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Journalism of Courage
INDIANAPOLIS, Aug 17: Fresh legs in torrid, hot conditions were enough to boost Swede Jonas Bjorkman and Spain’s Carlos Moya into an all-European final today at the $1 million RCA Championships.
Bjorkman, seeded ninth, handed 31-year-old unseeded Australian Mark Woodforde his worst defeat yesterday in a month with a 6-0, 6-2 thrashing on the hardcourt.
In July, Woodforde was beaten the week after Wimbledon 6-0, 6-0 at Newport, Rhode Island, on grass. Australian open finalist Moya, the fifth seed, took advantage of Wayne Ferreira’s lingering fatigue to earn a 6-4, 6-2 result in 62 minutes.
Ferreira, the South African 1994 champion, did not get to bed before 1 a.m. yesterday after forcing Swede Magnus Larsson to a 12-10 tie-breaker to win their quarterfinal clash.
Due to the demands of TV, play began at an unheard-of 10 a.m. Bjorkman claimed a career-first computer ranking place in the world top 20 as a result of his 57-minute win against Woodforde.
Seles, Huber in final
TORONTO: Monica Seles dispatched Conchita Martinez in yesterday’s Du Maurier Open semifinal and she did it in style.
Seles, the top seed, dropped the opening game to the Spaniard and had the late-arriving crowd in doubt. But Seles broke Martinez the next game, climbing back from a 15-40 deficit, and assumed a 5-1 lead en route to a 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) win.
Seles will meet Germany’s Anke Huber in the final. Huber advanced when Mary Joe Fernandez withdrew after the second set. Fernandes had won the opening set 6-3 but lost the second 2-6 before withdrawing.
