The week of Feb. 21 at a glance
Posted: Tuesday February 23, 1999 11:28 AM
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Yevgeny Kafelnikov showed his indoor prowess in the Netherlands. AP |
Tommy Haas won his first ATP Tour crown by downing Jim Courier 6-4, 6-1 at the Kroger St. Jude in Memphis, Tenn.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov won the ABN AMRO indoor World Tennis Tournament by stopping Tim Henman 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Jana Novotna captured the Faber Grand Prix by defeating Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4 in Hanover, Germany.
Fabiola Zuluaga won her first WTA Tour title in her hometown of Bogota, Colombia, beating Christina Papadaki 6-1, 6-3 to capture the Copa Colsanitas.
Quotes
"I want to be No. 1." -- Yevgeny Kafelnikov , after winning the title in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
"If I can make a little bit of difference in anybody's life, it's awesome." -- Monica Seles , on winning the Family Circle Player Who Makes a Difference Award.
"For me, it is not life or death. If I had my choice this year, if I could win Wimbledon or become No. 1, I would always choose to win Wimbledon or win a Grand Slam." -- Lindsay Davenport , on being ranked No. 1.
"It feels good to beat somebody that was No. 1 during his career." -- Tommy Haas , after stopping Jim Courier to win the Kroger St. Jude.
"He's excited enough about his tennis right now." -- Todd Martin , on Jim Courier.
Still perfect
When top-seeded Jana Novotna won the Faber Grand Prix in Hanover, Germany, it kept her record clean against Venus Williams. Novotna, appearing in her fourth consecutive final in Hanover and winning for the first time, has never lost to Venus Williams in their three career meetings.
Seats for all
There has been such an unusually high demand for tickets to the World Group first-round Davis Cup match between Great Britain and the United States that Britain's Lawn Tennis Association has increased the size of the audience by 1,000 seats. The five-match, three-day competition will be played April 2-4 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England.
Successful switch
Since switching rackets at the beginning of the year, 20-year-old Tommy Haas has been on a tear, culminating Sunday with his first ATP Tour title in the Kroger St. Jude tournament at Memphis, Tenn. This year, Germany's No. 1-ranked player has won 14 of 16 matches since he changed from a Head racket to a Dunlop racket. The new racket gives him added power on his groundstrokes and serve.
Super company
When 13-year-old Bethanie Mattek of Boca Raton, Fla., captured the Les Petites As tournament, she joined Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova among the winners of the international event played in Tarbes, France, for girls 14-and-under. Lindsay Davenport lost in her trip to the final. Mattek, a native of Neenah, Wis., won three rounds of qualifying to get into the main draw, where she rallied from a 1-4 deficit in the second set before beating Croatia's Matea Mezak 5-7, 6-4, 6-0 for the title.
Change of address?
The Williams family could be moving into a new home soon. Venus Williams bought a $525,000 home site in BallenIsles, a gated community in Palm Beach County, Fla., three days before Christmas. While the world's No. 6-ranked player denied she was building a home, Palm Beach County property records say otherwise. The high-priced lot is about 10 miles from the current family home.
Stand clear
Eighteen-year-old Martina Hingis is finally on her own behind the wheel of her cars. The world's top-ranked women's player just received her drivers license in Switzerland. Hingis has four cars -- two Opels and two Porsches -- that she has either won or had presented to her. Until now, she has not been allowed to drive them unaccompanied.
Seles honored
Monica Seles has been recognized for more than her winning tennis. She has been named winner of the eighth annual Family Circle Player Who Makes a Difference Award. The citation, which includes $20,000, goes to the player for outstanding efforts toward charitable causes. Steffi Graf, Amanda Coetzer and Nathalie Tauziat were the other finalists.
Special appearance
Former First Lady Barbara Bush made a special on-court appearance at the Kroger St. Jude tournament in Memphis, Tenn., where she presented a check for $735,000 on behalf of Kroger to the St. Jude Research Children's Hospital.
Sportsmanship winners
Jana Novotna took the Faber Grand Prix by defeating Venus Williams. AP |
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Notre Dame's Jennifer Hall and Ryan Wolters of Stanford are winners of the USTA Sportsmanship Award, voted on by the 16 participating coaches at the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Seattle and Madison, Wis. Wolters has helped Stanford to the NCAA men's title in each of the past three years, while Hall has posted a 6-0 record in the last two women's Indoor Championships in Madison.
Showing up
Steffi Graf will play again for Germany in the Fed Cup after a three-year absence. Graf left the German team in 1996 over a financial row between her manager and the German Tennis Federation. Germany meets Japan in April in Hamburg in a first-round match. Graf led Germany to Fed Cup titles in 1987 and 1992.
Tournaments This Week
ATP Tour
• $689,250 Guardian Direct Cup, carpet, London
WTA Tour
• $520,000 Open Gaz de France, carpet, Paris
• $180,000 IGA Superthrift Classic, hard, Oklahoma City
Fed Cup Asia/Oceania At Thana City, Thailand
• Group 1: China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, South Korea, New Zealand, Pacific Oceania, Thailand and Uzbekistan
• Group 2: Fiji, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Syria and Tajikistan
Tournaments Week of March 1
ATP Tour
• $325,000 Franklin Templeton Tennis Classic, hard, Scottsdale, Ariz.
• $215,000 Copenhagen Open, carpet, Copenhagen, Denmark
WTA Tour
• $1,300,000 Evert Cup, hard, Indian Wells, Calif.
Seniors
• $300,000 Nuveen Masters, Naples, Fla.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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