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Recap: Hewitt and Horna Set For Sunday Final
Saturday, August 28, 2004
By Tara De Vito
tdevito@2004.tdwaterhousecup.com
Luis Horna, of Peru, outlasted two-time defending champion Paradorn Srichaphan, of Thailand, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5), to reach the first ATP Tour singles final of his career. The match, which ended Srichaphan’s 13-match win streak over his last three years at the tournament, came as a surprise to most, especially considering his sluggish play in the quick first set.
Horna had one word for his performance in the first set: "terrible.”
He elaborated.
“I was very nervous,” Horna said. “I knew I was playing good and I had confidence, but I got nervous.”
Srichaphan, fueled by the crowd and a strong desire to become the second three-time TD Waterhouse Cup champion, took advantage of every nervous error that Horna made in the first. Up two breaks, he won the set, 6-1. He continued on his way in the beginning of the second and broke serve in the first game. At that point, it was almost definitive that Srichaphan would end on top.
Horna, however, begged to differ. Currently under the coaching of former ATP pro Daniel Orsanic of Argentina, Horna was able to find his confidence and he used it to make an unbelievable come back.
“I knew at least one chance I was going to have,” Horna said. “I had it and I took it.”
Horna, who seemed to take on an entirely different identity, broke back in the fourth game to tie up the score, 2-2. He broke again in the sixth, but Srichaphan fought right back in the following game, making the score 3-4, on serve. Up 5-4, Horna managed to break once again to end the second set, 6-4.
In addition to the long, impressive, riveting rallies, the on-court etiquette by both players was imposing. Fans sat silently in awe, as the two players battled for the third set. Holding at love in the third game, followed by a long struggle to break serve in the fourth, Horna took a 4-1 lead. The matched seemed to be in his favor until the ninth game.
Horna, up 5-3, was on serve for the match when Srichaphan managed to break back and bring the set back on serve, shortly after changing to his lucky red shirt.
The match seemed as if it could go either way, even through the tiebreaker, which ended with Horna on top, 7-5, and a hug with Srichaphan at the net.
Earlier, Hewitt advanced to the championship match after a mere 43 minutes on court. His first time opponent Dmitry Tursunov of Russia retired after losing the first set 3-6, and down a break 0-1 in the second.
Hewitt won the toss and served up the first game with two aces. He continued to play aggressively and held serve at love in the fifth game which ended with two consecutive aces. With his solid strokes, smart shot selection, and dictatorial strategy, Hewitt plowed on, winning at love, once again, in the next game. He then held serve to take a 5-2 lead, and ended the set with two more aces at 6-3.
The second set saw only one game, in which down 15-0, Hewitt decided to break and won four straight points. It was at this point that the trainer met Tursunov at his bench, and he retired from his first quarterfinal match of his career on tour.
Tournament
Drawsheets
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Singles Draw
Doubles Draw (ATP)
Singles Draw (ATP)
Qualifying Draw (ATP)
Are You Hyped?
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Hewitt na final!!!