Kuerten dumps out Rafter 16 November 2000  Paris Masters sportscentral

Top-seeded Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten ousted Australian 15th seed Pat Rafter 6-2 7-6 (7-4) to move into the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters Series today.

After a tense 1 hour 28 minute centre-court battle, Kuerten ended Rafter's three-match winning run against him to take their career series to 3-2 in the Aussie's favour.

Kuerten, bidding to wrest back the leadership of the ATP Champions Race from Marat Safin, now meets Albert Costa of Spain in the last eight after the Spaniard beat Italian veteran Gianluca Pozzi 6-2 6-4.

Rafter had previously racked up quarter-final successes over Kuerten in both Lyon last week and Hong Kong, while the Queenslander also scored a Davis Cup semi-final triumph over the samba star in the summer.

"I'm hoping to spend a bit more time yet in Paris, I love it here," said reigning French Open champion "Guga" after winning a battle of double Grand Slam winners.

The Brazilian broke in the fifth game of the opening set but Rafter moved 2-0 ahead in the second only for the South American to draw level.

Kuerten saved a break point as the pair moved to 4-4 and two Rafter moments of magic looked as if they might save him.

He produced a brilliant stop volley to go 6-5 ahead on serve and then sent a superb passing shot down the line in a valiant attempt to take the set - but Kuerten got out of jail with two aces.

In the tie-breaker, Rafter double-faulted as Kuerten moved to 3-0 with an ace.

And though the Aussie tried to haul himself back he finally fired wide at the death as Kuerten wrapped up a fine win.

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Australia's Rafter reaches third round of Paris Masters
By JOCELYN GECKER
.c The Associated Press

PARIS (AP) - Australian Patrick Rafter reached the third round of the $2.95
million Paris Masters Wednesday, beating Frenchman Julien Boutter and setting
up a match against No. 1 seed Gustavo Kuerten.

Rafter, the No. 15 seed who lost the Lyon Grand Prix final last week, needed
only 59 minutes to defeat Boutter 6-3, 6-2.

When Rafter and two-time Grand Slam champion Kuerten met last week in the
Lyon quarterfinals, the Australian won in straight sets, enabling Marat Safin
to claim the top spot in the world rankings.

Rafter took control against Boutter with strategic shots and acrobatic saves.

Quicker and more aggressive at the net, the 16th-ranked Rafter kept his focus
despite a rowdy, partisan crowd that repeatedly had to be silenced by the
referee.

Following shoulder surgery in October 1999, Rafter has won only one
tournament this season - the Heineken Trophy in June. Though he reached the
final at Wimbledon where he lost to Pete Sampras, Rafter has mostly
struggled, making early exits from 10 tournaments.


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Rafter races into last 16
By Winsor Dobbin

PARIS (Reuters)(DS) - Pat Rafter took less than an hour to beat French wild
card Julien Boutter 6-3 6-2 in the second round of the $2.95 million (1.85
million pound) Tennis Masters Series event on Wednesday.

The Australian, preparing for next month's Davis Cup final against Spain in
Barcelona, showed no signs of the shoulder injury wich has plagued him this
year as he overpowered Boutter.

Rafter grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first set, which he took in just 28 minutes,
and then broke again in the fifth and seventh games of the second set.

Although Boutter has a degree in applied mechanics, he was unable to come up
with the right formula to trouble Rafter and served nine double faults.

"He was a little too nervous and never really got into the match, while I
played really well," the 15th seed said.

Rafter, twice U.S. Open champion, will meet top-seeded Brazilian Gustavo
Kuerten in the last 16.

Rafter beat Kuerten in straight sets in the quarter-finals in Lyon last week
and is relishing another encounter with the French Open champion.

"I'm looking forward to playing Guga again. It will be a tough match but we
are good mates and it will be fun," he said. END

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Clement wins before home crowd 
By ERICA BULMAN
Associated Press Writer 
November 12, 2000 

LYON, France (AP) -- Arnaud Clement won the first title of his career Sunday, upsetting Patrick Rafter 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) before a roaring home crowd in the $800,000 Lyon Grand Prix. 

Clement, playing in only his second final, defeated the eighth-seeded Aussie in a match marked by acrobatic shots and daring net play. 

``This is my first title, so it's quite emotional,'' said Clement, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open this year, his best Grand Slam finish. 

``It was important for me to win here. First, because it was my first title. Second, because it was here in France. And third, because my dad will now have to shave his mustache as promised for my first title.'' 

Rafter, twice the U.S. Open champ, was playing in his first final since Wimbledon, where he lost to Pete Sampras. He had arrived in Lyon intent on atoning for early exits from recent tournament in Germany and Hong Kong. 

Since shoulder surgery in October 1999, he has won just one tournament this season. But he appeared in top form this week, defeating Hicham Arazi and Gustavo Kuerten. 

``It's always disappointing to lose in a final but Arnaud played well,'' Rafter said. ``He played smart and didn't allow me to play, as well. 

``But I'm still happy with my tournament. I got confidence and feel strong in my game and I'd like to carry that confidence on.'' 

Clement sailed through the semifinal after Andre Agassi pulled out with a thigh injury. In the final, cheered by the sellout crowd, he won on his first match point -- a stinging forehand that Rafter drove into the net. 

In the first-set tiebreaker, Rafter repeatedly netted shots and Clement repeatedly delivered service winners. 

Rafter elevated his game in the second set, particularly his serve. But he again looked weak early in the tiebreaker, with Clement getting two mini-breaks to lead 4-2. The Aussie rallied to make it 5-5 and a third set appeared to loom. 

However, Rafter lost his very next serve to give the Frenchman match point before losing with a low shot. 

``He had trouble at first but then he mixed it up and it was much tougher for me in the second set,'' said Clement, brandishing his trophy, a bronze lion's paw gripping a gold tennis ball. 

``I think today I had to draw much deeper on my mental reserves than my physical reserves.'' 


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Clement beats Rafter to claim first title 
November 12, 2000 
By Kevin Stevens SportsTicker Contributing Editor

LYON, France (Ticker) -- French favorite Arnaud Clement battled past eighth seed Patrick Rafter 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-5) in the final of the Lyon Grand Prix Sunday to win his first career title.

Riding the support of a soldout crowd at the Palais des Sports, the unseeded Frenchman, who booked a place in only his second ATP final when Andre Agassi pulled out of their semifinal with a hip injury, needed nearly two hours to get past the two-time U.S. Open champion.

"This is my first title and I'm very emotional," said Clement, the third Frenchman to win in Lyon after Yannick Noah in 1987 and Fabrice Santoro a decade later. "It was important for me to win here for many reasons.

"First it was my first tournament and it was here in France.

"And thirdly my dad will now have to shave his moustache as he promised."

Playing in his first final since Wimbledon, Rafter had looked to be back close to top form at the $800,000 tournament after struggling through an up and down campaign recovering from shoulder surgery.

"The better man won on the day," said Rafter, who had never gone beyond the quarterfinals in four previous visits to Lyon. "Arnaud returned very well today and I had to change my serve so you have to give him a lot of credit."

While Rafter had no problem with the raucous crowd, he had plenty with the tireless Clement, who simply outworked him.

Clement quickly put the crowd in a celebrating mood when he broke Rafter's opening serve.

But the Aussie immediately broke back, letting the Frenchman and his thousands supporters know that it would not be that easy.

The seesaw battle continued, as the 22-year-old Frenchman kept up the pressure by breaking his opponent a second time then finally holding serve to move ahead 3-1.

As the set progressed, Rafter's attacking serve and volley game began to fire on all cylinders, leveling the set a 4-4 with what would be the match's final break.

But in the tie-break, Rafter's serve would once again desert him, allowing Clement to steal the set 7-2.

The close play would continue into the second with neither player able to construct an advantage, the set drifting to another tie-break that Clement, with a little more difficulty, would take 7-5.

"I think I dominated the first set but he dominated the second," said Clement. "He had trouble at first and then he started to mix it up and it became much tougher for me."

Both Clement and Rafter moved immediately up the road to Paris for the final Masters Series event of the season.

Out of contention for a place in the season ending Masters Cup, Rafter will now spend the remaining few weeks sharpening his game for Australia's Davis Cup final against Spain.

"One of my goals this year is the Davis Cup," said Rafter, his only tournament win this year in coming in Hertogenbosch. "I'm training hard, working hard, it was important for me to do well here and win some matches.

"But my focus this week was here and next week it will be on Paris not the Davis Cup."


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Rafter advances to semifinals 10 November 2000 Lyon
.c The Associated Press

LYON, France (AP) - Patrick Rafter made surprisingly short work of top-seeded
Gustavo Kuerten, ousting him in just 96 minutes from the quarterfinals of the
$800,000 Lyon Grand Prix.

Playing a textbook serve and volley game, eighth-seeded Rafter eliminated the
two-time French Open champion 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first semifinals in five
appearances in Lyon.

Earlier, second-seeded Andre Agassi beat Karol Kucera 6-1, 7-5.

``Everything just went so well,'' said two-time U.S. Open champion Rafter.
``Everything now is a bonus.''

Rafter, who crashed out in the second round last week in Stuttgart, Germany,
easily took the opening set. At 2-2 and up 30-15, Rafter scored 10
consecutive points to sweep the next three games and take a 5-2 lead.

Though Kuerten held his next serve without dropping a point and managed to
accumulate three break points on Rafter's next serve, the Australian once
again disrupted his rhythm, sweeping the next five points to close out the
set.

In a second set much like the first, Rafter broke at 2-2 with a stunning
crosscourt forehand.

The Australian was never really threatened thereafter, having only to hold
serve for the rest of the match for the win.

``I know how good Guga is at the baseline so I went up to the net as often as
I could and tried to upset his rhythm,'' said Rafter, who also beat Kuerten
the last time they met in the quarterfinals in Hong Kong. ``I knew if I had a
good serve and volley I had a good chance of winning.''

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Rafter rolls into quarters at Lyon tournament 9 November 2000