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The week of Feb. 28 at a glance

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Posted: Tuesday March 02, 1999 10:20 AM

Venus Williams is all smiles after winning her second straight IGA SuperThrift title. AP

Stars

Richard Krajicek stopped Greg Rusedski 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 to win the Guardian Direct Cup in London.

Serena Williams won her first pro title, the Open Gaz de France in Paris, by defeating Amelie Mauresmo 6-2 3-6, 7-6 (7-4).

Venus Williams beat Amanda Coetzer 6-4, 6-0 to capture her second straight IGA SuperThrift crown in Oklahoma City.

Speaking

"... Hopefully I will win a Grand Slam someday -- maybe the next time I visit Paris -- at Roland Garros." -- Serena Williams , after winning the Open Gaz de France in Paris.

"Serena is like a bulldozer. She goes for a winner with every shot." -- Amelie Mauresmo , who lost the Paris final to Serena Williams.

"I know it's going to happen, getting No. 1, it's just a question of time and when." -- Yevgeny Kafelnikov , whose quarterfinal loss kept him from becoming No. 1 last week.

"It was like a soccer match, it could have been France against Brazil." -- Martina Hingis , talking about the rambunctious Paris crowd during her loss to Amelie Mauresmo of France.

"She's real nice to the ballkids. You give her a ball, she always says thank you." -- Brook Buck , a 13-year-old ballgirl at the IGA SuperThrift, on Venus Williams.

"I have made my decision. I am quitting this summer." -- Boris Becker , announcing his retirement.

"Amelie Mauresmo has great qualities and is full of confidence. She doesn't really have a weakness." -- Dominique van Roost , after losing to Mauresmo in Paris.

"I think we're good tennis players, that's what we start with." -- Tim Henman , after teaming with fellow Brit Greg Rusedski to win the Guardian Direct Cup doubles titles.

"It doesn't matter what you're ranked in February, it matters what you're ranked in December." -- Pete Sampras , on the No. 1 ranking race.

Sees the end

Boris Becker says he wants to play Wimbledon one more time before retiring from tennis this summer. In an interview with the news magazine Der Spiegel, Becker said his last tournament will be in July in Stuttgart, a clay-court event not far from his hometown of Leimen, Germany. Becker first won Wimbledon in 1985 when he was 17, then won again in 1986 and 1989. It was at Wimbledon in 1997 that Becker announced his partial retirement from tennis in 1997 following a quarterfinal loss to No. 1 Pete Sampras. Since then, Becker has played only occasionally, skipping the Grand Slam events. Becker is expected to play Davis Cup doubles when Germany plays a first-round World Group match against Russia in April.

Sampras safe

Pete Sampras held on to his No. 1 ranking when Yevgeny Kafelnikov lost his quarterfinal match in the Guardian Direct Cup in London. All Kafelnikov had to do to take over the top spot was beat eighth-seeded Thomas Johansson of Sweden and grab a spot in the semifinals. Instead, the Australian Open winner lost 6-2, 7-6 (7-5).

Sad day

Dutchman Menno Oosting was killed in a car accident while returning to his home from a tournament in Cherbourg, France. Oosting was about 30 minutes from his hometown of Son, Netherlands, when he hit light pole in Turnhout, Belgium. Oosting was known primarily for his doubles, winning seven titles and reaching the final in 11 others, including the St. Petersburg Open in Russia two weeks before his death. Fellow Dutchman Richard Krajicek attended Oosting's funeral before returning to London where he won the Guardian Direct Cup. Krajicek dedicated his victory to Oosting.

Richard Krajicek stopped Greg Rusedski in three sets to win the Guardian Direct Cup in London. AP

Sweet revenge

On her way to the final of the Gaz de France Open, Amelie Mauresmo of France upset top-ranked Martina Hingis 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 in a replay of their Australian Open final. That was when Hingis, speaking to German reporters, said Mauresmo was "half a man," then denied the remark. This time, the French crowd was solidly behind Mauresmo, cheering her every shot, while hissing Hingis at every chance. "They were incredible," Hingis said of the crowd, "even if they were against me."

Sidelined

John McEnroe may be the top-ranked player on the senior circuit, but he is skipping this week's $300,000 Nuveen Masters in Naples, Fla. Instead, McEnroe stayed in New York due to the possible premature birth of his fifth child. "There are some things that are more important than tennis," McEnroe said. "As much as I'd like to be there, my wife and family come first." McEnroe's wife, Patty Smyth, was scheduled to give birth in April. It will be their second child. McEnroe also has three children from a previous marriage.

Stepping up

Taiwan toppled South Korea to earn a spot in the Fed Cup World Group Two regional qualifying playoffs in July. Playing in the Fed Cup Asia-Oceania qualifier in Thailand, Taiwan's Wang Shi-Ting and Janet Lee won all of their singles matches in beating India, Thailand and Uzbekistan, while beating both Indonesia and South Korea by 2-1 scores. Weng Tzu-Ting and Hsu Hseuh-Li played doubles for Taiwan.

Selected

U.S. Open champion Lindsay Davenport will play on the U.S. team that will take on Croatia in a first-round Fed Cup match in Zagreb in April. Besides Davenport, U.S. captain Billie Jean King named nine other players to the Fed Cup squad: Monica Seles, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Lisa Raymond, Chanda Rubin, Amy Frazier, Corina Morariu, Tara Snyder and Mary Joe Fernandez.

Tournaments This Week

ATP Tour