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Ready for another run Defending champ Davenport moves on to second round
Posted: Wednesday June 28, 2000 02:52 AM
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Jan-Michael Gambill pulled off the biggest upset of Wimbledon so far with a straight-set victory Tuesday over Lleyton Hewitt, who was regarded as a strong threat to Pete Sampras' title. The seventh-seeded Hewitt beat Sampras in straight sets in the final of the Wimbledon warmup at Queen's Club. Sampras, as well as other top current and former players, had anointed the gritty Australian as the next big star and a possible Wimbledon champion. But, in his first appearance on Centre Court, Hewitt came out flat, and Gambill, a 23-year-old American, outslugged him from the baseline 6-3, 6-2, 7-5. Andre Agassi, the No. 2 men's seed, and women's defending champion Lindsay Davenport both advanced after injuries to their opponents on Centre Court. Gambill, ranked No. 49 in the season-long points race, overwhelmed Hewitt in the first two sets. The Australian began to find his game in the third set, racing to a 5-2 lead and looking like he might pull out a five-set comeback. But Hewitt squandered three set points, and Gambill stormed back. At 5-5, Hewitt served his eighth double fault at deuce and was broken on the next point when he hit a backhand long. With Gambill serving for the match, Hewitt had two break points to even the set at 6-6. But Gambill saved the first with an ace and the second with a service winner. The American coverted his first match point with another big serve. It was the second big upset by an unheralded American in two days. On Monday, Vince Spadea snapped his tour record 21-match losing streak by beating 14th-seeded Greg Rusedski in five sets. "There's nothing I can do about it," Hewitt said. "I have to get it out of my mind as quickly as possible." Gambill, of Colbert, Washington, came into Wimbledon with a career record of 7-11 in Grand Slam tournaments. Named after actor Jan-Michael Vincent, Gambill was known as much for his good looks as his game -- he was featured as one of People magazine's 50 most beautiful people this year. Agassi dropped the first set 6-2 to 19-year-old American qualifier Taylor Dent, but won the next two, 6-3, 6-0, and was up 4-0 in the fourth when Dent retired with a knee injury. Dent, whose father, Phil, reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 1977, played spectacular tennis in the first set to raise the possibility of a huge upset. But, from 5-3 in the second set, he lost 11 straight games. He called an injury timeout at 5-0 in the third set and had his right knee sprayed and taped by a trainer. The trainer came out two more times, and Dent, clearly hobbling, gave up at 4-0. Agassi commiserated with Dent, then performed his traditional bows and kisses to the fans. Earlier, women's defending champion Lindsay Davenport advanced to the second round when doubles partner Corina Morariu suffered shoulder and elbow injuries in a fall early in the second set. With Davenport leading 6-3, 1-0, Morariu slipped awkwardly at the baseline, her legs buckling underneath her. She tried to brace her fall with her left hand and rolled onto her stomach, writhing in pain. Davenport rushed over to check on her friend, placing her hand on Morariu's shoulder in comfort. Eventually, Morariu got up and walked slowly to her courtside chair. Grimacing, she received attention from a trainer and doctor. After several minutes, the umpire announced that Morariu could not continue. Her left shoulder wrapped with an ice pack, she left Centre Court, with Davenport walking off behind her. Wimbledon officials said Morariu injured her left elbow and shoulder, but the extent of the damage was not immediately known. She headed to a hospital for X-rays. "It's a very bittersweet way to win," Davenport said. "Especially when it happens to a good friend, it's terrible. Hopefully the prognosis is she can play again in a month." Davenport and Morariu on the Wimbledon women's doubles title last year and were seeded No. 2 this year. While there was no official announcement, it's almost certain that they will have to withdraw. "It's obviously disappointing to not try and defend," Davenport said. "But it's something very understandable. Maybe I'll play mixed [doubles] now." It was Davenport's first match at Wimbledon since beating seven-time champion Steffi Graf in last year's final. Davenport, troubled by left ankle and lower bank injuries, had struggled recently, winning only two of her previous five singles matches.
"Physically I feel good," she said. "The improvement I've made in a week has been pretty big. I think I'm closer to where I want to be than I have the last few weeks." An injury decided another key match, with French Open runner-up Magnus Norman easing into the second round when Australia's Mark Woodforde quit in the third set. The third-seeded Swede was leading 6-4, 6-2, 2-0 when Woodforde retired with a back injury. It was Norman's first match since losing in four sets to Gustavo Kuerten in the French Open final earlier this month. Despite his high seeding, the Swede has never advanced past the third round at Wimbledon. Woodforde, ho is retiring at the end of the year, entered the singles as a wildcard. It wasn't immediately known whether the injury would force him out of the doubles, where he and Todd Woodbridge are seeded No. 1. The 'Woodies' won the Wimbledon doubles title five straight times from 1993-97. They completed a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open doubles this month. Fourth-seeded Kuerten served 29 aces while posting his career-best 14th straight victory, beating American Chris Woodruff 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 7-6 (7-5). Kuerten overcame a highly disputed call that cost him the second set. With the Brazilian serving for the set at 5-4, a Woodruff shot that appeared long was called in. Kuerten was furious, argued vehemently with chair umpire Jorge Dias and proceeded to lose the set. Kuerten said the call destroyed his concentration for 30 minutes. "One call like that can change the match," he said. "I was sure that the umpire saw it and he didn't call. I don't know why." But Kuerten regained his composure and took the next two sets in impressive fashion, proving he can adapt his clay-court prowess to grass. Rather than stay anchored to the baseline, he won 24 of his 33 approaches to the net. "I'm very confident," he said. "I think I can play even better." Also winning was the French Open women's champion, Mary Pierce. The third-seeded Frenchwoman cruised past Nicole Pratt, 6-1, 6-3. Fifth-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov, a first-round loser twice in the past four years, advanced by beating Switzerland's Roger Federer 7-5, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6). Australia's Patrick Rafter, a semifinalist last year and seeded No. 12, beat Britain's Jamie Delgado in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7), 6-1. Michael Chang, who has lost in the first round here four times, swept to a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 win over Argentina's Gaston Gaudio. Sixth-seeded Monica Seles, who has never won Wimbledon, lost the first set but overcame Karina Habsudova 3-6, 6-2, 7-5. Unseeded Jennifer Capriati, the former teen sensation, knocked off 16th-seeded Dominique Van Roost of Belgium, 6-2, 6-4. Two other seeded women, No. 7 Nathalie Tauziat and No. 14 Julie Halard-Decugis of France, were eliminated. Tauziat, a Wimbledon finalist in 1998 and making her 15th consecutive appearance here, is one of the top grass-court players in the women's game. But she was outplayed 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 by 17-year-old Belgian Kim Clijsters, one of the fastest rising players on the women's circuit. A tearful Tauziat, 32, announced it was her last match at Wimbledon. Halard-Decugis, winner of last week's grass-court tournament at Eastbourne, fell 7-6 (7-4), 0-6, 6-1 to Kristie Boogert. The Spanish women fared better, with fourth-seeded Conchita Martinez, the 1994 champion, beating Anne Kremer 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), and No. 9 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, a two-time finalist, downing Justine Henin of Belgium, 6-1, 1-6, 6-1. Amanda Coetzer, seeded No. 12, posted an easy 6-4, 6-2 win over Mashona Washington. Alexandra Stevenson, who reached the semifinals a year ago and has had little success since, won her first-round match Tuesday. As usual, she celebrated victory with theatrical curtsies to the crowd after beating Rita Kuti Kis 7-5, 7-6 (3).
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