Bud's French Open Diary - May 2004

French Open - MYSKINA AND GAUDIO – THE FRENCH DOUBLE- June 6, 2004
Somehow the French Open, which has held Paris in its grasp for two weeks, seemed second banana the last two days, overshadowed by the D-Day remembrances in Normandy. Rightly so. Anybody who has visited Point du Hoc at Omaha Beach, the invasion terrain of June 6, 1944, is struck by the utter impossibility of those guys even getting ashore in the face of withering German fire. And the ridiculous assignment of the Rangers to climb the cliffs, particularly Point du Hoc into the mouths of guns. >>>MORE

French Open - GUGA GOES, ARGENTINA ARRIVES - June 2, 2004
He had a terrific run, but Guga Kuerten’s romance with the French Open has ended. Perhaps forever. That’s the worriesome prospect for the Brazilian guy who arrived unnoticed in 1997 and proceeded to win French hearts by charging all the way to the first of his three championships. Unseeded, ranked No. 66. >>>MORE

French Open - UNIQUE DOUBLE DIP: SISTERS’ BASTILLE FALLS - June 1, 2004
The Sisters Sledgehammer – Venus and Serena Williams – had built a mighty familial fortress that intimidated and threatened the mental well-being of their colleagues. Theirs was an Axis of Anxiety as they won 10 major singles and 7 major doubles between them, starting with Serena’s U.S. Open Championship of 1999. They looked unassailable until today. >>>MORE

French Open - HANDS UP! SAFIN ROBBED BY BLISTERS? - May 31, 2004
Hands come in handy playing tennis, but Marat Safin’s were a handicap in his 3 1⁄2 hour battle with the slick Argentine, David Nalbandian. Marat had more on his hands than 11 blisters: namely 8th seed Nalbandian – and it was more than the gritty Russian could handle, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3. >>>MORE

French Open - TINY TIM HENMAN DIGS OUT OF THE DIRT - May 30, 2004
Every once in a while the charming and cheerful X-Man, Xavier Malisse, flashes the talent that made his erstwhile tutor, Nick Bollettieri call him “the best prospect to come my way. I wish I could get him to work harder.” >>>MORE

French Open - AU REVOIR ROGER FROM REVIVED GUGA - May 29, 2004
Hold the “greatness” plaudits for Roger Federer. For a while anyway. Yes, we know he’s a wonderful zephyr zoomed into tennis to relieve us from the baseline grinders. His velvet touch won Wimbledon, 2003, and Australia, 2004. But his helpless third round collapse to Guga Kuerten (6-4, 6-4, 6-4) makes you wonder if he’s got his head entirely together yet. >>>MORE

French Open - KEEP YOUR PANTS ON, MARAT- May 28, 2004
Marat Safin caught up with a drop shot – and dropped his pants. That seemed to be the highlight – or lowlight – of another splendid sunny day at Roland Garros. Marat’s two-day battle with upset-minded Spaniard Felix Mantilla jammed Court 1 with an SRO crowd of about 4000, an enclosure known as the “bull ring.” >>>MORE

French Open - A DOUBLE DIP AND THE CHAMPS ARE GONE - May 27, 2004
Hail and farewell to the champs – well before their time. Another exclamation point to this delightfully screwy French Open was added by a 20-year Russian, Igor Andreev, giving the heave-ho to the 2003 monarch, Juan Carlos Ferrero, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. >>>MORE

French Open - NOTHING DANDY FOR ANDY, JUSTINE - May 26, 2004
A double play such as venerable Stade Roland Garros had never experienced so early removed Justine Henin-Hardenne and Andy Roddick. Day III, and they’re gone: the No. 1 doll and the No. 2 guy. Ouch! >>>MORE

French Open - HOUR AFTER HOUR - May 25, 2004
They don’t like each other very much, but Frenchmen Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clement were fated to spend more time in the solitary confinement of a tennis court longer than anyone before them. It took 6 hours 33 minutes until they were released, the sly 31-year-old Santoro proving himself the better player over two days. But not by much: 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 3-6, 16-14, during which he dodged 2 match points. >>>MORE

French Open - THE ANDRE CRASH! - May 24, 2004
Did anybody other than the 400 residents of his hometown in the Sauerkraut Belt of Alsatia know Jerome Haehnel? >>>MORE

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