Playing with Heart (and Crowd Support)

Reading some reports of last night's exploits at the Paris Masters, I was surprised that not much was written about the first round match between Arnaud Clement and Nicolas Kiefer. I watched that match over Star Sports, and it was one of the better ones I'd seen in a while. With neither player having a single dominant shot like a big serve or a ballistic forehand, the rallies were long and the points played out with strategy rather than mere brute force.

Prior to the match Kiefer led their head-to-head 5-1, winning the last four times they played. However as I watched them warm up against each other, I had a feeling Clement would have his day.

The 74th-ranked Frenchman Clement broke Kiefer's serve early in the first set, but then gave the break back. Then Arnaud broke Nicolas again. Clement closed the set out on his own serve 6-4. The second set told a dissimilar story. Clement lost steam and serve, and Kiefer was able to clinch it 6-1. The third set went into a tiebreaker, neither player willing to give in. They traded minibreaks but it was Clement who held the first match point at 6-5, on his own serve. He took his time, trying to calm himself and capitalize on it, but Kiefer gained the point anyway. 6-all. They switched sides, and still on his serve Clement claimed the next point with an ace. 7-6, and another match point for him--this time on Kiefer's serve. Both players started moving each other around on the court, but Kiefer's lob sailed over the baseline. 6-4,1-6,7-6(6) Clement.

Having a negative win-loss record this year, Clement played like he had nothing to lose. He went after shots that other players would have let go by; every point mattered. The shotmaking he pulled off in this match kept the largely French crowd squarely on his side, and their reaction to his win was thunderous. Clement's was no less emotional.

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posted by Noelle De Guzman @ 10:14 AM