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Fifth seed Ferrero survives first round scare
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Updated: 2001-08-29 10:57
Fifth-seeded Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero was taken to the brink of first-round defeat by feisty Frenchman Arnaud Di Pasquale at the US Open on Tuesday but he refused to fall.
Ferrero staged a dramatic comeback to win 1-6 6-3 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-0 on the Grandstand court which has been a graveyard arena for many seeded players over the years.
Di Pasquale served for the match at 6-5 in the fourth set as he appeared ready to end his miserable run of seven successive first-round defeats.
But Ferrero, winner of four titles this year, broke the Frenchman to force a tie-break.
Di Pasquale, the 2000 Olympic bronze medallist, grabbed a 2-0 lead in the tie-break before Ferrero took control, reeling off seven straight points to force a fifth set.
The fight went right out of Di Pasquale at that point and Ferrero did not lose another game, taking the final set to love to win in three hours and 17 minutes.
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