| | Associated Press
PARIS -- Mary Pierce, buoyed by her newfound popularity in
Paris, survived second-set jitters to beat top-seeded Martina
Hingis 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 today in the semifinals at the French Open.
|  | | Conchita Martinez, 28, advanced to her first final at Roland Garros. |
The sixth-seeded Pierce is trying to become the first
Frenchwoman to win the title at Roland Garros since Francoise Durr
in 1967. Her opponent Saturday will be fifth-seeded Conchita
Martinez, who played almost error-free tennis to beat fellow
Spaniard Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 6-1, 6-2.
On a breezy but beautiful afternoon, Pierce held a match point
at 5-4 in the second set, but sailed a backhand long, the first in
a series of ugly errors as she lost eight consecutive points.
She regained her composure in the third set and took advantage
of back-to-back double faults by Hingis to break serve for a 3-1
lead. Pierce won the final three games and Hingis hit a forehand
wide on the second match point.
"In the second set I was a bit tense," Pierce said. "She
didn't make it easy. She didn't make any errors. In the third set I
just told myself to be more aggressive and move forward."
Unseeded Franco Squillari, the first Argentine to become a Grand
Slam tournament men's semifinalist since 1982, will play No. 3
Magnus Norman on Friday. The other semifinal will match No. 5
Gustavo Kuerten, the 1997 champion, against No. 16 Juan Carlos
Ferrero.
Pierce, 25, lives in Florida and has not always been popular in
France, where fans criticized her effort, commitment and erratic
performances. More than once she departed to jeers after losing at
Roland Garros, but this year Pierce has been embraced by the crowd.
Bigger and stronger than Hingis, Pierce hit her forehands hard
and deep to keep her opponent on the defensive early. The partisan
Parisians loved it, lustily cheering every point Pierce won and
hooting at Hingis when she questioned several calls.
"I must really thank the public," Pierce said. "All my fans
were super, and they really supported me throughout the match."
"I knew I couldn't expect the crowd to be for me," Hingis
said. "That wouldn't be fair to Mary."
Hingis bounced her racket in frustration several times, cracking
it once, but there were no tears from the Swiss teen-ager. She was
jeered and cried after throwing a tantrum and losing to Steffi Graf
in last year's final.
This time Hingis, 19, walked off the court to applause. The
French Open remains the only Grand Slam event she hasn't won.
"I don't need the French Open to survive," she said. "There
are many players who have never won this tournament."
Pierce was the runner-up at Roland Garros in 1994. Her lone
Grand Slam tournament title came at the Australian Open in 1995.
She had lost her past seven matches against Hingis, her doubles
partner.
Martinez, 28, advanced to her first French Open final. She had
lost in the semifinals here three times previously.
"My dreams are coming true," she said. "Maybe my mind wasn't
ready before. Now, with experience, hard work and patience, I am
succeeding."
The eighth-seeded Sanchez-Vicario is a three-time French Open
champion, but she allowed Martinez to dictate the style of play.
Their match quickly settled into a series of long rallies, with
both players camped behind the baseline trading looping
groundstrokes. Many points ended with Sanchez-Vicario finally
attempting an aggressive shot and hitting it long or in the net.
And twice when she charged to the net, Martinez responded with a
lob for a winner.
The longest rally came in the second set with Martinez leading
1-0, deuce, and the point went on so long that the center court
crowd became restless. Some fans laughed, and a few began to
whistle. Finally, on the 36th stroke, Sanchez-Vicario hit a
forehand inches long.
Sanchez-Vicario won consecutive games in the second set to reach
2-2, but that was the extent of her comeback. On match point,
Martinez slammed a forehand winner -- the 23rd shot of the rally --
and raised her arms in jubilation.
She had lost seven consecutive matches against Sanchez-Vicario
dating back to 1995.
"Today I was very prepared," Martinez said. "She has always
won tight matches, but today I was mentally tough."
| |
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