BY NEIL SCHMIDT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Thomas Muster, runner-up last year, was one of several upset victims Wednesday.
(Tony Jones photo)
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MASON -- You should see Paris in the springtime. Carlos Moya did, spending a fantastic fortnight there in winning the French Open. No offense, but Mason didn't strike his fancy.
"I think a place is good where you are winning matches," he said, "so I don't feel as good here."
His on-court stay was short: 60 minutes. Jerome Golmard, a qualifier from France, routed the fourth-seeded Moya 6-4, 6-2 in a second-round Great American Insurance ATP Championship match Wednesday. That headlined a handful of upsets.
Because of a first-round bye, Moya's first appearance here included little tennis. Left now with time to kill, Paramount's Kings Island was suggested.
"We'll go," he said.
Moya hadn't played on hard courts this summer he practiced here Monday.
"He played in the qualifier and the first round," Moya said of Golmard. "He was more used to the courts than I was. It's always tough to start hard courts. I hope I get my rhythm before the U.S. Open."
Golmard, 24, has climbed from No. 117 to 65 in the rankings this year. He landed 65 percent of his first serves (Moya made just 37 percent) and saved all five break points against him. This was the highest-ranked opponent he has beaten.
"This was the first time I played service-volley," Golmard said. "Against him, it's tough to stay back. If I play like I did today, I think I can win some more matches."
Todd Martin knocked out Muster.
(Tony Jones photo)
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Other upsets Wednesday:
The other French Open finalist, Alex Corretja, fared no better than fellow Spaniard Moya. Australian Scott Draper upset the ninth-seed 6-3, 6-7 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5).
Draper, 24, has had a hot summer. He won his first title at the Queens Club in London in June, then reached the finals in Washington, D.C., three weeks ago. His ranking has soared from 120 to a career-best 46th.
"The first six months of the year, I struggled," Draper said. "But since Queens, I've felt great."
Draper faces No. 7-seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov today.
German Tommy Haas, who beat Jim Courier Monday, upset 12th-seeded Alberto Costa 6-1, 6-3. With Moya losing, and Jonas Bjorkman (seeded sixth) and Alberto Berasategui (13th) losing earlier in the week, Haas' upset removed the last seeded player from that quarter of the draw.
"This is probably the weakest draw, but one of us is going to go to the semis," Haas said. "I'll fight and do my best to take a spot, since it's available."
Haas, ranked 196th two years ago, is currently ranked No. 40. "It's been pretty quick and exciting for me," he said. "Hopefully I can continue and be a Top 10 player."
Thomas Muster, a one-time No. 1 player, is now just 24th. But he was the runner-up here last year, so his 6-3, 6-4 loss to Todd Martin was an upset on paper.
Martin is ranked No. 31.Most notably, he is recovering from an elbow injury which kept him out of action until last week. Even in the heat, he continues to wear an elbow sleeve.
"It's a mental thing," he said. "I'm not too proud to admit that I'm a little psyched out by it. But I feel it helps, and if that is a placebo effect, that's fine."
Martin faces fifth-seeded Patrick Rafter tonight at 7.
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