Ferrero Tames Gonzalez By Matthew Cronin
In a wild and seesawing contest on a charged-up Philippe Chatrier Court, Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero needed six match points to overcome his nemesis, Chile's Fernando Gonzalez, 6-1 3-6 6-1 5-7 6-4 and earn a semi final match-up against defending Roland-Garros champion Albert Costa.
The three-and-half hour contest between the two junior foes was almost impossible to get read on, as Gonzalez either soared to heavens with his huge forehand and rolling backhand or self destructed with bouts of double faulting and egregious errors.
"It was unbelievable," Ferrero said. "With this sort of player, it's very difficult because you never know when they are going to come back."
In a rare sight for men's tennis, the two power baseliners combined to hold 40 break points, with the Chilean facing 31 one of them. Gonzalez appeared all but out of the match when he went down a break early in the fourth set, but he finally found his forehand, was able to put enough returns into play and served efficiently enough not to allow Ferrero to break him every time out.
Yet Ferrero - who reached the final here last year before falling to Costa - was the quicker and more intelligent player on the day, retrieving very well, serving big when he needed to, and counterpunching very effectively.
Gonzalez also went down an early break in the fifth set, but managed to claw his way back to 3-3. But Ferrero broke him to 4-3, and fought off a break point at 5-3 with an inside-out forehand winner.
In the match's brilliantly played final game, Ferrero had to overcome his own nerves and a courageous Gonzalez. On his first match point, Ferrero tried an ill-fated drop shot. On his second, he committed a backhand unforced error. On his third, Gonzalez laced a backhand winner down the line and on Ferrero's fourth, Gonzalez took a huge flat serve out wide and crushed it into the corner.
Gonzalez then fended off another match point with an inside-out forehand winner, but on his sixth match point, Ferrero kicked a massive second serve into Gonzalez's backhand that the Chilean couldn't handle.
The normally placid Ferrero than screamed in delight, pumped his fists toward his family and walked around the court saluting the crowd.
"It was so emotional because the match was long and I wasn't playing so good," Ferrero said. "But I fought a lot to the end. I also wanted to win because it was my sister's (Ana) birthday."
It was the first time in four meetings that Ferrero was able to beat Gonzalez, who took him out here in the final of the 1998 boy's final.
"The last two times I played him I lost easily," Ferrero said. "It's pretty difficult to play against him because he hit the ball so hard and I couldn't control the ball. He has a lot of acceleration and he's pretty difficult to play. But I think this victory will give me a lot of confidence."
In a wild and seesawing contest on a charged-up Philippe Chatrier Court, Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero needed six match points to overcome his nemesis, Chile's Fernando Gonzalez, 6-1 3-6 6-1 5-7 6-4 and earn a semi final match-up against defending Roland-Garros champion Albert Costa.
The three-and-half hour contest between the two junior foes was almost impossible to get read on, as Gonzalez either soared to heavens with his huge forehand and rolling backhand or self destructed with bouts of double faulting and egregious errors.
"It was unbelievable," Ferrero said. "With this sort of player, it's very difficult because you never know when they are going to come back."
In a rare sight for men's tennis, the two power baseliners combined to hold 40 break points, with the Chilean facing 31 one of them. Gonzalez appeared all but out of the match when he went down a break early in the fourth set, but he finally found his forehand, was able to put enough returns into play and served efficiently enough not to allow Ferrero to break him every time out.
Yet Ferrero - who reached the final here last year before falling to Costa - was the quicker and more intelligent player on the day, retrieving very well, serving big when he needed to, and counterpunching very effectively.
Gonzalez also went down an early break in the fifth set, but managed to claw his way back to 3-3. But Ferrero broke him to 4-3, and fought off a break point at 5-3 with an inside-out forehand winner.
In the match's brilliantly played final game, Ferrero had to overcome his own nerves and a courageous Gonzalez. On his first match point, Ferrero tried an ill-fated drop shot. On his second, he committed a backhand unforced error. On his third, Gonzalez laced a backhand winner down the line and on Ferrero's fourth, Gonzalez took a huge flat serve out wide and crushed it into the corner.
Gonzalez then fended off another match point with an inside-out forehand winner, but on his sixth match point, Ferrero kicked a massive second serve into Gonzalez's backhand that the Chilean couldn't handle.
The normally placid Ferrero than screamed in delight, pumped his fists toward his family and walked around the court saluting the crowd.
"It was so emotional because the match was long and I wasn't playing so good," Ferrero said. "But I fought a lot to the end. I also wanted to win because it was my sister's (Ana) birthday."
It was the first time in four meetings that Ferrero was able to beat Gonzalez, who took him out here in the final of the 1998 boy's final.
"The last two times I played him I lost easily," Ferrero said. "It's pretty difficult to play against him because he hit the ball so hard and I couldn't control the ball. He has a lot of acceleration and he's pretty difficult to play. But I think this victory will give me a lot of confidence."
