U.S. OPEN

September 2, 1993

Andrei Cherkasov

ANDREI CHERKASOV: Of course it is disappointing to lose because I was two sets to love up and break in the third set, but he fight every point, so he won it, and he is a great player and -- it was very tough to play against him and I think I played one of the best my matches and I had a chance to win, but I didn't take my chance and I lost.

ANDREI CHERKASOV: I don't know. I mean, after the rain I wasn't playing well, so I cannot say. I cannot say it affected my game. Just I lost my chance in the third set when I had the break and I had the chance also in the fourth set. I was up 4-3. , 15-30 and I think bad call against me, for 15-40 two breakpoints down and then I again I had a chance to make easy passing shot and I missed it and they broke me and he won the set. And in the fifth set, he served well and I had last game breakpoint, but I couldn't return his big serve. Of course it is disappointing to lose, because I was very close to winning.

RICHARD FINN: Can I interrupt for one second? I am sorry, one second, Boris does not want to come in, but he will take one pool reporter if somebody wants to come right now, with a Tape-recorder. Anybody want to do this? I need a Tape-recorder. Anybody got a Tape-recorder I will do it myself?

ANDREI CHERKASOV: I played against him six times and it is 5-1 for him and I cannot count that win because he stopped in the third set. I think it was the best match that I really had a chance to win. I think-I don't know-I played good and I took all the breakpoints in the first set and great tiebreak. He was missing a little bit, I don't know, but I think I just played much better than I played before.

ANDREI CHERKASOV: Of course it is very difficult. Play the first round match today on Thursday and the match was almost five hours and that only depends how fit he is. If he is fit; then he will go far. If he is not, then he is going to lose because best of five sets, you have to be very fit and he is playing, I think his second -- next round I think it is very tough match, but it is also how he will play and how Boris will recover, so it is difficult to say. Of course it will give him more confidence after such a win here today because it was -- he was in trouble and almost lost the match, but give him more confidence and I think he will think positive next match and all this depends how fit he is now, his physical condition. If he is in good physical condition he has a chance next round, and to go far. If not, then it will be tough for him to play, because he has to play, I think, maybe tomorrow, yeah? Next round? So it is very tough. He is a great player. He used to play such a match. I think Australian Open he won when he beat Camporese, also very close match, but now he has no time to-- really time to recover, but we will see. It is difficult to say.

ANDREI CHERKASOV: It is a good question. It is difficult to say because the situation in Russia, it is stable and I don't see too many good juniors now because they have no money to travel and still, I think, -- I think optimistic about that, for sure, we will have a great player in the future because we have 150 million people in Russia. I think a few will play for sure, great things. We will see.