Schalken Overcomes Wawrinka To Put Dutch Into Quarters
06 Mar 2005 - Expo Centre, Fribourg, SUI - Marco Keller - SUI v NED
Schalken Overcomes Wawrinka To Put Dutch Into Quarters
After yet another thriller, Sjeng Schalken gave Netherlands the vital third
point against Switzerland to advance to the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup by
BNP Paribas. Schalken however had to save four match points before coming
atop 16 62 64 26 97 of Stanislas Wawrinka.
The fifth set of the match between the number ones was a nailbiter. Wawrinka,
who had come back from two sets to one down, took a 4-1 lead with a double
break and then had four match points on his serve at 5-4. Several times the
Swiss supporters wanted to celebrate the win. Once, when a linesman called
out a ball from Schalken on matchpoint, the decision was overruled by chair
umpire Enric Molina. On the fourth matchpoint, Wawrinka was approaching the
net in a commanding position but somehow Schalken managed to pass him with an
incredible backhand slice shot from way behind the baseline. At 5-6, it was
the Swiss who save two match points and at 7-6, he again served for the match
but with empty batteries. After 241 minutes, a wide Wawrinka forehand sealed
the tie. "It could have gone either way but the key for me was my ability to
fight", Schalken said after his second full-distance win of the weekend.
Wawrinka hadn't shown the slightest sign of respect from the beginning and
started off in a perfect manner. He got breaks to lead 2-0 and 5-1 and finished
the first set in 23 minutes and after hitting winners from all over the
baseline, and with his serve. Schalken, a veteran of 33 Davis Cup matches,
has seen to much in his successful career to be too impressed however. He just
as convincingly won the second set in 32 minutes, benefiting from four unforced
errors from the Swiss to seal his first break for a 3-1 lead.
The third set in a high-quality contest lasted almost as long as the previous
two together (51 minutes) with a better end for the more regular baseliner
player from the Netherlands. Wawrinka, who was the more active player, had his
chances however. In the first game he was unable to convert seven breakpoints,
three of them being rather easy shots. Those who expected that the young
Swiss' resistance might end were immediately proven wrong. The 2003 French Open
junior champion, was able to raise his game a notch and reduce the number of
"free points" for Schalken. Winning the set 6-2, he tied the match at two sets
all also thanks to the continuous support of captain Marc Rosset, before he
lost the epic fifth set.
Although the odds before the tie were clearly for the visitors, it took the two
teams 16 hours and 17 minutes to be separated. The Swiss, who had the biggest
possible handicap by missing world No. 1 Roger Federer, battled hard for every
point and gave their fans in a series of seasaw matches and plenty of reasons
to be proud. Marco Chiudinelli, Wawrinka and the doubles composed by Yves
Allegro/George Bastl played a wonderful tie and could have fared even better
with a bit more luck. In fact, also both singles on the opening day left the
Swiss with some slight reproaches. Chiudinelli took Schalken into a fifth set
and Wawrinka was the unluckier player in the tiebreak battle against Peter
Wessels 67(12) 76(4) 67(7) 46, he held setpoints in both lost sets.
Having said that, the Dutch had been within one point of closing the tie on
Saturday. Peter Wessels/Dennis van Scheppingen held no less than three
matchpoints before surrendering to the Swiss team after almost four and a
half hours. A 0-3 defeat would have been too harsh for the young Swiss team who
showed their absent leader that they are very willing to support him the best
they can if he returns in the future. Federer has announced earlier that he
will be probably be back on board for the relegation match.
The long weekend in Freiburg took its toll. Peter Wessels retired from his
match against Marco Chiudinelli because of back problems after winning the
first set 64. The final result is 3-2 for the Netherlands. The team will travel
to the Slovak Republic in July.
Despite of getting a second point, the majority of the supporters were a bit
unhappy when Wessels, who had played eight hours of tennis on the two previous
days, retire. They would have prefered to see some more tennis to give a
fitting end to an unforgettable weekend. The tall Dutch player had got the only
break of the set at 4-4 and then served it out.
Sjeng Schalken, who contributed majorly to winning the tie by surviving two
five setters against Swiss rookies Marco Chiudinelli and Stanislas Wawrinka,
would have prefered to play the next match at home: "It's always nice to play
in front of our home crowd, that would have been ten to fifteen thousand
spectators cheering for us." The Dutch leader hopes that he will be able in
July to play even better, "I am only on my way back and not in top shape yet.
But a lot of time will pass until then."
Instead of facing the reigning champion Spain, the trip to Slovak Republic also
means a bigger chance to qualify for the semifinals. Dutch captain Tjerk
Bogtstra is very happy with this opponent, "They have very good players but I
think it is a fair draw for a second round."
As the Swiss have one more option if Roger Federer returns, also the Dutch can
hope for a stronger line-up against the likes of Dominik Hrbaty and Karol Beck.
Martin Verkerk showed his team spirit by joining the squad in Fribourg and also
Raemon Sluiter, who didn't play because of slight injury problems, will be back
on board. Bogtstra isn't too optimistic about Ververk however, "He still has
his shoulder problems and progress hasn't been too good. I hope, I'll be able
to use him but I'm not sure yet."
In case the serve giant won't make it for the next round either, other players
have to jump in. After this weekend, Bogtstra knows that they are capable of
doing that. "I am very satisfied with what Dennis van Scheppingen and Peter
Wessels did in their first Davis Cup tie and that makes us more confident."
An interesting point will be the choice of surface. Bogtstra doesn't believe
that the team of Miloslav Mecir will chose a clay court: "They don't like to
play on this surface either," he said.
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 218.167.38.242
NED-BEL-LUX 近期熱門文章
PTT體育區 即時熱門文章
