ARGENTINA VS. ARGENTINA in men's final

Coria outlasts attacking Henman
Moscow pizza: Russians fight for the big prize

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA
Notes stashed into his on-court bag didn't help Tim Henman overcome Coria's ground attack.

FROM ROLAND GARROS – So now we have it: Russia vs. Russia and Argentine vs. Argentina. Get very, very excited, or not, depending on how hotly contested the finals are between Anastasia Myskina and Elena Dementieva, and Guillermo Coria and Gaston Gaudio.

But know this: All these four competitors richly deserve to be in the finals and did not fluke their way in. Tennis trends break the way they should break. Both nations have at least a dozen very good players who have been cracking at the top for the past four years. Don't even consider arguing that the Americans, Spaniards, Australians, Belgians or French would have been there if not for some misfortune, because you could look at nearly every Grand Slam draw from the past and pick out a player or two who might have won or gone further if not for reason x, y, or z.

On Friday, Guillermo Coria really came into his own mentally, which was all that really mattered because as well as Tim Henman played for a combined two sets of his 3-6, 6-4, 6-0, 7-5 defeat in the semifinals, the better player on the surface clearly won.

The same cannot be said of the other semifinal, but what can be stated is that the better player in the tournament clearly won on the day, when unseeded Gaston Gaudio, showed his tremendous talent in downing the mentally shaky David Nalbandian, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-0.

"The Argentine people really deserve this because of all we've been through," said Coria of the historic all-Argentine final. "We always thought football was the only thing that could make people so pleased. This is incredible."

No doubt Argentina certainly has been through its civil wars and is still trying to figure how to make a go of its economy. But the nation's tennis players are a resourceful lot, especially Coria, who didn't let his bad temper get the best of him when Henman was scorching the lines.

CORIA DIGS DOWN INTO THE CLAY
The 22-year-old came from a break down in the fourth set and ran off with four straight games to win the match. Henman's so-called imposing style was impressive for a set and a half, but speed and know-how on clay will usually win out in the end when a player is executing properly.

There was no way that Henman was going to serve gigantically, whip forehands everywhere, slide chips on the lines and dominate the net against a man who plays with the touch and guile. That's why three-out-of-five sets is a true test of manhood; there are almost peaks and valleys and it is the guy who can climb back out of the ditch and continue to battle without being mentally exhausted due to the climb that will come back out on top.

Henman was up a set and a break until Coria held strongly in the sixth game and, with new shoes and racket, began to happily slide around until he got his touch back. Once he did, he reeled off a 13-game run that left Henman gasping, flipping shots to impossible spots on the court and daring his opponent to keep coming in.

"He started playing really well and my mistake was not to play deep," Coria said. "When I had the opportunity to play deep, the game changed. If I didn't change the way I'd been playing, he probably would have won the whole match. My change in attitude and tactics were crucial because things were getting very difficult."

It was somewhat obvious that Henman would find his way back into the contest and he eventually did. After holding to 3-1 in the fourth set with a sterling drop shot-pass combination, he threatened Coria, running off the next four games for a 5-3 lead.

But Henman has yet to prove he knows how to close out Slam semifinals. (This was No. 5.) He double faulted at 15-15 and the wheels came off. The Argentine pounced like a puma from Patagonia and scorched a backhand down the line that Henman could only punch back, and then passed him with a backhand crosscourt.

Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA
Gaston Gaudio came up with a surprise win over David Nalbandian.

Coria easily broke Henman to win the match when the shaky Brit butchered a backhand wide. "I didn't lose my nerve. I knew I'd get an opportunity," said Coria. "I'm very pleased because in the difficult moments, I was calm. I played deep and moved him around."

GAUDIO WILL HAVE HIS HANDS FULL
Coria is now in the catbird's seat. Gaudio has one of the most picture perfect one-handed backhands you'll ever see and can trade big blows with anyone when he is on, but Cora owns a 3-1 record against him and hasn't lost to an Argentine all year.

The 25-year-old Gaudio may just have that "just happy to be here, deer in the Coria-lights look" about him and go down quickly.

El Magito said he's not gagging like he did to Martin Verkerk in last year's semis. "I'm feeling stronger mentally," Coria said. "Last year everything was new to me. This time I was more calm and thinking what tactics I needed to use against Henman. Today's victory was very important because I would have been very sad. Now I'm almost ready to fulfill my dreams."

Moscow pizza: Russians fight for the big prize
There will be a pizza party on Court Philippe Chatrier on Saturday and whoever manages to win the tennis match will get to pick the toppings.

Myskina and Dementieva, two 22-year-olds who have played each other more than 30 times including the juniors and who are locked at 4-4 in the pros, will face off in what could be a delightful hard-hitting track meet. Or it could be a choke fest with more unforced errors committed than CIA George Tenet threw at the Bush administration.

The two match up quite closely. Both have good slice first serves, awful second serves, gigantic returns and superior movement. Myskina has a razor sharp two-backhand and Dementieva has a better, leaping forehand. It will all come down to nerves.

"She's a strong girl and a good fighter," Myskina said of Dementieva. "She's a better fighter than anyone in the tournament. I know that, so I have to keep fighting as well.

Really, Myskina is the favorite. She's been the better player in the last year and half and had a tougher road to the final, knocking off Kuznetsova 8-6 in the third and then scoring straight wins over Venus Williams and Jennifer Capriati. Give Dementieva props for her straight set scolding of Lindsay Davenport, Amelie Mauresmo and Paola Suarez, but that's not as talented of a group.

Here's the kicker though: At the '04 Aussie Open, Myskina had a golden opportunity to break though to her first Slam semifinal when she faced an injured Kim Clijsters. But Clijsters is one of her best friends (maybe her best friend) and she couldn't harness a champion's cold heart to send the Belgian packing. On Saturday, she'll have to face down her buddy Dementieva.

"With Kim, we are really close. Right now, it's a final of friendship, and so I will try not to think about it," Myskina said.

Here's a saucy clue with mozzarella as to why Myskina should triumph: The first time that Dementieva remembers playing Myskina at Moscow's Spartak Club, dinner was at risk.

"When we were nine of 10 we were playing for pizza. Anastasia, of course [won the pizza]," Dementieva said. "When we played for something, she was always better. She always won when we played for prizes."