Home>News Center>Sports
         
 

Saulnier reaches first final at San Jose
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-13 09:43

Cyril Saulnier kept his cool and kept slugging away until he wore down Jurgen Melzer and his bum ankle.


Cyril Saulnier of France reacts after winning a point in the last game of his semifinal match against Jurgen Melzer of Austria on Saturday Feb. 12, 2005, at the SAP Open in San Jose, Calif. Saulnier beat Melzer 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-3. [AP]

The unseeded Frenchman rode his steady slicing groundstrokes to rally from a set down for a 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-3 victory over Melzer in the SAP Open semifinals Saturday to reach his first career final.

"I'm very happy. To get there is a lot of work," Saulnier said. "I told myself to keep fighting and stay aggressive."

Melzer was in control of the match until he severely sprained his left ankle in the second game of the second set when he lunged for a forehand volley winner by Saulnier that was hit at a sharp angle. Melzer called for a trainer, who wrapped him up, but he struggled to cover the court, despite his gutsy effort to chase down many tough shots that made him the fan favorite in the 2-hour, 8-minute match.

Melzer's coach, Karl-Heinz Wetter, said it would have been "impossible" for Melzer to play in Sunday's final had he pulled out a win. Wetter has already asked tournament officials in Memphis to allow Melzer to play his first-round match Wednesday so he can undergo two daily sessions of treatment the next few days.

"I was playing all right. I was dictating the game," Melzer said. "After that happened, it was tough for me. I couldn't move to my forehand and it was tough on some backhands. My game wasn't the same as before. But some guys get tight and you might have a chance to get back in the match."

The 29-year-old Saulnier, ranked 55th, had been 0-for-3 in previous semifinal appearances and beat Melzer for the third time in as many meetings behind 12 aces. Saulnier played in his first ATP semifinal since losing in Los Angeles to Tommy Haas last year. If he wins the title Sunday, Saulnier will break the top-50 in next week's ATP Tour rankings for the first time.

"It's my goal to go higher," he said. "But it's just a goal. You have to work a lot."

Melzer, an Austrian ranked 36th, ousted second-seeded and five-time Bay Area champion Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-1 in 59 minutes in Friday's quarterfinals. But he couldn't bounce back after the ankle injury. He also had an outburst late in the second set in which he yelled at chair umpire Norm Chryst, calling the official "the worst."

Then, he did not shake hands with Chryst after the match.

Melzer fell to 7-4 this season. Neither player had dropped a set in this tournament before Saturday.

Defending champion and top-seeded Andy Roddick was set to play third-seeded Haas in the evening session. Roddick needed a hard-fought 3-6, 7-6 (6), 7-5 quarterfinal win on Thomas Enqvist to advance.

Haas had won four of six career meetings against Roddick, whose only loss this season was a frustrating four-set semifinal exit at the Australian Open (news - web sites) to runner-up Lleyton Hewitt. But Roddick had won the last two meetings with Haas, including 9-7 in the third set of their match in the Athens Olympics last summer in the round of 32.

Roddick admitted he's not playing his best tennis, but said he was pleased to be playing well enough to advance here.



Rockets drive out Timberwolves 119-113 in OT
Spurs vs Lakers
Roddick vs Enqvist
 
  Today's Top News     Top Sports News
 

China will push for N.Korea 6-party talks

 

   
 

Japan action violation of Chinese sovereignty

 

   
 

Car bomb kills 17 outside Iraqi hospital

 

   
 

100 Chinese cities lift 10-year firework ban

 

   
 

Gov't adjusts economic growth projections

 

   
 

President visits villagers in minority region

 

   
  Saulnier reaches first final at San Jose
   
  Chelsea rolls to 1-0 victory over Everton
   
  Timberwolves fire Saunders, appoint McHale coach
   
  Agassi Is upended by No. 7 seed Melzer
   
  Roy Keane to quit at end of next season
   
  Streaking Rockets defeat Pacers 91-83
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 成年美女黄网站色大片图片| 激情五月婷婷网| 国产精品20p| bl道具play珠串震珠强迫| 日本大片免a费观看视频| 亚洲欧洲中文日产| 精品国产品欧美日产在线| 国产成人啪精品| 91亚洲国产在人线播放午夜| 性欧美大战久久久久久久| 久久精品女人毛片国产| 欧美精品国产综合久久| 午夜dy888| 领导边摸边吃奶边做爽在线观看 | 国产一区二区在线视频| yy6080理aa级伦大片一级毛片| 好大的奶女好爽视频| 久久不见久久见免费影院www日本| 欧美一区二区三区久久综| 亚洲蜜芽在线精品一区| 美女福利视频一区二区| 国产成人av一区二区三区在线| 777久久成人影院| 好妈妈5高清中字在线观看神马| 久久久久777777人人人视频| 杨幂下面好紧好湿好爽| 亚洲男人第一av网站| 粗大的内捧猛烈进出视频| 国产三级电影网站| 嘿嘿嘿视频免费网站在线观看| 国产美女牲交视频| igao视频在线| 成av免费大片黄在线观看| 久久久这里有精品999| 欧洲美女与动zozo| 亚洲爆乳无码专区www| 精品一区二区三区在线视频| 四虎影院最新域名| 青青草原综合网| 国产探花在线视频| 1313苦瓜网在线播|