Empty Feeling for U.S. Women

Europe vs. the United States was the theme of Tuesday’s women’s quarterfinals at the French Open. By the time the last moon ball was launched on Court Suzanne Lenglen, it was an irrefutable victory.

It’s like the Ryder Cup, except the U.S. won’t be playing the final two days. Or, make that five remaining days at Roland Garros. No Justin Leonard-esque putt can save them because there is no one left.

The French Open has turned into Euro 2000 on the women’s side.

In order of dismal quarterfinal departures:

* Fourth-seeded Venus Williams, who had never lost to Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario of Spain on clay, fell to the three-time champion. The eighth-seeded Sanchez-Vicario pulled out her usual tireless array of lobs, spins and drop shots, defeating Williams, 6-0, 1-6, 6-2.

The Williams Family can’t seem to beat Sanchez-Vicario on these courts. Venus, playing in only her third event of 2000, was unable to earn many easy points with her big serve, the way she usually does. She double-faulted six times, including twice in the final game.

Her wrist injury has prevented her from spending much time on the shot.

“Well, she’s vulnerable because she’s been injured,” Sanchez-Vicario said. “She didn’t play much, but she’s still a tough opponent. You have to play well to beat her.”

Said Williams: “Each shot I hit, I have to think about it. Under any normal conditions, I don’t have to think about my shots. It’s very strange. No worries because eventually I’ll be there.”

* Unseeded Chanda Rubin never had

a chance against top-seeded Martina Hingis of Switzerland, winning only two of the first 13 games. Hingis, a two-time French Open finalist, beat Rubin, 6-1, 6-3, in 57 minutes.

Hingis is two matches from winning her first French Open title, the only Grand Slam event to elude her.

“It would be nice to win it,” Hingis said. “It’s not that I need it necessarily to live my life. I need oxygen to survive, but not the French Open.”

* Third-seeded Monica Seles, usually a model of semifinal predictability in Paris, inexplicably double-faulted twice in the crucial seventh game of the third set against sixth-seeded Mary Pierce of France. Pierce, who prevailed, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, reached the semifinals here for the first time since 1994. It is only the second time in nine appearances Seles failed to reach at least the semifinals at Roland Garros.

For the first time since 1967, there are no Americans in the men’s or women’s semifinals.

“It’s just one of those things that happen,” Seles said. “If you look at the bottom of the draw, it was so much easier from the beginning. It turned out to be like that. Probably for most American players, clay is not their favorite surface.”

In the semifinals, Hingis plays Pierce, and Sanchez-Vicario faces fifth-seeded Conchita Martinez. In an All-Spanish matchup, Martinez defeated 17-year-old qualifier Marta Marrero, 7-6 (5), 6-1.

Two men’s quarterfinals were also played, featuring one dramatic escape and one continuing dramatic French Open debut.

Fifth-seeded Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil was down a break in the fourth set against fourth-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia. Kuerten rallied for a 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory and will face 20-year-old Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain in the semifinals Friday.

Kuerten considered himself lucky to still be playing in the tournament.

“After this, I could be in Brazil already tomorrow,” he said. “So I’m just happy to play semifinal. It’s a gift.”

Said Kafelnikov: “Nothing much I can tell you. I had the match in my hands. I just basically gave it away.”

The 16th-seeded Ferrero defeated countryman and ’98 finalist Alex Corretja convincingly, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. This is Ferrero’s first French Open and he predicted the match would go four sets, and 2 hours 40 minutes. He was slightly off, winning in three sets and 2:23.

At this time last year, Ferrero was playing at a satellite event in the Czech Republic after failing to make the French Open, losing in the first round of qualifying.

“I believe he played it like a regular match,” the 10th-seeded Corretja said. “And that’s good for him. He’s going to be even better. There’s still room for him to improve.”

Ferrero hardly seems in awe of his surroundings.

“Surprised, a little bit,” he said. “Just a little split of a second you can be out of the tournament.”

He is two victories from becoming the first player since Mats Wilander in 1982 to win Roland Garros in his debut. Ferrero said he was not nervous.

“No, no,” he said. “I was not at all. . . . If there were nerves, it was in fact I was in quarterfinals, not the match itself.”

Franco Squillari of Argentina and Albert Costa of Spain won their fourth-round matches, which were postponed because of darkness Monday. Squillari defeated 15th-seeded Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco, 6-4, 6-1, 6-3, and Costa beat ninth-seeded Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

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French Open Glance

Highlights Tuesday of the $10.25-million French Open tennis championships at Roland Garros:

* Attendance: 25,560.

* Results: Men’s Singles, Quarterfinals: No. 5 Gustavo Kuerten beat No. 4 Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, and Juan Carlos Ferrero beat fellow Spaniard Alex Corretja, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. Women’s Singles, Quarterfinals: No. 8 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario ousted No. 4 Venus Williams, 6-0, 1-6, 6-2; No. 1 Martina Hingis beat Chanda Rubin, 6-1, 6-3; and No. 6 Mary Pierce beat third-seeded Monica Seles, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

* Stat of the Day: 0--number of Americans--men or women--who have reached the semifinals. This is the first year both genders have failed to secure a berth in the semis.

* Quote of the Day: “It’s not that I need it necessarily to live my life. I need oxygen to survive, but not the French Open.”--Martina Hingis, on how important a French Open win is to her.

Ousted

No. 8 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario beat

No. 4 Venus Williams,

6-0, 1-6, 6-2

No. 1 Martina Hingis beat Chanda Rubin,

6-1, 6-3

No. 6 Mary Pierce

beat

No. 3 Monica Seles,

4-6, 6-3, 6-4