THE SCOOP, ROLAND GARROS DAY 12

The mystery of Guga dominates the clay

Susan Mullane Camerawork USA, Inc.

While Andre Agassi remain the most mystifying personality in the game, Guga Kuerten is certainly tennis' most enigmatic player. Just think back a few matches to how exhausted, uninspired and stroke-encumbered the Brazilian looked against Michael Russell and compare that to his high art performance against Juan Carlos Ferrero on Friday.

Now an on-court Van Gogh wannabe, Guga stroked the clay canvas with both fury and touch, encircling Ferrero with long yellow strokes and then firing red paint balls at him with his swing volleys. Guga woke up late against Russell, outthought Kafelnikov and then flew in fast against the allegedly quicker Ferrero.

The man might have the best one-handed crosscourt backhand ever and his one-hander down the line is right there with anyone's, including Ivan Lendl's, who will enter the Hall of Fame in a few weeks time.

Guga's hard flat serve and kicker to the deuce court are effective weapons and he has deft touch at the net. He wakes up just in time, rather than bringing out his full arsenal early in the tournament. Now he is a strong favorite to win his third Roland Garros crown at the tender age of 24. If he does, he'll join Ivan, Mats Wilander and Born Borg. Not bad for a guy who still looks like a beginner on a surf board.

Regardless if Guga wins on Sunday, if he wants to be considered an all time great he'll have to step it up a couple times in either London, New York or Melbourne. The aforementioned greats all were legendary at more than one Slam -- Borg at Wimbledon, Lend in N.Y. and Wilander Down Under. Kuerten's best Slam results off clay have been quarterfinal appearances at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and frankly, with his abundance of talent, that's not Guga enough.