thx

By: David Borges, Register Staff08/21/2008

NEW HAVEN - OK, it wasn't exactly Tiger Woods limping around Torrey Pines en route to a U.S. Open title. The stakes weren't nearly as high, the injury not nearly as severe.
Still, minus her 'A' game and with a painful quadriceps injury, France's Alize Cornet showed plenty of heart in gritting her way to a three-set victory over No. 2 seed Daniela Hantuchova in a quarterfinal match Thursday at the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament.

After going up, 4-3, in the second set, Cornet went to the sideline and asked for a trainer. The break soon morphed into a medical timeout as the trainer, Elaine Brady, first tended to Cornet's back, then her quad. After getting the quad wrapped with a bandage, Cornet promptly lost the ensuing game but won the next two, then jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the third set and held on for the 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory.

"It was really painful, especially in the second set," Cornet said afterwards, her left quad bright red from heavy icing. "But I've never retired from a match because of pain like this, so I didn't even think about that. I just wanted to play until the end and I tried to keep fighting until the end. It's horrible to retire from a match. Even if the U.S. Open is just after and you have to recover to be ready, I can't do that, it's too hard."

It's the first time in three matches that Cornet, the tourney's No. 7 seed and world No. 18, has defeated Hantuchova (world No. 12).

"I didn't play my best today, I just tried to keep fighting all (through) the match, tried to do my best," Cornet added. "It's good, because I won this match without playing at my best level. It means that I can do better. Daniela is a really, really good player. If I can play better (today), I can go to the finals."

...

Either way, Cornet was happy to play Tiger to Hantuchova's Rocco Mediate on Thursday.

Full article:


It's All Over for Hantuchova
When Lindsay Davenport and Daniela Hantuchova entered the media center to answer questions following their 6-3, 1-6, 11-9 loss to Anastasia Rodionova and Galina Voskoboeva, Pilot Pen media coordinators asked the press first to ask questions about the doubles match, then to ask Hantuchova questions about her singles loss earlier in the day.

When no one had a question about doubles after about a 10-second pause, Davenport said, "Oh good, OK," and left the podium.

Hantuchova expressed some frustration over her 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Alize Cornet in the singles quarterfinals. Late in the match, a Hantuchova shot was ruled out. She disagreed but was out of challenges and could do nothing about it. Apparently, chair umpire Yvette Kahn agreed that it was out, as well, according to Hantuchova.

"I saw the mark, and the umpire saw the mark, too," she said. "She admitted it was in, she told me it was just too late to make a decision, which I had never heard about before. It was kind of strange, especially when she was sitting right there. I don't understand why she didn't overrule it."

Hantuchova insisted she wasn't flustered by about a 10-minute delay in play midway through the second set, when Cornet tended to a quad injury.

"After all these years, you're used to it," she said. "There are so many players doing it, there's nothing you can really do about it."

interesting, you know, you rarely hear about daniela getting frustrated like that about a line call or about a time out.

interesting, you know, you rarely hear about daniela getting frustrated like that about a line call or about a time out.
Actually it's not that rare. I remember many matches when Daniela wasn't very happy about line calls and then lost concentration. Although not shaking hands with the umpire is unusual, that's true. But you gotta understand her given the circumstances.
didnt see the match... did she gave the umpire a handshake? its very unlikely of her not to but as you said 'given the circumstances'

interesting, you know, you rarely hear about daniela getting frustrated like that about a line call or about a time out.
Actually it's not that rare. I remember many matches when Daniela wasn't very happy about line calls and then lost concentration. Although not shaking hands with the umpire is unusual, that's true. But you gotta understand her given the circumstances.

In all fairness, i find it hard to think of a match where Daniela hasnt questioned a line call?! lol

Scott

ok enough talk about the handshake, time for a video about the handshake and discussion with the umpire

I was watching a match during the US Open and one of the players didn't shake hands with the umpire either. I don't remember who it was.