U.S. Players Renew Hopes in Australia

Escapism, thy name is Australian Open.

If you want to forget your problems, well, the long trip works for tourists, and racket-toting tennis players are no better example. After all, there’s no long losing streak to defend.

Call it reinvention or rebuilding. There are plenty of stories behind the scenes here at the Australian Open, away from the TV cameras. Even among the American contingent, three emerged in the opening days -- Paul Goldstein, Ashley Harkleroad and Zack Fleishman.

First, there was the veteran, Goldstein. He had a rough spell, briefly circulating his resume and pondering his tennis future but finished 2005 ranked 68th. It was the first time he had been in the top 100 since 2000. Today, Goldstein won his first match at the Australian Open, beating highly touted youngster, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.

The raucous atmosphere apparently brought out some inappropriate behavior among the crowd. Goldstein, who will play Tommy Haas of Germany in the second round, said someone shouted at him during the third set. He had never heard this particular insult.

“While I’m serving, I’m hearing a little Osama bin Laden stuff,” Goldstein said. “I didn’t say one word to them. American friends were standing right next to them and at one point, ‘Why don’t you shut up?’ So they got into it.”

Melbourne was the scene of one of Goldstein’s biggest grand-slam moments. In 1999, he qualified and upset Greg Rusedski. His more recent claim to fame came last year for winning his 26th USTA pro circuit title.

“I said I guess I feel a little bit like Crash Davis,” he said. “That was my reaction. It’s not your goal. No one sets out to be the best circuit player ever, no one sets out to be the best minor-leaguer. It’s bittersweet. Today was sweet.”

Qualifier Zack Fleishman of Playa del Rey, who was ranked in the 600s about 10 months ago because of injuries, went through the gamut of emotions during his five-set, first-round loss against veteran Dick Norman of Belgium. This was the first grand-slam appearance after having tried to qualify eight other times.

Fleishman, drained from the long haul of qualifying, suffered from cramps and had to abandon his usual service motion after the second set and still nearly won, going up a service break, leading 2-0 in the fifth against the tall lefthander. Norman rallied to take the marathon, winning, 6-4, 7-6 (6), 5-7, 0-6, 6-3, in 3 hours 31 minutes.

“I’ve never experienced so many emotions in one tennis match ever,” said Fleishman, who played one season at UCLA. “I’ve never been so pumped up, never been so frustrated, never been so happy playing on a court, so excited. It was just the ultimate high and low out there.”

Harkleroad, once ranked as high as No. 39, shares some similarities to Fleishman. She too had to qualify for the tournament and had taken off nine months, mostly because of injuries and returned last year, hitting the minors, traveling to obscure events with her father in Italy and enduring one 22-hour train ride.

“That was not like a first-class train, a cattle car,” said Harkleroad, who will play Maria Sharapova of Russia Wednesday in the second round. “I’m telling you, that put me out for three days. It was almost like backpacking through Europe.

“They didn’t know who I was there. I wasn’t expecting anyone to know who I was there. We were just making our way there. It gave me a really good perspective on life and the hardships that you’re trying to get through.”

Harkleroad was once coached by Joe Giuliano, who was banned for life by the WTA tour for his involvement in an incident at La Costa in the summer with Russian player Evgenia Linetskaya, according to a report in the New York Times. Harkleroad was pleased by the WTA’s move regarding Giuliano.

“It’s a very positive thing he won’t be coming around,” she said in an interview with two American reporters. “He just got some issues that I think he probably needs to work out.”