By TERRY MADDAFORD
From go to whoa they were among the longest matches in ATP history, but Gustavo Kuerten and Stefan Koubek eventually booked their places in the Heineken Open quarter-finals.
After another day of frustrating rain delays at the ASB Bank Tennis Centre - just over 10 minutes of play
was possible - the two outstanding second-round matches headed indoors.
Austrian Koubek, fresh from his year-opening victory in Doha and after a straight-sets win first-up here, returned to his match with Dutchman Raemon Sluiter a set up (6-3) but trailing 0-1 in the second. In their brief time outdoors, Koubek levelled at 1-1.
But once on court at the More FM Tennis Centre, Sluiter hit his stride to take the second set 6-3.
That effort told as Koubek raced away to win 6-1 and book a quarter-final spot with Argentine Mariano Zabaleta, hopefully this morning.
"For me it was not so hard having to wait," Koubek said.
"When I played my first match on Tuesday I was still tired from the long flight. I have played better as the week has gone on.
"Playing indoors is different for sure, but it is better to play here than not at all. Every player wants to finish the tournament.
"Only once have I been in this situation before and we finished the tournament. I came here after having a month's holiday and then winning an exhibition in Austria in December.
"Playing as well as I am gives me some confidence to take into the Australian Open," said 26-year-old Koubek who, at 1.75m, hardly rates as a giant among the tour players.
"I have to play a qualifier in the first round there which might not be easy."
Kuerten needed even less time indoors to finish his second-round match with qualifier Michael Russell.
Resuming outdoors at 4-6, 6-4 and 30-0 on Russell's opening serve in the third set, Kuerten broke the American to love and then raced to 2-0 again without dropping a point.
When Kuerten moved to 40-0 on Russell's next serve, it was headed for a quick finish. Russell saved two game points but not the third, as the Brazilian went 3-0 and then 15-0 in the fourth game before their 11 minutes on court were ended, inevitably, by rain.
After another of those frustrating delays, play was officially called off and sent across the bridge.
Resuming at 15-0 indoors, Kuerten, mixing it up - an ace and a double fault included - went 4-0. Russell got one back on serve, Kuerten won to love for 5-1, Russell scrambled for 5-2 before Kuerten, in front of a surprisingly large crowd, finished it off - 30-plus hours after it had begun.
Kuerten now faces the Argentine seventh seed in the quarter-final scheduled for stadium court this morning.
"It was pretty tough," Russell said.
"But it was the same for both of us. This morning I was kinda grumpy when I went on court, but I felt better out here.
"If I can get as close to Kuerten as that in my fifth match here, then I'm doing okay."
Russell has missed his chance of trying to qualify for the Australian Open by lasting so long in Auckland.
In the other quarter-finals, top seed Jiri Novak meets Felix Mantilla and David Ferrer plays Dominik Hrbaty.
By TERRY MADDAFORD
From go to whoa they were among the longest matches in ATP history, but Gustavo Kuerten and Stefan Koubek eventually booked their places in the Heineken Open quarter-finals.
After another day of frustrating rain delays at the ASB Bank Tennis Centre - just over 10 minutes of play
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