Troubles over for Haas

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By Harlan Goode

Tommy Haas removed his white hat and began launching backhands into the crowd. The sun was setting, and a cool breeze was blowing through William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center. Haas had defeated nemesis Nicolas Mahut.

Haas avoided a third loss to the Frenchman with a 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory in the Legg Mason Tennis Classic on Wednesday night.

"It feels good, definitely," a relieved Haas said. "I was really looking forward to this match."

Haas blew a 5-3 advantage in the first set but collected himself in the tiebreaker, finishing Mahut with a forceful cross-court forehand. He overpowered his lanky opponent in the final set, winning 94 percent of his service points.

"I am pretty happy with my game as of now," Haas said. "I am feeling pretty good from the baseline, and in my returns today, I was seeing the ball pretty clear."

Until his two fated meetings with Mahut, Haas' antagonists have been largely nebulous.

Ever since his prodigious backhand landed him a spot at the Nick Bollettieri Academy at the age of 11, Haas has been regarded as one of the most talented players on the tour. But accidents, ailments and injuries have prevented the 30-year-old German from capturing a Grand Slam.

By the time Haas turned pro in 1996, he already had broken both ankles.

After capturing a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and rising to the No. 2 in the world in 2001, Haas was forced to put his career on hold after his parents were hit by a truck while riding the Harley Davidson that Haas had bought for his father, Peter. The young star sat by his father's bedside for six months, then took his turn in the recovery room after injuring his shoulder later in the year.

Back at full strength in 2004, Haas won a pair of singles titles and was named ATP comeback player of the year.

After cramps knocked him out of the 2006 U.S. Open and a torn abdominal muscle forced him to pull out day before facing Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2007, Haas thought he had seen - and felt - it all. Then things took a turn for the bizarre.

Midway through a 2007 Davis Cup semifinals match, Haas left the court with what he thought was a routine stomach bug. Then a conspiracy theory developed that someone had slipped something sickening into Haas' drink. By the time an International Tennis Federation investigation tested him eight weeks later, it was too late to prove anything.

"If there was something, who knows," Haas said. "I'll tell you one thing, I was as sick as a dog as I ever have been."

So far, 2008 has been relatively pain, stress and freak accident-free. Haas reached the quarterfinals at the ATP Masters Series Indian Wells in March and again in Indianapolis in June.

Haas said his early exit from last week's Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles - a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Donald Young - was due to more benign distractions.

"L.A. has become like my second home because my girlfriend [actress Sara Foster] lives there," said Haas, who normally resides in Bradenton, Fla. "A lot of her friends came to watch, so I got a little bit nervous. I don't know why."

Apparently, hitting his backhand is harder for Haas with a group of blonde bombshells cheering his name from the stands.

With Mahut defeated and Foster in Los Angeles, Haas can focus on winning in the District.

"I do really enjoy coming here, playing here," said Haas, who has twice advanced to the Legg Mason quarterfinals and will face Alejandro Falla in the third round. "I love to see [the District]. It reminds me a lot of a nice European city, and the stadium has such a good atmosphere."