The enormous support from Korean football fans was also a great help for us.” Polish counterpart Jerzy Engel hailed a stronger team than his own. “They were better than us. I can’t complain. It’s no accident that they drew with England and gave France a good game. Now we have to try to target second place and it will be very difficult. “Portugal are the strongest team but Korea can hurt any one.” The Poles, returning to the finals after a 16-year absence, had no answer to constant waves of South Korean attacks and little was seen of the Polish front line aside from the opening exchanges. Poland’s 23-year-old Nigerian-born forward Emmanuel Olisadebe, who scored eight times in the qualifiers, found Jacek Krzynowek in space in the third minute — but the FC Nuremberg star snatched at his chance and fired wide. Hwang left the action just four minutes after the restart and Ahn Jung-hwan took his place up front — but the change did not interrupt the Korean flow as Yoo, who played and scored at France 98, blasted home the second. Soo left the action on a stretcher on the hour after taking an apparent blow to the head. His substitute, Lee Chun-soo, almost got on the scoresheet within seconds, but his shot hit the side netting. Still the Poles refused to come out of their shell and it was their opponents who kept pressing and Ahn Jung hwan of Italian outfit Perugia was only centimetres away from adding a third with 12 minutes remaining. The incessant pressure prompted a Tomasz Hajto tackle from behind on Seol Ki-hyeon which earned the Pole a yellow card. In a nice touch with two minutes left Hiddink sent on Korea University’s Cha Doo ri, 21-year-old son of former South Korean legend Cha Bum kun. The youngster
promptly saw yellow for a burly challenge on Dudek having strayed
offside. AFP  |
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Seoul explodes with joy Seoul, June 4 Traditional drums pounded victory rhythms, party poppers exploded and loud rock music blared from speakers amid a sea of red shirts in central Seoul’s main intersection, where the Cup co-hosts had set up four large outdoor television screens. Hundreds of policemen manning barricades struggled to keep traffic flowing on central Seoul’s main thoroughfare, but gave up trying to keep adjacent streets open under the crush of the equivalent of a stadium full of jubilant fans. Young South Koreans, including members of South Korea’s Red Devils fan club, had shown up to claim a place as early as six hours before the match in Pusan, far away on the southeastern tip of the Korean peninsula.
Reuters |
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Costa Rica too strong for China Gwangju (South Korea), June 4 China’s supporters turned the stands into a sea of red with giant flags of China floating serenely, borne on the outstretched arms of thousands of screaming fans. The match was watched by a television audience estimated at 500 million in China — just under half the population of 1.25 billion. Costa Rica has 4 million people. The Chinese showed discipline but little flair in their first World Cup final. China, the lowest ranked of all the teams in the finals at No 57, is led by coach Bora Milutinovic, the Serb who is coaching his fifth different team in the tournament. Gomez scored in the 61st minute and Wright added another four minutes later as the Costa Ricans grabbed three points to join Brazil atop Group C. “It’s always good to start the World Cup with a victory,” Costa Rica coach Alexandre Guimaraes said. “We showed we can play well in all phases of the game.” “We’re off to a good start, but we’ve got two very difficult games coming up. We know we can play better and that we can improve. We’re going to take it one step at a time.” Gomez, who plays professionally at Greece’s OFI Crete, picked up a rebound outside the penalty box and flicked a shot over the head of goalkeeper Jiang Jin. Minutes later, Wright used an individual move to beat his defender. Gomez had a second opportunity near the end, but his shot was cleared off the line by a Chinese defender. “Bora told us we must be focussed for 90 minutes, but we lapsed and gave up two goals,” China captain Ma Mingyu said. “Costa Rica played well throughout the game while we were
inconsistent.” Despite the outcome, Milutinovic said he was encouraged by his team’s performance. “My players put forth a tremendous effort,” he said. “But it wasn’t enough.” “Our players tried their best for 90 minutes, and you couldn’t see clearly which side was better. In the first half we had several possible chances, but we let in two goals in the second. That’s soccer.” Milutinovic said his plan of play was upset by an ankle injury suffered in the 25th minute by one of China’s most experienced players, Sun Jihai of Manchester City. He was tackled from behind by Luis Marin - who received a yellow card - and was forced to abandon the match a few minutes later. The match at South Korea’s Gwangju Stadium pitted Milutinovic against one of his former teams - and against Costa Rican coach Guimaraes, who was captain for the Serb on the ‘90 team that reached the second round in the World Cup. Costa Rica returned to the World Cup after an impressive qualifying run in Concacaf, finishing first, ahead of the USA and Mexico. Security was tight at today’s game, as 6,000 policemen patrolled the stadium and its surroundings. The match fell on the 13th anniversary of the bloody 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing. South Korea promised China that its security forces would block any attempts to mark the anniversary.
AP |
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Belgium
rally to hold Japan
Saitama (Japan), June 4 After a tight first half, the match exploded into life on the hour as veteran Marc Wilmots put Belgium ahead only for Japan to equalise two minutes later through Takayuki Suzuki. Then came a memorable goal from Junichi Inamoto to send most of the 63,000 crowd at the Saitama Stadium into raptures, but Belgium struck back through Peter Van der Heyden. Belgium survived a sustained period of Japanese pressure at the end, including a skewed shot across goal, but the Europeans could also have grabbed victory. Inamoto had the ball in the net in the final five minutes but the flag had been raised for a push on a defender. Japan certainly proved that they are capable of fulfilling the hopes of a nation by reaching the second phase of the competition. The opening goal came when the Japanese defence failed to clear their lines. The ball was lobbed in to Wilmots, who with his back to goal launched himself at the ball to score with a bicycle kick on 59 minutes. But just two minutes later the stadium erupted as Japan drew level. Junichi Inamoto weighted a pass over the flat-footed Belgian defence for Takayuki Suzuki to poke the ball past goalkeeper Geert De Vlieger. Japan began piling on the pressure as the Belgian defence looked ragged for the first time in the match. A curling Shinji Ono free-kick from a tight angle forced a save from De Vlieger and then Inamoto, who has just spent a season in the reserve team of English Premiership side Arsenal, scored the most crucial goal of his career. Picking up the ball on the halfway line, the blonde-haired midfielder raced between two defenders and curled the ball past the advancing De Vlieger, provoking mayhem in the stadium and a triumphant gesture from Japan’s French coach Philippe Troussier. The Japanese thought they had won the match but the experienced Belgians never gave up and got their equaliser. The Belgians should have taken the lead 10 minutes before the break but the unmarked Bart Goor blasted a shot wide of the post from 10 yards out after Gert Verheyen’s cross was not properly cleared. They had another chance when
Wilmots’ header was well saved by Japanese goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki, showing why he has been preferred to Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi between the posts.
AFP |
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Ireland look to take battle into German camp Ibaraki (Japan), June 4 Ireland manager Mick McCarthy believes that the Irish hold an advantage because they had a far tougher battle in their first match — a 1-1 draw with African champions Cameroon — than the Germans, who had no more than a practice run-out against the supine Saudis with Miroslav Klose notching a hat-trick. The 43-year-old former national captain, who led the Irish to the 1990 World Cup quarterfinals, has also been talking defiantly this week of there being no fear factor even with the formidable international reputation of the Germans. “Why should we be afraid of them after we have come through a group containing Holland and Portugal, who by all accounts are stronger than Germany at the moment,” he said. “With all due respect to Saudi Arabia they did not show the form they had in the Asian qualifiers and while the German finishing was clinical it was not the sort of defending they will face come tomorrow. “I am not trying to be disrespectful to the German team because I think their results since the 1-5 defeat by England have been better than the English,” he added. Certainly Ireland showed in the second-half of the match with Cameroon that they had lost none of the spirit normally associated with the side even with Roy Keane being stripped of the captaincy and sent home. According to some veteran Irish watchers they played some of the finest football displayed by the men in green for some time. McCarthy, who unlike his players seems unable to leave the Keane affair alone despite his pleas to put it on the back burner, also took solace from the Germans thrashing of the Saudis. “The Germans whopped the Kuwaitis 7-0 in a warm-up match and then lost 0-1 to Wales in the next one and with all due respect we are a few rungs up the ladder at the moment than the Welsh,” he said. The Irish, though, badly need class guardian Shay Given to have fully recovered from his hip injury he picked up when with typical bravura he went up for the ball sandwiched in between two rather large Cameroon players in the second-half. The Newcastle United ‘keeper, whose performances in the qualifiers played a large part in Ireland’s progress to the finals, is confident he will make it and echoed McCarthy’s comments on the Germans while adding a personal note. “I think the point we got on Saturday was as valuable as the three Germany gained,” said Given, who pulled off a string of excellent saves to keep Ireland in touch when 0-1 down. “Let’s hope the Germans scored all their goals in that match!” Ireland will be looking though for two things to improve, their goals ratio which reads five goals in 10 World Cup finals matches and a significant improvement from the willing but heartstoppingly vague defensive skills of Ian Harte. Germany’s Bernd Schneider will be positively licking his lips at the thought of advancing on Harte and Kevin Kilbane in front of the Leeds United defender will need to do a lot of covering if Ireland are to escape serious injury down that flank. However, while Irish spirits are high, the ever realistic ‘Mannschaft’ handler Rudi Voller has had to bring his players back down to earth after the Saudi whacking. “It is great to win in such style but one must take into account that the Saudi defence is not honed in the same league as the Irish one .. the Premiership,” he said. “There was much to like in our performance nonetheless and as a moralebooster it was terrific but tomorrow we will face tests in all departments. “If we are up to them then I believe we can go on and enjoy a good tournament,” the former World Cup winning striker added. The Germans are likely to start with the same XI that began against the Saudis as Carsten Ramelow has recovered from the thigh problem that forced him off during the opener, though there have been suggestions that a fit-again Marko Rehmer could replace the relatively inexperienced Christoph Metzelder at right wing-back. Both McCarthy and Voller expect a tough closely-fought match and neither, one suspects, would be too disappointed with a draw leaving both in strong positions to fill the top two spots and entry to the last 16 lottery where it is not necessarily the best team that prevails.
AFP |
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Big break for
Agoos? Seoul, June 4 Agoos has won 130 caps for the USA. But he has also been a victim of the whims of successive US national team coaches who ignored or rejected him for football’s premier event. His big break should come at the age of 34 when the USA play Portugal in their first group D match in Suwon on Wednesday. As long as coach Bruce Arena stays loyal to the core players he has assembled in recent months, the San Jose Earthquakes player should get his big chance. Agoos, who has played for the national under-15, under-17, under-20 and Olympic teams and won four Major League Soccer Cup titles, said he would feel no immediate elation if he gets onto the World Cup pitch. “But later on I will be able to look back and be satisfied,” he told AFP. “It doesn’t mean that if you don’t play that you are a failure as a player. For me this is more of an icing on the cake sort of deal.” Agoos, who was born in Switzerland, scored on his debut in 1988 against Guatemala but failed to make the national squad for the 1990 finals in Italy. In 1994 when the USA hosted the finals, Agoos burned his shirt and shorts after being the last player cut off the roster by Serbian coach Bora Milutinovic. He was called back into the team one month after the tournament. In 1998, Agoos thought about giving up after being taken to the finals in France by coach Steve Sampson but never getting even a minute in a match. The team had a disastrous tournament and were ranked last. Agoos is still not taking an appearance in South Korea for granted. “I have been on the national squad now for 12 or 14 years and if I am able to step on the field I think that will be a great thing but if not I think I have still contributed to the national team programme.
AFP |
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Portugal
face a dilemma Seoul, June 4 After five days of watching other teams play, Portugal’s golden generation tomorrow make their long-awaited debut on the world stage in their group D opening game against the USA. And it’s crunch time for tactical decisions. In a squad that includes some of Europe’s top talent, Portugal coach Antonio Oliveira has to decide whether to deploy his side’s fearsome attack or heed the lesson of France’s upset defeat in the World Cup opening match and proceed with caution. Though Portugal, ranked fifth in the world, are the strong favourites, goalie Vitor Baia says the players took note of Senegal’s defeat of France. “It was a lesson we all have to learn from. No game is won before it starts. We have to be humble,” Baia said. For Oliveira, that means gauging whether to play with two defensive midfielders or just one. The coach has kept his cards close to his chest, holding closed training sessions over the past three days. The question is, does he field Sporting Lisbon’s Paulo Bento alongside Armando Petit of Boavista in front of the defence, or just Petit behind a three-man attacking midfield? World player of the year Luis Figo and AC Milan’s midfield maestro Rui Costa are likely to start, but they could be joined by Internazionale’s Sergio Conceicao if Bento doesn’t play and Oliveira wants to pressure the Americans. Up front Bordeaux striker Pedro Pauleta, top scorer in France last season and voted that country’s best player, is certain to start. Just behind Pauleta will be ‘shadow striker’ Joao Pinto, who has been on top form for Sporting Lisbon. Fiorentina’s Nuno Gomes probably will start on the substitutes bench but could add extra weight to the attack if needed. As the tension has grown over the past few days, Portugal have stressed the need to start their campaign with a win.
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Rivaldo in the dock Ulsan, June 4 "He was protecting his face from the ball," said Scolari, referring to Rivaldo writhing on the ground clutching his face at the corner flag after a ball kicked at him by Hakan apparently hit him only on the leg and arm. "Rivaldo made a defensive movement because the ball hit him in the leg and was travelling upwards. "The ball hit him on the hand because he was protecting his face." FIFA’s disciplinary committee are studying a video of the incident and are expected to give a ruling later in the day, FIFA spokesman Keith Cooper said in Seoul. After the match Rivaldo admitted he had feigned injury. "Obviously I exaggerated the incident for the guy to be sent off," he said. "The ball hit my hand and my leg. It didn’t hit me in the face but that kind of attitude (kicking the ball against an opponent) must not be allowed on the pitch. He deserved to have a red card." Scolari accused the media of "exaggerating" the incident. "The press is saying Rivaldo is going to be punished because they think that is the most interesting story," he said.
AFP |
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French players yet to recover from fatigue? Seoul, June 4 Just a few days into the World Cup, French players coming off exhausting club seasons are suffering from fatigue, and it shows. The defending champions were slow and predictable compared with Senegal’s youthful lions, and lost the tournament opener 0-1. They have just two more days to make up for a gruelling season of club matches before meeting Uruguay on Friday. “All countries are in the same situation,” French striker David Trezeguet said on Sunday. “But we’re a bit more tired than the others.” The French team is packed with major stars who take the start in almost every one of their club’s matches.
AP |
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Who will win the World Cup? Looks like Brazil is going to win this year’s Football World Cup. Here’s why: Brazil last won the World Cup in 1994. Before that they won it in 1970. Add 1970 and 1994, it equals 3964. Argentina last won the World Cup in 1986. Before that they won it in 1978. Add 1978 and 1986, it equals 3964. Germany last won in 1990. Before that they won in 1974. Add 1990 and 1974, it equals 3964. So going by this logic, the winner of the 2002 World Cup is the same as the 3964-2002=1962 World Cup. The 1962 World Cup was won by Brazil. Indian fans too have reason to rejoice: India has never won the World Cup so we’ll probably win it in the year 3964. |
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The great escape Sao Paulo (Brazil), June 4 At least 17 prisoners escaped through a tunnel at about 6:30 a.m. local time, a half hour after Brazil’s first World Cup game began, said a Sao Paulo policeman. During the escape, a group of men opened fire from outside the Provisional Detention Center in Osasco, on this city’s outskirts, to distract guards.
AP |
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India can be formidable one-day side in world Port of Spain, June 4 I distinctly carry this impression after losing 1-2 to them in the one-day series. They have batsmen who can bowl and they can also bat fairly deep. They are also a pretty decent fielding side. All credit to the Indians. I think they played better one-day cricket than us in the five-match series. As I mentioned earlier, with Rahul Dravid batting and keeping, it is a big asset for the Indian side. Having a batsman as good as Dravid who can also keep is a huge bonus. If we were in the same situation and had somebody like Dravid who can bat and keep as well as he has done, we certainly would be doing it. I know sometimes your younger players give the impression of being jittery but then it is only natural. They would mature. We have got seven one-day games against you guys in India. You guys are going to be there in the mini World Cup in Sri Lanka. Then there is this triangular series in England next month. I also have learnt that Srinath has retired from Test cricket but he wants to be a part of one-day set up. So if he is back I am sure he would guide the younger players through the World Cup. I think you would do well. I have also heard comments from Indian quarters asking if Dravid and Mohammad Kaif, who are not exactly free-stroking birds, should be coming low down the order. Well,
if you have somebody like Saurav Ganguly at the top and playing the
way he does, there would be days when he would step out and nick it to
the wicketkeeper. The good thing about one-day batting is if they are
going to get themselves into trouble early, they have got somebody to
bat later so they could post something respectable on the board. I
will give the example of my team. If we were to lose openers Chris
Gayle and Wavell Hinds and Ramnaresh Sarwan, early, we have got to
rethink because we have a longish tail and have to bat for 50 overs.
Then you would not like to take as much risk when part time bowlers
come on. So that’s a problem. That’s why I think it is so
important to have players who can bat well enough at this level and
also bowl a bit. Because it gives you an added depth not only in your
batting but also in bowling. I would also like to offer words of
encouragement to Harbhajan Singh. If he has had modest success in the
West Indies, I wouldn’t be critical of him at all. You have got to
understand Harbhajan is a young man. He first came into news against
the Australians. Playing at home and obviously getting a bagful of
wickets got him the recognition. Since then he has toured South Africa
for the first time as well as come to the Caribbean for the first
time. I am sure when Harbhajan comes in here again, he would know exactly how he needs to bowl here to be much more successful. I am sufficiently impressed by him. I think he is a fighter. I think he is a great find for Indian cricket. I
would also say we enjoyed a great relationship with the Indians. I
watched the Indian and Australian series and the feeling on the ground
was very, very tense. They were getting into each other’s face. But
I had a good relationship with Ganguly. When we won the game, the
Indian players congratulated us as it should be. And when they won, we
have gone into the dressing room and said complimentary things. I have
enjoyed the series and I think they have too. At the end of the day we
really wanted to win the one-day series. But if I had a choice, I
would have liked to win the Test series more than the one-day one.
PTI |
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Ganguly retained captain Mumbai, June 4 The Indians will play a triangular series involving England, Sri Lanka and India and four Test matches apart from four side games, Cricket Board (BCCI) secretary and convener of selection committee Niranjan Shah told PTI here today. The team for the triangular series would be picked here on June 8. The Indian team, which lost the Test series 1-2 and won the one day series 2-1 against West Indies, are arriving here early tomorrow, he added.
PTI |
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Sri Lanka ‘A’ win Dambulla, June 4 The first two matches of the series were washed out while India ‘A’ won the third match yesterday by two wickets. Brief Scores Sri Lanka ‘A’: 321 for four in 50 overs (A Gunawardena 111, Navid Nawaz 120). India ‘A’: 252 all out in 48.2 overs (A Chopra 70, P Patel 71, R Gavaskar 53, T M Dilshan 3/40).
PTI
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Akram ready
for Aussie swansong Karachi, June 4 “Australia is a great place to tour and a great team to play against and I hope that I leave my last impression in an indelible manner,” Akram told AFP. A 13-man Pakistan squad will set off for Australia later today for a three-match limited-over series starting next week. The 36-year-old Akram, with a record 456 wickets in limited-overs matches and 414 in Tests, last month announced he would hang up his pads after next year’s World Cup in South Africa. “I have some fantastic memories of playing in Australi a and top of them all is Pakistan’s win in the 1992 World Cup,” he said. “It would be a totally different tour for me because nowadays I enjoy (playing) more than usual and strive to do my best for the team in a relaxed, pressureless manner.” Akram took 18 wickets to help Pakistan win their only World Cup 10 years ago. “It (Australia) is the place where the most competitive cricket is played and people love and appreciate every good performance,” said Akram, who led Pakistan to their only tri-series win Down Under in 1996-97. Akram also said Pakistan had every chance of beating the fancied Australians. “We are a good side and have every chance to beat Australia because they now have a relatively less experienced middle-order batting in the absence of the Waugh brothers.” Australia sacked Steve Waugh from their one-day squad for the recent tour of South Africa, where they took the Test series 2-1 and the seven-match one-day series 5-1. Akram said he was glad the Waughs would not be playing Pakistan. “The Waugh brothers were among the top players of the world so it’s a relief that they are not there to bother you,” he said. Akram said the result of the series — two indoor matches and one outdoor game on June 12, 15 and 19 — would depend on how the teams perform under pressure. “The result of this series would depend on how a team handles the pressure.”
AFP |
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Windies take on rusty Kiwis Kingston (Jamaica), June 4 West Indies captain Carl Hooper, fresh from a gruelling, two-month home tour against India, showed faith in the squad that lost a five-match series of one dayers 1-2, but rapped his players for not showing enough application in the deciding match in Trinidad on Sunday. The West Indies won the five-match Test series 2-1. New Zealand have had a tortured build-up to their late-season Caribbean tour, which is expected to be affected by rain. International cricket is rarely played in June, when the rainy season has begun. New Zealand’s tour of Pakistan in May ended dramatically when a bomb exploded outside their team hotel, but they had already suffered a heavy innings defeat in the first Test. They landed in Jamaica in the middle of 11 days of heavy rain that prevented the team from practising outdoors. The team first set foot outdoors on Sunday, when they trained at Sabina Park. Pugnacious all-rounder Craig McMillan injured his ankle in training and missed yesterday’s warm-up match against a University of West Indies XI. New Zealand batted first and were given a thorough examination by the young generation of West Indies bowlers, several of whom will be playing for West Indies ‘A’ in England this month. However captain Stephen Fleming scored an elegant 64 and all-rounder Scott Styris made a bid for a place in tomorrow’s match with an unbeaten 63 as New Zealand notched up 254 all out in 50 overs. In reply, New Zealand pace bowler Shane Bond got his first serious outing since he broke down with an injured foot at the end of the tour to Australia six months ago, when he took on and mastered the best Australian batsmen. Bond bowled eight overs, taking one for 27, while spinner Daniel Vettori took three for 24 as the university team collapsed to 155 all out.
AFP |
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Cronje’s funeral
today Johannesburg, June 4 He said: “The UCB executive had recently said that it did not associate with Hansie Cronje...In the light of that, and also in the light of statements that were made now after his death, we said that it’s better that UCB executive are not welcome to attend the funeral.”
Reuters |
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Venus ousts Seles,
advances to semis
Paris, June 4 The last time the two Americans met was in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open when Seles ended Williams’ 24-match winning streak. But 21-year-old Williams, the number two seed, proved the stronger in their first meeting on clay coming away 6-4 6-3 winner in 73 minutes during their rain-interrupted tie. Despite Williams only managing 48 per cent of her first serves, Seles made nearly twice as many unforced errors with 40 compared to 25 for her opponent. Williams goes on to meet French Open debutant Fernandez, who earlier beat compatriot Paola Suarez 2-6, 7-6, (7/5), 6-1 to become the first unseeded semi-finalist in 12 years. However, she was indebted to an act of sportsmanship from her close friend on the decisive point of the second set. With Fernandez leading 6-5 in the tie-break, she hit a serve that was called out by the line judge but it was immediately over-ruled by Suarez herself handing the set to her compatriot. Suarez dismissed that suggestion that she lost out by her sporting gesture. Fernandez becomes the first unseeded semi-finalist since Jennifer Capriati in 1990. Gabriela Sabatini’s five semi-final appearances here between 1985 and 1992 are the best performances by an Argentine. AFP |
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Albert Costa in semifinal Paris, June 4 Costa, seeded 20, now faces either Andrei Pavel of Romania or fellow Spaniard Alex Corretja for a place in the final. It was Costa’s third career win against the 15th seeded
Canas. AFP |
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