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Jim dandy Seles falls; Courier advances in five-set thriller
Posted: Saturday June 26, 1999 03:16 AM
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Jim Courier won another five-set thriller Friday at Wimbledon, overcoming two match points to beat Sjeng Schalken 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 3-6, 7-5, 13-11 in nearly 4 1/2 hours. Courier, who outlasted Carlos Moya in five sets in his previous match, advanced to the fourth round at the All England Club for the first time since 1993. He lost in the final that year to Pete Sampras. Courier's match took a toll. Wimbledon officials said he was taken to a hospital suffering from dehydration after one of the longest matches in Wimbledon history. "We have been told by the referee's office he was taken to the hospital and would be released shortly," said Wimbledon spokesman Billy Clegg. In a match pitting No. 1 against No. 595, Sampras beat qualifier Danny Sapsford 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. Sapsford, a 30-year-old Englishman, said beforehand he would retire after the tournament. He hadn't won a match this year before Wimbledon but concluded his career by playing on Centre Court for the first time against the world's top-ranked player. "The only time I felt slight nerves was the second I stepped foot on the court," Sapsford said. "There was a big roar, and the stadium seemed to spin a little bit." Mirjana Lucic edged fourth-seeded Monica Seles on Centre Court, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4). The 17-year-old Lucic, who has been touted as a potential Grand Slam champion, jumped up and down with a big grin when she celebrated perhaps her biggest career victory. No. 3 Yvegeny Kafelnikov became the highest seeded man to go out, retiring with an unspecified injury after splitting the first two sets with Cedric Pioline and falling behind 1-0 in the third. Kafelnikov won the first set 6-3 with Pioline taking the second 6-4.
English soil again brought out the best in 29-year-old Courier. His career was rejuvenated by riveting five-set victories over Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski to help an underdog U.S. Davis Cup team beat England at Birmingham in April. "That's Jim's strongest quality -- his heart," Sampras said. "He's going to lay it on the line and fight as hard as he can. Today was the perfect example. It's good to see him playing well again." Next up for Courier is a rematch with local hero Henman, seeded sixth. He advanced by beating Sebastien Grosjean 6-1, 6-7 (8-10), 6-3, 6-2. Courier, a four-time Grand Slam champion, is into the fourth round at a major tournament for the first time since the 1997 Australian Open. Also reaching the round of 16 were seventh-seeded Mark Philippoussis and No. 13 Karol Kucera. Philippoussis beat Francisco Clavet 7-5, 6-4, 6-4, and Kucera eliminated Daniel Vacek 6-1, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4). American Paul Goldstein lost to Daniel Nestor 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 6-0, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4. Second-seeded Steffi Graf beat Corina Morariu 6-1, 6-3, and she'll next play Belgian Kim Clijsters, a 16-year-old qualifier competing in her first Grand Slam tournament. Clijsters upset No. 12 Amanda Coetzer 6-2, 6-4. Teenagers Anna Kournikova and Venus Williams both won, and they'll meet in the fourth round. Kournikova advanced when Ines Gorrochategui retired in the second set with a shoulder injury trailing 7-5, 3-1. Williams beat Sarah Pitkowski 6-1, 6-1.
Williams said she's been able to scout Kournikova during the tournament. "I'm at home and I'm watching the BBC, watching Wimbledon with everyone else, and they always put her match on," Williams said. "It seems like the British really love Anna, which is great." Kournikova, seeded 17th, reached the semifinals in her only other appearance at Wimbledon in 1997. Williams, seeded sixth, made the quarterfinals last year. "It's going to be a tough match," Kournikova said. "I'll have to outthink her and try to play my game. Grass is obviously not her favorite surface. I'll just have to play smarter." No. 13 Sandrine Testud was eliminated by Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, leaving 10 of the 16 seeded women still in the draw. No. 8 Nathalie Tauziat, last year's runner-up, routed qualifier Seda Noorlander 6-1, 6-1. No. 15 Dominque Van Roost beat Elena Likhovtseva 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). Courier, battling a cold, was still playing an hour after he overcame a match point at 4-5 in the fourth set. He hit a perfect inside-out forehand passing shot to stay in the match. Courier erased another match point at 5-6 in the final set, when a blazing backhand passing shot took him off the hook. "He hit two incredible shots at the right time," Schalken said. Schalken looked tired in the latter stages of the match. The 6-foot-3 Dutchman double-faulted twice in his final service game, then hit a backhand long on break point to give Courier a 12-11 lead. The overflow crowd on Court 3 roared as Courier closed the victory at love, then punctuated it by gleefully punching the air.
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