Rusedski Finds He Can Work With Clay

Patrick Rafter of Australia is close to becoming No. 1 in the world, and Andre Agassi is the only American left after three rounds at the French Open, preparing for a marquee fourth-round match against defending champion Carlos Moya of Spain.

Interesting developments, certainly.

But that isn’t the most unusual twist at Roland Garros. The clear winner is the presence of Canadian-turned-Brit Greg Rusedski in the fourth round. Rusedski, seeded 12th, is closing in on the best British result in the open era at Roland Garros, which occurred in 1973 when Roger Taylor reached the quarterfinals.

Rusedski, at home on a fast court, defeated clay-courter Davide Sanguinetti of Italy, 6-2, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2, in the third round Friday. He had reached the third round here only once, in 1994, and had not won a match at the French Open since 1996.

Naturally, Rusedski has been poking fun at his supposed ineptness.

“I think you have a better chance of seeing a UFO land in Britain today than me winning the French Open,” Rusedski said last month in Monte Carlo.

He is fond of using that line and used it again Friday. Previously, he also cautioned fans, saying “They should be shot for being so stupid,” to bet on him.

Wimbledon is the usual highlight of the year for the Brits. But Tim Henman, who had never won a match here, nearly joined Rusedski in the fourth round before losing a heartbreaker to Alberto Berasategui of Spain, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4, in 3 hours 26 minutes.

“Inside myself, I was thinking I was going home,” said Berasategui, who at one point was down a service break in the third set.

“I thought my face was going to be like the fans from Bayern [Munich]. But now I think his face is like the one from Bayern Munich. It’s probably tough for him.”

He was speaking of Manchester United’s miracle victory against Bayern Munich earlier this week in the Champions Cup soccer final at Barcelona.

Said Henman: “It’s a disappointing way to end my clay-court run. . . . The thought of playing on clay probably seven, eight weeks ago wasn’t really high on my list. But now I relish the challenge.”

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Rafter is dubious about Pete Sampras playing singles for the United States in the upcoming Davis Cup match in Boston.

“I don’t know if the boys [his teammates] will let him play, to be honest,” he said.

He joked about Sampras playing doubles with a certain TV commentator.

“I asked [John] McEnroe today if he was going to play with him,” Rafter said.

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Today’s Featured Matches

* Men: Patrick Rafter (3) vs. Fernando Meligeni; Alex Corretja (6) vs. Gaston Gaudio; Gustavo Kuerten (8) vs. Sjeng Schalken; Felix Mantilla (14) vs. Tommy Haas.

* Women: Lindsay Davenport (2) vs. Fabiola Zuluaga; Monica Seles (3) vs. Maria Antonia Sanchez-Lorenzo; Steffi Graf (6) vs. Asa Carlsson; Patty Schnyder (11) vs. Anna Kournikova; Silvia Farina vs. Jennifer Capriati.