Gaston Gaudio claimed one of the most unlikely Grand Slam victories in history Sunday when he saved two match points to defeat fellow Argentine Guillermo Coria 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6 in a Roland Garros final of wildly-fluctating fortunes. Coria won 11 of the first 12 games of the match and seemed destined to extend his imposing clay record to 49 wins from his past 51 matches.

But unseeded Gaudio eked out the third set and at 1-1 in the fourth set Coria's chances were rocked by cramps in his left leg which robbed him of his blistering court coverage and forced him to serve at half pace. Gaudio saved two match points when Coria served for the match for a second time at 6-5 in the fifth. "This is like a movie for me," said Gaudio, who is the first player since 1960 to win a Grand Slam final after saving match points in the final. (In 1960 Rod Laver saved one match point against Neale Fraser in the final of the Australian Championships.)

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Coria won the first eight games of the match and 11 of the first 12 to race to a 6-0, 5-1 lead.

Coria was in a strong position to close out the match in straight sets when he led 40-15 at 4-4 in the third set. But Gaudio scrambled to all corners of the court to win the point of the match - the first of four consecutive points he won to break Coria's serve. Gaudio then served out the set to love - the first time in four attempts he had held serve immediately after breaking Coria.

At 1-1 in the fourth set Coria received treatment on his left leg. In the next game Coria served at half pace and his mobility was severely impeded. ATP trainer Per Bastholt also attended to Coria at the next change. Coria hobbled his way through the set but at the beginning of the fifth set his mobility improved dramatically.

Coria broke Gaudio's first two service games of the fifth set, but was still struggling on his own serve, which he continued to hit half pace. Gaudio got back on level terms at 4-4 but then dropped serve. Coria served for the match at 5-4 but was broken to love.

At 5-5 Gaudio failed to convert three game points - which would have given him the lead for the first time in the match - leaving Coria to take a 6-5 lead when he converted his fourth break point of the game.

Coria had two non consecutive match points in the next game, narrowly missing both chances with a down-the-line backhand and then a down-the-line forehand which inched wide.

Gaudio then held serve to go ahead for the first time in the match at 7-6 and broke Coria in the final game to claim his first Grand Slam victory.

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID

Gaudio: "Well, it's tough to be in a final 6-0, 5-1 down. I was suffering so much. I was telling my coach that I want to leave, I don't want to be here. I prefer to lose in the first round and not to be in here in the final and making this.

“I was trying to relax myself a little bit more and trying to enjoy the moment. And, finally, I did it.

On the fluctuating fortunes during the match: “I was laughing because I couldn't believe what was going on over there. It was like a movie. I was watching my coach and I was telling him, ‘What is this?’ I mean, it's like too much.”

On receiving the trophy from Guillermo Vilas: “It was exactly the way that I dreamed. I'm playing here because of him. So getting that trophy from him, it was like a dream.”

On Coria’s cramps: “It's complicated to play a guy that you don't know how to play, you don't know the strategy to play a guy like he's maybe running, maybe not. You just thinking to put the ball in, and then he makes a forehand winner. So you don't know how to manage that.

“I think that if you play with a guy who’s injured, of course it's gonna help you. But that was in the fourth set. And then in the fifth, he started to run again like the beginning of the match.

“I think I was a little bit lucky at the end when I got two match points down and I came back. I don't know how, but I won."

Credits: www.atptennis.com