Philippoussis Advances to Semis of Masters Series
Friday November 17 11:04 AM ET

Philippoussis Gains Paris Semis

By JOCELYN GECKER, Associated Press Writer

PARIS (AP) - Mark Philippoussis rode his big serve to a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) victory over Germany's David
Prinosil on Friday, gaining a spot in the semifinals of the $2.95 million Paris Masters.

Philippoussis, seeded 13th, took control in the second set, breaking serve once, holding all his service games
and closing the set with an ace.

``It definitely wasn't easy,'' said Philippoussis, who lost his previous two matches to Prinosil. ``It could have
gone either way. Fortunately, it went my way.''

This is the first time the Australian has advanced to the semifinals of this tournament. He had been eliminated the
last two years in the quarterfinals.

In the third set, trailing 5-4, Philippoussis had one serve that reached 127 mph, followed by three aces to even
the score. He won the match-clinching tiebreaker on a forehand crosscourt at net.

Top-seeded Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil faced Albert Costa of Spain later in the day.

In other quarterfinals, Costa, seeded eighth, was to play Marat Safin, seeded second, and Spain's Juan Carlos
Ferrero, seeded 12th, was to face Fabrice Santoro.

Santoro is the last of 10 Frenchmen left in the Paris tournament after compatriot Sebastien Grosjean was
eliminated on Thursday by Safin, the U.S. Open Champion.

Corretja, who beat Wayne Ferreira of South Africa in the third round, earned the final spot in the eight-man
Masters Cup in Portugal on Nov. 27- Dec. 3.

The field for Lisbon will be crucial in determining the No. 1 player. It features the four Grand Slam champions -
Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Safin, Kuerten - plus Magnus Norman, Lleyton Hewitt, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and
Corretja.

The Paris tournament, formerly the Paris Open, is the last of the nine-event Tennis Masters Series, the most
important events after the Grand Slams.

Scud v Kuerten semi
sports.news.com

From our wire services
18nov00

PARIS: Australia’s Mark Philippoussis set up a Paris Masters semi-final showdown with French Open winner Gustavo Kuerten after defeating German qualifier David Prinosil 4-6 6-4 7-6 here overnight.

The Brazilian had an easier 6-3 6-4 win over Spain's Albert Costa.

Thirteenth-seed Philippoussis, who effortlessly accounted for fourth-seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the last 16, sometimes struggled in the three-hour match against Czech-born Prinosil.

The Scud smashed 15 aces but also hit six double faults.

"I felt like I had no rhythm out there, particularly on my serve," he said.

"But the main thing is I got through."

Kuerten, who eliminated Pat Rafter the day before, faced little danger in his third consecutive straight-sets victory in the $US2.95 million ($5.7m) tournament.

"It felt like I could close my eyes and still hit winners today," Kuerten said.

"I couldn't have expected any better."

Kuerten has 25 wins in Tennis Masters Series events this year, more than any other player, as he battles Russian Marat Safin for the No.1 spot in the year-end rankings.

He has played Philippoussis only once before, defeating him in Rome this year.



Kuerten, Scud and Safin through

BBC News

Top seed Gustavo Kuerten and Champions Race rival Marat Safin are both through to the semi-finals of the Masters Series event in Paris.
Kuerten's 6-3 6-4 quarter-final victory over Spain's Albert Costa sets up an intriguing semi-final meeting with Mark Philippoussis.

While the Brazilian remains neck and neck with Safin at the top of the rankings, the improving Philippoussis has different priorities.

A win in Paris would propel the Australian into the top ten in the Champions Race.

That would put him in line as a possiblke stand-in for the season-ending Masters Cup in Lisbon should either compatriot Lleyton Hewitt or Andre Agassi pull out with fitness problems.

The big-hitting 'Scud', dispatched German qualifier David Prinosil 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7/3) to set up a mouthwatering meeting with Kuerten.

Slow start

He was within two points of defeat in the 12th game but overcame a slow start to come through.



Kuerten closes in on top spot in the Champions Race

Kuerten, currently 20 points behind Safin, never looked back after reeling off the opening three games against Costa.

He had a break point for 4-0 but Costa rallied and Kuerten, going for a fifth title this season, had to bide his time before upping the pace once more.

In a tighter second set, he broke crucially for 5-4 with a brilliant backhand return down the line.

He finished the job in one hour and 23 minutes as Costa netted a backhand to score his fifth straight victory over the Spaniard.

On facing Kuerten, Philippoussis said he knew the match would stretch him to the limit.

Clean hitter

"He's a very clean hitter of the ball and playing with a lot of confidence."

Kuerten thrashed him 6-2, 6-2 on clay earlier this year in Rome in their only previous meeting.



Safin celebrates his win over Corretja

Philippoussis however insisted: "This is a different surface. Anything can happen."

Second seed Safin ousted Spanish eighth seed Alex Corretja 7-6 (7/5) 6-3 in 1hr 34min.

He will meet either Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain or Frenchman Fabrice Santoro, the only home survivor.

Safin broke in the first game and moved out to 3-1 but then hit long to allow his Corretja back in at 3-3.

The Spaniard was soon leading 5-3 but Safin broke back in the ninth game and then won two more service games - the second to love - to force the tiebreak.

He won it despite double-faulting for 1-2 and letting a 5-2 lead slip as Corretja netted to concede the set - having squandered four set points at 5-5.

In the second set, Safin, who has a Tour-best six titles this year, served poorly but his power was always a problem for Corretja. He won the match with an overhead smash.

Philippoussis avoids upset, Kuerten wins in Paris Masters

Posted: Friday November 17, 2000 12:29 PM
Updated: Friday November 17, 2000 3:39 PM

Mark Philippoussis captured a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) victory over Germany's David Prinosil. AP

PARIS (AP) -- U.S. Open winner Marat Safin and French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten, the world's top two ranked tennis players, secured spots in the semifinals of the US$2.95 million Paris Masters tournament on Friday.

"This is a big chance for me to become No. 1," Safin, the world's top-ranked player and No. 2 seed in the Paris tournament, said after winning his quarterfinal match against eighth-seeded Spaniard Alex Corretja 7-6 (5), 6-3.

After a 16-week run as leader of the Champions Race, Brazil's Kuerten lost the top spot last week when Safin took the St. Petersburg title.

With only 20 points separating the two players ahead of the prestigious year-end Masters Cup championship in Portugal, both men need the Paris title in their bid to finish the year as the world's best player.

Top-seeded Kuerten faces No. 13 seed Mark Philippoussis in the semifinals after defeating Spain's Albert Costa 6-3, 6-4 in the quarters on Friday.

"I felt like I could have closed my eyes and still hit winners today," Kuerten said. "I couldn't have expected any better."

Kuerten, who has won 25 matches in the Paris Masters Series this year - more than any other player, faced little challenge in his clash with unseeded Costa.

The Brazilian fired angled baseline shots and took the match when Costa drove the final return into the net.

Passions rose high in Safin's match with Corretja, with the Spaniard repeatedly dropping to his knees after missed points and the Russian shouting aloud and scolding himself with a finger to his head.

"I'm trying hard to be solid on the court, not to show my emotions," said the 21-year-old Safin, who is known to show a temper. "Be confident, cool on the court and not to get mad."

Safin, who has won six titles this year, including the U.S. Open, his first Grand Slam, said that in Friday's match, "I was very nervous and very angry with myself."

Leading 3-0 in the first set, the Russian squandered three games before winning the set in a tiebreaker.

Steadier in the second set, Safin broke Corretja's serve twice before finishing off the match with an unchaseable forehand slam.

Corretja earned the final spot in the elite, eight-man Masters Cup in Lisbon, Portugal, Nov. 27-Dec. 3, by defeating South Africa's Wayne Ferreira in the third round of the Paris tournament Thursday.

The field for the championship in Portugal - which ill be crucial in determining the world's No. 1 player - now stands as: Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Safin, Kuerten - the four Grand Slam champions - plus Magnus Norman, Lleyton Hewitt, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Corretja.

In other play, Australia's Philippoussis rallied from a set behind to beat Germany's David Prinosil 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in their quarterfinal match.

Philippoussis, seeded 13th, took control in the second set, breaking serve once, holding all his service games and closing the set with an ace. He won the match-clinching tiebreaker on a forehand crosscourt at net.

"It definitely wasn't easy. It could have gone either way. Fortunately, it went my way," said Philippoussis, whose win marks his first passage to the semifinals after being eliminated from the past two quarterfinals of the annual Paris tournament.

The 23-year-old Australian, who had lost to Prinosil in their two prior clashes, eliminated No. 4 seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia from the third round.

Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero, seeded twelfth, was scheduled to clash with Fabrice Santoro of France later Friday. The winner faces Safin in the semifinals.

The Paris tournament, formerly the Paris Open, is the last of the nine-event Tennis Masters Series - and could be crucial in determining the world's top-ranked player. Agassi withdrew from the Paris Masters with an injured hip. Sampras decided to skip the tournament

Kuerten to face Philippoussis in semifinals
By Winsor Dobbin
PARIS (Reuters)(DS) - French Open winner Gustavo Kuerten lined up a Paris Masters semifinal with Mark
Philippoussis on Friday after a 6-3 6-4 victory over Spain's Albert Costa.
Kuerten, bidding for his fifth title of the year, faced little danger in his third consecutive straight-sets victory in
the $2.95 million dollar tournament.
The Brazilian grabbed an early break for a 3-0 lead in the first set and his grip on the match was never
seriously tested.
Kuerten broke again in the ninth game of the second set -- much to Costa's frustration -- and served out in 84
minutes.
"It felt like I could close my eyes and still hit winners today," Kuerten said. "I couldn't have expected any
better."
Kuerten has 25 wins in Tennis Masters Series events this year, more than any other player, as he battles
Russian Marat Safin for the number one spot in the year-end rankings.
Philippoussis, seeded 13th, took almost two hours to grind his way to three-set quarter-final triumph over
German qualifier David Prinosil.

DIGGING DEEP
Chasing his ninth career title, Philippoussis had to dig deep as he made the final four of the event for the first
time with his 4-6 6-4 7-6 win.
After a sparkling straight sets win over fourth-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov on Thursday, Philippoussis
struggled to find his form against the Czech-born Prinosil. His 15 aces were countered by six double faults.
"I felt like I had no rhythm out there, particularly on my serve," he said. "But the main thing is I got through."
Prinosil, who had won both his previous meetings with the Australian, took the first set in 34 minutes. He made
the crucial break in the 10th game as the Australian trailed 15-40 and then dumped a simple forehand volley into
the net.
Philippoussis broke in the first game of the second set, wich proved enough to later take the set and level at
1-1.
The final set went with serve until the tiebreaker, in which the former U.S. Open finalist moved up a gear and
won the final four points.
Philippoussis has made a good start under his new coach, former Wimbledon doubles champion Peter
McNamara, who first coached him as a 12-year-old. He also reached the final in Hong Kong last month in his first
tournament after linking up again with McNamara.

BACK TO ROOTS
"We've gone back to the roots," Philippoussis said. "We have a good chemistry and Peter knows the things I
enjoyed doing in practice when I was 17 or 18. I'm trying to learn how to use my power to become a more
complete player."
Kuerten has already beaten one Australian in this tournament -- a straight sets win over Pat Rafter in the last
16. He has only played Philippoussis once before, beating him in Rome earlier this year.
"Gustavo is hitting the ball great and playing with a lot of confidence at the moment -- but anything can
happen," Philippoussis said.
Matches scheduled later on Friday will see U.S. Open champion Safin playing eighth-seeded Spaniard Alex
Corretja and Frenchman Fabrice Santoro against Corretja's compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero, the 12th seed.