Tennis: Breaking from soccer-mad set

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Gabriela Sabatini and Guillermo Vilas were big names in world tennis but in Argentina few recognised them as hometown heroes.

Not surprising really - Sabatini never played a tournament in Argentina and it was not until last year when Anna Kournikova breezed in for an exhibition match that the locals got to see their former world No 3 in action.

In a country where soccer rules supreme, tennis struggles for recognition. But times, they are a changing.

Argentina now has six players ranked in the top 65 on the men's ATP Tour while their top woman, Paola Suarez, who will play this afternoon's ASB Bank Classic final against American Meilen Tu, is ranked 36th on the WTA tour singles list and seventh in doubles.

In Maria Emilia Salerni, Argentina can also boast the world's top junior.

Five of those top six Argentine men are here for next week's Heineken Open at Stanley St with Franco Squillari, ranked 14th on the world list, the top seed.

Until he was forced out with a wrist injury, Mariano Puerta (21st in the world), would have been the second seed while 22-year-old Gaston Gaudio, 34th on the ranking list will be seeded fourth.

Squillari and Gaudio will be joined in the main draw for next week's tournament by countrymen Mariano Zabaleta, Agustin Calleri and Juan Ignacio Chela.

Only Spain, with six, have more players in the tournament.

"Sure, tennis is a big sport in Argentina," said Suarez.

"But it is not like football. Vilas is a fading star. Not like Maradona."

Tennis has had to battle, but it is one they are slowly winning.

Rugby and tennis are the second tier sports in the country but tennis is hampered by the lack of top class facilities in a country where football pitches abound.

"Most of the courts are clay. We have only one grass court and a few hard courts," said Suarez.

"Most tennis is played at clubs in Buenos Aires although there are some small clubs in the rest of Argentina.

"Tennis is not played in schools because there are no good facilities."

But the determination to overcome has forced the Argentine players overseas, and the results are obvious.

In 1999, they had 13 players ranked in the world's top 200 on the ATP tour.

Few countries outside the United States can match that.

"It is really tough playing tennis in Argentina. We are so far from anywhere," said Suarez.

"Coming to New Zealand is one of the easiest trips for us to make."

The strong Argentine influence will be obvious next week as their top players use the Open as their last stop en route to the Australian Open and the chance to further press their claims as an emerging tennis nation.

Not that there is any doubt about that.