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Notebook Navratilova's U.S. Open return a success
NEW YORK (AP) -- Martina Navratilova made a triumphant return to the U.S. Open on Thursday. Navratilova, making her first appearance at the National Tennis Center since 1995, teamed up with Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario to win their first-round doubles match 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (3) over Sabine Appelmans and Linda Wild. Navratilova, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July, decided earlier this year to play doubles. Teaming with Mariaan de Swardt, Navratilova reached the third round in the French Open and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. It was the first time Navratilova and Sanchez-Vicario have teamed up since 1991 when they won Barcelona. In their only other pairing, they won the Family Circle Magazine Cup in Hilton Head Island, S.C., in 1990.
Hall of FameIvan Lendl is on the ballot to be elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I.Lendl is one of six people listed on a ballot that will be distributed to a select group of voters who will determine the 2001 class into the Hall. Lendl, who played in eight consecutive U.S. Open finals, winning three, is the only person on the ballot in the Recent Players category. Listed on the ballot in the Master Players category are Mervin Rose and Owen Davidson of Australia. Listed as Contributors are photographer Russ Adams, Derek Hardwick and Brad Parks.
Big changeOne year after they reached the final of all four Grand Slam tournaments, winning twice, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi were first-round losers in the U.S. Open men's doubles.After they lost in the final match here a year ago, Paes and Bhupathi broke up as a team. They recently reunited so they could represent India in the Sydney Olympics. On Thursday, they lost to Jaime Oncins of Brazil and Daniel Orsanic of Argentina 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5).
Missing the topWhen Arnaud Clement defeated Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in a second-round match, it meant the first time since the Open Era began in 1968 that neither the No. 1 nor the No. 2 seed has advanced to the third round of the men's singles. Second-seeded Gustavo Kuerten lost to Wayne Arthurs in a first-round match Tuesday. The top two seeded players have been ousted by the third round only five times previously at any of the Grand Slam tournaments in the Open Era, all in the last three years. The Nos. 1 and 2 seeds were eliminated in the first two rounds at the French Open in each of the last three years, and at the Australian Open in 1999. However, in the latter tournament, top-seeded Marcelo Rios withdrew with a stress fracture in his L2 vertebra before the tournament started.
ExpectingTracy Austin, USA Sports women's tennis lead analyst, and her husband Scott Holt are expecting an addition to their family in the spring. Austin, a two-time U.S. Open champion, is 11 weeks pregnant with her third child. "We are happy to make this announcement at the U.S. Open," Austin said Thursday. "I have great memories here and it's special to be surrounded by such great friends who we know will share our happiness by this news."
Wireless OpenWith new technology from IBM, the U.S. Open has gone wireless. America's premier tennis tournament is the first major sporting event in the United States to offer extensive, up-to-date information via handheld devices such as Web-enable mobile phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to fans in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Fans will be able to access in real time the latest scores, schedules and news from the National Tennis Center. Instructions for wireless access to U.S. Open information can be found at www.usopen.org/interactive/wap/.
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