|
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Rafter rolls on No. 12 seed reaches semifinals
Posted: Wednesday July 05, 2000 11:25 AM
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Pat Rafter reached his second consecutive Wimbledon semifinal, beating Germany's Alexander Popp 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7-1) on Wednesday to set up a rematch with Andre Agassi. The two-time U.S. Open champion, who lost in last year's Wimbledon semifinal to Agassi, took about 1 hour 47 minutes to win the quarterfnial against the 6-foot-7 (2.01 meters) Popp, who was playing his first Wimbledon -- and only his second Grand Slam. Agassi defeated Australian Mark Philippoussis 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 6-4 in another Wednesday quarterfinal. After winning the first two sets in 56 minutes and serving for the match in the third leading 5-4, Rafter was broken. Both player held their next serves with Rafter taking the tiebreaker easily 7-1. The 27-year-old Australian, who returned to the ATP Tour in February after surgery to repair a torn right rotator cuff, came into the All England Club fresh from a victory in a grass-court tuneup in Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. A natural serve-and-volley player, Rafter beat Popp with a far better all-court game as neither had a commanding serve -- six aces each -- to tip the balance. Rafter made only a half dozen unforced errors with Popp making five times as many. Popp also double-faulted 10 times with only four for Rafter. The 23-year-old Popp, one of 25 men to make their Wimbledon debut this season, played his first Grand Slam last month at Roland Garros, losing in the first round to eventual semifinalist Franco Squillari 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-0.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
