AIG Japan Open
Sunday 5 October
Schuettler Captures AIG Japan Open Title
Congrats to Rainer "I'm Going To Houston" Schuettler!!
After falling behind 0-2, then tied at 4-4 and 5-5 - then down 3-5 in the tiebreak - Rainer Schuettler won four points and captured the first set 76(5) against Sebastien Grosjean. Rainer then gained the upper hand and finished out the second set 62 to win his first title of 2003. Maybe this has been a "perfect week." Schuettler won the event without dropping a set and since losing to Schalken at the US Open Rainer is 9-1. This is Rainer's third career title (Doha 1999 and Shanghai 2001), and his first in 2 1/2 years... Schuettler told the crowd on centre court that he'd "waited a long time to win a title" and that he was very happy.
Countryman Nicolas Kiefer and Justin Gimelstob (USA) defeated Scott Humphries (USA) and Mark Merklein (BAH) 67 (68) 63 76(4) to take the doubles title.
Rainer is literally off to France to play next in the Lyon tournament.
Schuettler Shots... Photos
There's Something About Rainer... Articles
Saturday 4 October
Schuettler Storms Into Finals
Rainer Schuettler advanced to his third final of the year in defeating Cyril Saulnier 63 62 in Saturday's semifinal. Next up is the tournament's 2nd seed, Sebastien Grosjean as both players are seeking their first title of the year. Grosjean beat local hero Srichaphan in three sets in their semifinal matchup. Like Rainer, the Frenchman has also enjoyed a successful 2003, reaching the finals at London / Queen's Club, the semis at Wimbledon and Rotterdam, and the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and Los Angeles. The Centre Court event is to begin (as usual) "not before 1:30 PM" (local) and on a side note, in doubles play Nicolas Kiefer and Gimelstob (USA) face off against the team that Rainer and Lars lost to - Humphries (USA) and Merklein (BAH).
In their previous two meetings, Grosjean defeated Rainer both times - at Wimbledon in 2001 57 26 67(6) and in Nov 2000 in the Stockholm quarters 76 75 67(5) - I am trying to find out if Rainer retired from this match. Rankings-wise for those matches Grosjean was 5th and Rainer was 68th at Wimbledon while in Sweden Grosjean was 19th and Schuettler was 54th. Currently, Grosjean is 10th in the Entry Ranking with 1850 (Schuettler is 8th with 2495), which shows he has played big in the events he's entered since his year's results are only 28-16 - to compare, Rainer this year is 54-25.
There's Something About Rainer... Articles
Two un-Rainer related mentions:
From the Thailand Open. Tennis needs more articles like this one from Thailand's The Nation.
Put down that cake - the dangers of breakfast found here!
Friday 3 October
Schuettler Into Semifinals, defeats Draper 63 63
Top seed Rainer Schuettler once again made quick work of his opponents in the Japan Open, defeating the Aussie Scott Draper 63 63. The win made their head-to-head matches even at one apiece, but more importanly, Schuettler is continuing his work towards winning a third career title and to appear in Houston in November. Schuettler will play unseeded Cyril Saulnier (FRA), who advanced after Mark Philippoussis (tourney's 5th seed) retired with a sore neck in the first set trailing 5-2.
In their only other meeting, Rainer (then ranked 18th) suffered an upset 46 46 first round loss to Saulnier (then 114th) in Feb 2000 on the hardcourts of London. Their semifinal is the first one up and is scheduled to start "not before 1:30" Tokyo time.
The other semifinal match has Paradorn Srichaphan (3rd seed), a three-set quarters winner taking on Sebastien Grosjean.
There's Something About Rainer... Articles
Thursday 2 October
Schuettler over Kendrick 63 62, Into Quarters
Rainer Schuettler continued his impressive 2003 campaign by reaching his 13th quarterfinal appearance. He defeated Robert Kendrick to advance to the quarters and next takes on Scott Draper, who upset Nicolas Kiefer (6th seed). Draper defeated Rainer in their only other meeting at Wimbledon in 1998 - that was Rainer's first appearance in a Grand Slam. At the time, Schuettler was ranked around 112 and lost in four sets to the 69th ranked Australian 36 57 63 36 in the first round.
There's Something About Rainer... Articles
Wednesday 1 October
Rainer faces USA's Robert Kendrick on Thursday in the third round. They are scheduled for Centre Court's fourth match of the day. Kendrick is in the earlier stages of his career, but has had a good showing so far in 2003, reaching the semifinals in Delray Beach and Dallas and the quarterfinals in Birmingham.
Schuettler is looking to get to the quarterfinals in this event for the first time for many reasons: to continue this career-best year's progress, gaining points to get to Houston, and a chance for a third career title.
Tuesday 30 September
Schuettler defeats Iwabuchi 60 64
With usual determination, Rainer Schuettler took care of his second round match in Tokyo and continues his march to Houston. He spent less than an hour on court and next faces an American - either Brian Vahaly or Robert Kendrick in the third round. For Houston, a quarterfinal appearance in the Japan Open keeps his point total safely in the running.
On the ATP site today, Rainer enjoyed top billing again: "Schuettler Storms into R3 - Top seed Rainer Schuettler advanced to the third round of the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships Tuesday, defeating Japanese wild card Satoshi Iwabuchi 6-0, 6-4 in only 53 minutes. The German next meets the winner of Americans Robert Kendrick and Brian Vahaly. Schuettler, who lost to Andre Agassi in his first career Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, is looking to clinch one of three remaining spots at the prestigious Tennis Masters Cup in Houston and needs to reach the quarterfinals to increase the gap over seventh-placed Carlos Moya. Sixth seed Nicolas Kiefer scored a 7-5, 7-6(7) second round victory over promising American Alex Bogomolov Jr."
Reuters had this mention: "Top seed Schuettler strolls at Japan Open - Rainer Schuettler was the model of German efficiency as he trounced Satoshi Iwabuchi 6-0 6-4 in the second round of the Japan Open on Tuesday.Australian Open runner-up Schuettler, trying to clinch a place in the season-ending Masters Cup for the first time, completed an easy win over the Japanese wildcard with a whipped forehand down the line after just 53 minutes on court.Schuettler, seeded first in Tokyo in the absence of injured U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick, is currently sixth in the ATP Champions Race. The top eight players qualify for the prestigious Masters Cup in Houston from November 8-16."Of course, every (ranking) point is important for me now," said the Schuettler, still chasing his first tournament victory of 2003."It was definitely my goal for this year to play in the world championship in Houston at the end of the season."Fellow German Nicolas Kiefer also reached the last 16 with a hard-fought 7-5 7-6 victory over American Alex Bogomolov.In other second-round matches, South Korean Lee Hyung-taik, seeded seven, beat Fernando Verdasco of Spain 6-3 6-7 6-3 while Swiss qualifier Michel Kratochvil upset 12th-seeded Dutchman John van Lottum 6-2 6-3."
There's Something About Rainer... Articles
Gaining Ground!
Today the site was added to the Fanlink section of the ATP's website! In addition to Schuettler's official site, this one is now also listed, so I'm thrilled about that!
Monday 29 September
The AIG Japan Open gets underway today with Rainer Schuettler as the top seed. Andy Roddick was slated to be the #1 seed, but has withdrawn from his second tournament since Davis Cup play. Schuettler is also scheduled to play doubles with friend and countryman Lars Burgsmuller in Tokyo. Besides Rainer and Lars, Germans Nicolas Kiefer and Alexander Waske are also in action here.
Rainer has played in this event three times and though there are some hot players in the draw, it's an opportunity to capture not only his third career title, but also a spot in the year-end Houston event. Today it was announced that Guillermo Coria nabbed the fifth of the eight possible spots... Rainer should be the next one to solidify a berth.
Here are links to PDF pages of the singles draw and the doubles draw.
** Tokyo is 7 hours ahead of the time in Germany, and it's 13 hours ahead of NY time. Example: 5AM on Tuesday morning in Tokyo is 10PM on Monday night in Germany and 4PM in the afternoon in New York. (Or my NY conversion system, switch the AM to PM and just add an hour.)**
The tournament's website on Monday had Rainer as the main story as play began. "Schuettler Heads Tokyo Field - Australian Open finalist Rainer Schuettler is the top seed in the 2003 edition of the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships, which gets underway Monday. The German, who enjoys a first-round bye, will face Satoshi Iwabuchi in the second round. The Japanese wild card scored a 7-6(4), 6-2 win over American Cecil Mamiit on Monday. Second seed Sebastien Grosjean, who also gets a bye, meets either Sweden's Robin Soderling or Ivo Karlovic of Croatia in round two. The Tokyo field also features Thai sensation Paradorn Srichaphan, as well as last week's Shanghai champion Mark Philippoussis and runner-up Jiri Novak."
Schuettler/Burgsmuller lose in doubles
Seeing their first action in Tokyo, Rainer Schuettler and Lars Burgsmuller were defeated 36 46 by Humphries and Merklein in the AIG Japan Open. Humphries and Merklein have had some success this year as a tandem, reaching the Costa Do Sauipe finals and the semifinals in Los Angeles.
Rainer and Lars have partnered before in doubles play, more so when they were both starting out their pro careers. In fact, in Schuettler's first professional doubles match, the two were paired together.
Here's a listing of their results, "through the years."
Hamburen, Germany
CH, 2/12/1996, I, Carpet , Draw: 16
R16 Dzelde, Girts (LAT)/Rovai, Federico (SWE) 16 46
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 90
Aachen, Germany
CH, 10/28/1996, I, Hard , Draw: 16
R16 Kratzmann, Andrew (AUS)/Waite, Jack (USA) 57 36
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 185
Lippstadt, Germany
CH, 1/27/1997, I, Carpet , Draw: 16
R16 Koenig, Robbie (RSA)/Phillips, Trey (USA) 36 36
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 90
Magdeburg, Germany
CH, 3/2/1998, I, Carpet , Draw: 16
R16 Erlich, Eyal (ISR)/Navarra, Mose (ITA) 62 46 67
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 90
Chennai, India
International Series, 4/6/1998, O, Hard , Draw: 16
R16 Clement, Arnaud (FRA)/Golmard, Jerome (FRA) 64 16 16
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 750
Aptos, CA, U.S.A.
CH, 7/13/1998, O, Hard , Draw: 16
R16 Behr, Noam (ISR)/Ran, Eyal (ISR) 64 46 46
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 185
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
International Series, 9/14/1998, O, Hard , Draw: 16
R16 Luxa, Petr (CZE)/Ran, Eyal (ISR) 64 62
Q Carlsen, Kenneth (DEN)/Schalken, Sjeng (NED) 46 06
This Event Points: 39, Prize Money: US $ 3150
Eckental, Germany
CH, 10/19/1998, I, Carpet , Draw: 16
R16 Hildebrand, Tobias (SWE)/Hilpert, Marcus (GER) 64 62
Q Godwin, Neville (RSA)/Richardson, Andrew (GBR) 46 46
This Event Points: 13, Prize Money: US $ 160
Aachen, Germany
CH, 11/2/1998, I, Hard
R16 Merklein, Mark (BAH)/Noteboom, Stephen (NED) 63 62
Q Ketola, Tuomas (FIN)/Pala, Petr (CZE) 26 67
This Event Points: 18, Prize Money: US $ 315
Portoroz, Slovenia
CH, 11/23/1998, I, Hard , Draw: 16
R16 Blumauer,G (AUT)/Buchmayer, Thomas (AUT) 36 64 61
Q Kohlmann, Michael (GER)/Veglio, Filippo (SUI) 26 76 46
This Event Points: 13, Prize Money: US $ 160
Heilbronn, Germany
CH, 1/25/1999, I, Carpet , Draw: 16
R16 Groen, Sander (NED)/Oosting, Menno (NED) 26 26
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 365
Munich, Germany
International Series, 4/26/1999, O, Clay , Draw: 16
R16 Norval, Piet (RSA )/Ullyett, Kevin (ZIM) 57 16
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 750
Munich, Germany
International Series, 5/1/2000, O, Clay , Draw: 16
R16 Eagle, Joshua (AUS)/Florent, Andrew (AUS) 67(3) 06
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 750
World Team Championship, Dusseldorf, Germany
WT, 5/19/2003, O, Clay , Draw: 64
RR Gonzalez, Fernando (CHI)/Massu, Nicolas (CHI) 61 26 06
This Event Points: 0, Prize Money: US $ 0
Since I am going through their history, here are the results of the six times they've faced off in singles play:
2003 Hamburg TMS, Clay, Germany Clay
R32 Schuettler won 64 46 64
2002 Braunschweig, CH, Clay, Germany Clay
R32 Burgsmuller won 67 76 64
1998 Portoroz, CH, Hard, Slovenia Hard
Q Schuettler won 75 64
1997 Eckental, CH, Carpet, Germany Carpet
Q Schuettler won 61 64
1997 Wolfsburg, CH, Carpet, Germany Carpet
R32 Schuettler won 46 63 62
1997 Lippstadt, CH, Carpet, Germany Carpet
R16 Burgsmuller won 76 62
Back to the present... Rainer begins singles play on Tuesday on Centre Court as the fourth match against Iwabuchi (JPN). It will be their first meeting, Iwabuchi is a wild card that defeated USA's Cecil Mamiit 76(4) 62 on Monday. I'm looking for a ticker, but in the meanwhile, the ATP has updated scores on their website.
Here is a preview article from the tournament's site.
Schuettler's results from previous years in Tokyo are:
Tokyo Outdoor, Japan Outdoor, Hard, Draw: 56, 4/13/1998
ATP Champions Race Position: 121
R64 Christian Vinck (GER) 104 64 36 63
R32 Martin Damm (CZE) 70 62 64
R16 Jan-Michael Gambill (USA) 81 06 06
This Event: Points: 33, Singles Money: $7,250
Tokyo Outdoor, Japan Outdoor, Hard, Draw: 56, 4/12/1999
ATP Champions Race Position: 54
R64 Kenneth Carlsen (DEN) 127 26 46
This Event: Points: 1, Singles Money: $2,100
Tokyo Outdoor, Japan Outdoor, Hard, Draw: 56, 10/1/2001
ATP Champions Race Position: 44
R64 Bye N/A
R32 Magnus Larsson (SWE) 102 63 75
R16 Karol Kucera (SVK) 134 26 26
This Event: Points: 5, Singles Money: $8,830
Schuettler Captures AIG Japan Open Title
Congrats to Rainer "I'm Going To Houston" Schuettler!!
After falling behind 0-2, then tied at 4-4 and 5-5 - then down 3-5 in the tiebreak - Rainer Schuettler won four points and captured the first set 76(5) against Sebastien Grosjean. Rainer then gained the upper hand and finished out the second set 62 to win his first title of 2003. Maybe this has been a "perfect week." Schuettler won the event without dropping a set and since losing to Schalken at the US Open Rainer is 9-1. This is Rainer's third career title (Doha 1999 and Shanghai 2001), and his first in 2 1/2 years... Schuettler told the crowd on centre court that he'd "waited a long time to win a title" and that he was very happy.
Countryman Nicolas Kiefer and Justin Gimelstob (USA) defeated Scott Humphries (USA) and Mark Merklein (BAH) 67 (68) 63 76(4) to take the doubles title.
Rainer is literally off to France to play next in the Lyon tournament.
- ESPN's wire report
- Netzeitung article. Has a quote from Rainer about qualifying for Houston and that the fans in Germany will have someone to watch. Also a comment about a deal with the devil, but I don't know the actual phrasing in the translation.
- Sport.ARD piece on the win
- Sport1 writeup. Rainer made reference to the criticism dumped on him after Davis Cup, "It's natural after a tournament victory to always be a little tired, but that passes quickly. I am still well now, therefor my entire planning can't be too wrong." Schuettler also commented that he doesn't understand the unfair comments and that they should keep quiet, that he expected more from those people.
- N-TV/CNN.de recap
- Sport Network mention. "I felt comfortable the whole week and that's always the biggest reason behind if you play well or if you play bad," said Schuettler. "Nothing bothered me. I was healthy. I enjoyed everything, the atmosphere on court. To play in front of a big crowd is always special and that's what I've enjoyed."
- SkySports article. "Being in a grand slam final has always been a dream since watching Boris Becker win Wimbledon," said Schuettler. "To play in the Masters Cup is a dream too and it would be very unlucky if I am not there at the end of the year." On fighting back, "If I had lost that tiebreak, I would have had all the pressure to go for my shots. But I started with a break in the second set and that made it very tough for him to come back."
- The ATP site on Sunday headlined with Rainer... "Schuettler Lifts Tokyo Trophy - Top seed Rainer Schuettler won his first tournament in two years when he defeated France's Sebastien Grosjean 7-6(5), 6-2 in the final of the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo Sunday. It was the German's third career title and his first since Shanghai in 2001, and he claimed it without dropping a set. 27-year-old Schuettler, who is sixth in the ATP Champions Race further solidified his chances of clinching one of the three remaining spots at Tennis Masters Cup in Houston by claiming the Tokyo title in his third final appearance of 2003."
- Rediff summary of mens/womens final, site from India.
- Bangkok Post had this tiny mention: "Schuettler outplayed Grosjean to earn a cheque for US$118,000. The victory will also help Schuettler in his quest to qualify for the lucrative season-ending Masters Cup in Houston, which features the top eight ranked players in the world. "I should have a very good chance now of qualifying for the Masters Cup,'' said Schuettler, who was ranked eighth by the ATP heading into the Japan Open. "It's something I've always dreamed of. Making a Grand Slam final at the Australian Open was a dream and making the Masters Cup would be another one.''
- BBC Sport's story. "In the first set definitely to win the tie-breaker was the biggest step and then I played better in the second set, and he had more pressure," Schuettler said. Grosjean's quote, "But he played better. Rainer was seeded number one and has had a great year, so it was a tough match today."
- IAfrica's article. "It was great. I enjoyed playing in the final and it was my first tournament victory this year, so I really enjoyed it. It was fun to play in Tokyo," Schuettler said. "I've always been dreaming about playing in the Masters Cup. I played already in the Grand Slam final, but the Masters Cup is definitely my dream. I would be very proud if I could play."
- Yahoo Asia recap
- Tournament's recap of the final.
- Sport1 interview with Rainer after his win.
Saturday 4 October
Schuettler Storms Into Finals
Rainer Schuettler advanced to his third final of the year in defeating Cyril Saulnier 63 62 in Saturday's semifinal. Next up is the tournament's 2nd seed, Sebastien Grosjean as both players are seeking their first title of the year. Grosjean beat local hero Srichaphan in three sets in their semifinal matchup. Like Rainer, the Frenchman has also enjoyed a successful 2003, reaching the finals at London / Queen's Club, the semis at Wimbledon and Rotterdam, and the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and Los Angeles. The Centre Court event is to begin (as usual) "not before 1:30 PM" (local) and on a side note, in doubles play Nicolas Kiefer and Gimelstob (USA) face off against the team that Rainer and Lars lost to - Humphries (USA) and Merklein (BAH).
In their previous two meetings, Grosjean defeated Rainer both times - at Wimbledon in 2001 57 26 67(6) and in Nov 2000 in the Stockholm quarters 76 75 67(5) - I am trying to find out if Rainer retired from this match. Rankings-wise for those matches Grosjean was 5th and Rainer was 68th at Wimbledon while in Sweden Grosjean was 19th and Schuettler was 54th. Currently, Grosjean is 10th in the Entry Ranking with 1850 (Schuettler is 8th with 2495), which shows he has played big in the events he's entered since his year's results are only 28-16 - to compare, Rainer this year is 54-25.
- Reuters had this story early Sat AM, short but nice piece about Rainer's win. "Schuettler takes leaf out of Agassi's book to reach final - Rainer Schuettler demolished Cyril Saulnier 6-3 6-2 to reach the final of the Japan Open on Saturday and then credited his consistency this year to a drubbing he suffered at the hands of Andre Agassi. Schuettler said that the straight sets defeat by Agassi in the final of the Australian Open in January taught him to go for his shots and take more risks on court.
"He (Agassi) absolutely killed me. After 15 minutes I was two breaks down," said the German, who lost the match 6-2 6-2 6-1.
"But then I played him in Montreal and I knew I wanted to try everything to beat him once in my life. Again, he killed me in the first set but this time I managed to win the next two."
Schuettler, like Agassi known for his return of serve, won the rematch 2-6 6-2 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the Canadian Masters in August after taking a leaf out of the American's play-book.
"He really goes for his shots...takes more risks. When you look at Agassi, he does everything to put pressure on his opponent," said the 27-year-old, ranked sixth in the ATP Champions Race.
"I try to take more risks now and go for my shots."
The $860,000 Japan Open semi-final was Schuettler's seventh of 2003 and the top seed's victory over Saulnier took just 76 minutes. Serving for the match at 5-1, Schuettler inexplicably went off the boil and found himself facing three break points. But he quickly rattled off five successive points to wrap up the match.
"I knew I would still have one break even if I lost my service...so I thought I would be more aggressive and play more high risk," said Schuettler. "Like Agassi." - ESPN's mini recap
- Netzeitung article
- Sport.ard article
- Sport1 blurb
- BBC Sport mention. "If I lose the final, it will still be great week. If I win, it's a perfect week," saidRainer, while Grosjean commented "Rainer doesn't miss. He's a good fighter and has all the shots. I have nothing to lose, so I will try to go to the net and be aggressive."
- Hindustan Times had a similar article
- The ATP had him on their main page today... "Schuettler, Grosjean Set for Final Clash - Top seed Rainer Schuettler reached his third final of the season by breezing past France's Cyril Saulnier 6-3, 6-2 at the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships Saturday. Schuettler, who is aiming for his first title since Shanghai two years ago, is also looking to clinch one of the three remaining spots at the prestigious Tennis Masters Cup in Houston. In Sunday's final, Schuettler will face another Frenchman, second seed Sebastien Grosjean, who had to fight hard to overcome No. 3 seed Paradorn Srichaphan 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the second semifinal. The French No. 1 is looking for his fourth career ATP title and his first since St Petersburg last year."
Two un-Rainer related mentions:
From the Thailand Open. Tennis needs more articles like this one from Thailand's The Nation.
Put down that cake - the dangers of breakfast found here!
Friday 3 October
Schuettler Into Semifinals, defeats Draper 63 63
Top seed Rainer Schuettler once again made quick work of his opponents in the Japan Open, defeating the Aussie Scott Draper 63 63. The win made their head-to-head matches even at one apiece, but more importanly, Schuettler is continuing his work towards winning a third career title and to appear in Houston in November. Schuettler will play unseeded Cyril Saulnier (FRA), who advanced after Mark Philippoussis (tourney's 5th seed) retired with a sore neck in the first set trailing 5-2.
In their only other meeting, Rainer (then ranked 18th) suffered an upset 46 46 first round loss to Saulnier (then 114th) in Feb 2000 on the hardcourts of London. Their semifinal is the first one up and is scheduled to start "not before 1:30" Tokyo time.
The other semifinal match has Paradorn Srichaphan (3rd seed), a three-set quarters winner taking on Sebastien Grosjean.
- Daily Yomiuri mention of win, english version of Japanese site. "I knew that I had to play better than the two rounds before," said Schuettler. "He has a good serve. If I breakdown, he's working a lot with the slice, trying to go to the net and then it would be difficult." Tied 3-3 in the second set, Schuettler was staying back and getting comfortable with his ground strokes but errors put Draper in position to break. "Sometimes it happens that I am too defensive and not going for the shots. I realize that. My coach is going, 'Be more aggressive, be more aggressive,' so I was trying to go more for my shots to put more pressure on him. When I was break point down, I tried to play serve and volley, tried to put pressure on him and it worked."
- Tournament's recap of quarterfinals. "I played well from the start and I put a lot of pressure. Today I was very happy with my performance and think I played two pretty good sets," said Schuettler.
- Tourney's quick preview of semis
- Sports Illustrated's wire report
- MSNBC had a wire story with Rainer in the headline, so this had to be included. ''He beat (sixth-seeded German Nicolas) Kiefer, so I knew I had to be aggressive and put pressure on him from the start. I was trying to go for my shots and dominate the rallies and it worked. I played two pretty good sets.''
- Sport1 article
- Sport.ARD writeup. This one has the best "sports" quote... Fish or meat - After the match against Draper Schuettler prepared for the ritual that's always the same in Tokyo. "There are only two restaurants here in which I alternate eating," said Schuettler. "One is a Sushi-bar, in the other one can cook meat at your table." On Friday it was the meat grill.
- SportBild had nearly identical story
- Netzeitung's same wire story
- TennisMagazin.de mention
Thursday 2 October
Schuettler over Kendrick 63 62, Into Quarters
Rainer Schuettler continued his impressive 2003 campaign by reaching his 13th quarterfinal appearance. He defeated Robert Kendrick to advance to the quarters and next takes on Scott Draper, who upset Nicolas Kiefer (6th seed). Draper defeated Rainer in their only other meeting at Wimbledon in 1998 - that was Rainer's first appearance in a Grand Slam. At the time, Schuettler was ranked around 112 and lost in four sets to the 69th ranked Australian 36 57 63 36 in the first round.
- Sport.ARD.de quick recap
- Sport1 recap of 3rd round winners
- Schuettler also had front page attention on the ATP's site on Thursday, here is their mention: "Schuettler, Scud Keep Winning in Tokyo - Top seed Rainer Schuettler led six of the top eight seeds through to the AIG Japan Open quarterfinals in Tokyo on Thursday. Schuettler, who is sixth in the ATP Champions Race, defeated American Robert Kendrick 6-3, 6-2 and closed on a Tennis Masters Cup Houston berth. Aussie Mark Philippoussis, who surged to ninth in the Race and into Houston contention by winning the Shanghai title last week, reached the quarters by defeating Croatian Mario Ancic 6-4, 7-5. Thai hero and third seed Paradorn Srichaphan advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 7-6(3) win over Japan's Takao Suzuki. But fourth seed and Shanghai finalist Jiri Novak suffered a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 loss to Cyril Saulnier. Second seed Sebastien Grosjean defeated Dennis van Scheppingen 6-3, 7-6(3)."
- Event's website had this recap: "Favorites Score Wins - Top seed Rainer Schuettler scored a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 third round victory over American Robert Kendrick at the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships Thursday. This is the 27-year-old German's 13th quarterfinal of the season and his first in Tokyo. By making it to the last eight, Schuettler, who is sixth in the ATP Champions Race this week, has increased the distance between himself and Carlos Moya, who is seventh."
- Tournament's preview of quarterfinals. "I played pretty well, and I was always leading in the breaks. I gave him more pressure and just had to play my game, so I think I made it difficult for him," said the German. "It wasn't an easy match. I was trying hard from the beginning, so that's why I was leading. After I won the first set, I felt comfortable. I was returning a little bit better, made an early break, maybe that's why it looked easy, but it wasn't."
- Quarterfinal preview from event's site
- Sports Illustrated's report on tournament results. "It was not an easy match," Schuettler said of his encounter with Kendrick. "I was trying hard from the beginning. It maybe looked easy, but it wasn't that easy, especially in the first set."
Wednesday 1 October
Rainer faces USA's Robert Kendrick on Thursday in the third round. They are scheduled for Centre Court's fourth match of the day. Kendrick is in the earlier stages of his career, but has had a good showing so far in 2003, reaching the semifinals in Delray Beach and Dallas and the quarterfinals in Birmingham.
Schuettler is looking to get to the quarterfinals in this event for the first time for many reasons: to continue this career-best year's progress, gaining points to get to Houston, and a chance for a third career title.
Tuesday 30 September
Schuettler defeats Iwabuchi 60 64
With usual determination, Rainer Schuettler took care of his second round match in Tokyo and continues his march to Houston. He spent less than an hour on court and next faces an American - either Brian Vahaly or Robert Kendrick in the third round. For Houston, a quarterfinal appearance in the Japan Open keeps his point total safely in the running.
On the ATP site today, Rainer enjoyed top billing again: "Schuettler Storms into R3 - Top seed Rainer Schuettler advanced to the third round of the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships Tuesday, defeating Japanese wild card Satoshi Iwabuchi 6-0, 6-4 in only 53 minutes. The German next meets the winner of Americans Robert Kendrick and Brian Vahaly. Schuettler, who lost to Andre Agassi in his first career Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, is looking to clinch one of three remaining spots at the prestigious Tennis Masters Cup in Houston and needs to reach the quarterfinals to increase the gap over seventh-placed Carlos Moya. Sixth seed Nicolas Kiefer scored a 7-5, 7-6(7) second round victory over promising American Alex Bogomolov Jr."
Reuters had this mention: "Top seed Schuettler strolls at Japan Open - Rainer Schuettler was the model of German efficiency as he trounced Satoshi Iwabuchi 6-0 6-4 in the second round of the Japan Open on Tuesday.Australian Open runner-up Schuettler, trying to clinch a place in the season-ending Masters Cup for the first time, completed an easy win over the Japanese wildcard with a whipped forehand down the line after just 53 minutes on court.Schuettler, seeded first in Tokyo in the absence of injured U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick, is currently sixth in the ATP Champions Race. The top eight players qualify for the prestigious Masters Cup in Houston from November 8-16."Of course, every (ranking) point is important for me now," said the Schuettler, still chasing his first tournament victory of 2003."It was definitely my goal for this year to play in the world championship in Houston at the end of the season."Fellow German Nicolas Kiefer also reached the last 16 with a hard-fought 7-5 7-6 victory over American Alex Bogomolov.In other second-round matches, South Korean Lee Hyung-taik, seeded seven, beat Fernando Verdasco of Spain 6-3 6-7 6-3 while Swiss qualifier Michel Kratochvil upset 12th-seeded Dutchman John van Lottum 6-2 6-3."
- ESPN had Rainer as the headline of an update
- Tournament's recap of Tuesday's play
- Sport.ARD article on Rainer's win
- Netzeitung writeup
- Sport1 piece on Rainer's win
- Writeup from Pakistan Daily Times. Yes, better coverage in Pakistan than in the US. Rainer's quote from article: “I had a pretty good start, that was difficult for him (Iwabuchi). I think he was more under pressure, he had to risk more, so he also made more mistakes, because he had to go for the shots. He's a dangerous player, because he's playing flat and bounce is very low. I knew before that I had to be careful, otherwise he is coming to the net, he's playing aggressive and it's tough to beat him. My goal for this year is to play the world championships at the end of the year. I know there are so many guys there who want to win the tournament and who are good players. I can beat them, but they can beat me as well. Of course, it's a good feeling to be seeded number one, but I don't feel pressure, because I know if I play well, I have a chance to go far. If I play bad, I can lose the next round or the quarters. You never know. I just go out there and try to give my best and try to win matches."
- Sport1 mention on the German players in Tokyo
- TennisMagazin.de update on the German players in Tokyo
Gaining Ground!
Today the site was added to the Fanlink section of the ATP's website! In addition to Schuettler's official site, this one is now also listed, so I'm thrilled about that!
Monday 29 September
The AIG Japan Open gets underway today with Rainer Schuettler as the top seed. Andy Roddick was slated to be the #1 seed, but has withdrawn from his second tournament since Davis Cup play. Schuettler is also scheduled to play doubles with friend and countryman Lars Burgsmuller in Tokyo. Besides Rainer and Lars, Germans Nicolas Kiefer and Alexander Waske are also in action here.
Rainer has played in this event three times and though there are some hot players in the draw, it's an opportunity to capture not only his third career title, but also a spot in the year-end Houston event. Today it was announced that Guillermo Coria nabbed the fifth of the eight possible spots... Rainer should be the next one to solidify a berth.
Here are links to PDF pages of the singles draw and the doubles draw.
** Tokyo is 7 hours ahead of the time in Germany, and it's 13 hours ahead of NY time. Example: 5AM on Tuesday morning in Tokyo is 10PM on Monday night in Germany and 4PM in the afternoon in New York. (Or my NY conversion system, switch the AM to PM and just add an hour.)**
The tournament's website on Monday had Rainer as the main story as play began. "Schuettler Heads Tokyo Field - Australian Open finalist Rainer Schuettler is the top seed in the 2003 edition of the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships, which gets underway Monday. The German, who enjoys a first-round bye, will face Satoshi Iwabuchi in the second round. The Japanese wild card scored a 7-6(4), 6-2 win over American Cecil Mamiit on Monday. Second seed Sebastien Grosjean, who also gets a bye, meets either Sweden's Robin Soderling or Ivo Karlovic of Croatia in round two. The Tokyo field also features Thai sensation Paradorn Srichaphan, as well as last week's Shanghai champion Mark Philippoussis and runner-up Jiri Novak."
Schuettler/Burgsmuller lose in doubles
Seeing their first action in Tokyo, Rainer Schuettler and Lars Burgsmuller were defeated 36 46 by Humphries and Merklein in the AIG Japan Open. Humphries and Merklein have had some success this year as a tandem, reaching the Costa Do Sauipe finals and the semifinals in Los Angeles.
Rainer and Lars have partnered before in doubles play, more so when they were both starting out their pro careers. In fact, in Schuettler's first professional doubles match, the two were paired together.
Here's a listing of their results, "through the years."
Hamburen, Germany
CH, 2/12/1996, I, Carpet , Draw: 16
R16 Dzelde, Girts (LAT)/Rovai, Federico (SWE) 16 46
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 90
Aachen, Germany
CH, 10/28/1996, I, Hard , Draw: 16
R16 Kratzmann, Andrew (AUS)/Waite, Jack (USA) 57 36
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 185
Lippstadt, Germany
CH, 1/27/1997, I, Carpet , Draw: 16
R16 Koenig, Robbie (RSA)/Phillips, Trey (USA) 36 36
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 90
Magdeburg, Germany
CH, 3/2/1998, I, Carpet , Draw: 16
R16 Erlich, Eyal (ISR)/Navarra, Mose (ITA) 62 46 67
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 90
Chennai, India
International Series, 4/6/1998, O, Hard , Draw: 16
R16 Clement, Arnaud (FRA)/Golmard, Jerome (FRA) 64 16 16
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 750
Aptos, CA, U.S.A.
CH, 7/13/1998, O, Hard , Draw: 16
R16 Behr, Noam (ISR)/Ran, Eyal (ISR) 64 46 46
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 185
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
International Series, 9/14/1998, O, Hard , Draw: 16
R16 Luxa, Petr (CZE)/Ran, Eyal (ISR) 64 62
Q Carlsen, Kenneth (DEN)/Schalken, Sjeng (NED) 46 06
This Event Points: 39, Prize Money: US $ 3150
Eckental, Germany
CH, 10/19/1998, I, Carpet , Draw: 16
R16 Hildebrand, Tobias (SWE)/Hilpert, Marcus (GER) 64 62
Q Godwin, Neville (RSA)/Richardson, Andrew (GBR) 46 46
This Event Points: 13, Prize Money: US $ 160
Aachen, Germany
CH, 11/2/1998, I, Hard
R16 Merklein, Mark (BAH)/Noteboom, Stephen (NED) 63 62
Q Ketola, Tuomas (FIN)/Pala, Petr (CZE) 26 67
This Event Points: 18, Prize Money: US $ 315
Portoroz, Slovenia
CH, 11/23/1998, I, Hard , Draw: 16
R16 Blumauer,G (AUT)/Buchmayer, Thomas (AUT) 36 64 61
Q Kohlmann, Michael (GER)/Veglio, Filippo (SUI) 26 76 46
This Event Points: 13, Prize Money: US $ 160
Heilbronn, Germany
CH, 1/25/1999, I, Carpet , Draw: 16
R16 Groen, Sander (NED)/Oosting, Menno (NED) 26 26
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 365
Munich, Germany
International Series, 4/26/1999, O, Clay , Draw: 16
R16 Norval, Piet (RSA )/Ullyett, Kevin (ZIM) 57 16
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 750
Munich, Germany
International Series, 5/1/2000, O, Clay , Draw: 16
R16 Eagle, Joshua (AUS)/Florent, Andrew (AUS) 67(3) 06
This Event Points: 1, Prize Money: US $ 750
World Team Championship, Dusseldorf, Germany
WT, 5/19/2003, O, Clay , Draw: 64
RR Gonzalez, Fernando (CHI)/Massu, Nicolas (CHI) 61 26 06
This Event Points: 0, Prize Money: US $ 0
Since I am going through their history, here are the results of the six times they've faced off in singles play:
2003 Hamburg TMS, Clay, Germany Clay
R32 Schuettler won 64 46 64
2002 Braunschweig, CH, Clay, Germany Clay
R32 Burgsmuller won 67 76 64
1998 Portoroz, CH, Hard, Slovenia Hard
Q Schuettler won 75 64
1997 Eckental, CH, Carpet, Germany Carpet
Q Schuettler won 61 64
1997 Wolfsburg, CH, Carpet, Germany Carpet
R32 Schuettler won 46 63 62
1997 Lippstadt, CH, Carpet, Germany Carpet
R16 Burgsmuller won 76 62
Back to the present... Rainer begins singles play on Tuesday on Centre Court as the fourth match against Iwabuchi (JPN). It will be their first meeting, Iwabuchi is a wild card that defeated USA's Cecil Mamiit 76(4) 62 on Monday. I'm looking for a ticker, but in the meanwhile, the ATP has updated scores on their website.
Here is a preview article from the tournament's site.
Schuettler's results from previous years in Tokyo are:
Tokyo Outdoor, Japan Outdoor, Hard, Draw: 56, 4/13/1998
ATP Champions Race Position: 121
R64 Christian Vinck (GER) 104 64 36 63
R32 Martin Damm (CZE) 70 62 64
R16 Jan-Michael Gambill (USA) 81 06 06
This Event: Points: 33, Singles Money: $7,250
Tokyo Outdoor, Japan Outdoor, Hard, Draw: 56, 4/12/1999
ATP Champions Race Position: 54
R64 Kenneth Carlsen (DEN) 127 26 46
This Event: Points: 1, Singles Money: $2,100
Tokyo Outdoor, Japan Outdoor, Hard, Draw: 56, 10/1/2001
ATP Champions Race Position: 44
R64 Bye N/A
R32 Magnus Larsson (SWE) 102 63 75
R16 Karol Kucera (SVK) 134 26 26
This Event: Points: 5, Singles Money: $8,830