Corretja Has Tough Task

The nice guy nearly has it all.

Alex Corretja helped bring the Davis Cup to Spain, for the first time, last year. He is widely respected and is getting married to his longtime girlfriend, Marta, later in 2001.

One thing is missing.

A Grand Slam title.

Corretja has won the season-ending ATP Championship, in 1998, months after his best Slam performance, the French Open final. He lost to countryman Carlos Moya in the final.

“The first time it was difficult for me to concentrate,” Corretja said.

It was hard for Corretja to play a close friend, but today’s final might be a more formidable task. His opponent, top-seeded Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil, is perhaps a bigger obstacle than Moya. Kuerten, the two-time French Open champion, is the best player in the world on clay and has been swinging freely after receiving a reprieve in the fourth round. The defending champion, Kuerten survived a match point against qualifier Michael Russell.

Additionally, Kuerten seems to have some cosmic destiny after he drew a heart on the court with his racket after the Russell match.

Kuerten has lost four sets in six matches, but he looked particularly convincing in a straight-set win against Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain in the semifinals. Corretja, seeded 13th, dropped two sets in his first-round match against Mariano Zabaleta of Argentina and hasn’t lost one since.

Corretja and Kuerten have played each other six times, and Kuerten leads the series, 4-2, and has not lost to him since Hamburg in 1998. All of the matches were on clay and Kuerten’s last three victories, in Rome, have been in straight sets.

“Always in Rome,” Corretja said. “This is Roland Garros. I hope it’s going to be a different story. He beat me in the semifinals in Rome, semifinals in Rome, quarterfinals in Rome. This time I’m proud we are in Paris.”

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Men’s Finalists

Gustavo Kuerten has won the last four meetings with Alex Corretja:

GUSTAVO KUERTEN (1) VS. ALEX CORRETJA (13)

* 1998 Davis Cup, clay-outdoor, round robin Corretja, 6-3, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4

* 1998 TMS-Hamburg, clay-outdoor quarterfinals Corretja 4-6, 7-6, 6-4

* 1999 Davis Cup, clay-outdoor, round robin Kuerten, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5

* 1999 TMS-Roma, clay-outdoor semifinals Kuerten, 6-4, 6-2

* 2000 TMS-Roma, clay-outdoor semifinals Kuerten, 6-4, 6-2

* 2001 TMS-Roma, clay-outdoor quarterfinals Kuerten, 6-2, 6-3