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 The week of May 4 at a glance
Posted: Tuesday May 04, 1999 11:08 AM
StarsDominik Hrbaty won the Czech Open in Prague with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Ctislav Dosedel. Corina Morariu , in her third straight trip to the Croatian Bol Ladies Open final, finally won the Bol, Croatia, event, besting Julie Halard-Decugis 6-2, 6-0. Franco Squillari stopped Andrei Pavel 6-4, 6-3 to capture the BMW Open in Munich, Germany. Venus Williams won her first clay court title, the Betty Barclay Cup in Hamburg, Germany, by defeating Mary Pierce 6-0, 6-3. Jimmy Connors defeated John McEnroe 6-1, 6-2 to win the Trigon Champions in Richmond, Va. Quotes"I have finally achieved the objective I have wanted all my life." -- Yevgeny Kafelnikov, after being ranked No. 1 on the ATP Tour. "No. 1 is definitely a goal and it is very attainable, but the competition is getting tougher every tournament." -- Venus Williams, after winning the Betty Barclay Cup. "He just hit everything. I couldn't read his game." -- Andrei Pavel, after losing to Franco Squillari in the BMW Open final. "He was prepared. I wasn't." -- John McEnroe, after losing to old rival Jimmy Connors in the Trigon Champions senior tournament. "I realized I had 297 at the end of last year, so I thought I might be able to do it." -- Dodo Cheney, after winning her 300th USTA national title. "She's my idol." -- USTA president Judy Levering, on Dodo Cheney. Still winningDorothy B. "Dodo" Cheney won her 300th national championship by defeating Marion Read 6-4, 6-2 in the USTA Women's 80 Hardcourt singles in La Jolla, Calif. It was the 82-year-old Cheney's third USTA national title this year. Cheney, then known as Dorothy Bundy, was the first American woman to win the Australian championship in 1938. Her mother, May Sutton Bundy, was the first American to win a Wimbledon title, in 1905. Cheney was ranked No. 3 in the United States in 1937, '38 and '41. A four-time semifinalist at the U.S. Nationals, now known as the U.S. Open, Cheney teamed with Pauline Betz to win the U.S. National Indoor women's doubles in 1941. She has won all but three of her USTA titles since turning 40 on Sept. 1, 1956. Former U.S. doubles champion Gardnar Mulloy lags far behind Cheney in second place with 112 USTA national titles. New No. 1
By a strange twist of reckoning, Australian Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov has become the 16th player to be ranked No. 1 on the ATP Tour computer. Although he has lost his last six matches and hasn't won since February, Kafelnikov surpassed Pete Sampras as the world's top men's player. Kafelnikov is being rewarded for his activity as well as his ability. He has played singles and doubles in 10 tournaments this year as well as Davis Cup. Sampras has played only four tournaments this year, without getting to a final, and refused to play Davis Cup. Strolling the runwayMary Pierce, Maria Antonia Sanchez Lorenzo, Jana Kandarr, Julia Abe, Andrea Glass and Patricia Tarabini were the models in a fashion parade organized by the Betty Barclay clothing company during the WTA Tour player party in Hamburg, Germany. StungIt wasn't that Goran Ivanisevic lost his first-round match at the Czech Open in Prague, it was the way he lost it. According to the tournament's organizer, Peter Kovarcik, Ivanisevic won't receive his $100,000 appearance money after losing to Markus Hantschk 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, 6-4. The news agency CTK reported that Ivanisevic may have intentionally missed returns during the final two sets. Kovarcik said that top-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov, another first-round loser, also was not given his $100,000 appearance money. Steady on claySteffi Graf currently leads all active women players with 31 career titles on clay. Graf won her first singles title on the WTA Tour on the green clay of Hilton Head Island, S.C., winning the 1986 Family Circle Cup and handing Chris Evert only her second loss at the event in 10 appearances. Graf's most recent title on clay came at the 1996 German Open in Berlin, where she defeated Karina Habsudova in the final. Evert was nearly untouchable on the surface, having captured 66 titles on clay. Margaret Court is third with 24 titles, followed by Conchita Martinez with 18. Setting the stageYannick Noah and Bjorn Borg mixed comedy and exquisite tennis skills as they put on a special exhibition in Prague before Cedric Pioline and Fernando Meligeni played their Czech Open match. Both Pioline and Meligeni stood at courtside and enjoyed the Noah-Borg antics before Meligeni won the ATP Tour match. Later that day, Noah, a recording star, sang at the Mecca nightclub in Prague. Slipping awayBoris Becker's chances of winning a clay court tournament are rapidly slipping away. The former No. 1 player and three-time Wimbledon champion was a first-round loser in the BMW Open in Munich, Germany. After the match, he was honored by the hosting club Iphitos Munich with an honorary membership for his lifetime achievements. The BMW Open was Becker's 65th career clay court tournament, and he has still two more chances to finally win on clay since he is scheduled to play Gstaad, Switzerland, and Stuttgart, Germany, before he retires in July. Sitting coursideFans wanting guaranteed seats at Wimbledon into the next millennium have been asked to pay $37,400 for a five-year debenture. The All England Lawn Tennis Ground Plc said it is issuing 2,300 debentures, which are usually sold in pairs, for 2001 to 2005. That makes them cost more than the price of a house in some parts of Britain. Tournaments This WeekATP Tour$2,200,000 Licher German Open, clay, Hamburg, Germany WTA Tour $1,050,000 Italian Open, clay, Rome Tournaments Week of May 10ATP Tour$2,200,000 Internazionali d'Italia, clay, Rome WTA Tour $1,050,000 German Open, clay, Berlin
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