Enqvist Makes It Through Breakers

INDIAN WELLS — Thomas Enqvist landed in the men’s final of the Indian Wells tennis tournament here Saturday much like that airplane at Burbank a few weeks ago. He belly-flopped.

The Swede, whose game is nowhere near as bland as his personality, defeated Australia’s Mark Philippoussis in a semifinal match of the Tennis Masters Series event that was as exciting as it was flawed, as dramatic as it was frustrating.

The two, playing for the right to meet Spain’s Alex Corretja in today’s noon final, gave the crowd of 16,063 in the new 16,100-seat Indian Wells Garden an early evening tennis joy ride, with all the inherent bumps, turns and spinouts.

Enqvist’s 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (8) roller coaster featured 246 points, compared with 108 in Corretja’s 6-3, 6-4 victory over Ecuador’s Nicolas Lapentti in the first semifinal. Enqvist had 52 unforced errors, Philippoussis 51. Enqvist had 34 winners, Philippoussis 42. Enqvist had 12 aces, Philippoussis 23.

The match should have been over about 15 times before it was. It was one of those that had spectators doubled over in amazement after each shot, each ebb and flow. As exciting as it was, it was also a 2 1/2-hour root canal. Each player was, in spurts, incredible and horrible. Some of the shot selection and game strategy brought to mind a Jim Carrey movie, “Dumb and Dumber.” Similarly, some of the heroics were Stallone and “Rocky.”

When Enqvist finally stumbled across the finish line, bruised and battered, it was on his seventh match point, and he got it, fittingly for this match, in a most unpredictable way. He returned one of Philippoussis’ service bombs, this one 132 mph, right at the Aussie’s feet. From there Philippoussis could do little but slap his answer feebly into the net.

Before that, Enqvist had served four times for the match, once at 5-3 of the second set, once at 5-3 of the third set, and twice in the second-set tiebreaker. On his first attempt to serve it out, Enqvist lost at love. At 5-3 of the third set, he double-faulted to 15-40 and then inexplicably charged the net on the next point and netted a backhand volley. In Enqvist’s two service shots at match point in the second-set tiebreaker, Philippoussis hit a winner on the first and Enqvist made an error on the second.

But Enqvist wasn’t the only one with chances to end it. Philippoussis had four break points at 5-5 of the final set and had two match points in the third-set tiebreaker--at 6-5, where Enqvist hit a 123-mph ace, and at 8-7, where Enqvist hit a huge backhand down the line that forced Philippoussis to net a forehand.

Enqvist has a reputation of having trouble closing out a match. The outspoken Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia discussed that publicly before the 1999 Australian final, where he faced, and beat, Enqvist. Against Philippoussis, the defending champion here, Enqvist appeared to shorten his service toss and move his feet a bit less on the big points and big games. But the c-word (choke) was later addressed only indirectly by Enqvist, who said, “I did a little bit too many errors when I was, you know, trying to close it out.”

If there was an occasional tightening around his collar, however, Enqvist also deserves credit for never succumbing totally to it and fighting through to the end. “I played a great match, I think,” he said. “I played very, very well the whole match.”

Well, maybe not the whole match . . .

The intensity was such that both players, including the almost-never-emotional Enqvist, received code violations. Philippoussis got his when he smashed his racket to the ground, turning it into a nylon pretzel. Enqvist whacked a ball in frustration past a linesman’s head at the far end of the court.

Corretja’s victory was as uneventful as Enqvist’s was wild and crazy. Corretja, still probably best known in the tennis world for being Pete Sampras’ opponent in the U.S. Open the day a sick-to-his-stomach Sampras endured a 4-hour 9-minute victory when Corretja double-faulted on match point, was simply better than Lapentti. He fought hard on every point in the baseline duel and won on an amazing match point in which he chased down a ball already volleyed behind him, caught up to it and hit a backhand winner.

“I don’t know how I hit that backhand,” he said. “I think I closed my eyes.”

So, today’s final, a best-of-five match, will pair up two fit, young baseliners, neither of whom quit. Suggestion for those with tickets: Bring sleeping bags and pajamas.

Alex Corretja vs. Thomas Enqvist

Head to head (Series tied, 2-2)

1994 U.S. Open

Enqvist def. Corretja, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1

1995 Monte Carlo

Corretja def. Enqvist, 6-4, 6-4

1999 Key Biscayne, Fla.

Enqvist def. Corretja, 7-5, 6-3

1999 Long Island, N.Y.

Corretja def. Enqvist, 7-6 (8), 2-6, 7-6 (1)