Tennis: Tough match sets up final clash

Mario Ancic in action. Picture / Paul Estcourt

Finn Jarkko Nieminen put his small band of supporters through every possible emotion yesterday before overcoming a gallant Olivier Rochus 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-4) in one of the great Open matches.

The brave Nieminen, at one point crashing into and over the net, eventually booked himself a place in this afternoon's Heineken Open final against super-impressive, big-serving Croatian Mario Ancic, who had a much easier passage.

Fifth seed Ancic took a leisurely 1h 18m to end unseeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka's run in the earlier semifinal.

In a tournament where only one of the first 29 matches had gone to a third set, few would have predicted what was about to unfold in the Nieminen/Rochus clash.

Not until he converted his 10th match point could Nieminen relax.

For the preceding 2h 52m Belgian Rochus had given him little respite in a singles match that had everything.

The first three games set the scene. Nieminen needed 18 points (including two aces) to win the first game. In a quick-fire second game he then broke the diminutive Rochus before holding (finishing with an ace) for 3-0. In 40 minutes the flashing Finn broke Rochus for a third time to win the set.

Still no hint of what was to follow.

The games were perhaps not as long but the tennis was amazing as they chased everything to pull off some unbelievable returns.

Down 1-4 in the tiebreaker, Rochus rediscovered the touch that had marked his quarter-final triumph over second seed David Ferrer less than 24 hours earlier. He won six unanswered points and the set (in 55 minutes).

But there was more.

Rochus dropped a drawn-out first game before both players held until the 10th game when the Belgian broke back for 5-5. Nieminen won the next game to serve for the match.

He led 40-30 for his first match point. After 31 gripping points Rochus, having saved nine match points, levelled at 6-6 to send the third set to another tiebreaker.

Trailing 0-1, 1-2 and 2-3, Nieminen, out on his feet but still managing a half-smile, reeled off five of the next six points, making no mistake this time on match point No 10 when he blasted a serve down the centre line.

Rochus reached but could not control. "As a match it would have to rate among the top five I have ever played," said Nieminen.

"Both players played well. He is a good friend. It was a fair fight.

"I felt really good at the beginning of the third set. I was going for it but he was hanging in there."

An obviously disappointed Rochus said he felt he had not quite reproduced the great tennis he had played the previous night.

"To lose like this is tough," said Rochus, who fell just short of reaching his second successive final.

"I was fighting for every ball. I did not think about all those match points. I gave it everything."

Earlier Ancic, encouraged by his growing army of fans in of red and white checked shirts, - they found spots on all four sides of the ASB centre's stadium court - overcame initial jitters to win comfortably.

His powerful serve played its part even if he did manage just two aces (one in each set) but there was much more to his game. He forced Wawrinka to defend for too many of the match's 111 points.

Drawn to the net on occasions, Ancic stretched to his full 1.96m to cut off Swiss hopes of converting half chances into winning passing shots.

Wawrinka could not match the Croatian on serve. His poor first serve count (39 per cent) had him on the back foot and his weak second serve posed few problems for Ancic.

In breaking Wawrinka in the fourth game, Ancic grabbed the match by the throat.

He never let go. He dropped the seventh game but broke back in the next for 5-3 and whistled through the next to take the set 6-3 in 34 minutes.

The second set was a one-sided romp as Ancic won 6-1 in 34 minutes after breaking his 20-year-old opponent in the first, fifth and seventh games.

Too many unforced errors cost Wawrinka any chance of reaching a second ATP final, while Ancic can now look forward to adding a second title to the one he won on grass in the Netherlands last June.

Wawrinka later admitted his weak first serve percentage and under-powered second had cost him.

"That enabled him to put more pressure on me," Wawrinka admitted.

"But, it has still been a good start for my year.

"I have won three good matches, which is a lot better than my start last year.

"I can now take some confidence into the Australian Open."

He will open that campaign on either Monday or Tuesday against Spaniard Albert Montanes, who lost the first round here to Rochus.

Ancic, who is the 18th seed in Melbourne and will play Argentine Agustin Calleri first up there, paid tribute to his Swiss opponent.

"It was a great match even if the score looks easy," said Ancic.

"I was happy with the execution of my game.

"I feel confident going into the final but you still have to go into a final at 120 per cent." 


Mario Ancic

* Born: Split, Croatia. March 30, 1984.
* Lives: Monte Carlo, Monaco.
* Height: 1.96m
* Weight: 81kg
* Seeding: Fifth
* Career prizemoney: US$1,695,100.
* W-L 2006: 5-1.
* World ranking: 21 (highest 17 - June 2004) 

 
Jarkko Nieminen

* Born: Masku, Finland. July 23, 1981.
* Lives: Helsinki/Masku, Finland.
* Height: 1.85m.
* Weight: 78kg.
* Seeding: Seventh.
* Career prizemoney: US$1,817,326.
* W-L 2006: 6-1.
* World ranking: 29 (highest 27 - July 2003). 

Head to head

* Nieminen leads 1-0 (2nd round, Germany, on clay, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4, May 2005).