Lindsay lives on
Davenport overcomes slow start, reaches Advanta semis
Posted: Friday November 13, 1998 10:32 PM
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Davenport, who needed three sets to dispatch with Frazier, will meet Monica Seles in the next round AP |
VILLANOVA, Pennsylvania (AP) -- Unseeded Steffi Graf, already rebounding from wrist surgery, overcome a sore leg Friday to upset second-seed and defending champion Martina Hingis and move on to the semifinals of the Advanta Championships.
Graf defeated Hingis 6-2, 4-6, 6-0 after having to leave the court momentarily for medical treatment on a pulled leg muscle. When she returned, Graf quickly retook command, allowing Hingis only eight points in the final five games.
Graf will meet sixth-seed Nathalie Tauziat, who downed Amanda Coetzer 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, in one semifinal matchup Saturday. No. 1 seed Lindsay Davenport, the top-ranked player in the world, and fifth-seeded Monica Seles, also winners Friday, will face off in the other.
The win for Graf continues an impressive win streak since returning to the tour last week at the Leipzig Open after a two-month layoff from wrist surgery. Graf beat Tauziat 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to win the tournament.
Davenport had to overcame a slow start to defeat Amy Frazier 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. A point away from being down a set and a service break, the 22-year-old Davenport rallied to victory to ensure a meeting with Seles in the next round of the $450,000 tournament at Villanova University.
Seles had little trouble with her doubles partner, Natasha Zvereva of Belarus, in a 6-0, 6-1 win.
"She played some great tennis," Davenport said of Frazier. "Luckily it didn't continue.
"I kind of toughed her out. That's something I've learned to do. The better players when they're not playing their best have to dig down deeper to pull it through."
Frazier was on a hot streak until meeting Davenport. She came through qualifying, then beat Croatia's Iva Majoli and upset No. 7 seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland to make the quarterfinals.
"I know one set means nothing," said Frazier. "[Davenport's] a great player and it's never over with her. But I'm happy with the way I played this week."
So is Seles, who needed just 40 minutes to win her match. Zvereva claimed she wasn't bothered by a strained left thigh which was heavily wrapped.
"I just got on Natasha from the beginning and played really well," said Seles, avenging a crushing defeat to Zvereva at Wimbledon. "She never had a chance to get into the first set.
"In the second set I didn't give her too many free points and was able to win pretty easily. But Lindsay should be a really good test for me," she added.
After splitting sets, Tauziat, a Wimbledon finalist this year, gained the decisive advantage when she broke Coetzer's serve at 2-2 in the final set, then served it out. Tauziat screamed in delight when Coetzer netted a backhand return on her third match point.
"This was a tough match for me, because Amanda fights so hard," said Tauziat, who like Graf, flew straight from Leipzig, Germany to this tournament. "I played pretty well, but I'm a little bit tired."
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