Seles, Graf Roll Through Open
The predicament was familiar, and so was Martina Hingis' response.
Down
|
The top-seeded Hingis, who had not lost a set in the U.S. Open since 1996, rallied to defeat Mauresmo 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 as most of the seeded women and men continued moving easily through the tournament.
Only two seeded women have been eliminated so far, and only three seeded men have lost.
Hingis trailed Mauresmo by a set and 4-1 in the second set of a Federation Cup match in Switzerland in July before rallying to win. This time, Hingis was down by a set and tied 1-1 in the second before winning 11 of the last 14 games.
Hingis had six double faults and was out-aced 5-1 by Mauresmo, but never seemed worried. During a changeover early in the second set, Hingis mentioned to a ballgirl that she liked her uniform.
Jana Novotna, no longer burdened by past failures, is a Wimbledon champion with a lot less on her mind these days. As she advances, Novotna finally is doing something that once seemed so remote -- having fun.
Novotna, who beat Sandrine Testud 6-2, 6-3 to reach the fourth round, until this summer had been known mostly for defeats in Wimbledon finals in 1993 and 1997 in which she squandered big leads.
"I think that after winning Wimbeldon, yes, I have completed my career," she said. "An enormous dream came true for me and I am just looking forward to playing more and enjoying it more. am just feeling incredibly relieved and just happy of what I have achieved."
 |
| Novotna has a grip on the U.S. Open's early rounds. (AP) |
The Wimbledon title not only changed Novotna's attitude, but also the way she is perceived by opponents.
"I think now since I am Wimbledon champion, I feel more respect from the other players while I am on the court," she said. "Even when I am losing, I see on the face of the other players that they are not really sure if they can really win it."
Also advancing with little trouble to the fourth round was No. 6 Monica Seles, who won 6-3, 6-3 over Annie Miller. Seles is one victory from a probable encounter with Hingis in the quarterfinals.
Steffi Graf reached the fourth round with a 6-1, 6-1 victory in 43 minutes over Mirjana Lucic in which she won nine straight games. Graf, the No. 8 seed, made just seven unforced errors to 33 for Lucic.
Lucic had eight double faults, often missing serves by several feet. At one point in the second set, she stood at the service line and shrugged.
When Lucic whiffed on a serve by Graf in the final game of the match, a fan yelled "strike one."
"It was like a nightmare, that's what it was like out there today," Lucic said. "I totally missed the ball. That didn't happen when I was 3 1/2 years old."
No. 14 Dominique Van Roost lost 6-4, 6-2 to Kimberly Po. The only other women's seed ousted so far is No. 16 Ai Sugiyama, who pulled out in the second round with a sprained ankle.
Among the women advancing Friday was No. 11 Patty Schnyder, a 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) winner over Mary Joe Fernandez.
WIinners among the men were No. 2 Marcelo Rios, No. 5 Richard Krajicek, No. 11 Yevgeny Kafelnikov and No. 13 Tim Henman.
The run of success by seeded men is in stark contrast to the upsets that dominated the French Open and Wimbledon this year.
Seven of the top eight men's seeds have made it to the third round at the U.S. Open. At Wimbledon, just three of the top eight reached the third round. At the French Open, only one of the top eight reached the third round.
"Good seedings, I guess," explained No. 8 Andre Agassi.
The most intriguing match of the day promised to be the one at night between Serena Williams and No. 9 Irina Spirlea, who collided with Serena's older sister, Venus, during a changeover in their U.S. Open match last year.
© 1998 SportsLine USA, Inc. All rights reserved