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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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Norman conquest Swede fourth seed slips-up but survives
Norman, a semifinalist at Melbourne Park in 2000, faced an ignominious exit when world number 114 Huet raced to a 6-1 4-1 lead. But fourth seed Norman changed the momentum of the match by reeling off four successive games. He stayed in control thereafter, before claiming victory in two hours 43 minutes on his fourth match point. With the help of his appearance in the Australian Open semifinals, where he lost to Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Norman jumped from 15th to fourth in the world rankings last season. He was also runner-up to Gustavo Kuerten in the French Open and his win-loss record was second only to eventual world number two Marat Safin. "I was not surprised to find myself in trouble against Huet," Norman said. "I had never played him before and I did not know what to expect. "But I remembered that I am number four in the world and that gave me confidence to play. "When you are in that position, everybody wants to beat you. "But it has helped me adopt a new approach on court and I was able to turn the match around. "I am a different player from the one that arrived at the Australian Open a year ago. I think I deserve to be in this position and although that might bring extra pressure, I hope I can cope with it." Norman meets Fabrice Santoro of France in the second round. Santoro won their last meeting, at the Paris indoor tournament in November and Norman said: "I have a tough second-round match but I hope that I can at least reach the last four here again." Source: CNN Sports |
