Lyon, Oct 12: Clement, whose first career title came in Lyon three years ago, was delighted by his standard of play against Paradorn.
"I played a pretty near perfect match," Clement said. "Physically, for the final, I'm ready to go."
The Frenchman did not face a single breakpoint but converted four of his own against a frustrated Paradorn. "He gave me a tough time," Paradorn said. "He mixes things up, he's quick, and playing with a lot of confidence."
Clement, whose dazzling tennis is at last beginning to match his brightly-colored bandanas, said he is relishing what he feels could be a tough contest against the German.
"Schuettler is a fantastic player who's had a really consistent year," Clement said. "So the final will be physically very tough. He's a real warrior. I'm really hungry."



But Clement, the Australian Open runner-up in 2001, is modest about his recent good form.



"When you win in Metz or Lyon, you'll meet guys who are good but around 50th in the rankings," he said. "In a Masters series, you can run up against Agassi, Federer, Ferrero, guys like that."



"That's a different ball game," he added, looking ahead to the Masters in Paris at the end of this month. "You can play your absolute best and still get beaten."


Bureau Report