Defending champ saves best for Roland Garros

Albert Costa could win four five-set matches.
PARIS (AP) -- Something about the French Open brings out the best in Albert Costa.
Here's a guy who has won just one of his past 88 tournaments, a stretch dating to August 1999. That title came last year at Roland Garros.
Over his career, the Spaniard has played in 29 Grand Slam events and been beyond the quarterfinals only twice -- both in Paris, of course.
And in 10 years on the pro tour, he never had overcome a two-set deficit until this French Open, where he's done it three times in five matches en route to the semifinals.
"What I have discovered is that I have greater mental strength, possibly because I won it before. I'm very motivated, and I want to win it again," Costa said. "The truth is, I've also been lucky. But, clearly, mentally and physically, I've shown great stamina. I feel well on the court, and I always think I still have a chance to win."
Costa-Ferrero Part II
In today's semifinals, the ninth-seeded Costa was to face the man he beat in the 2002 championship match, No. 3 Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Heading into the previous round, it seemed the other semifinal would pit 1999 champion Andre Agassi against 1998 champion Carlos Moya. Instead, it was to be a study in contrasts between No. 7 Guillermo Coria of Argentina and unseeded Martin Verkerk of the Netherlands. The 5-foot-9 Coria joked that the 6-3 Verkerk is "four times bigger."
While Coria raced side to side to swat smooth groundstrokes that confounded Agassi, Verkerk relies more on a power game that produced 27 aces against Moya -- a very high total on clay.
Neither had been this far at a Grand Slam tournament; Verkerk had never won a match at a major.
Both Costa and Ferrero are most comfortable on clay, too. All 12 of Costa's career titles have come on the slow surface, while Ferrero is 26-2 on it this season, with titles at Monte Carlo and Valencia.
By getting through his own five-set ordeal against Fernando Gonzalez in the round of eight Wednesday, Ferrero joined Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander, Ivan Lendl and Jim Courier as the only men to reach the French Open semifinals four consecutive years. The others all won the French Open at least twice.
Costa has "found his confidence again, playing here," Ferrero said. "He is, of course, capable of winning."
Still, Ferrero likes his chances of moving a step closer to his first major title. He figures he'll have the stronger legs in the rematch against Costa.
"Physically, I'm not sure he will be that fresh, because after playing so many sets, nobody can be fresh," Ferrero said.