Matchup Crosses Up the Dutch

It might not have seemed like a big deal to Andre Agassi that he was named the United States’ No. 1 Davis Cup singles player over Jim Courier. But it was a big deal to Dutch team captain Stanley Franker, who had planned to have 20-year-old Sjeng Schalken open against Courier on Friday.

When it was determined during the draw Thursday that Agassi would play in the first singles match, it threw the Dutch for a loop and created an Agassi-Schalken match they were hoping to avoid until Sunday, when it might not have mattered.

“Yeah, I think I would have rather played Courier first,” Schalken, the Dutch No. 2, said.

Schalken played well at times, but he also played defensively throughout his 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) loss to Agassi at Palisades Tennis Club in Newport Beach.

“I always had the feeling that he was pressuring me,” Schalken said. “He was making me make the plays. Normally, I do that. So, yeah, that’s why it’s frustrating. It’s not my game to be a counterpuncher.”

It’s also not Schalken’s game to be cocky. But Agassi made him sound that way after the match. Agassi said he was told by a friend at the Lipton Championships that Schalken was out to get him.

Schalken said Agassi must be mistaken.

“I would never do such a thing,” Schalken said. “I don’t know why such stories are coming from somebody. I am the underdog, and if I don’t play good, they kill me. So I don’t know how these stories happen. I think it is a little bit of an American way of building up a fight. But it is not my way.”

Schalken faced Agassi last year at Indian Wells and lost, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. He has fared better against Courier.

“We’ve played three wars,” Schalken said. “He won two and I won once.”

One of the wars was this year at the Australian Open. Courier won by taking the fifth set, 8-6.

So it is understandable that the Dutch and Schalken were hoping to see Courier open with Schalken and Jan Siemerink start with Agassi.

Why didn’t they?

It comes down to rankings. On March 17, Agassi was ranked ahead of Courier. But today, Courier is ranked 17th and Agassi 29th. The International Tennis Federation used the March 17 rankings to determine the order of singles players.

Normally, Nos. 1 and 2 are determined by rankings 10 days before the matches. But this year, the date 10 days before the matches was March 24. Since the Lipton matches were still being played then, new rankings didn’t come out until March 31.

“I don’t know the protocol,” Agassi said. “It’s the rules. It doesn’t matter. You have to win two matches. You have got to win as much as you can. I have no problem playing one or two.”

Had they known Agassi was ranked higher than Courier, would the Dutch still have chosen Schalken, who has played only two Davis Cup matches and is ranked 68th in singles, to be their No. 2 singles player?

Franker might have gone with Paul Haarhuis, who has played seven years of Davis Cup and is 13-7 in singles. Franker was criticized by the Dutch press for picking Schalken over Haarhuis, who will play doubles today with Jacco Eltingh.

“I’m not all that surprised I’m playing,” Schalken said. “I think they were worried that three tough matches might have been too much for Paul, and I had played Courier tough three times.”