Hicham Arazi is one of the most richly gifted players in men's tennis. Alas, he is also one of the most deeply frustrating. In yesterday's wonderfully absorbing quarter-final against France's Cedric Pioline the 24-year-old Moroccan simply and starkly blew it.
The Frenchman, who was virtually out on his feet in the final set, won 3-6, 6-2, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3 and tomorrow plays Spain's Alex Corretja for a place in Sunday's final. The other two semi-finalists are also Spanish: Carlos Moya and Felix Mantilla. It will be a minor miracle if he has the energy to get to the starting line against Corretja, who in the previous match on the centre court polished off Belgium's Filip Dewulf, a semi-finalist here last year, in straight sets.
The 14th-seeded Spaniard had a marathon fourth-round match against Hernan Gumy - over 5 1/2 hours - but matters have gone relatively smoothly for him since. By comparison Pioline, aged 28, has now played two five-set matches in succession, yesterday's lasting three hours and 42 minutes.
The Frenchman was the runner-up to Pete Sampras at Wimbledon last year and lost to the American in the 1993 US Open final but success at Roland Garros has eluded him, his best run coming two years ago when he lost to Germany's Michael Stich in the quarter-final.
Arazi is capable of the most sublime tennis and there were moments during the first set when Pioline could only stare disbelievingly as shots blazed past him. Pioline's forehand was off-key and Arazi twice broke his serve. This was not what the French crowd wanted, for hopes have been growing that Pioline might become the first Frenchman since Yannick Noah in 1983 to win the title.
It is never entirely possible just by looking at Pioline to figure out his physical condition; he shuffles around the baseline with all the grace of a duck out of water. Yet once on the move he acquires a grace and alacrity of movement that his short legs seem to defy. He immediately broke Arazi's serve in the second set and rapidly swung the match his way.
After one missed point the Moroccan sent his racket spinning high into the air, catching it perfectly to the delight of the crowd; he is much given to juggling, frequently a sign that his concentration is about to go AWOL. But here he was focused and Pioline had to be at his most resolute.
Indeed Pioline saved two set points in the third set and scraped through the tie-break 8-6. Yet Arazi, far from being deflated, levelled the match, and at 1-1 in the final set had two break points against the obviously struggling Pioline.
Pioline might have lost his focus, for just before he was due to serve for the match the crowd began a prolonged Mexican wave. Arazi sat down, and Pioline fretted, but in the end the Frenchman was on the crest.
Gustavo Kuerten, last year's French Open champion, who was disqualified for throwing his racket at an umpire during a men's doubles quarter-finals on Tuesday was fined 7,000 (£4,400) yesterday for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The 21-year-old Brazilian was playing alongside compatriot Fernando Meligeni when he threw his racket towards French umpire Bruno Rebeuh after he lost a tense first-set tie-break to Australia's Pat Rafter and Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman.
Rebeuh immediately awarded the match to Rafter and Bjorkman.
