Wednesday, August 09, 2000
Master Tennis Notebook
Henman's year just shy of great
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Tim Henman
(AP photo)
| ZOOM |
|
MASON — Tim Henman sums up his year like this: “Fairly consistent but nothing really spectacular.”
The England native, seeded 15th, defeated American Cecil Mamiit in the first round of the Tennis Masters Series Cincinnati 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 Tuesday.
Henman has been playing well this season. He has lost three close, tough, matches in big tournaments that can make the difference between a solid year and a great year.
He lost in five sets to Chris Woodruff at the Australian Open, in three sets to Andre Agassi in the Ericsson Open at Miami, and in five sets to Mark Philippoussis at Wimbledon in the round of 16.
“To lose the match I did at Wimbledon was very disappointing,” Henman said. “Reflecting on it, there wasn't a lot I could do. I played a pretty good match, but on that day Philippoussis was too good.”
Wimbledon is, of course, the tournament Henman would most like to win. He is a local hero and has the support of the crowd. He also has some added pressure.
“That whole month is pretty chaotic,” he said. “I've gotten used to it. It doesn't faze me one way or the other. If anything, I enjoy it. I definitely thrive in the atmosphere.
“It's the biggest tournament for me, no doubt. But if I went on the court trying to play for everybody, then I'd feel like I was letting a lot of other people down. You can't approach it like that. I just make sure when I get on the court, I'm playing for myself.”
Henman plays today against Mariano Puerta (11 a.m., Center Court). If he wins, Pete Sampras could be next.
“I'd like that to happen,” Henman said. “Then I would've won a couple of matches, and I'm sure I'd be feeling confident. The last time we played was at Wimbledon last year. It's always fun to play him. We've practiced a lot together, but I've never beaten him.”
DENTING HISTORY: Taylor Dent, a qualifier ranked 194th in the ATP Champions Race, won his Cincinnati debut Tuesday, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 over 81st-ranked Jeff Tarango. In doing so, he added his family name to a second spot in the tournament's record book.
His father, Phil Dent, compiled a 7-5 mark in this event between 1969-77. Though brothers have each won matches here, the Dents are believed to be the first father and son to each win a match in the tourney's modern era (1969 to the present).
AGE BEFORE BEAUTY: Gianluca Pozzi, 35, is the oldest player in the tournament and the oldest player ranked in the top 50 since Jimmy Connors in 1992. Pozzi is No.48 in the ATP Champions Race and 49th in the ATP Entry system, his best season on the Tour.
He beat Andy Roddick, 17, the youngest player in the field, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 Tuesday. Roddick is the No.1 junior player in the world, and Pozzi's reward is a date today with the No.1 player overall: Gustavo Kuerten, who on Monday ascended to the top of the ATP Champions Race.
LUCKY LOSER: Younes El Aynaoui, the 14th seed, pulled out of the tournament with inflammation of his left foot just prior to his first-round match Tuesday. Andrea Gaudenzi took his place as the “lucky loser;” he was the highest-ranked player (No.129) to lose in the last round of qualifying.
Gaudenzi made the most of his short-notice start, beating 19th-ranked Albert Costa 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. The 27-year-old Italian will meet 46th-ranked Stefan Koubek in the second round today.
HEWITT UPSET: Lleyton Hewitt's much-anticipated Cincinnati debut was a short one. The 19-year-old Australian, seeded ninth, lost 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Fabrice Santoro.
Hewitt entered the match 44-10 this year, second on the ATP Tour in victories behind Magnus Norman (50-15), and his four tournament titles this year lead the tour. But a lingering ankle injury has slowed the phenom; Hewitt is just 2-4 the past month.
Back to Main Tennis Page
Sports Stories
