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AP
PARIS - The shrieks rang out, loud and long, on serves and returns, on forehands and backhands and pretty much any other shot 16-year-old Michelle Larcher de Brito swatted Friday in the third Grand Slam match of her career.
She often sounded as though she were in pain. Still, Larcher de Brito — who represents Portugal and lives in Bradenton, Fla. — and her supporters insist her grunts are no worse than those of Monica Seles all those years ago or Maria Sharapova these days.
Her opponent in the French Open's third round, Aravane Rezai of France, raised quite a ruckus herself on the way to defeating Larcher de Brito 7-6 (2), 6-2. She complained repeatedly to the chair umpire about all the noise coming from the other side of the net in the tournament's main stadium.
"It's hard to play against a player screaming like that," Rezai said. "It really did upset me, because it was really unpleasant."
During a first-set changeover, Rezai told chair umpire Mohamed El Jennati: "For you, it's normal, maybe, but for me it's disturbing," then insisted that a Grand Slam official come to the court to assess the situation.
Larcher de Brito, trying to become the youngest woman since 2005 in the fourth round at a major tournament, pushed back, noting she played the same way while earning her way into the French Open through the qualifying rounds.
"I played five matches — nobody has complained. Do you tell Sharapova to keep quiet? No," she told El Jennati during one changeover, and later said: "When I start winning, she complains. So it's a really weird coincidence."
According to tournament referee Stefan Fransson, El Jennati could have awarded any point to Rezai if he determined she was hindered by Larcher de Brito's shrieking during that point. No warning is necessary.
Fransson referred to Rule 26, entitled "Hindrance," in the International Tennis Federation's Rules, which states: "If a player is hindered in playing the point by a deliberate act of the opponent(s), the player shall win the point."
There is nothing specific about grunting.
"It's a judgment call," said Fransson, who went out to the court to see — and hear — a couple of games Friday.
He thinks tennis officials not connected to the sport's major championships have already spoken to Larcher de Brito about what he termed her "grunting or noising or whatever you want to call it." He expects someone affiliated with the Grand Slams to have a conversation with her before Wimbledon.
At issue, Fransson said, is not necessarily how loudly Larcher de Brito screams, but whether her yells carry into the time when an opponent swings.
"I don't think I've heard anything longer," Fransson said.
Larcher de Brito, who double-faulted 12 times Friday, said she's always played this way, and that she wouldn't be able to "all of a sudden stop grunting."
Backed by the local fans, Rezai occasionally mimicked Larcher de Brito's high-pitched sounds. After they met for a halfhearted handshake at the net, the crowd booed and whistled derisively at Larcher de Brito as the teen walked off the court.
"Wasn't too much of a great feeling," Larcher de Brito said. "It's kind of disappointing, but it's understandable, because she is a French player."
Rezai also sounded off about Larcher de Brito when they played each other in March while trying to qualify for a tournament at Key Biscayne, Fla.
The French Open marked Larcher de Brito's Grand Slam debut, and by winning two matches, she assured herself of moving into the top 100 in the rankings. She moved to Florida when she was 9 after being discovered in Portugal by someone from the same Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy where Seles and Sharapova trained.
"She likes the big stage," said her father and coach, Antonio. "She's not afraid of it. She showed that today."
Asked if she worries whether her talent might be overshadowed by the attention paid to her shrieks, Larcher de Brito replied: "I'm a strong person. ... I can handle this."
All things considered, it seems safe to say she'll be heard from again.
The United States swept favored Switzerland out of the Davis Cup on Saturday when Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan beat Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
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Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
