Days two and three

Russians keep Davis Cup semi alive
By Julian Linden
 
BRISBANE, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Russia's Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Andrei
Olhovskiy beat Australia's Sandon Stolle and Mark Woodforde 6-1 6-4 4-6 4-6
8-6 on Saturday to cut their Davis Cup deficit to 2-1 and keep their
semifinal alive.
Needing to win the doubles after Kafelnikov and Maran Safin both lost their
singles matches on Friday, the Russians responded with a courageous display
to upset their more fancied opponents in an epic battle at Brisbane's ANZ
Stadium.
``I'm just happy we got through to keep the tie alive,'' said Kafelnikov, the
reigning Australian Open champion. ``Yesterday's performance was the worst of
my entire career but I feel like I have rebounded from that.''
Never one to underestimate his own ability, the world number two then
predicted he would thrash Adelaide teenager Lleyton Hewitt in Sunday's
reverse singles to leave Safin and Australia's Wayne Arthurs to fight out the
deciding rubber.
``I'm going to teach him (Hewitt) a lesson, he's going to learn the hard
way,'' Kafelnikov said.
``I'm definitely going to win tomorrow to give Marat the chance to be a
hero.''
Hewitt and Arthurs were only called into Australia's team after their top two
players Pat Rafter and Mark Philippoussis withdrew because of injury.
But Australia's non-playing Davis Cup captain John Newcombe dismissed
Kafelnikov's bold prediction as bravado insisting his players were up to the
job.
``If he (Kafelnikov) wants to talk the talk, he better be able to walk the
walk,'' Newcombe said.
``Lleyton seems to handle these situations very well and there's probably
more pressure on Kafelnikov than Lleyton.''
Playing on a grass court Kafelnikov described as a ``potato field'' after he
lost to Arthurs on Friday, the Russian pair raced through the opening two
sets to take a commanding lead.
They broke the Australians three times in the opening set then once, in the
10th game of the second, to silence the capacity crowd.
But the Aussies hit back immediately, breaking Kafelnikov's serve in the
third set when Stolle, who teamed up with Cyril Suk to win last year's U.S.
Open doubles, cracked a backhand winner down the line.
Urged on by their fiercely patriotic fans, the Australian pair then forced
the match into a fifth and deciding set when Woodforde, who already has nine
grand slam doubles titles to his credit including five Wimbledons, broke
Olhovskiy's delivery when he forced the Russian into error.
With the momentum suddenly in Australia's favour, the two Russians had to
survive break points on serve before they finally combined to break
Woodforde's service in the 14th game to claim victory after three hours and
16 minutes.
``We're very disappointed but we've got to take it on the chin,'' Woodforde
said. ``We came back well but it's just too hard to claw your way back from
two sets down.''
``It would have been nice to close it out today,'' Newcombe added. ``But
we're still leading and we're in with a good chance.''


Russia Hits Back in Davis Cup Against Australia
(From the NEC DC Website)
 
Brisbane, Sep. 25 
Russia remains alive in the Davis Cup by NEC semifinal against Australia. So
often the doubles rubber becomes the vital match of the three day series and
that is the case once again as Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Andrei Olhovskiy
defeated Mark Woodforde and Sandon Stolle 6-1, 6-4, 4-6, 4-6, 8-6.
For the Australians it was a sense of deja vu for they had been in the same
situation during the quarterfinal tie against the United States in Boston in
July.
The Russians were very dominant till late in the third set but at the same
time Stolle was a weak link for the Australian combination. He just could not
find his rhythm and Kafelnikov and Olhovskiy were able to dominate the match.
However the situation may have been different if Woodforde and Stolle were
able to convert one of the three break points they had on Olhovskiy's serve
in the second game of the match. Instead it was the Russians who broke
Stolle's serve twice and Woodforde's once.
"I felt like I played very mediocre but I also felt that Andrei played as
well as he could and because of that we won the match," said Kafelnikov.
The third game of the second also became a game of lost chances for Australia
- they had three break points on Olhovskiy, he was down 0/40, and the Aussies
could not convert. The first time the home side got a sniff of the match was
when they managed to break Kafelnikov in the seventh game of the third set.
It was only then that Woodforde and Stolle started to mesh well.
The huge crowd created a tremendous atmosphere with their chanting and
singing which spurred on the Aussies.
They then snapped Olhovskiy early in the fourth set and survived break points
on Woodforde's serve to go into a fifth. Again break chances came up and
never did Woodforde and Stolle managed to get the advantage. Then in the 14th
game the pressure was on and Woodforde dropped his serve and with it went the
match.
"I think I have become very accustomed, as far as Davis Cup goes, that the
point I'm a part of is pretty much a certainty, so to suffer two losses like
we have - been down two sets to love and clawed our way back in to lose a
close match in the fifth, it's not the best feeling but you have to take it
on the chin, there is nothing else I can do," said Woodforde.
Stolle feels he has let the others down as well as himself and wished that he
could have found the form he displayed late in the match, earlier on.
Woodforde added: "It's just too hard to claw your way back. It's
disappointing to get down and then have to play a style of tennis where every
point matters. It's not that we can't do that, but we'd prefer not to be two
sets to love down."
Australian captain John Newcombe said it would have been nice to have been
able to close out the tie with the doubles or in the fourth match, but the
thought of the series going into a deciding fifth rubber remains very vivid.
"We'll be trying to get Wayne (Arthurs) up and he will have to go to sleep
and wake up thinking he has to play the fifth match and not hope that Lleyton
is going to win," said Newcombe. "There will be more pressure on Kafelnikov
than on Lleyton and we will be encouraging Lleyton to take the game to
Kafelnikov rather than let him dictate the style of play."
The Russian meanwhile has his own ideas: "I'm going to win and perhaps I am
going to give Marat another chance to be a hero just as he was in the last
tie."
END
 


AUSSIE'S FIND NEW WORD FOR POTATO
By Selina Day

BRISBANE, Sept 25 AAP - Brisbane tennis fans today came up with a new word
for the humble potato - KAFELNIKOV.
Russian world No.2 Yevgeny "Spud" Kafelnikov opened the oven door yesterday,
describing the ANZ Stadium grass court as a nothing more than a "potato
field".
Today he received an old-fashioned Aussie roast from the vocal lunatic lime
army, perched high in the northern grandstand, constantly reminding him of
his potato backhander.
It was a bake the Russian star will not quickly forget, although he and his
doubles partner Andrei Olhovskiy served up a menu of Woodforde and Stolle pie
to the 12,000 fans cooking in the midday sun, taking today's doubles 6-1 6-4
4-6 4-6 8-6.
Fans did everything but throw potatoes at Kafelnikov as he and Olhovskiy
warmed up before their five-set win.
Their lighthearted jibes could have had the usually unflappable Russian
spitting chips.
But Kafelnikov, a straight-talking character, saw the humour, allowing
himself a wry Russian smile under his broad brimmed white tennis cap.
The humble spud was given a culinary work over by a 50-strong pack of vocal,
lime-clad Aussie fans who had the big crowd joining them as they sung their
way through every imaginable potato recipe in the cook book.
"If you like potatoes peeled, clap your hands," chanted the lime lunatics,
many among the sellout crowd roaring and clapping along with them.
Their tunes took in the mashing, baking, roasting and boiling of the vege
staple and tossed in salad and soup for good measure.
And, when a potato-sized tennis ball zoomed past Kafelnikov, another fan
bellowed out "how do you like them potatoes?"
Earlier, the lime brigade had set the scene with a vocal tribute to Davis Cup
rookie Wayne Arthurs, Australian tennis' newest hero after his four-set
drubbing of Kafelnikov in yesterday's singles.
"Jesus Christ, Superstar, drinks with us all at the local bar," they waxed in
King Arthur's honour after loosening their vocal chords with a rousing
rendition of Waltzing Matilda.

KAFELNIKOV OUT TO TEACH HEWITT LESSON
By Wayne Heming

BRISBANE, Sept 25 AAP - Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov has set the scene for a
fiery Davis Cup singles clash with young Australia Lleyton Hewitt in
tomorrow's reverse singles, warning the emotional teenager he is going to
"teach him a lesson".
Hewitt doesn't need any motivation to play well for his country, but if he
did, Kafelnikov handed it to him on a plate today.
"I'm going to give him a lesson tomorrow. He's going to learn the hard way,"
said the world No.2 after he and Andrei Olhovskiy rescued the semi-final tie
with a 6-1 6-4 4-6 4-6 8-6 doubles win over a gallant Mark Woodforde and
Sandon Stolle.
Woodforde and Stolle almost staged a stunning revival but in the end it
proved to be another major disappointment - like their recent five set loss
to the US in Boston when they also clawed back from two sets down only to
lose in five.
"It's not the best feeling, but you've got to take it on the chin," said
Woodforde, hoping for a belated birthday win after turning 34 on Thursday.
"It's disappointing to get down and then have to play a style of tennis where
every point really matters."
Stolle was even more distressed after playing below his best in the opening
two sets when the Russians set up their victory.
"I'm obviously majorly disappointed, but there's not much you can do except
help the boys get up tomorrow. I feel like I've let them down a little bit as
well as myself," Stolle said.
Kafelnikov's pot shot at Hewitt, who has the chance to wrap up a win
tomorrow, was relayed to Australian captain John Newcombe who was asked how
his young charge - unbeaten in three Davis Cup singles rubbers - would react
when he read the Russian's barb in tomorrow's newspaper.
"He won't have to wait until tomorrow morning ... I'll go and tell him as
soon as we're finished here," said Newcombe.
Newcombe, regarded as one of toughest Davis Cup performers, simply shrugged
and said Kafelnikov was "silly" to make such statements before he played
someone.
"If you're going to talk the talk, you've got to walk the walk after you
talk."
Newcombe said Hewitt, 18, who won both his singles matches earlier this year
under enormous pressure against the US in his Davis Cup debut in Boston,
would not be fazed by playing Kafelnikov.
"Lleyton seems to handle these circumstances very well. There's probably more
pressure on Kafelnikov than there is on Lleyton.
"We'll be encouraging Lleyton to go out there and go for his shots, to be
aggressive and take it to Kafelnikov."
Kafelnikov has spent the week firing shots at the Aussie camp and the
condition of the ANZ Stadium grass court.
He was no less relenting after today's three-and-a-quarter hour doubles
battle which ebbed and flowed as the 11,000 fans drifted in and out of the
contest.
"You want me to say some nice words about the court; I won't, because the
court is still in bad condition," fired the steely-eyed 25-year-old who was
baked by the big crowd at every opportunity after yesterday likening the
court to a potato field."
But Kafelinkov, who also refused to acknowledge Wayne Arthurs' great win over
him yesterday, said he would give team-mate Olhovskiy credit for today's win.
"I'm going to give him credit for keeping me motivated, that we won the match.
"He was the one who basically told me I had to stay forward no matter how the
bounce was going to be and I'm very pleased with his performance."
Kafelnikov and Olhovskiy pulled out the big gun returns in the opening two
sets today as both Woodforde and Stolle struggled with their volleys and
failed to apply any early pressure.
But the match changed complexion when the Australians attacked Kafelnikov's
serve in the seventh game of the third set taking a 4-3 lead before closing
out the set 6-4.
With Stolle picking up his service game Australia took the fourth set 6-4
after pressuring Olhovskiy's serve in the third game to secure the vital
break.
The deciding fifth set went with serve with the Australians having their
chances to break the Russians early before Woodforde finally cracked in the
14th game.

Day 3

Hewitt, Arthurs lift Aussies to Davis Cup final
By Julian Linden
 
BRISBANE, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Australia advanced to their first Davis Cup
final in six years when they completed a 4-1 win over Russia on Sunday,
winning both reverse singles to set up a final showdown against France.
Fielding a weakened team because of the unavailability of Pat Rafter and Mark
Philippoussis, Australia completed an emphatic win against a cocky Russian
team who had predicted they would thrash the understrength home side.
``Considering the players we had out, this was a fantastic effort that
everyone should be proud of,'' Australia's non-playing captain John Newcombe
said. ``Now let's go to France and bring the Davis Cup home.''
Australia's heroes, once again, were teenager Lleyton Hewitt and Wayne
Arthurs, the veteran serve-and-vollyer making his Davis Cup debut at the age
of 28.
Hewitt thrashed world number two Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-4 7-5 6-2 to make a
mockery of the Russian's claim that he was going to teach the young Aussie a
lesson, before Arthurs defeated Marat Safin 6-3 6-2 in the dead fifth rubber.
Hewitt, already ranked 31 in the world despite being just 18 years old,
accused Kafelnikov's of bad sportsmanship when he failed to give him any
credit after crashing to an embarrassing defeat that cost his team any chance
of making the final.
``He's been mouthing off all week,'' Hewitt said. ``He told everyone that he
was going to teach me a lesson but if there's a lesson to be learnt, it's
that he should learn to shut his mouth. This really just shows us how much of
a bad loser he is.''
Kafelnikov infuriated the Australians when he described Brisbane's ANZ
Stadium grass courts as a ``potato field'' after he was beaten on Friday by
Arthurs, a player ranked 89 places below him.
Unrepentant, Kafelnikov turned on Hewitt after losing to him in straight sets
on Sunday, belittling his performance as a fluke and claiming he didn't have
the game to compete at the highest level.
``He didn't impress me at all,'' Kafelnikov said. ``He doesn't have a big
game, he just had a good day. The only good thing he has is his fighting
spirit.''
Newcombe told a news conference that other members of the Russian team had
privately told him that they were upset by Kafelnikov's remarks.
``I think we saw who's got the guts and who hasn't,'' Newcombe said.
``Underneath all the bravado, he's a little brittle.''
Needing to win his match against Hewitt to keep the tie alive after Russia
went into the final day trailing 2-1, Kafelnikov soon found himself in
trouble as the pony-tailed Australian won four games in a row before the
Russian was on the scoreboard.
Hewitt failed to take out the set at his first attempt when Kafelnikov broke
his service in the eighth game but made no mistake the second time round,
despite trailing 0-40 on serve.
Kafelnikov played much better at the start of the second set, opening up a
5-2 lead, but blew his chance to square the match at one set all as Hewitt
won five games on the trot.
With his spirit seemingly broken, Kafelnikov lost his opening service game in
the third set and dropped serve again in the seventh game with a
double-fault, his 18th of the match, as Hewitt clinched the tie for Australia
in front of a capacity crowd of 12,000.
Arthurs, whose father Derek played Davis Cup for Ireland, capped a memorable
season by beating Safin in the dead rubber. The left-hander was virtually
unknown at the start of the year when he was still playing on the satellite
circuit, but went on to make his mark at Wimbledon, reaching the fourth round
before losing to current world Number one Andre Agassi.
The American was so impressed by Arthurs's booming serve and sharp volleys
that he publicly encouraged the Australians to pick him for the Davis Cup.
Newcombe says he now believes Arthurs has the ability to win the sport's
greatest individual prize. ``I sincerely believe Wayne has the game to win
Wimbledon, maybe not next year but possibly the year after. He's a very
mature player and it's a realistic target.''

AUSSIES SLAM "LOUSY LOSER" KAFELNIKOV AFTER CUP SEMI WIN
By Wayne Heming and Michael Crutcher

BRISBANE, Sept 26 AAP - An angry Australian camp sent big-talking Russian
Yevgeny Kafelnikov packing with a mighty serve after sealing a Davis Cup
final berth with a 4-1 win here today.
Adelaide teenager Lleyton Hewitt capped a perfect weekend and a rapid rise
from team orange boy when he steamrolled world No.2 Kafelnikov 6-4 7-5 6-2 in
the first reverse singles rubber of the semi-final at ANZ Stadium.
In doing so, he handed captain John Newcombe an enormous selection headache
for Australia's first Cup final appearance in six years.
With Pat Rafter optimistic he'll be fit to return for the final against
France in France from December 3-5, Newcombe faces a likely choice between
Hewitt and injured Mark Philippoussis for second singles berth.
And, after the passionate Hewitt celebrated the "greatest moment of my life"
with a comprehensive win today, his fourth in as many Davis Cup matches,
he'll be extremely hard to leave out.
Hewitt had remained quiet all week in the face of Kafelnikov's trash talking
but he admitted the Russian's promise to give him a "lesson" today had fired
him up for their match today.
"Bloody oath," said Hewitt, drawing a roar of approval from the Australian
supporters.
"I wanted to come out here and kill him today.
"There's nothing better than beating a bloke who's been mouthing off all week
about how he's going to beat us."
Injured Australian ace Rafter weighed into the war of words today, declaring
Kafelnikov a "sook" and a bad sport.
"I felt like jumping the net sometimes and going on the court and giving him
a big serve," Rafter said.
"He's disrespectful, not just of his Russian teammates but of the game of
tennis. He's given a bad example but no one's listening."
But the straight sets loss didn't stop Kafelnikov from firing a parting barb
from a mouth that packed more punch than his racquet during the three-day tie.
"He's young and enthusiastic but his game doesn't impress me," Kafelnikov
said of Hewitt.
"He doesn't create any specific situation, his serve is mediocre. He had a
good day. That's it."
But Hewitt got the last word when he was asked about his hurried handshake
with Kafelnikov while the capacity Brisbane crowd rocked the temporary stands
in celebration.
"I didn't want to give him the time of day at all," Hewitt said.
"It shows how bad he is as a loser. I think he should have learned a lesson
-- I know I didn't learn a lesson from him."
"I was wondering how much I owe him," said Hewitt, pulling two $50 notes out
of his wallet in a mock gesture.
Hewitt's Australian teammate Wayne Arthurs completed the 4-1 rout when he
demolished Russian teenager Marat Safin 6-3 6-2 in just 49 minutes in a dead
fifth and final rubber to end a disastrous weekend for the visitors, whose
only win came in yesterday's marathon doubles match.
Despite his perfect debut for Australia, Arthurs could lose his singles spot
for the final with Rafter hopeful of returning from a shoulder injury to line
up in the decider on an expected slow clay surface in Bordeaux or Nice
against France, which toppled Belgium in its semifinal.
Newcombe could not shine any light on the likely make-up of the final team
while Rafter and Philippoussis were still recovering from the injuries which
ruined their US Open campaigns.
Newcombe did weigh into the Kafelnikov issue, questioning the mettle of the
Australian Open champion after he threw away a 5-2 lead in the second set,
losing seven consecutive games.
"I think what we saw is that underneath all the bravado he's a little brittle
underneath," Newcombe said.
"A number of the Russian team members have come up and said to me they
wouldn't want us to think that they echoed his sentiments.
"He's won one set in two five-set matches (over the weekend)."
"He got his behind whipped. That's as well as he could play today."
Hewitt began the third set on a high when he broke a tiring Kafelnikov in the
first game before repeating the dose in the seventh to put himself within
reach of victory in the 2hrs 21mins rubber.
He served the match out strongly, celebrating by throwing his racquet high in
jubilation before jumping on the spot and racing to embrace Newcombe and his
teammates.



HEWITT SHOVES YEVGENY'S BOLD PREDICTIONS DOWN HIS THROAT
By Wayne Heming

BRISBANE, Sept 26 AAP - As a tipster, Yevgeny Kafelnikov makes a pretty good
tennis player.
The outspoken Russian world No.2 played himself straight into the grand final
for the world's worst tipster here this weekend with his Davis Cup
predictions.
First, the 25 year-old Russian chastised a journalist who dared suggest
Russia could find itself two rubbers down at the end of the first day's
singles on Friday.
"That won't happen. It's not going to happen, believe. You shouldn't even
consider asking that question," said the bold Russian.
Wrong.
Kafelnikov said Russia would sacrifice the doubles. Wrong again as he was
forced to play doubles with Russia 2-0 down after day one.
Then he put his foot in his mouth yet again by declaring he would teach
Australian teenager Lleyton Hewitt a lesson in today's reverse singles,
giving teammate Marat Safin the chance to snatch the tie against Wayne
Arthurs in the final rubber.
"I will teach him (Hewitt) a lesson. He will learn the hard way and Marat
will have a chance to be a hero again," said Kafelnikov.
No cigar again.
In fact, it was 18-year-old Hewitt, ranked 30-odd places below the Russian
and playing in only his fouth Davis Cup match, who handed the Russian a
lesson in all aspects of grass court tennis to wrap up an Australian win.
And Hewitt delighted in shoving Kafelnikov's words back down his throat to
the wild cheers of thousands of fans during a courtside interview immediately
after his win.
"There's no better feeling than coming out and beating a bloke whose been
mouthing off all week about how he's going to beat us," said a still highly
pumped Hewitt.
"I wanted to come out here and kill him today.
"It was the best moment of my life."
Hewitt has now put the pressure right on captain John Newcombe to retain him
for the Davis Cup final against France in December even if both Pat Rafter
and Mark Phillippoussis are fit.
Asked how his French was, Hewitt said: "We're going to bring home the Cup, I
can tell you that."
Unfortunately for Russia, Kafelnikov's tennis during the three day Brisbane
tie, almost matched his shocking tipping form.
He had previously gained a reputation for brave - and correct - predictions,
tipping Swden's Thomas Enqvist would choke in their Australian Open final
earlier this year then declaring only three players - Andre Agassi, Todd
Martin or himself - could win the US Open where Agassi prevailed.
In Kafelnikov's defence, he was left to play almost a lone hand, with 19
year-old teammate Safin unable to mentally come to grips with playing on
grass or having the maturity to rise to the occasion like Hewitt or 2-
year-old Australian rookie Wayne Arthurs.
While Kafelnikov's bravado may have backfired on him, what can't be
questioned is the Russian's toughness, playing 12 sets of tennis straight on
a court surface he clearly detested and which failed to offer his game any
assistance.
Kafelnikov talked tough all week, but in the end, just as Australian captain
and Davis Cup stalwart John Newcombe tipped, he couldn't walk the walk, after
talking the talk.
Hopefully for Australia's sake, Kafelnikov is tipping France to win the Davis
Cup.

Australia March to the Davis Cup Final - Russia Beaten 4-1
(From the Official NEC Davis Cup Website)
 
Brisbane, Sep. 26 
Australia will play France for the Davis Cup by NEC. Lleyton Hewitt gave
Australia an unassailable 3-1 lead over Russia in the semifinal played in
Brisbane, Australia, when he soundly dismissed Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-4, 7-5,
6-2. It truly was an impressive lesson in Davis Cup patriotism from the 18
year old and the intended lesson Kafelnikov was going to hand the teenager
never amounted to anything.
Then to really rub salt into the Russian's wounds, Wayne Arthurs claimed the
final dead rubber by beating Marat Safin 6-3, 6-2 to give Australia a final
score of 4-1.
For Hewitt, it was to be the finest moment of his young career. He was just
sensational, frustrating Kafelnikov from all parts of the grass court,
reeling off eleven of the last 13 games from 2-5 in the second set.
"It's an unbelievable feeling to play it (greatest match of his career) on
such a big occasion, semifinals of the Davis Cup, when it's all on the line,"
said Hewitt. "The team has really wanted to make the final for a few years
now and it's been a long time between drinks, so we are looking forward to
going into it. The atmosphere out there, playing at home, playing in front of
such a good crowd in Brisbane, it's just a fantastic feeling."
Hewitt started the match like a bullet train opening up a 4-0 lead.
Kafelnikov double faulted on the first point of the match, that was one of 18
double faults he hit during the match, and played some strange tennis, he was
almost trying to soft ball Hewitt by hitting slice backhands and slower
forehands.
The crowd, led by the Aussie cheer squad "The Fanatics" were seizing on the
situation and making plenty of noise. They were working hard to rattle the
Russian and continued the trend they had started the day before where they
sang "One potato, two potato, three potato four" following Kafelnikov's
comment of the grass court. This time in response to his comments of giving
Hewitt a lesson, they sang a rather cracked version of Pink Floyd's "Hey
teacher, leave those kids alone".
It was getting Hewitt even more pumped up. He said: "I think we (crowd) work
off each other a bit. They really helped me and I suppose I helped them a lot
and get me going and I react to it."
But Kafelnikov managed to find a little chink suddenly and he got one of his
breaks back. Hewitt was then serving for the set and went down 0-40 but
incredibly his will power brought him back and he held for the set. The
Russian then hit his strides once more and from 1-2 and a break down in the
second set he reeled off four straight games, but by his own admission he
"played a stupid game" and the Aussie terrier was in the hunt again.
Game after game fell to the 18 year old and his courage was brilliant. He
broke Kafelnikov in the first game and then in the seventh game and served it
out by putting away a forehand on match point. Hewitt leapt high into the air
and before his feet hit the ground again he was racing over to his captain
John Newcombe, by then the entire Australian team had invaded the court and
the stadium went crazy.
The sad part of the result was the fact that Kafelnikov was brutal in his
negativity of Hewitt's performance saying that he didn't do anything really
to win the match and he "isn't impressed with his game at all".
He added: "It's disappointing, especially losing two singles matches but life
will go on. I started slow and that was the reason I was down on myself at
the beginning and it was tough to come back. He is young and very
enthusiastic but his game doesn't impress me, not at all. He doesn't do much,
he doesn't create any specific situations. He doesn't have a big game and
served very mediocre and played okay off the backhand and forehand."
Hewitt then took out $100 from his wallet and offered that as payment to
Kafelnikov for the lesson he had offered to give him. The Australian actually
thumbed his nose at the Russian's comments.
"I'm not sure who he is giving credit to, but it's a bit disappointing I
suppose," said Hewitt. "Wayne (Arthurs) came out and played the best match
he's ever played and I have done the same and we basically killed him and
there is no way around that. He can't get away from that. He's been big
mouthing off all week and at the end of the day he just wasn't good enough."
So Australia travels to France, location unknown, in early December to try
and win the greatest annual team sports event in the world for the 27th time.
Hewitt says his hand will definitely be up for selection, after all he has
now won all four of the singles matches he has played in Davis Cup.
"It will be a totally different situation now, playing away from home again.
I guess we will have to take a little bit from that USA win we had in July in
Boston, and hardly had any support there and came up pretty big in that one,
and hopefully Pat (Rafter) is available," said Hewitt.

Kafelnikov under fire after Davis Cup defeat
By Gennady Fyodorov 
MOSCOW, Sept 27 (Reuters) - World number two Yevgeny Kafelnikov was under
fire from the Russian media on Monday for his lacklustre performance in the
Davis Cup clash against Australia.
``It was a waste, it was simply a waste for Russian tennis,'' said veteran
radio commentator Pyotr Vernik of Kafelnikov's efforts in the weekend's
semifinal tie in Brisbane.
``He played like he cared little about either his team or his country.''
A second-string Australia team who were without their two leading players,
Patrick Rafter and Mark Philippoussis, because of injury, completed a 4-1 win
over Russia on Sunday to earn a place in the final against France.
It was not so much the defeats but more the manner of losing and the
performance of double Grand Slam title winner Kafelnikov that upset most
Russians -- along with his pre-match arrogance.
Kafelnikov lost both his singles, to 18-year-old Lleyton Hewitt and Davis Cup
rookie Wayne Arthurs, after boldly predicting that he would easily beat both.
``Wayne might worry me for a short period of time but I don't think he can
play consistently for a five-set match,'' said the Russian before being
crushed by Arthurs 6-2 6-7 6-2 6-0 on the opening day.
``I'm going to teach him (Hewitt) a lesson, he's going to learn the hard
way,'' Kafelnikov boasted before losing the decisive match to the teenager in
straight sets on Sunday.
Vernik, who has covered tennis for almost three decades for Russian radio,
was in good company in decrying the country's tennis idol.
Alex Metreveli, a Soviet-era tennis great who covered the semifinal tie for
Russian television NTV, told Reuters from Brisbane that Kafelnikov was in no
way ready for the match.
``Besides, a player of his calibre must understand that you shouldn't make
those comments before the match, publicly trashing your opponents,'' said
Metreveli, who still holds the country's all-time record for most Davis Cup
wins with 80.
``But if you have the guts to say it, then back it up on a court with your
play.''
Metreveli, a Wimbledon finalist in 1973, also dismissed Kafelnikov's
complaints about the quality of grass court in Brisbane, which the Russian
described as ``a potato field.''
``It seems to me that the hosts did a nice job to keep the court in pretty
good shape,'' Metreveli said on the air during the Kafelnikov-Hewitt match.
``It's only worn out around the baseline. I only counted one or two bad
bounces during the whole match, the rest seems to be normal and fair.
``And who could prevent him from serving well and not making 20 double
faults,'' Metreveli wondered.
Never very popular among Russian fans, who perceive him as being too arrogant
and selfish both on and off the court, Kafelnikov's image sank to an all-time
low this week.
Even non-tennis fans were critical.
``He just let Russia down,'' said a young soccer fan, dressed in a Spartak
Moscow shirt as he bought a ticket at Luzhniki Stadium for next month's
European qualifier against Ukraine.
``If I had a Kafelnikov shirt, I'd probably burn it.''


Brashness of youth buries Mr Potatohead
The Australian
Sunday, 26-Sep-1999

RUSSIAN Yevgeny Kafelnikov was unabashed after a comprehensive thrashing by
Lleyton Hewitt in the first of the reverse singles in the Davis Cup
semi-final in Brisbane yesterday.
After losing in straight sets to Hewitt 6-4 7-5 6-2, the ever gracious
Kafelnikov said: "He's young and very enthusiastic, but his game doesn't
impress me, not at all.
"He doesn't have a big game. He plays okay on the forehand and backhand. The
one good thing he has is the fighting spirit. But that's not enough to win
the big tournaments and grand slams. He had a good day. That's it.
"I felt like I wasn't playing as well as I could because the surface wasn't
good enough."
The leading Russian player has complained constantly about the condition of
the court, but had still predicted Russia would lead 2-0 after the first day
and he would clinch it yesterday.
He said he had no respect for Wayne Arthurs' game and that the Davis Cup
rookie would not have the experience to beat him. Yet when Arthurs won,
Kafelnikov refused to give him any credit, saying his game was affected by
playing on a "potato field".
Flushed with the success of a narrow five-set doubles win, Kafelnikov warned
Hewitt he was going to "give him a lesson on Sunday", a lesson he would learn
the hard way.
Hewitt was fired up by the comments and nailed the Russian in straight sets.
"I thought I'd have to get my wallet out after reading in the paper this
morning that I was going to get a lesson," Hewitt said cheekily after his
biggest win.
"There's nothing better than to beat a guy who was mouthing off all week
about how he was going to beat us. I wanted to come out and kill him today.
"It's an unbelievable feeling to come out and win after he bagged our team
all week. I had a lot of confidence coming off that first win (over Marat
Safin).
"He's been a big mouth all week. And it really has come back in his face. If
there's a lesson to be learned, he should have learned not to mouth off. I
know I didn't learn anything from him.
"Even Agassi, who really can't be beaten on a hard court, he wouldn't mouth
off like that. He'd give his opponent credit.
"Wayne played an unbelievable match on Friday. No doubt about that. And for
the No.2 player in the world to give him no credit shows just how bad a loser
he is."
Injured Australian ace Pat Rafter weighed into the war of words, declaring
Kafelnikov was a "sook" and a bad sport.
"I felt like jumping the net sometimes and going on the court and giving him
a big serve," Rafter said.
"He's disrespectful, not just of his Russian team-mates but of the game of
tennis. He's given a bad example but no one's listening."
Captain John Newcombe said there was no mileage in sledging and besides, if
you're going to talk the talk, you've got to walk the walk.
"He said Wayne couldn't play," Newcombe said.
"He (Kafelnikov) has won one set in two five-set matches. He got whipped. And
today was about as well as he can play, leading 5-2 in the second set.
"We know who has got the guts out of the three players. It was proven out
there on the court. So it doesn't matter what he says. Underneath all the
bravado, he's a little brittle.
"A number of the Russian team members came up to me and said they wouldn't
want us to think that they echoed those sentiments.
"Trash talk (sledging) is stupid because you've got to back it up. If he was
as good as Sampras or Agassi, you might say okay, but you cannot imagine them
saying it."

END

Monday 27 September 1999
Hewitt gives master a spanking
By LINDA PEARCE, BRISBANE

Australia is through to its first Davis Cup final in six years after Lleyton
Hewitt yesterday handed a straight-sets spanking to the arrogant Russian who
had promised him a tennis lesson.
So to the next potential challenge: squeezing Pat Rafter and Mark
Philippoussis into the team to play France in the final in December.
Rafter, his courtside presence an inspiration to the depleted Australian team
all week, is an automatic inclusion should his injured right shoulder permit
it.
But Philippoussis, back home in Florida nursing the surgically-repaired knee
he injured at Wimbledon, will face a strong challenge for the second singles
place from Hewitt.
In the leading pair's absence, the supposed vegie patch at ANZ Stadium
delivered Hewitt's finest moment, just as it had on Friday for the
once-unheralded Wayne Arthurs - now tipped by captain John Newcombe as
capable of winning Wimbledon - against the same sour and cocky opponent.
Hewitt, still seven months short of his 19th birthday but now with a 4-0
Davis Cup record including two top-10 victims, humbled world No.2 Yevgeny
Kafelnikov 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 to take the decisive third point after Australia's
lead had been cut to 2-1 by Saturday's doubles loss.
Arthurs then completed his own cup fairytale with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Marat
Safin in the dead final rubber to claim the 4-1 result captain John Newcombe
had privately predicted before it all began.
Yet sweetest of all was the fact that Hewitt's inspired performance forced
Kafelnikov to yet again eat his words, although the Russian was ungracious to
the end. At his news conference, Kafelnikov trotted out an expanded range of
excuses, while saying Hewitt failed to impress him and did not have a big
enough game to win a major tournament.
``Is that what he said, was it?'' Hewitt asked. He had said he wanted to
``kill'' Kafelnikov on the court, before branding him a bad loser. ``He's
been a big mouth all week and it really has just come back in his face. If
there was a lesson to be learned, I think he should have learned that he
shouldn't mouth off.''
Hewitt's hat is now firmly in the ring for a role in the final, expected to
be played on clay in either Nice or Bordeaux from 3-5December. ``I've come
out and I've played my best and I've put my hand up,'' Hewitt said.
``If Flip (Philippoussis) wants to give 110percent and he wants to work for
his sport, then at the end of the day it's up to Newk and Rochey.''
So to Newcombe goes the last word. Having joined in an Arthurs-led three
cheers for Rafter, he squashed a potato on to the Brisbane grass - lest
Kafelnikov forget - and vowed that his team would go to France and return
with the Davis Cup.
``That's our job to do now. King Arthurs has shown us the way to the Holy
Grail and we're after it.''

END