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Wheaton, a Semifinalist, Is a Qualified Success

David Wheaton beat Petr Korda on his way to the Wimbledon semifinals in 1991, a tournament that propelled him to 12th in the rankings of the Association of Tennis Professionals. Wheaton is ranked 232nd now, and has to qualify for tournaments such as the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. After a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win over 14th-seeded Vince Spadea yesterday, he’ll meet Korda again today as he continues his comeback from a heel injury.

Wheaton, who has beaten three seeded players at the Legg Mason, is trying to become the first qualifier to win an ATP Tour event since Jonathan Stark beat Michael Chang in Singapore last October.

"I think mentally I’m concentrating very well," Wheaton said. "I’m not making a lot of unforced errors. I think in the past I’ve made a few more unforced errors, and I’ve really tried to cut down the amount of points I’m giving away this week. Also, I’ve tried to add a few different shots to my game. I’m trying not to be quite so one-dimensional."

Wheaton wouldn’t elaborate on what kind of new shots he’s added, but said he’s been playing more aggressively than he has the past few years, when he was more of a baseline player.

It’s been two years since Wheaton reached an ATP Tour semifinal, and he was clearly excited at returning to the semis yesterday, shouting "Yeah!" and pumping his fist at the end of his match. But he said afterward that he couldn’t take a different approach into today’s match.

"I don’t think you want to be thinking about being in the semifinal," he said. "That’s not going to help you in any way."

Double Trouble
Nobody’s been saying "Let’s play two" in Washington’s blistering heat, but seventh-seeded Scott Draper had that unlucky task last night. Draper lost to Chang in singles last night, then teamed with fellow Australian Jason Stoltenberg in doubles.

"When you’re younger, you play in tournaments on weekends and you can play five matches in a day," Draper said. "So if you want to do it, as long as you have the necessary rest, you can do it. And this isn’t best of five like it is in Grand Slams. The old guys, they’d play singles, doubles and mixed with five sets without too much trouble."

ATP Tour trainer Bill Norris said Draper was ideally suited for the task.

"He comes from Australia, so he’s used to the heat," Norris said.

Sightseeing
The William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center hasn’t been the only local landmark visited by players this week. After advancing to the semifinals yesterday, Petr Korda of the Czech Republic visited the Czech Embassy. Stoltenberg and wife Andrea have visited the White House, Michael Joyce has seen the Holocaust museum and several players have taken in a game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

"I’m not a baseball fan, so it was kind of boring," said Tommy Haas of Germany. "But the atmosphere was kind of nice once in a while. I liked the stadium."

Then there were players such as New Zealand’s Brett Steven, who also won yesterday. "I’ve stayed in my room the entire time," he said. "It’s too hot — I need to conserve my energy."