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Going strong Becker marches into round of 16; Krajicek toppled
Posted: Saturday June 26, 1999 04:13 PM
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Pete Sampras got a break at Wimbledon on Saturday without playing a point when his chief nemesis, 1996 champion Richard Krajicek, was upset by a qualifier from Switzerland. Lorenzo Manta, a journeyman ranked 196th, stunned Krajicek 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 4-6, 6-4 in the third round on Court 2, the so-called "Graveyard of Champions." Two other former champs, Andre Agassi and Boris Becker, advanced to the fourth round. Sampras had the day off, but he surely applauded Krajicek's loss. The big Dutchman has four consecutive wins against Sampras and is the only player to beat him at Wimbledon since 1992. But it won't happen this year. Manta sent a pair of backhand returns whistling down the line in the final game to finish off the fifth-seeded Krajicek, who lost despite serving 23 aces. "If he can always play like that, I think he's a good player," Krajicek said. "I have to give credit to him for the way he finished the match." Manta, 24, is best known as a doubles player for Switzerland's Davis Cup team. He came to Wimbledon with a career singles record of 0-11 in Grand Slam, ATP Tour and Davis Cup events. Becker, eager to delay his goodbye to Wimbledon as long as possible, notched another Centre Court victory by beating Lleyton Hewitt 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). Agassi, who defeated Alberto Martin 6-2, 6-0, 2-6, 6-3, moved one step closer to becoming the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year. "It would be awesome to win this tournament, but a lot of guys feel that way," said Agassi, seeded fourth. "There's a lot of tennis left." Not all of the attention was on tennis. Jim Courier said he was feeling much better after been treated at a hospital for dehydration following his five-set victory Friday over Sjeng Schalken. But Courier complained that Wimbledon should be able to provide such treatment on site. "It's the only the country we play in where that isn't the case," Courier said. "I'm just angry. It's too bad a tournament that's the biggest tournament in the world has subpar medical conditions for the players."
Wimbledon officials contradicted Courier's claim, saying they do indeed have facilities to treat for dehydration. But the officials said the doctor attending to Courier on site didn't believe he needed intravenous fluids following his match. Courier plays local hero Tim Henman in the fourth round Monday. The unseeded Becker, who plans to retire this summer, was back on the court where he won Wimbledon three titles in the 1980s. His dominating serve and net play overpowered Hewitt, an 18-year-old Australian who is a rising star on the men's tour. "I'm just going out there, trying to enjoy myself and trying to play great tennis," Becker said. "And it all happened." Becker, 31, reached the round of 16 for the 12th time. "He's certainly not the favorite to win, but he's got to be up there," Hewitt said. "He's serving well now. If he keeps that up, he could go a long way." The American women had a big day, led by 18-year-old Alexandra Stevenson. Lisa Raymond eliminated 1994 champion Conchita Martinez 6-3, 6-1, and Lindsay Davenport beat Laura Golarsa 6-3, 6-2. Stevenson, a qualifier from San Diego, upset 11th-seeded Julie Halard-Decugis 6-3, 6-3. Stevenson entered Wimbledon as an amateur and is ineligible for prize money, but she has decided to turn professional. Defending champion Jana Novotna beat Maria Antonia Sanchez Lorenzo 6-4, 6-3. Jelena Dokic, the 16-year-old Australian qualifier who upset Martina Hingis in the first round, rallied past Anne Kremer 6-7 (7-9), 6-3, 6-4. No. 9 Mary Pierce eased past Elena Wager 6-3, 6-0. No. 14 Barbara Schett eliminated Larisa Neiland 6-2, 6-3. 1997 French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten became the first Brazilian man to reach Wimbledon's fourth round in the Open era, which began in 1968. The 11th-seeded Kuerten, who had a lifetime record on grass of 0-4 until this week, swept past qualifier Nenad Zimonjic 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. Australian qualifier Wayne Arthurs swept three tiebreakers to beat No. 14 Tommy Haas 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2). That means Agassi's fourth-round opponent will be Arthurs instead of Haas, who beat Agassi at Wimbledon last year. No. 8 Todd Martin beat Jens Knippschild 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 7-6 (8-6), 7-5. No. 10 Goran Ivanisevic, a three-time Wimbledon runner-up, beat Paul Haarhuis 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).
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