Aussie Wild Card beats Ferrero

[Joel]

I think his name is Guccioni, he just won the first set against Ferrero. The kid is 18, and had a massive serve on him. I think he aced him about 12 times in the first set. Looks like the kid has some talent.

[Donny]

Guccione causes huge upset

Fox

AUSTRALIAN teenager Chris Guccione today sent world No.3 Juan Carlos Ferrero packing from the adidas International in Sydney.

The 19-year-old wildcard thundered down 19 aces to stun the tournament's top seed 6-3 7-6 (8-6) on centre court at Olympic Park.

Earlier, Mark Philippoussis also advanced with a 6-4 5-7 6-2 win over Spanish qualifier Ruben Ramirez-Hidalgo to have four Australians into the last 16 of the Australian lead-up event.

Philippoussis will meet embattled Brit Greg Rusedski for a place in the quarter-finals, while Guccione can look forward to a second-round date with veteran South African Wayne Ferreira, who upset American James Blake 6-2 6-4.

But Philippoussis's Davis Cup teammate Wayne Arthurs bowed out with a 6-4 6-4 loss to Dutch eighth seed Martin Verkerk, last year's French Open runner-up.

Other winners today were Spanish third seed Carlos Moya, along with Max Mirnyi, Tommy Robredo, Karol Kucera, Felix Mantilla, Michael Llodra and Arnaud Clement.

[Blanch]

Chris can play....as can another youngster named Todd Reid. Australia have some seriously talented younger players coming through (and that includes the girls). The test is not of talent though....it's the mental battle to adapt to the rigours of the tour.

The standard of our junior tennis players are getting better year by year because the programs we now have at a junior level are far better prepared. Don't be surprised if we have a few more girls in the top 20 in another 5 years time.

[Joel]

Guccione power stuns top seed
By Richard Hinds, Jessica Halloran
Sydney
January 14, 2004

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/ ... 28212.html

Last November, Chris Guccione helped out as a hitting partner when Australia won the Davis Cup, a victory achieved largely at the expense of the hapless Spanish star Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Yesterday, the 18-year-old Victorian heralded his arrival as a serious new talent by performing the same feat as Lleyton Hewitt and Mark Philippoussis with equal panache.

Guccione's powerful and almost nerveless 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) victory over the world No. 3 in the first round of the Sydney International was a big upset.

But it was also emphatic vindication of the high hopes of many in the Australian tennis establishment who believe the 447th-ranked left-hander's big serve and cool temperament will take him a long way.