2006年VOA标准英语-Clement Wins First Tennis Title Outside of Fran

By Jim Stevenson
Fitzgerald Tennis Center, Washington, D.C.
07 August 2006

French tennis veteran Arnaud Clement¹ has captured his second title of the year by defeating 19-year-old Andy Murray of Scotland, 7-6, 6-2, to win the Legg Mason Classic in Washington. Clement picked up his first career win outside of France.

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Arnaud Clement after win over Andy Murray, Sunday

The 28-year-old Clement was seeded 11th and ranked 57th in the world coming into the final Sunday. He entered the tournament with a mediocre² 12-14 record this year. But in Washington, he won all five of his matches without losing a set.

Still, Clement says he got off to a slow start.

"I was nervous because it was the final," he said. "And I did not feel my rhythm of serve. It was a tough, tough start for me. I was very tight in the beginning and on the two or last three games also."

Murray was seeded eighth and played his first tournament under new coach Brad Gilbert. But he quickly fell apart after losing the first set tiebreak and was broken in his first two service games in the second set to fall well behind.

"He raised his game once he got back into the match. And my level dropped a bit," he said. "I served badly in the tiebreak. I definitely had my chances. I probably should have won the first set. But I obviously did not start the second set too well going four-love (4-0) down. And he definitely deserved to win."

The hardcourt event is one of several leading to the U.S. Open. The final Grand Slam tennis event of the year starts August 28 in New York.

1 clement   

adj.仁慈的；温和的

参考例句：

• A clement judge reduced his sentence.一位仁慈的法官为他减了刑。
• The planet's history contains many less stable and clement eras than the holocene.地球的历史包含着许多不如全新世稳定与温和的地质时期。

2 mediocre   

adj.平常的，普通的

参考例句：

• The student tried hard,but his work is mediocre. 该生学习刻苦，但学业平庸。
• Only lazybones and mediocre persons could hanker after the days of messing together.只有懒汉庸才才会留恋那大锅饭的年代。