Roddick steals show in twilight drama

Ossian Shine

American teenager Andy Roddick stole the show at the French Open on Wednesday by beating former champion Michael Chang in a five-set, second round thriller on Centre Court.

Roddick, who as a six-year-old child watched from his family home in Nebraska in 1989 as Chang became the youngest-ever French Open champion aged 17, showed no respect to the man he cites as an inspiration as he overcame severe cramp to triumph 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 as darkness fell.

The four-hour Centre Court marathon was his 12th straight victory on clay, following tournament victories in Atlanta and Houston, and leaves him unbeaten on the surface in his professional tennis career.

Last year's junior world number one said: "It was just relief, joy -- I almost wanted to cry, scream and yell at the same time (when the match point ball went out) -- that's what you play tennis for.

BRAINLESS TENNIS

"I was just out there playing brainless tennis, kind of like an 18-year-old playing his first showcourt Grand Slam tennis," he smiled.

"My hand was doing this cool, bendy thing and my leg was cramping," he said. "I'm just glad to get through that," he said.

The match was Roddick's first ever five set match.

Earlier, tournament favourites Gustavo Kuerten and Juan Carlos Ferrero blasted their way into the third round with powerful performances.

Top seed and defending champion Kuerten hammered Argentine Agustin Calleri 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, while Ferrero outclassed Marcos Ondruska 6-2, 6-2, 6-0.

The claycourt specialists were joined in the third round by 11th-seeded Briton Tim Henman -- who crushed Dutchman Sjeng Schalken 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 -- seventh-seeded Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov and sixth-seeded Australian Lleyton Hewitt.

1996 French Open champion Kafelnikov struggled past American lucky loser Cecil Mamiit 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, while Hewitt strolled past Russia's Nikolay Davydenko 6-0, 6-1, 6-3.

In the women's draw, 12th and 14th seeds Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin of Belgium booked their third-round places with victories over Argentine opponents, but seventh-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva slumped to a second round 7-5, 7-5 defeat at the hands of Slovakian world number 33 Henrieta Nagyova.

The Russian world number 10, returning from a foot injury, looked rusty and suffered her first loss to Nagyova in three matches.

Henin lit up the sun-drenched Roland Garros Centre Court with some sparkling tennis as she beat Paola Suarez 6-3 6-4, while Clijsters defeated Mariana Diaz-Oliva 7-5, 6-1.

CUSTOMARY POWER

Kuerten hit with his customary power to rack up his second straight-sets win of the tournament.

French Open champion in 1997 as well as last year, Kuerten will face Karim Alami in the third round.

"I think the experience I have gained here in the past has helped me," he said. "It was special out there today. Paris is like my second home."

Fourth seed Ferrero wasted no time in booking his third-round place, producing a ruthless display to crush South African doubles specialist Ondruska in only 99 minutes.

Ferrero, like Kuerten a winner of three claycourt titles this year, dispelled any fitness doubts with a powerful performance.

"This was a very good start," he said. "I believe that I was very strong throughout this match. I played a complete game without any mistakes."

In women's action, fifteenth seed Jelena Dokic, making her debut as a Grand Slam seed, beat America's Marissa Irvin 6-1, 6-2 on Court Two, while 18-year-old Virginie Razzano gave the French fans something to cheer about with her 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 victory over Germany's Anke Huber.

In other men's action, two-time champion Sergi Bruguera was forced to retire with suspected sinusitis. The Spaniard, winner at Roland Garros in 1993 and 1994, was leading American Michael Russell 6-4, 7-5, 3-6 when illness forced him to concede the match.