MATCH PREVIEW
John van Lottum (Netherlands) - Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain, 2)
If Van Lottum gets going, he can make life difficult for anybody. But against the winner of Roland Garros, he’ll have to pull out all the stops. Ferrero is not only quick on gravel, he also made it to the final of the US Open and the semi-final of the Australian Open. And to top it all, he is the former world No 1. Ferrero to win in straight sets.
Head-to-head: none.
ARTICLE Van Scheppingen has every reason to be pleased
Six years ago, Dennis van Scheppingen played the immaculately-dressed man who was today seated in the stands: Tournament Director Richard Krajicek. But as was the case in 1998, yesterday’s opponent proved too strong for Van Scheppingen. Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero beat the Dutchman 6-3, 7-6 in a packed Ahoy’ sports centre. Van Scheppingen may have lost, but he has every reason to be pleased.
Although Ferrero appeared to head for an easy win – needing only fourteen minutes to establish a 5-0 lead in the first set – the Dutchman made life difficult for him in the second set. Van Scheppingen: "Even though I was slightly nervous, it was not the main reason for my poor start. I was simply too keen, which affected the quality of my service games." Van Scheppingen, who ranks 98th in the world, was able to keep pace with his opponent during the second set: "I decided to focus on my game and shut everything else out, which worked quite well." The Spaniard, who currently ranks third in the world, needed a tiebreak to take the match. "He played well during the second set. He produced solid, flat groundstrokes, and offered a lot of opposition," Ferrero said afterwards. "I’ve played Dennis before, during a competition match in Germany".
Since then, both players have led a different life. While Ferrero made his way to the top, Van Scheppingen’s ranking took a nosedive.
[...]
Ferrero, who is due to play in the Davis Cup match against the Netherlands in April, is playing in the bottom quarter of the draw, which only includes Dutchmen: Raemon Sluiter, Sjeng Schalken and John van Lottum, his next opponent. Says Ferrero, with a grin on his face: "The tournament allows me to warm up for the Davis Cup match."
John van Lottum (Netherlands) - Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain, 2)
If Van Lottum gets going, he can make life difficult for anybody. But against the winner of Roland Garros, he’ll have to pull out all the stops. Ferrero is not only quick on gravel, he also made it to the final of the US Open and the semi-final of the Australian Open. And to top it all, he is the former world No 1. Ferrero to win in straight sets.
Head-to-head: none.
ARTICLE Van Scheppingen has every reason to be pleased
Six years ago, Dennis van Scheppingen played the immaculately-dressed man who was today seated in the stands: Tournament Director Richard Krajicek. But as was the case in 1998, yesterday’s opponent proved too strong for Van Scheppingen. Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero beat the Dutchman 6-3, 7-6 in a packed Ahoy’ sports centre. Van Scheppingen may have lost, but he has every reason to be pleased.
Although Ferrero appeared to head for an easy win – needing only fourteen minutes to establish a 5-0 lead in the first set – the Dutchman made life difficult for him in the second set. Van Scheppingen: "Even though I was slightly nervous, it was not the main reason for my poor start. I was simply too keen, which affected the quality of my service games." Van Scheppingen, who ranks 98th in the world, was able to keep pace with his opponent during the second set: "I decided to focus on my game and shut everything else out, which worked quite well." The Spaniard, who currently ranks third in the world, needed a tiebreak to take the match. "He played well during the second set. He produced solid, flat groundstrokes, and offered a lot of opposition," Ferrero said afterwards. "I’ve played Dennis before, during a competition match in Germany".
Since then, both players have led a different life. While Ferrero made his way to the top, Van Scheppingen’s ranking took a nosedive.
[...]
Ferrero, who is due to play in the Davis Cup match against the Netherlands in April, is playing in the bottom quarter of the draw, which only includes Dutchmen: Raemon Sluiter, Sjeng Schalken and John van Lottum, his next opponent. Says Ferrero, with a grin on his face: "The tournament allows me to warm up for the Davis Cup match."
