Tennis: French celebrate double success in Melbourne

By KATHY MARKS

MELBOURNE - Arnaud Clement removed his black and white headband and hurled it high up into the Centre Court crowd. Then he pulled off his mauve shirt and tossed it into the stands. Then one shoe. Then another. Then both his socks.

Finally, wearing just a pair of white shorts and an ecstatic expression, the Frenchman bounced back to his courtside chair.

No one was more amused by this striptease than Sebastien Grosjean, Clement's compatriot, close friend and doubles partner and the man he will play in the Australian Open semi-finals tomorrow after Clement sensationally beat Yevgeny Kafelnikov, of Russia, last night.

It was a bet with Grosjean, who watched his friend's quarter-final match from the players' box, that led to the 23-year-old Clement shedding his clothes.

Grosjean had already lost another bet on which of the pair would be the first to drop a set in Melbourne – when he upset Magnus Norman, the Swedish No 4 seed, in four sets.

Last night, in a neat symmetry, Clement disposed of Kafelnikov, the No 5 seed, 1999 Australian Open champion and Olympic gold medallist, in a gripping four-set duel that lasted just over three hours.

He entranced the crowd with his guts, inventiveness and pace, chasing after apparently impossible balls and overcoming his vastly more experienced opponent 6-4, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6.

Clement's all-French encounter with Grosjean – who effortlessly defeated Carlos Moya of Spain 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in 98 minutes yesterday – will be an absorbing sequel to today's top-billed semi-final between Andre Agassi and Australia's Pat Rafter.

Clement, from Aix-en-Provence, and Grosjean, from Marseilles, are both seeded for the first time at a Grand Slam (No 15 and No 16 respectively) only because two injured players withdrew.

Clement, at 5ft 8in, and Grosjean, at 5ft 9in, are two of the smallest competitors in a sport dominated by towering men with big serves.

Indeed, the 22-year-old Grosjean was discarded by the French tennis federation seven years ago on the grounds that he was too short to forge a successful career.

"I forgive them," he said yesterday, with a broad grin.

The two men, practice partners for six years, have played each other only twice; Clement prevailed on both occasions.

He said: "We grew up together, we played a lot together. To be playing in the semi-final is something unbelievable.

"I don't have to think I have my friend in front of me. I have to think he's just a player and I have to beat him. I know his game so well. He knows my game also. He is one of my best friends on the Tour."

Grosjean, who was beaten in the third round of last year's Australian Open by Britain's Tim Henman, said: "It's going to be tough, for sure, because we know each other very well."

The pair won a doubles title together at Casablanca last year. They have just one singles title apiece, compared to Kafelnikov's 22.

Last night, though, the Russian's reputation as the iron man of tennis was dented by Clement, who watched him make 79 unforced errors during a battle that culminated with Kafelnikov sending a smash into the net at the end of an extraordinary rally at match point.

Clement, who knocked out Britain's Greg Rusedski in the fourth round, triumphed thanks to his success in the tie-breaks which decided the third and fourth sets. Grosjean was among those who gave him a standing ovation, shaking with laughter during his bare-chested finale.

The defeat ended Kafelnikov's charmed run at Melbourne Park, where he had won 17 of his last 18 matches and was runner-up to Agassi last year.

Clement, who beat Agassi in straight sets on his way to the quarter-finals of the 2000 US Open, said that last night's victory was the most pleasurable of his career.

"It was not really good tennis, but just for the fight, in a big court like this," he said.

One thing is certain: there will be a Frenchman in the men's final on Sunday for the first time since Jean Borotra won the Australian Open in 1928. Before the semi-final, though, Clement has to sort out a small problem.

"I have to go buy some shoes tomorrow because I have no more."

- HERALD CORRESPONDENT