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Entry system ranking: 143 (282 points (-1)) Champions Race: 126 (7 points)(-3) Current tournament: Place: Monte Carlo, Monaco Next tournament:
Place: Munich, Germany
Date: April 29 - May 5, 2002 Draw Size: 32 Surface: Clay Prize Money: US $381,000 Stadium Court Seating: 3,800 Tournament Director: Rudi Berger Website: www.iphitos.de
Thanks Ivanna for the photo! (Norman in Bueno Aires)
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Kafelnikov crushes Norman in second semifinalOne day after the Agassi-Sampras epic, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Magnus Norman stepped onto Rod Laver Arena for the "other" semifinal. Ninety minutes later, it was over. Without much hype or fanfare, the second-seeded Russian advanced to the final with an easier-than-expected 6-1 6-2 6-4 rout of the 12th-seeded Swede. Norman made 41 errors as Kafelnikov, now one match away from back-to-back titles, gave Norman a clinic in precision all-court play. Kafelnikov committed only 18 unforced errors, a commendable statistic except that his Sunday opponent made 19 Thursday night in double the time and triple the pressure. Everything Norman did, Kafelnikov did just a little bit better. Playing in his first ever Grand Slam semifinal, Norman was particularly punished on serve, winning a mere 27% of second serve points. Only in the third set did Norman mount a creditable defense, breaking back after an early service break, and putting more consistent pressure on Kafelnikov from the baseline. "All credit to Yevgeny, he was better than me today; it's just as simple as that," Norman confessed later. "Andre is clearly the favourite but if Yevgeny can play like he did today, I think he has got a good shot." Source: Australian Open
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