Dang, Guga!

[Shaolin]

http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/slideshow

From relaxed surfer dude to psycho from cell block 8 in one haircut.

[sseemiller]

I agree. Anyway, rather than start a new topic, I may as well post the ATP Saturday updates from Marseille and Brazil. Sorry, I haven't posted them every day, but I was busy with other stuff. I'll just do it when I can. Talk about an exciting final in Brazil; Guga could just do it.

Brazil, (Rain has suspended play)

TO ALL MEDIA:

Calleri v Kuerten 63 26 01 (Calleri serves/con servicio).

Rain forced to suspend the final for the day. The match will continue tomorrow SUNDAY at 15.00 hrs local time (-3GMT).

Calleri won the first pretty easily but Guga came back in the second helped with crowd support to level the match. The match started with rain and continued like this for the whole match until the beginning of the third set when the Supervisor Paulo Pereira decided to stop the match.

For further information please call or e-mail:

**********************
Partido suspendido al principio del tercer set por lluvia. El partido se continuara maniana DOMINGO a las 15.00hrs hora local en Salvador de Bahia.

Calleri se anoto comodamente el primer set y Guga, ayudado por un publico muy excitado consiguio nivelar el partido a set iguales. El partido siempre se jugo bajo la lluvia y al inicio del tercer set el supervisor de la ATP en Sauipe Paulo Pereira decidio parar el encuentro.

Marseille:

RESULTS - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28
Singles - Semifinals
R Soderling (SWE) d (7)A Clement (FRA) 63 63
D Hrbaty (SVK) d J Bjorkman (SWE) 76(9) 63

Doubles - Semifinal
Damm/Suk d Hanley/Zimonjic 64 63

ORDER OF PLAY - SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 29
Center Court
3:00 PM
Singles Final - R Soderling (SWE) v D Hrbaty
followed by
Doubles Final - Knowles/Nestor v Damm/Suk


ATP MEDIA NOTES - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28
SODERLING REACHES SECOND CAREER FINAL; HRBATY ADVANCES TO THIRD FINAL IN 2004

Swedish teenager Robin Soderling reached his second career ATP final by defeating seventh-seeded Arnaud Clement, 6-3, 6-3, in one hour and 11 minutes. Soderling quickly went 2-0 down in the first set but came back strongly winning four consecutive games and taking control. Despite serving only eight aces during the match, the Swede dominated the rallies against a below-par Clement, the crowd favorite in Marseille. Soderling had reached his first ATP final in his hometown tournament of Stockholm last October losing to American Mardy Fish, 7-6 in the final set.
In-form Slovak Dominik Hrbaty qualified for his third ATP final in 2004 with a 7-6(9), 6-3 win over Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman. The Slovak was impressive from the back of the court against Bjorkman and he saved two set points in the first set tiebreak which he won 11-9 on his third set point. Hrbaty has won 16 matches in 2004, more than any other player this season (Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick have won 14) and has won two titles.

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID
Soderling: "It is a great feeling to reach my second final. Today it wasn’t my best match of the week but it feels great to have come through. The crowd was cheering him but it did not bother me because it is normal. They would have done the same in Stockholm.”

“I played a good match tactically. I knew that Arnaud likes it when you hit hard so I slowed down the pace. Maybe it wasn’t my best match so far. I served well as I did in the previous three matches but I was surprised how easy it was as I expected a much tougher match.”

Clement: "I am disappointed but I will come back next year and the years after that to try and win this tournament before I stop playing. I thought I had a pretty good chance this year but I did not play my best tennis today.”

Hrbaty: “I served well, I played well from the baseline but tomorrow it will be a very different match. Robin plays a very fast game and hits the ball very hard and I haven’t played any player of this kind this year yet. I will have to hold my serve like the last two matches and try to get one break that in indoor tournaments is usually enough.”

“I play more relaxed now than when I was No. 12 or No. 13 in the world. Back then I put too much pressure on myself to reach the Top 10 because that was such a big goal for me. I was one match away in Dubai when I had three match points against (Juan Carlos) Ferrero and lost. Now my goal is to finish the year inside the Top 50. If I win enough ranking points in the first few months then I will revise my goal.”







FINAL MATCH

Robin Soderling (SWE) vs Dominik Hrbaty (SVK)

Head to Head: First Meeting

Robin Soderling is looking to become the second Swedish winner in Marseille after Thomas Enqvist who won this event on three occasions (1997-98, 2002) and the second Swedish winner in as many weeks on the 2004 ATP circuit (Joachim Johansson, Memphis). Johansson and Soderling grew up playing together and sharing the same coach and are considered the future of Swedish tennis.
Soderling has served 60 aces in his four match wins in Marseille. The Swede could become the youngest player to win the Open 13 title.
Dominik Hrbaty is through to his third final of the year, having won the first two tournaments he played in Adelaide and Auckland. The Slovak has more wins than any other player on the ATP circuit in 2004 (16). Only Hrbaty and Lleyton Hewitt have won two ATP titles in 2004 (Hewitt won in Sydney and Rotterdam)

Soderling FastFacts:
2004 Highlights:
YTD W-L: 6-4
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: August 14, 1984
INDESIT ATP 2004 Race: 78T
INDESIT ATP Entry Ranking: 57

Hrbaty FastFacts:
2004 Highlights:
W: Adelaide (d Llodra); Auckland (d Nadal);
YTD W-L: 16-2
YTD Titles: 2
Career Titles: 5
Date of Birth: January 4, 1978
INDESIT ATP 2004 Race: 7
INDESIT ATP Entry Ranking: 44

[Frodo Baggins]

Shaolin: Bald is beautiful (I should Know) I do know !!!

[Ronaldo]

Bald is beautiful??????????? I want dreads, gimme a head with hair, long beautiful hair
shining, gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen
Give me down to there, hair! I WANT HAIR

[@wright]

Guga looks like a recovering crack addict to me. Sorry to all you recovering crack addicts out there, but that's what he reminds me of.

[Frodo Baggins]

Ronaldo:If you want Dreads Hope you can stand not washing your hair or combing it then you'll have dreads.. Trust me Thats how blake got his. As for me I'm going for the messy bay watch look..... (Bald is still beautiful.)

[pound cat]

Here's the female counterpart to Guga on the WTA tour ..
http://www.eurosport.com/imgbk/TENNI...MD-I129412.jpg

(the instructions for posting an image make no sense to me whatsoever)

[CBodom]

all you do is click the Img button

[pound cat]

Thanks CBodom. I can do that. LOL It was all that stuff in brackets that confused me...