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U.S. blues

Americans have gray day on and off the court

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Posted: Tuesday August 31, 1999 11:27 PM

Todd Martin (above) staggered to a four-hour, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (7-2), 6-7 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3) victory over Stephane Huet. AP

NEW YORK (AP) -- Gloom pervaded the U.S. Open on a day shrouded in gray as Pete Sampras creaked off in misery, Todd Martin struggled against a cramping journeyman, and Jim Courier sank in first-round defeat.

It was as if nearly the whole American Davis Cup team was reliving its nightmare against Australia a month ago.

Even Alexandra Stevenson, the effervescent teen who brightened up Wimbledon by reaching the semifinals in her pro debut, fell victim to Tuesday's melancholy as she bowed out listlessly to No. 11 Nathalie Tauziat of France, 6-2, 6-2.

Defending women's champion Lindsay Davenport brought a few rays of sunshine with her efficient 6-0, 6-3 victory over Corina Morariu; Jennifer Capriati added a few more with her first win in the Open since 1992; and Serena Williams won easily in the evening, 6-1, 6-0 against Kimberly Po.

"This is the best I've felt in a long time here, tennis-wise," Capriati said after beating 1997 French Open champion Iva Majoli of Croatia 6-1, 7-5. "I feel like I'm ready to play some tennis."

Capriati is far from the giggly teen she was when she reached the semis at the U.S. Open in 1991. In her last four appearances here, she lost in the first round.

"I'm not as goofy as I was before," she said with a laugh. "That's changed. I'm not going to go around saying I'm so excited after I win a match here."

But despite her muted joy, the day had a strange, disjointed feeling, beginning with Sampras' withdrawal because of a herniated disc in his lower back. Sampras, the four-time champion and top seed, would not be going for a record 13th Grand Slam title and would not have a chance to face No. 2 Andre Agassi again.

"I'm going to be very bummed out the next couple of weeks," said Sampras, who will lose his No. 1 ranking to Agassi or Russia's Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

Martin seemed in need of a little compassion, himself, the way he staggered to a four-hour, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (7-2), 6-7 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3) victory over Stephane Huet, a 28-year-old Frenchman making his U.S. Open debut as a qualifier.

Martin, who lost both his singles matches in the Davis Cup against Australia last month, blew four match points in the third sets, then watched Huet extend the match to the limit despite severe cramps in his legs and serving hand.

"The only thing that was sore on me was my toenails from hitting my shoes," said the 29-year-old Martin, who took out his frustration by slapping his racket against his feet.

"I didn't have a whole lot of emotion to get up with today," he said. "That's something that's got to change. Why? I don't know. I got a haircut yesterday, and I see how much more gray I have."

Courier, a former U.S. Open finalist and two-time semifinalist, might find some gray hairs mixed in with his red after losing 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) to 95th-ranked Slava Dosedel of the Czech Republic.

 

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