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Sans Sampras Enqvist bounces Sampras; Hingis to meet Davenport
Posted: Monday March 20, 2000 10:16 AM
INDIAN WELLS, California (AP) -- Thomas Enqvist beat error-prone Pete Sampras for only the second time in 11 matches, taking a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory in the quarterfinals of the Tennis Masters-Indian Wells. Sampras, the No. 2 seed, committed a staggering 43 unforced errors Friday night and had 10 double-faults -- the same as his number of aces. Enqvist had 14 fewer unforced errors, six fewer double-faults, and the same number of aces as Sampras. "You can't keep escaping like I have the last couple of days," said Sampras, who had to come back from first-set losses to Byron Black and Wayne Ferreira earlier in the tournament. "Thomas is at a pretty high level. I just couldn't really seem to find my game tonight from just about every aspect -- my serve, forehand, everything. I've been struggling all week with my second serve." Said Enqvist: "I felt like he was not really hitting the ball as well as he usually does, that's for sure. Still, he's dangerous. With his serve, if he gets a service break against you, you can easily lose. "Every time you go on the court to play him, it's an honor; you're really pumped up." In the women's competition earlier at Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Martina Hingis took command after losing the first three games and defeated Mary Pierce 6-4, 6-2 to set up a showdown between the world's top two players. The top-ranked Hingis faces No. 2 Lindsay Davenport, who has won the past four matches between them, in Saturday's Tennis Masters-Indian Wells final. Typical of Sampras' struggles against Enqvist was the sixth game of the third set. He hit a volley into the net on the first point, was passed by a forehand on the second, double-faulted on the third and, after the Swede netted a return to make it 15-40, Sampras double-faulted again to give Enqvist the service break and a 4-2 lead. In other men's quarterfinals, No. 8 Nicolas Lapentti, the highest remaining seed, took a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Hicham Arazi, who had upset top seed Andre Agassi in the opening round. Alex Corretja defeated No. 6 Magnus Norman 4-6, 6-2, 6-2; and No. 12 Mark Philippoussis beat Sjeng Schalken 7-6 (7), 6-4. In the women's semifinal, Pierce played virtually flawless tennis for the first three games against Hingis. But the match turned suddenly when Pierce began hitting groundstrokes out. After falling behind 4-1, Hingis lost just thee service points as she reeled off a five-game winning streak to take the set. Pierce, seeded fifth, held service on the opening game of the second set, but Hingis again won five games in a row on her way to victory. "She came out firing," Hingis said. "I felt like I was in Formula 1, the balls were passing me. I really had to work." Said Pierce: "I got a little tired, and she did what she had to do, kept getting the ball back." Hingis, currently on an 11-match winning streak and 19-of-21 on the year, assured herself of keeping the No. 1 ranking by making it to the semifinals at Indian Wells. But Davenport is proving to be her nemesis, winning seven of their last nine meetings, including the final of this year's Australian Open, and holding a 10-7 overall edge against her. "It is going to be a very tough match," Hingis said. "Lindsay has a big serve and big strokes, and it's hard to attack her." Following Davenport's 6-2, 6-1 romp over Elena Dementieva in their semifinal on Thursday, Davenport said she feels she has been playing like No. 1 since last fall, and that, if she continues her roll, should regain the top spot. She has won her last 15 matches.
Hingis and Davenport were scheduled to meet in the final of the Scottsdale, Arizona, tournament March 4, but it was rained out.
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