TENNIS/French Open: When the French Open began here five days ago there seemed every reason to suppose that Kim Clijsters, the runner-up to Jennifer Capriati last year, would make another significant contribution, with many believing she might win the title a week today, her 19th birthday.
But after two thoroughly unconvincing victories over Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus and Greece's Eleni Daniilidou, the young Belgian faded away disappointingly yesterday, beaten 6-4, 6-0 by Clarisa Fernandez of Argentina.
Yet it was typical of Clijsters, the girlfriend of Australia's Lleyton Hewitt, that she bowed out without excuses, and with a smile, saying: "Of course I'm disappointed, but it's still a sport for me. I'm still young and there will be other opportunities." She is the antithesis of Hewitt, who plays every match as if his life depends on it and with little sign of pleasure.
Perhaps this is why they get on so well, although Hewitt, after reaching the last 16 with a 6-1, 7-5, 6-7, 6-1 win over the Dutchman Sjeng Schalken, suggested that the quiet life suited him very well too. "Sometimes I enjoy being out there in the spotlight, but not all the time. I'd say most athletes are the same. Maybe I'm a little bit more," Hewitt said.
This may come as a surprise to those who have watched the 21-year-old world number one rant and rave his way around the tour circuit, railing against umpires and linespersons, and upsetting players with his fist-punching self-motivation, accompanied by his trademark yells of "Come on!".
Last year he nervously watched Clijsters in the final when she was two points away from winning, this time the roles could be reversed, although Hewitt, the reigning US Open champion, is by his own admission still learning the intricacies of clay-court play.
"I mixed up my serves a lot better than I did in the first two rounds, but whereas on hard courts or grass you can get away with those cheap service games, you have to fight for every point long and hard on clay."
This was the problem for Clijsters. "I just felt tired. My whole body felt heavy but I don't think that's why I lost. I just didn't play well. At the beginning I felt as if I was controlling the points but then I just couldn't finish them off."
Fernandez, playing in her first French Open and without a grand slam win of any sort prior to this week, varied her game well, while her left-handed serves frequently left Clijsters flat-footed - though not because of any excess pace, rather the lack of it.
With both Clijsters and her fellow Belgian Justine Henin having lost in the first week, it appears that only Capriati can deny the Williams sisters. Venus, with her 6-1, 6-4 victory over Italy's Rita Grande, moved back to the world number one spot, and there is a real possibility that by the end of the Roland Garros fortnight Serena will be the number two, something their father Richard predicted four years ago. Capriati is due to play Serena in the semi-finals, although neither of the sisters has gone beyond the last eight here to date.
The same applies to Hewitt, who believes he has the game to win all four slams. His victory on clay in Brazil over Gustavo Kuerten in the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup last year demonstrated his potential to win here. And he may face "Guga" again next week, although first he has a tough match against Guillermo Canas, who beat Spain's Carlos Moya, the 1998 champion, yesterday in a match which was interrupted for 45 minutes by a bomb scare.
Kuerten, the champion, reached the last 16 with a five-set victory over Chile's Fernando Gonzalez, and is clearly beginning to fancy his chances of a fourth title.
Guardian Service
