Top players focused on Paris after early exits from Rome

ROME (AP) _ The big names are just about all gone from the Italian Open. But with little more than two weeks to go before the year's next Grand Slam, the world's top players are not worried; they're

Friday, May 7th 2004, 5:52 am

By: News On 6

ROME (AP) _ The big names are just about all gone from the Italian Open. But with little more than two weeks to go before the year's next Grand Slam, the world's top players are not worried; they're focusing on the big picture.

Lleyton Hewitt, Tim Henman and Marat Safin were each eliminated Thursday, joining the clay-court tournament's top three seeds _ Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Rainer Schuettler _ who were ousted earlier in the week.

``I feel I'm adjusting to the clay more than anything,'' Hewitt said after he got beat 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 by Andrei Pavel of Romania.

``The clay-court season is probably one of the toughest for me and the big picture is the French Open. If I feel confident, then I feel like I can compete with the best players even on a clay court.''

The euro2.4 million (US$2.9 million) Italian Open's is a major clay-court tuneup for the May 24-June 6 tournament in France. Players who are not in top form now have got two more weeks to get their games together.

``You don't really want to get too analytical right now,'' Henman said following his 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 loss to Argentine clay-court specialist Mariano Zabaleta.

``I've been playing some good tennis. I've had another positive week and I lost today. I think it's just as simple as that. I feel good about my game and I'll just be trying to build on it next week in Hamburg. I feel very optimistic going into Paris. I think never having been past the third round, really motivated to improve on that.''

Safin was eliminated by eighth-seeded Nicolas Massu of Chile 7-5, 6-4.

Three straight days of bad weather disrupted matches across the Foro Italico and Thursday's play combined the end of the second round with the third.

The unseeded Safin _ the Australian Open finalist still recovering ranking positions from a long injury layoff last year _ beat 10th-seeded Thai star Paradorn Srichaphan 6-2, 6-2 in his first match Thursday.

A few hours later, the Russian struggled to keep up against the much fresher Massu.

With both players staying back at the baseline for more than two hours of endless rallies, Safin sought respite on the changeovers, breathing deeply and resting his arms on the back of his chair as if he were sitting on his sofa at home.

After a slow start, Safin made a valiant effort to get back in the match and make both sets close, but ultimately suffered from his 45 unforced errors (to Massu's 29).

After Hewitt's loss, the former No. 1 from Australia complained that he did not have as much time between matches as his opponent. He was also upset that the match was relegated to an outside court without a full team of linesmen.

``One of the worst scheduling things I've ever seen,'' Hewitt said.

Tournament director Sergio Palmieri responded by saying he ``understood'' how Hewitt felt, but that the schedule was made by a small committee _ including a player representative _ and when the schedule ``is done, it's done.''

Zabaleta rallied from a set down to beat Henman.

The fourth-seeded Henman was in firm control and seemed comfortable in the cold, Wimbledon-like conditions in the first set. As the match wore on, however, Zabaleta's baseline game warmed up and the Englishman became more erratic.

``I played probably as good a set of tennis I played on clay,'' Henman said. ``Second and third sets, he certainly raised his level and started to play so aggressively and so consistently.

``I think, in the conditions, I lost to the better player.''

Henman hit more winners (28) than Zabaleta (18), but also made more than twice as many unforced errors _ 30 to 14.

Sixth-seeded Carlos Moya backed up his new status as tournament favorite with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic in a second-round match early Thursday.

The Spaniard with the sleeveless shirt gave up no breaks for the second straight match and maintained his concentration during a 26-minute rain delay in the first set.

With all of the top seeds gone, Moya has become the man to beat at Foro Italico. Argentine David Nalbandian (No. 5) _ who beat both Brazil's Flavio Saretta and local favorite Filippo Volandri of Italy on Thursday _ is seeded above Moya, but the 1998 French Open champion is considered a bigger threat on the red clay courts _ rendered even slower than usual by the mostly overcast conditions.

When rain interrupted Thursday's play for the fourth time, Moya's third-round night match against Croatian qualifier Ivo Karlovic was rescheduled for Friday morning.