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Flushing Friday Hingis, Sanchez-Vicario roll on; No. 8 Novotna falls
Posted: Saturday September 04, 1999 12:04 AM
FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- Top seed Martina Hingis of Switzerland advanced to the round of 16 Friday at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, but her opponent in last year's semifinal, Jana Novotna, will be going home. The 19-year old Hingis beat German qualifier Sandra Kloesel, 6-3, 6-1, in a third-round match in a rare appearance at Louis Armstrong Stadium -- the second show court at the U.S. Open. Hingis was not bothered by the different setting. "That's fine with me, if they have better matches out there," she said. "Of course, I don't care where I play." In their first-ever meeting, Hingis needed only 61 minutes to eliminate her 20-year-old opponent. Hingis closed out the match with a two-handed backhand winner, her 30th winner overall to just nine for the German. However, Hingis was a little sloppy, committing 25 unforced errors. Hingis was not particularly pleased with her showing. "I was a bit nervous. I was trying to get my rhythm," she said. "I missed a couple of shots, so I was a little bit, you know, scared. Well, not scared. I tried to make the points and the shots. In the second set, I was getting better." Now in her 104th week as the world's No. 1 player, the 18-year-old Hingis has won six WTA Tour titles this year, including the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of 1999. Kloesel came into the match with more modest credentials. She was playing in just her second main-draw tour event. Novotna, who formed a very successful doubles team with Hingis until parting ways this year, was taken out in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, by Anke Huber of Germany. The eighth-seeded Czech was a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 loser to Hingis last year in the semifinals. "I would just say that I'm not the same player that I was at Wimbledon or after my injury," said Novotna, who suffered a severe right ankle sprain and partially torn ligament while playing doubles at the French Open. The Friday loss marks Novotna's earliest exit from the U.S. Open since losing in the first round in 1992. The 1998 Wimbledon champion had 27 unforced errors and just 11 winners in just her fourth match since losing in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon this year. The 24-year old Huber lost in the first round here last year and is into the fourth round at the U.S. Open for the first time since 1995. She had 30 winners and closed out the 68-minute contest with her third ace of the match. "I was a bit surprised that it was 6-3, 6-2," Huber said. "I had a plan and I think I played the right game today. I just tried to make less mistakes. I was waiting for my chances." Hingis will take on 1994 U.S. Open champion Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario of Spain in the next round. The 10th seed had little trouble with Switzerland's Patty Schnyder, ousting her in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, in the first match of the day at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Hingis is 11-1 lifetime versus Sanchez-Vicario, including the last 11 straight. This will be their second meeting in a Grand Slam this year, with Hingis prevailing, 6-3, 6-2, in the French Open semifinals. Sanchez-Vicario needed only 62 minutes to improve to 4-2 lifetime against Schnyder, who defeated the now-retired Steffi Graf last year in her final career match at the U.S. Open. Sanchez-Vicario used her steady baseline game to force Schnyder into 30 unforced errors. The Spaniard made just 15 unforced errors to go along with 15 winners. American Mary Joe Fernandez posted the second upset of the day as she eliminated No. 13 Dominique Van Roost of Belgium, 7-5, 6-0. A two-time semifinalist, Fernandez took advantage of 38 unforced errors by her Belgian opponent to earn a fourth-round meeting with third seed and fellow American Venus Williams. No. 12 Barbara Schett of Austria had little trouble moving on as she routed Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain, 6-1, 6-0. In the lone night match involving a woman, No. 15 Amelie Mauresmo of France moved into a fourth-round meeting with Huber with a 6-4, 6-3 win over American Tara Snyder. The Australian Open finalist outhit Snyder from the baseline, using mainly her trademark topspin forehand to capture the match in 87 minutes. Mauresmo, 20, was beaten in the third round last year in her inaugural U.S. Open by Hingis, who ironically also ended her dream run in the Australian Open. If both players win their fourth-round matches, they will meet again in the quarterfinals. On the men's side, fifth seed Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil will look to avoid the plague of untimely injuries that have dogged the men's draw at the final Grand Slam of the year. Spain's Carlos Moya, the sixth seed, became the third man in the top six to bow out with an injury Thursday night when a back problem forced him out of his match with Nicolas Escude of France. Earlier in the week top seed Pete Sampras (back) and fourth seed Patrick Rafter (right shoulder) also were forced out due to injuries. Kuerten, who had his wrist and right forearm examined by a trainer during several changeovers, advanced to the third round for the second time in three appearances at the U.S. Open. In 1998, he was ousted in the second round. The night session had not been kind to Haarhuis, 33, who is best remembered for a memorable four-set loss under the lights to American legend Jimmy Connors in the 1991 quarterfinals. Seventh seed Todd Martin fired 20 aces en route to a 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win over fellow American Richey Reneberg. Martin reached the third round here for the first time since 1996. Ninth seed Greg Rusedski of Britain reached the third round earlier Friday with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 win over David Prinosil of Germany. The Brit had nine aces as he fired serves which were clocked at up to 143 mph. A runner-up here in 1997 to Patrick Rafter, Rusedski defeated Prinosil for the second time this year at a Grand Slam. He beat the German in four sets in the opening round of the French Open. No. 14 Tommy Haas of Germany survived a scare from Argentina's Mariano Puerta before pulling out a 6-3, 6-2, 2-6, 6-7 (3-7), 6-1 victory.
Swedish qualifier Fredrik Jonsson posted the lone upset as he
outdueled No. 16 Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4,
7-5.
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