THE SCOOP: THURSDAY, MAY 27

Juan Carlos dethroned but plenty of Spaniards left
Federer: 'I was using too much energy just for all the negative thoughts I had in my head and the screaming'

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA

JC Ferrero couldn't overcome injuries in loss Thursday.

FROM ROLAND GARROS – Down went defending champ Juan Carlos Ferrero in three miserable sets to Igor Andreev on Thursday and any hopes Spain might have had of having a reasonably young competitor contest the Roland Garros title was out in question.

Ferrero's painkillers must have worn off during his match against Andreev, because he moved as if he had chains on his legs. His bruised right ribs seem to burst out of his shirt and unlike in his first round, he couldn't unlock his serve or forehand. The Spaniard – who has been a big-time player here for the past three years – looked like a smoky apparition of his former self.

Ferrero also hurt his abdomen in the match and never really had a great shot at the title. His body could use a month off, although he'll attempt to play Wimbledon. "This is looking like a bad year for me," the former No. 1 said.

If Tommy Robredo doesn't develop a two-ton game by Friday when he matches against Nico Massu, it will be up to veterans Carlos Moya, Al Costa, Alex Corretja and Felix Mantilla to make stabs at the title again. That's not such a mediocre group, if you consider that two of them are RG titlists (Moya and Costa), the other is a two-time finalist (Corretja) and the last one, Mantilla, is locked at 7-7 in the fifth set with Marat Safin and once reached the stratosphere. Veteran Galo Blanco is also still in the mix and will try to out-serve Tim Henman on Friday.

Corretja will be hard pressed to beat Juan Ignacio Chela on Friday, but Moya is heavily favored over Raemon Sluiter.

MATCH IN LIMBO
Safin and Mantilla of course, are goring at each other in the bullring. After four and half hours, the big Russian looked nearly dead on Court 1, but we all know that after Australian Open that he knows how to grind out a five-setter. But this is clay, and too many long hours on dirt will take your legs from you. Remember that this is only a second rounder.

Now the tournament now really begin. The third round is where many of the seeds begin to clash. No. 1 Roger Federer was truly pressed by Nicolas Kiefer until the German had an angry meltdown in the tiebreak, choking a way a set point with a double fault and losing the set with another double. But he was facing the new king: a guy who now knows how to win even when his serve isn't working and his volley is shaky. "If one thing is not working, the other good part of my game needs to back it up, and that's actually what happened today," Fed said. "I'm very pleased that I won that second set and third set because they could have both gone his way."

So, now Federer has a large-popcorn-with-butter match against three-time champ Gustavo Kuerten, who's shown few signs this year that he'll ever properly recover from his hip injury, but who's bewitched a couple dozen big-time performers before on this stage.

Federer: 'I was using too much energy just for all
the negative thoughts I had in my head and the screaming'
"He stands far back. He has a great forehand, backhand, also his serve is very powerful," Federer said. "So I'll have to play aggressive than he is without overdoing things. And definitely I have to serve well. It's a great match for the tournament and for us, too. We haven't played each other very often in our careers, either because of injury or just playing sometimes on different surfaces too much, but it's nice to play such a great guy off and on the court at such a tournament where he already won three times. So if I can get through him, it's a huge step."

Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA

Alex Corretja breezed into the next round but Italian Potito Starace, bottom, was a big surprise.

Two-time Slammer Federer has a lot of interesting things to say on his positive emotional development: "I was using too much energy just for all the negative thoughts I had in my head and the screaming. All this would make me very tired in an entire tournament. I would get to the quarters or semis and I was very, very tired already and I couldn't imagine myself playing two or three weeks in a row. And this was something I had to improve. And suddenly, one point in my career, I started to realize that I should take it easy, I should calm down, and I got too calm. I had no more really fire in my body. My emotions were very quiet. It was very strange for me suddenly to go from one extreme to another. But as the time went by, I really started to get the fire back, could pump my fist again, and I got the solution I was always wanting. It came only maybe one or two years ago."

Should Fed take down Guga, look for him to meet his old nemesis, David Nalbandian, in the quarters. These two honeymoon at the Slams.

HEWITT COULD RESURFACE
With the US men nowhere to be found, some American fans may pull for '01 US Open champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, who overcame Austrian Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. Hewitt – who has never advanced beyond the quarterfinals here in six appearances – has played and won more clay matches than ever, bring a 9-5 record into Roland Garros.

Hewitt would do himself a huge favor by coming in more and not grinding as much, but another quick counter puncher, Michael Chang, did win the crown in 1989. So don't rule him out, even if he faces Costa in the fourth round.

Hewitt said,"Michael [Chang] was obviously an exceptional player. The game's changed a little bit with the power. I don't think with my style of game I can totally be counted out. There's a lot more clay court specialists these days, though, that are probably the favorites to win here." The winner of Costa-Hewitt is staring at the soaring Gaston Gaudio in the quarters.

When you need a friend, just don't call out Moya's name. Remember how badly he thumped good buddy Corretja in the '98 final? On Wednesday, he blitzed his best friend, Fernando Vicente 6-1, 6-2, 6-1.

"It's not easy. He's my best friend on the tour, and I know he's having a hard time now because he was injured for a long time," Moya said. "Now he's trying to recover, and he's trying to be at the same level as he was before. But still he is not playing that well. That's not easy, because I am also playing very solid. … with a lot of confidence. I didn't have fun at all today."

The French had a heyday with the Americans on Wednesday, but couldn't have been too pleased when their No. 1, Seb Grosjean, flamed out in a big way against the utterly obscure Italian, Potito Starace, on Thursday. On Friday, the French will lose two more competitors, as Llodra-Jeanpierre face off, as do Santoro-Mutis. Nicolas Escude is favored over Mikhail Youzhny, who is infamous in France for ending their Davis Cup run. Neither will likely survive No. 3 Guillermo Coria, who should chop down Mario Ancic and other B-list clay courter. The Argentine is priming for Moya in the quarters.