Russian Rookie Rattles Greg
An 18 year old qualifier from Russia has knocked the British number two out of Memphis. The un-known quantity of Dmitry Tursunov proved too much for Greg as he crashed to a surprising defeat considering his form of recent weeks. Greg struggled right from the start with a double fault in his first service game forcing him to deuce. He tried to push the Russian, but with his own serve not working, Greg could not challenge Tursunov who held his games with increasing ease.
After taking the first set tie break 7-4, the qualifier made a few mistakes in game eight of set two to give Rusedski the break needed to equal things out. Set three saw Greg pick up momentum by breaking the Russian in his second service game. However Tursunov, who was playing for his first win on the ATP tour, quickly broke straight back. The 18 year old then became too strong for Rusedski as he broke again and took the match in under 90 minutes.
Boutter Beats Greg
For the second time in two weeks a Frenchman has stopped Greg from progressing, this time to spot in the final of the Milan tournament. Rusedski was playing an inspired Julien Boutter who produced powerful serving, with which Greg could not cope. The normally invincible serve of Rusedski did not show today and this crucial weapon deserted him on many occasions. Boutter came up with some fantastic volleying in the tie break, and while Greg double-faulted, the Frenchman held his nerve to go a set ahead. The match continued in the same fashion and once again Greg failed to produce in the tie-break losing his first service point. Boutter sealed the victory with an ace, leaving a disappointed Rusedski to head home for some practice before making his way to Memphis.
Rusedski Strides Past Safin
Top seed, Marat Safin, has been ousted from the Milan tournament by the British number one. In a match that lasted little over an hour, Greg continued to show why he is among the best players in the world. He broke the Russian three times in the first set and confidently held serve to take it 6-0. Safin looked rattled by Greg's unstoppable serving and the fact he could not take a point off the Brit in the first set.
Set two saw Safin take his first opportunity to break the Brit, however a cool and calm Rusedski equalled things out and forced a tie breaker. Greg's game came out on top as he continued an excellent show of serving and volleying, to take the match 7-5 in the tie break. Rusedski will now face Julien Boutter in his second semi-final of the year.
Wounded Rosset Retires
Rusedski has secured a place in his second quarter final of the year by beating an injured Marc Rosset. In 2000 the Swiss player beat Kafelnikov in the final of this tournament, but 2001 did not bring the same luck. Soon after the match began he showed signs of a lower back injury and Greg took advantage of his ailing opponent by taking the set 6-3. Rosset received treatment on court but the pain was too much and after handing Greg a brake in the first game of set two, he called it a day. Greg will now meet either Xavier Malisse or top seed, Marat Safin.
Greg Storms Past Pozzi
Greg has convincingly dispatched Italian, Gianluca Pozzi to reach the second round in Milan. Rusedski took the first set 6-1 and looked totally at ease. The home hope fought back in the second set, however, Greg made the all important break in the eleventh game to set up a clash with the winner of the Rosset v Ljubicic match. Rusedski will be hoping to continue what has so far been a highly successful year.
Classy Clement Finishes Aussie Open Dream
Greg Rusedski's Australian Open dream has been ended by a straight sets defeat by Frenchman, Arnaud Clement. The players were late onto the new Vodafone Arena for no apparent reason but when the match got underway Clement opened with style. The Frenchman immediately started to out-shine, what looked like a tired and un-surprisingly drained, Greg Rusedski. Greg struggled to return Clements serve consistently and in the fourth game a low 1st serve percentage from the Brit gifted Clement a brake and consequently the set. Hope for a second set comeback was soon erased as Clement broke Greg in the first game. Rusedski continued to look heavy and poor movement around the court gave the Frenchman the perfect opportunity to go ahead 3-0. As the set progressed it was becoming easier and easier for Clement to hold and the Brit never looked in a position to challenge, leaving the set to go Clements way 6-2.
Anyone who saw the first two sets would have found it hard to contemplate Greg turning his fortunes around, and consequently I was about to retire to bed, when, the Greg who beat Kuerten walked onto court to play a third set. The Brit seemed revitalised, finding his first serve and changing his tactics. It was a desperate attempt by Greg but it worked, if only for a while. The longest game of the match came on Greg's serve but some powering serves denied Clement an early break. Instead Greg managed to claw the 4th game off the Frenchman before seeing his next game slip away to equal things out. Rusedski soon looked sluggish again and Clement broke Greg in the 11th game to serve out for a place in the quarter final.
Greg will undoubtedly be upset that he could not have posed more problems for the Frenchman. However, I think Rusedski will quickly get over his loss and look back on what has been an amazing start to 2001. The confidence Greg will have gained in Melbourne is un-measurable, and with such a superb start, this could be a year for scaling new heights for the Brit.
Burgsmuller Beaten By Brit
Rusedski's amazing transformation continued today as he swept aside his 3rd round opponent, Lars Burgsmuller, in a highly convincing fashion. Greg walked out to a rapturous applause and the trade mark grin grew wider and wider as he saw the Union Jacks flying proud. A strong wind made conditions extremely difficult, but from the first point to the last Greg provided the perfect example of how to cope, infact he made it look ridiculously easy! The Brit started off in the same form as he ended the Kuerten match and broke in the first game. His serve was working to perfection and he never once looked like being threatened. Dropping only six service points in the entire 85 minute match, Greg has now set up a 4th round clash with Arnaud Clement of France. There is no doubt that this will be a tough match for Rusedski. The Frenchman has won their last two encounters and was responsible for Greg's first round loss in the Olympics. However, if Greg's beaming face is anything to go by he's just happy to be enjoying his tennis. He seems to have forgotten that only months ago he was considering retirement, now he is in the fourth round of a grand slam having beaten the world's number one player in what was, by his own admission, the best match of his career so far.
Renaissance Of Rusedski
Greg Rusedski has won one of the biggest matches of his career by beating world number one and top seed, Gustavo Kuerten. The epic five set match was a exhibition of tennis at its very best and the crowd of the Rod Laver court stayed late into the night to relish it. Greg admitted before that match that he was not expecting a win and in doing so the Brit cleverly relieved himself of any pressure. He opened the match in fine style with a strong service game. The Brazilian answered with a hold of his own game and snatching the following one from Greg. The Brit seemed un-rattled as he safely held serve and in the 6th game he broke to equal things out. Rusedski got the crowd on the edge of their seats by going 0-40 down in his following game only to lose it to a double fault. The rest of the set went with serve giving Guga advantage over the Brit.
The high standard of tennis continued and it was evident with Greg's phenomenal shots that the enjoyment factor, which has been lacking over the past six months, had returned. Greg surprised everyone by securing the second set on his fourth break point. However when looking at the statistics, the fact that he was getting 74% of first serves in and dropped only one point on his first serve show that Greg was on top of his game. Greg's momentum continued well into the third set leaving Kuerten rattled as he saw yet another set slip away. The Brazilian was forced to step up a gear and did so with immediate effect. He broke Greg in his first service game and continued in fine style equalling the match out 2 sets a piece.
The fifth set was full of fight from both players. Two double faults gifted Guga a match point but he could only watch as Greg's fantastic serving took it away. Some appalling line calls created an intense atmosphere in the crowd and on court but Greg overcame it all to break and serve for the match. The Brazilian produced some amazing passing shots to break back but Greg was not planning on giving up without a fight and took his opponents next service game. He then learned from his mistakes in his previous game and served out convincingly to create the biggest upset of the tournament so far.
Today's performance will silence all of Greg's critics, and re-assure him and his fans that, he is still able not only to compete against but beat the worlds best players. His new game worked wonders and the serve, which we feared may have been lost, was nearly the best it has ever been. Greg's quick footwork and ability to produce the shots that won him the match against Sampras in Paris, make him a serious contender for a place in the latter stages of the 2001 Australian Open. He now faces qualifier Lars Burgsmuller.
Greg Ousts Ondruska
Greg Rusedski has booked his place in the second round of the Australian Open with a win over South African qualifier Marcus Ondruska. An awful start saw Greg loose his first service game of the match and despite breaking back later on, Greg's nerves were clearly evident as he saw the set slip away with another break in the eighth game. The second set seemed to be going Greg's way as he gained a 3-1 lead over the South African. However as Greg tried to continue and stay on top of his radically changed game the tennis was not always pretty. Rusedski managed to keep hold of the second set despite double faulting, and with the help of a supportive crowd and some un-forced errors by his opponent he equalled the match at one set all. Ondruska seemed to have set three under his belt but un-able to take any of his four set points Rusedski grew in confidence and snatched it in a tie breaker. With victory in sight Greg appeared to relax and dominated the fourth set with few problems, he proceeded to take the match 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-3) 6-2.
Greg will now go on to face top seed Gustavo Kuerten who, also beat his first round opponent in four sets. The Brazilian will be the obvious favourite and Greg maintains that he: "Will be able to relax because there will be no expectations on me. He's the world number one and deservedly so." The match is likely to take place in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Gutsy Greg Bows Out In Auckland
Only two hours after completing his victory against Koubek, Greg was forced to return to court and play for a place in his first final of 2001. His opponent was the Spaniard Francisco Clavet who ended 2000 ranked 49th in the world, and beat the up-coming American star Jan Michael Gambill in his quarter final. Rusedski put up a good fight but it was obvious from the beginning that the hectic schedule forced on him had paid its price. Clavet took advantage of Greg's troubled serve and forced him into making many errors, leaving the Spaniard with a place in the final against Dominik Hrbaty.
This week will have boosted Greg's confidence and has indeed silenced many critics who believed it was all over for the Brit. Greg has admitted that he never expected to have done so well this early in the year and were it not for the schedule who is to say he could not have gone further? His attentions will now turn to the Australian Open and continuing to re-establish himself as a force to be reckoned with.
Close Koubek Clash Puts Greg Into The Semis
Greg has sealed his place in the semi finals by beating Stefan Koubek of Austria in a close three set match. Rusedski served well in the first set and took it convincingly. However the second set went the Austrian's way with a single break, as Greg struggled to retain his rhythm. Unfortunately for Koubek, Greg has always been a fighter and this was once again shown as he battled to take the third set 7-5 setting up a clash with Clavet to be played within a couple of hours.
Greg Triumphs In Byron Black Battle
After the rain cleared the sun shone, and so did Greg. His patience was rewarded with a late night win over the 5th seed, Byron Black of Zimbabwe. Rusedski had waited almost two days for the encounter to take place and after storming to take the first set 6-1, it looked like it could be a short contest. The Zimbabwean had trouble coping with Greg's serve and watched his own service games slip away.
Early in the second set, a lapse in consistency by the Brit saw Black take a 4-1 lead. However a persistent Rusedski fought hard to force a tie break and preceded to take it in convincing fashion (7-3). Greg now goes on to face the Austrian Stefan Koubek in the quarter finals. Unfortunately for Greg the poor weather has bought a backlog of matches and he may therefore be forced to play two tomorrow. Rusedski looked on the positive side saying: "It's going to be a good test for me physically, but I have been training really hard."
Greg Advances in Auckland
Greg has secured his first win of 2001 by knocking out home hope, Mark Nielsen, in the Heineken Open. The comprehensive 6-4 6-4 victory will provide relief for the brit as recent changes in his game now appear to be working. Speaking to BBC Radio 5, Greg highlighted the fact that he was not expecting too much because of all his recent changes. However, even though the tennis was not pretty, he was happy with his win because it means more match practice and a chance to improve consistency. He spoke of solidifying his game and looking a lot further ahead than any up-coming tournaments. His game will come under a tougher test as he faces Zimbabwean Byron Black in the second round
Tough Draw Means Early Exit for Greg in Adelaide
Greg's new year did not get off to the best possible start as he lost to fellow Brit and great rival, Tim Henman. The draw was one that neither man would have wished for but one that the British media will indeed relish. Henman, playing in conditions that suited him, dominated the first set taking it 6-3. Rusedski fought hard to take the second, however a series of double faults in the tie break saw a straight sets victory go Henman's way.
After the match Greg admitted that he has found the training programme with his new coach Pat Cash very frustrating. He said that: "It's like almost having to start again, which can be humiliating." Rusedski admitted that changing his forehand, backhand, volley and serve in one month then trying to play a tournament was a tall order. " Some days at practice, I could go out and beat anybody, but then there's days where I could go out and lose to my grandmother." He also acknowledged his coaches comment that it is not automatic and will take at least three months to see signs of success. Greg will now continue working on his game and confidence in the build up to the Australian Open.
Adelaide Provides Backdrop For The Start of Greg's 2001 Year
Greg will join many of the prominent figures of 2000 in Adelaide on January 3rd hoping to kick-start his year. He will follow fellow Brit, Tim Henman, down under both of whom will be joined by the likes of Haas, Popp, Clement and Grosejean. Tournament organisers will also be holding wild cards for Aussie hopefuls Hewitt and Rafter until the last minute.
2000 Round Up
2000 has been a year Greg and all his supporters would rather have not experienced, full of low-confidence, niggling injuries and poor results, the first year of the new millennium has been what some may call "a nightmare." Starting the year from the side-lines because of recovering from a foot operation, Greg duly lost his first match of the year in Monte Carlo. A un-wanted pattern started to emerge as he went out to Slava Dosedel in round one of the French Open, and it continued as he went out of the Rome Masters Series event in the same style.
Coming back to home ground for Queens, Greg was optimistic for some good results. The optimism took him as far as Marat Safin to whom he handed over a one-set lead and consequently the match. Then, as the eyes of the tennis world turned to SW19, Greg had his firmly fixed on winning his first round match. He faced Vince Spadea an American who was on the end of a 21 match losing streak. With stops and starts and both highs and lows for each player, the match became painful to watch. The conclusion was even more damaging as, for another year, Greg waved goodbye to the Wimbledon complex and a dumbfounded crowd.
The summer came and went with a few wins here and there but no concrete winning streak to silence the press, who were all claiming Greg was "over the hill." The blow of losing first round at the Olympics was softened because Henman did the same. Then when the indoor season arrived, Greg and his fans were clinging to the memories of 1999 and previous years, however the year from hell just continued. Luckily a win over Kafelnikov, the Olympic champion, and an impressive victory over Marat Safin provided some remorse. Nevertheless the familiar pattern of first round losses was still evident, as was a lack of confidence in Greg's game. The year finished just like it started with a first round exit, this time on home soil in Brighton.
With the news that Greg will be working with Pat Cash to help elevate himself to the heights of previous years, Greg's supporters will be hoping and praying this year will be quickly forgotten.
Roll on 2001 and the return of the Greg we all know and respect, for another year of challenges......
25th November Brighton News Round Up
Greg crashed out in the first round to American Paul Goldstein. Despite taking a 3-0 lead in the first set, Greg went on to lose in straight sets.
Greg entered the doubles with Mark Goellner and as this article was written they were preparing to compete in the Semi-Finals.
The only further news from the event, despite the shockingly small attendances (due to high prices and a poor entry field) was Greg's rejection at short-notice to play in an exhibition match on the Friday when Tim Henman's quarter final was declared a walkover. Tim stoked the fire with this quip:
"But if I'd been paid a handsome guarantee to play a tournament and lost in the first round and only been involved in some social doubles, my conscience would have mad me play an exhibition. I'm sad to say its another PR error on Greg's part"
3rd October Hewitt Halts Greg
A hard fought battle ended in upset today for Greg, as Australia's youngster Lleyton Hewitt, beat him 6-4 6-4. Henman's conqueror who is in top form, started how he meant to go by making Greg save a break point in his first service game. Greg's best chance to take the lead came in the sixth game where the youngster served three doubles only to retain his service and take his opponents in the following game. The first set was won on Hewitt's second set point putting the Brit under pressure to take the second set.
Unfortunately this pressure got to Greg as he lost his first service game of the second set allowing Lleyton to take control of the match and just hold his serve to earn a place in the semi finals. However, all is not lost for Greg. He has played some inspired tennis this week and has earnt more points which will aid him in his bid to end the year in the top 50.
2nd October Safin stunned by Rusedski
Today Greg convinced yet more critics that he is back and dangerous. Rusedski removed from the tournament the number one seed and present US Open champion. It was a match that oozed confidence and composure from Greg with him producing many spectacular shots. A tight first set, in which the Russian gave away brilliant opportunities to take the set, saw Greg taking the tie-break 7-2 in a very convincing fashion. In the second set Greg took an early opportunity to break Safin in the third game. From this point on Rusedski was always in control and held his nerve serving to love for a 7-6 6-4 victory. This is a massive win for Greg and sets him up with a quarter final against either Lleyton Hewitt or Tim Henman.
31st October Puerta opens the door for Greg! (title by Dee)
Greg's success continued today in what he called his "Build up for 2001" with another convincing win. Rusedski fought off the Argentine, Mariano Puerta, 6-2 6-3. With some of the best serving Greg has produced all year, the 16th seed had little chance to make his mark on the match. The Brit slammed down 16 aces in the game and confirmed afterward both body and mind were feeling good. This victory has set up a tie with the winner of the Santoro v Safin match, the latter being number one seed at this tournament. Greg will now be looking to continue his run of convincing victories past the 3rd round and possibly set up a quarter final with fellow Brit-Tim Henman.
30th October Jerome Demolished By Greg
Forty five minutes was all it took for Rusedski to remove the Frenchman, Jerome Golmard, from his path in Stuttgart. That short amount of time for the 6-1 6-2 defeat could prove one of the most confidence boosting matches of the year for Greg, and indeed his fans. The Brit was extremely up-beat after his match saying how frustrating and tough the year had been but that: " I think I'm over my injuries and now I'm really looking forward to the future"
Greg will now go on to face 16th seed Mariano Puerta in round two, he will be hoping for another convincing win so that he can achieve his aim of getting back into the top 50 which he says would " Be the rescue of the year"
It has also emerged that in December Greg will be talking to former Wimbledon Champion Pat Cash about the possibility of him as a coach next year.
27th October Lleyton Has All The Luck
Unfortunately, Greg was unable to sustain his winning streak, and bowed out of the tournament 12 points and $27,970 the better for it. His opponent, Lleyton Hewitt, won the match convincingly 7-6 6-2, the score indicating a dreaded slip in Greg’s confidence in the second set. It was undoubtedly a very difficult match, with Hewitt still displaying great form and confidence despite a virus. However Lleyton's comment after the game was one to be relished as he indicated even the top players in the world still see Greg as a worthy opponent . Saying “ I beat Rusedski, who even though his ranking is not up there right now, is still a big name.”
Hewitt now advances into the semi finals, against the young Swiss star Roger Federer.
26th October – Greg Crushes Krajicek
Greg has continued to show great form in Basle, defeating Krajicek impressively, 2-6 7-6 7-5. Having made a shaky start, Greg proceeded to take the next two sets and dispelling all doubts about his confidence, something that has let him down in the past. Greg has now matched his 1999 success in Basle, charging into the quarter final where he will meet the rising star of Australia-Lleyton Hewitt. This has been Greg’s best result in a tournament for months and it is certain that he will receive a necessary confidence boost for Stuttgart next week. Greg has won the only time that the two have met before which was in Nottingham last year. However Hewitt’s tennis has improved quite substantially since then with a semi-final appearance in the US Open just over a month ago. This is perhaps, the toughest match that Greg will have played so far, and if he advances possibly the toughest match that he will play all tournament.
24th October – Basel : Greg Alarms Alami
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his entry, Greg made a confident start to the Basle Tournament defeating Karim Alami 7-5, 6-1. Although Alami is stronger on clay, the win was still an impressive feat considering Greg’s previous track record against him: although having won on all three of the occasions that the two met, the results, even on hard courts show Alami to be a more than worthy competitor. Having won this first round, Greg moves on in a difficult draw to face Krajicek in the second. Both players have had injury problems, and both have made a good start to the tournament. Greg is currently leading the head to head tally against Krajicek 5-4, but he has not won a match against the Dutchman since the US Open in 1997.
19th October Toulouse Trauma for Greg
Greg's miserable year continued last night in Toulouse as he failed to fight of Hicham Arazi to gain a 2nd round spot. In 1998 Greg had been the runner up in this tournament but after a depressing year hampered by injury he was never really expected to repeat such a feat. The final score-line was 6-3 6-4 and allowed Arazi progress to a second round match facing the ever improving American Jan-Michael Gambill. Rusedski will now have to hope that two players drop out of the main draw in Basle allowing him a place. Basle has been a good tournament for Greg in the past with him taking the title in 1998, lets hope if he gets into the draw he can pull out some victories.
12th October Vincente Halts Hopes Of Another Title
With Greg's excellent performance over Kafelnikov in the previous round many were expecting an easier task in taking out the Spaniard Fernando Vincente. However from the moment Greg stepped out on court it was clear for all to see this was not going to be the case. Greg seemed to be struggling to get to grips with his game, while Vincente was on top of his and took the first set with ease. The Spaniards domination continued into the second set and Greg managed to clinch it in a tie-break thanks to some mistakes from his opponent.
Vincente was clearly suffering physically as he called on the doctor to attend to a cold. Nevertheless Greg could not take advantage of playing a physically ailing opponent as he seemed to be mentally down himself. Vincente soon took hold of the third set, helped by Greg's clear lack of confidence and settled the match 6-2 in the third.
10th October Greg Is Back and Taking Vienna By Storm!!
Our support for Greg obviously did not go a miss as today in Vienna he fought for a 3 set victory over the Olympic Champion, Yevgeney Kafelnikov. The match was by far the biggest win of the year for him, and with some stunning ground strokes and excellent feel at the net he has re-ignited his hope of retaining the title. As a famous saying goes “ he left his heart in San Francisco” you could well say Greg had left his best tennis in Vienna.
Last year, The CA Trophy was a tournament that justified Greg’s status as one of the world’s top players. This year it is a tournament that could save him and if this is to be the case then he has started off well. He will now face Fernando Vincente in the next match….
18th September Clement Shatters Greg's Golden Dream
Even Greg's greatest fans had to admit his chances of a medal at Sydney were very slim, however we all knew our man would give it his best shot. He faced the Frenchman Arnaud Clement in the first round over whom Greg had a 3-0 lead head-to-head. However Clement wanted revenge and right from the first ball that is exactly what he got. Greg never got into a winning position as Clement charged to a 6-2 6-3 victory in less than an hour. Greg's attention now turns to the indoor season where he will hope to prove he is still among the best players in the world. GOOD LUCK!
9th September Tashkent
Hoping to gain some good form in the run up to the Olympics, Greg chose to play Taskkent, a tournament that in previous years has been good for the Brits with Tim Henman already having won it twice. Greg faced Sargis Sargsian in the first round and pulled off a 6-3 7-5 win against the player ranked 72nd in the world. His second round opponent, Andrei Stoliarov, ranked well out-side the top 100 proved a tougher match. Greg managed to take the Russian to three sets but lost 7-6(6) 3-6 5-7. So Greg picked up 3 ranking points, $8,400 and promptly left Tashkent hoping for better luck in Sydney.
30th August Pioline ousts Greg in Five
For the first two hours it looked so good. Greg back to his best and although not streets ahead of Pioline he was certainly doing enough to baffle him - so much so that he won the first two sets in fine style. Pioline though enjoys a tussle - and duly started his route back into the tournament at 4-4 in the third set. From nowhere he snatched a break and signalled his true intent by smashing a ball straight at Greg. Greg energy levels and movement had already by this stage dropped and it looked like a pretty quick conclusion when Greg got broken towards the end of the fourth.
Not to be outdone though Greg formed his only mini revival and broke straight back.....only for Pioline to take the tiebreak and indeed a decisive break of serve early in the fifth.
Although disappointing for Greg and his fans the performance was so much better than many expected - in fact before the match it was hard to find a pundit who would back anyone other than the seeded Pioline. Greg's attention now turns towards the Olympics.
30th August Rusedski is BACK!
For a while there he had us worried....
But he is back. And back in style with a straight sets win over Swede Magnus Gustaffson (6-1 6-2 6-4). Admittedly Magnus struggled much as Greg had in his last Grand Slam match at Wimbledon - playing with very little rhythm. But at the end of the day Greg recorded his first win since Mid June and will feel much better going into tomorrows Second Round.
The result will also have pleased Scott Brookes who is coaching Greg right now.