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Career low Seles blanked by Hingis in Ericsson semis; Sampras wins
Posted: Friday March 31, 2000 01:22 AM
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) -- Martina Hingis had no mercy. The crowd had no compassion. Monica Seles had no chance. Seles, playing on a sore ankle, endured the worst beating of her career Thursday, losing to the top-seeded Hingis 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals of the Ericsson Open. Seles ended the so-called double-bagel with double-faults on the final two points. The nine-time Grand Slam champion has long been a fan favorite, but the crowd booed as she left the court. Hingis' opponent in the final Saturday will be second-seeded Lindsay Davenport, who reclaimed the No. 1 ranking by edging 12th-seeded Sandrine Testud 6-1, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5). Davenport overcame a 2-0 deficit in the final set and improved to 35-1 since September. Hingis has lost five matches in a row to Davenport, including two finals this year. Regardless of the outcome Saturday, Davenport will replace Hingis atop the rankings next week. Seles' loss was her worst in 534 matches, and it raised the question of whether she still has passion for the game. "Today, after a match like this?" said Seles, 26. "It's tough." Hingis, aware that Seles wasn't moving well, mixed her shots masterfully and committed only five unforced errors in the 39-minute rout. "I didn't let her into the match," Hingis said. "I played very well, very smart. I'm pleased with having a win like this going into the final." Second-seeded Pete Sampras advanced to the men's semifinals by beating No. 9 Nicolas Lapentti 6-4, 7-6 (3). Sampras' next opponent will be No. 14 Lleyton Hewitt, who withstood 20 aces by unseeded Jan-Michael Gambill to win 6-4, 7-6 (3). Top-seeded Andre Agassi plays No. 6 Gustavo Kuerten in the other semifinal Friday. Sampras faces a tough challenge against Hewitt, a 19-year-old Australian who is the hottest player on the ATP Tour at 25-2 this year. "He's got a game that's going to be around for many, many years," Sampras said. "I'm not going to win 0 and 0, like we saw today." Seles, seeded seventh, lost for only the third time in 16 matches since she returned after being sidelined five months with a stress fracture in her right foot. She easily won her first four matches in the tournament but said she was hobbled against Hingis by a previously undisclosed sore ankle. Seles said she took chances on some shots because of her poor mobility. "I had a hard time moving sideways," she said. "I started making many more errors, and I could not bend down for balls. A combination of that against someone as consistent as Martina is not going to work." Hingis agreed that Seles wasn't 100 percent. "She made some faces sometimes," Hingis said. "She looked like she was in pain. I was almost surprised she didn't quit." Seles said she didn't think about defaulting, even after falling behind 5-0 in the first 13 minutes. Perhaps the ugliest moment came on the final point of the first set, when Seles' momentum carried her off the court as she chased down a drop shot. She stood helplessly next to her changeover chair as Hingis hit a winner into the open court. Seles won only eight points in the opening set and 14 in the second. The drubbing eclipsed her worst previous defeat 11 years ago, a 6-0, 6-1 loss to Steffi Graf at Wimbledon. Seles was 15 then. On Thursday she looked a lot older.
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