Monday, 8/11/97 Hard-hitting women stun Acura Championship
TENNIS: Davenport beats out No. 1 Hingis but falls to Seles in
finals
By Stan Johnson Jr. Daily Bruin Senior Staff The game of women’s
tennis has risen dramatically. A couple of years ago, the women’s
tour did not hit as hard as they do now. This was proven in
Sunday’s final of the Acura Classic, where Monica Seles and
defending Acura champion Lindsay Davenport exchanged some
hard-hitting rallies. In a grueling three setter, Seles came away
with a with 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Davenport and walked away
with the coveted trophy and prize money of $79,000. Not bad for a
two-hour workout. It has been a rough year for Monica Seles. With
her father battling cancer and some disappointing losses, Seles has
been through a lot. Since her return from a two-and-a-half year
layoff post-stabbing, Seles has added both tenacity and heart to
the game that she loves. Davenport opened with a break of service
in the first set and went on to win the set. In the second set,
Davenport went up 2-1 with a break. They were on serve until 5-4
where Davenport had a match point, which Seles handily erased.
Seles then went on to win the next two games to close out the set
at 7-5. In the third set, both players held serve up to 2-2 and
then Davenport broke Seles to get up 3-2. After a couple more
games, Seles managed to break Davenport at 4-3, making the game
tied at 4-4. Seles then went on to hold serve and broke Davenport
at love to win the match. "I got close a couple times this year and
finally pulled it off in a close match. It feels great," Seles
said. "It was pure luck to get back in the match. I was just
fighting." For the first time in its history, the Acura Tennis
Classic, held at the Manhattan Beach Country Club, had seven of the
top 10 women’s professional tennis players enter the main draw.
When the tournament began Monday, all eyes were focused on teenage
phenomenon Anna Kournikova. Kournikova was recently voted the Best
Newcomer on the tour. Kournikova, who is ranked No. 26 in the
world, did not fair well against Anke Huber. In just 41 minutes,
Huber dismantled Kournikova 6-0, 6-1, handing Kournikova her worst
loss ever. Kournikova will be able to play in a full schedule
beginning June 1998. This was her first match since Wimbledon,
where she defeated Huber in three sets before succumbing to
eventual champion Martina Hingis in the semi-finals. "Anke played
very well. I didn’t get into the match," Kournikova said. "She
played unbelievable. I think she was ready for it because I beat
her at Wimbledon. I didn’t play well. I want to play more matches.
It’s hard for me to play one match a month." In another anticipated
match, teenage sensation Venus Williams did not disappoint her
fans. Williams defeated American qualifier Ann Grossman 6-0, 6-3.
The match was merely a warm-up session as Williams over-powered
Grossman with blistering serves and punishing ground strokes. "I
was very pleased with my game tonight," Williams said. "I enjoyed
the crowd and I had a lot of fun." Williams eventually lost to Anke
Huber in a second-round match by the score of 7-6 (7-4), 6-4.
Former UCLA All-American Kimberly Po played well in the tournament
and is now considered to be one of the most promising American
players on the Corel Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. Po, who
is currently ranked No. 15 in the world, lost in a tough 7-6 (11-9)
, 4-6, 6-4 second round match to Natalie Tauziat of France. The
surprise of the tournament came when defending Acura champion
Lindsay Davenport defeated No. 1-ranked Martina Hingis in the
semi-finals. This was only the second time this year that Hingis
has lost. Davenport was serving for the match at 5-0 in the third
set when Hingis began producing ground strokes that have earned her
the No. 1 ranking. "At 5-0 love, it seems like it’s definitely over
and she didn’t look to be into it anymore," Davenport said. "Then
she started making a few shots and I started missing. You can’t
give the No. 1 player in the world to many chances to win." There
were also celebrities attending some of the matches. Wayne Gretzky
and Kobe Bryant were seen cheering on their favorite players.
Overall, the players gave the fans their money’s worth. GENEVIEVE
LIANG/Daily Bruin Monica Seles stretches a return back to Lindsay
Davenport in the finals of the Acura Championship Sunday. Seles
won, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4.