Gustavo Kuerten was once an obscure young player with an unorthodox flair who developed a knack for knocking off Grand Slam champions -- much like the Spaniard who just ended his bid for a fourth French Open title.
Kuerten smiled when asked about the comparison, then rejected it. He said Tommy Robredo is not a replica of the 20-year-old Kuerten who won at Roland Garros in 1997.
PHOTO: REUTERS
"No, I think the hair is a lot different," Kuerten said with a laugh. "And my clothes were blue and yellow."
But like Guga six years ago, the 21-year-old Robredo is making his mark on the Paris clay. He upset top-ranked Lleyton Hewitt in the third round, then eliminated Kuerten 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4 Monday.
Next up for Robredo in the quarterfinals Wednesday: compatriot Albert Costa, the 2002 French Open champion.
"I've beaten the ace, I've beaten the king," Robredo said. "Now I need to beat the jack, don't I? If I beat Costa, I'll have beaten the entire deck of cards."
Kuerten was an improbable champion in 1997. He entered the tournament ranked 66th and beat Grand Slam winners Thomas Muster, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Sergi Bruguera en route to the title.
Robredo came in with a higher ranking (31st) and was even seeded 28th. But among the four Spanish men reaching the final eight -- a record at a major event in the Open era -- he's the least likely quarterfinalist.
The others are Costa, 2002 French Open runner-up Juan Carlos Ferrero and 1998 champion Carlos Moya.
"I've just played two wonderful matches," Robredo said. "But each one is going to be increasingly difficult."
He beat Kuerten with brazen tactics, repeatedly winning key points by floating forehand drop shots just over the net. Robredo employed the strategy four times in the final game alone, including on the last point.
Hitting a drop shot typically requires a steady touch, but Robredo said he actually did it because he was nervous.
"At the end of the match, it was easier for me to make a drop shot than to hit the ball hard," he said. "When I was trying to hit, the ball was going 2m out, so that was a good tactic at the end."
The drop shot wasn't Robredo's only weapon. He repeatedly hit inside-out forehands from his backhand corner to keep Kuerten pinned behind the baseline.
Jim Courier won two French Open titles with the same stroke.
Kuerten, who hasn't reached a clay-court final since undergoing arthroscopic hip surgery in February 2002, seemed to labor chasing down Robredo's assortment of shots.
The No. 9-seeded Costa eliminated the final Frenchman, Arnaud Clement, 6-2, 7-5, 7-5. Ferrero improved to 7-0 against compatriot Felix Mantilla, winning 6-2, 6-1, 6-1.
Guillermo Coria, seeded seventh, played for more than 4{ hours over two days to beat Argentine Davis Cup teammate Mariano Zabaleta 6-4, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-7 (4), 6-3. The match was suspended after three sets Sunday because of darkness.
Fernando Gonzalez, seeded 19th, defeated No. 30 Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.
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