Rare feat beckons the finalists

PARIS, June 7: After two weeks of upsets and surprises, beaten favourites and unknown qualifiers, the French Open has a chance to return to...

PARIS, June 7: After two weeks of upsets and surprises, beaten favourites and unknown qualifiers, the French Open has a chance to return to a level of normalcy if Sergi Bruguera win his third title tomorrow.

But if 66th-ranked Gustavo Kuerten wins, he will become the lowest ranked men8217;s champion in French Open history. He will move up to around No 20 in the rankings no matter how he does tomorrow.

Kuerten is the sixth unseeded player in the Open era to make it to the men8217;s final. Only two non-seeds have ever won the French Open, Marcel Bernard in 1946 and Mats Wilander in 1982.

Kuerten already has beaten the French Open champions the last two years in Thomas Muster and Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Now he has a chance to add Bruguera, the 1993 and 1994 champion, to the list.

With tennis becoming more a power game rather than the patience required on the red clay of Roland Garros, the French Open has given way to its share players who have been unable to win elsewhere.

Witness Michael Chang, Andres Gomez, Muster and Kafelnikov. All of them have won the French Open over the last 10 years but none has won another Grand Slam title.

Bruguera has has his share of setbacks over the past two years, with knee and ankle problems. Once No 3 in the world in August 1994, he has not won a tournament since then.

Bruguera knows things were different then.

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8220;I think 8217;93 and 8217;94 I was playing a little more relaxed,8221; Bruguera said. 8220;I was going for the shots, not thinking about anything. Everything was going without pressure. All the shots were going in. I played with happiness.8220;Now is different. I8217;m trying to come back. I8217;m trying to win. I8217;m very anxious to come back. I have had so many problems.8221;

Bruguera did make a comeback of sorts at the Atlanta Olympics, taking the silver medal. He was runner-up to Muster in the Lipton tournament at Key Biscayne, Fla. in March.

Kuerten is in a different situation, not having won anything before except challenger events.

8220;I8217;m very happy, but I8217;m not satisfied yet,8221; Kuerten said. 8220;I really want it more now. I really have a chance to win the tournament. Why not?8221;

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KAFELNIKOV, VACEK WIN DOUBLES TITLE: Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia and Daniel Vacek of the Czech Republic won their second consecutive French Open doubles titles today with a 7-6 14-12, 4-6, 6-3 triumph over top-seeded Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde of Australia.

Kafelnikov and Vacek won after 2 hours 9 minutes on their third match point to take home a winners8217; cheque of 224,500 dollars.