Olivier Rochus beat defending champ Jarkko Nieminen in straight sets. Photo / Greg Bowker
Olivier Rochus is back in his comfort zone, playing and winning in Auckland.
The pocket rocket from Namur in Belgium is through to the last 16 at the Heineken Open after eliminating defending champion Jarkko Nieminen in straight sets 7-6 (7-3), 6-1.
It was a replay of last
year's semifinal, which the Finn won in a third set tiebreak after Rochus had saved nine match points. Rochus was also the beaten finalist in 2005.
"Today was not my best match, I am very tired from jetlag," world No 36 Rochus said after flying in from Doha.
"But I have good feelings in Auckland, I like the atmosphere on court, the conditions and I like that the crowd is with me, and I try to give my best."
He's impressed with the quality of the Open, even though it does not make life any easier for the players. "The field is so strong. Gaudio against Ferrer [yesterday] or Ferrero against Massu [today], they could be finals."
The luckless Nieminen, struck by a stomach virus a week ago, joins Slovak two-time winner Dominik Hrbaty as the only players to have won the Open in its nine-year history, then been dumped out in the first round the following year.
That happened to Hrbaty in 2002 when, after beating Spain's Francisco Clavet the year before, he was eliminated by France's Gilles Elseneer.
All other past champions have won at least one match the next year, other than Magnus Norman (2000) and Greg Rusedski (2002) who did not return.
"There are no excuses," Nieminen said. "Today he was the better player." Nieminen teams up with New Zealand's Dan King-Turner in the first-round doubles tonight.
