Tennis: Squillari thirsty for early-year success

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Franco Squillari is determined to use his top seeding for this week's international tennis tournament as motivation to turn a poor Stanley St record into something positive.

In two previous Heineken Open outings, the 25-year-old Argentine has been tipped out in the first round by players he could again face this time. He lost in straight sets to Juan Balcells last year and to this year's second seed Dominik Hrbaty in 1999, also without winning a set.

"This is the first time I have ever been the top seed," said the popular Squillari.

"Maybe I will get to the final. I am not feeling any pressure. I see it as the motivation to do well.

"But winning this tournament will not be easy," said the world's 14th ranked player.

Squillari meets unseeded Austrian Stefan Koubek in the second match of the Vodafone singles on centre court today. He beat Koubek in a Challenger tournament in Peru almost four years ago, in their only previous meeting.

"In tennis today anything is possible. Anyone in the top 100 can win."

Squillari, one of five Argentine players in the main draw, arrived on Friday after a first round loss (as second seed) to unseeded Russian Michel Youzhny in the ATP tournament in Chennai, India.

"I was tired when I arrived there. I had to fly from Buenos Aires but I feel better now. It is very important to get matches in the build-up to the Australian Open."

So keen is he to get matches, Squillari has joined countryman Agustin Calleri in the doubles. The wildcard pairing face unseeded Julien Boutter (France) and Andrea Gaudenzi (Italy) first up.

"I play doubles to practice my serve and volley," said Squillari, whose three ATP titles have been on clay courts as have the two runner-up finishes he has managed in seven years on the tour.

"I have had my best results on clay but I also like the surface [Rebound Ace] here. It is not as fast as hard courts in America."

Squillari, like many South Americans, is strong from the baseline on both the fore and back hand.

The 2001 Heineken is bristling with talent.

Hrbarty will not know until after qualifying ends later today who he will face in his first outing tomorrow, but New Zealand wildcard Mark Nielsen already knows he will play hard-serving Briton Greg Rusedski in a feature match tomorrow.

Nielsen is the only Kiwi remaining after four first-round losses in Saturday's qualifying, though young Aucklander Lee Radovanovich and his Swedish partner Andreas Vinciguerra have the chance to join James Greenhalgh and Alistair Hunt in the main doubles draw if they can win their second round qualifier today.

In other feature clashes today, wildcard Felix Mantilla (Spain) meets unseeded Argentine Mariano Zabaleta, and in the night singles fourth seed Gaston Gaudio, another of the strong Argentine contingent, meets the dangerous but unseeded player Andrei Mededev of the Ukraine.