Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Rome, May 19: Australian Jelena Dokic put back the shaky French Open preparation of Venus Williams, hammering the third seed 6-1 6-2 in a third-round upset at the $1.08-million Italian Open on Thursday.
The win over the American ranks with the 17-year-old Dokic’s victory over Martina Hingis in the first round of Wimbledeon last summer. Dokic and Williams had never played but the Australian, ranked 37th, showed that on a good day, she can have the measure of the American two years her senior.
On a day when top seed and world number one Lindsay Davenport dropped out of contention with a lower back injury which could threaten her for Roland Garros starting a week from Monday, second seed Nathalie Tauziat won through.
The Frenchwoman defeated Magadalena Grzybowska of Poland 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-4). Italian Giulia Casoni, ranked 128th, got the benefit of Davenport’s withdrawal shortly before their afternoon match.
The 1999 Australian Open finalist Amelie Mauresmo, the 12th seed, won an all-French battle over last year’s losing finalist Mary Pierce 6-3 6-4. There was more bad news for France as little-known Fabiola Zuluaga of Colombia knocked out seventh seed Julie Halard-Decugis 6-3 4-6 6-2.
Dokic plays 1990 Rome champion Monica Seles, who mounted a comeback over Anne-Gaelle Sidot of France 3-6 6-1 6-1. Spain’s sixth seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario beat Czech Denisa Chladova 6-1 6-4 and next plays Mauresmo.
HAMBURG: Gustavo Kuerten and Magnus Norman respected the form book, setting up a repeat of last weekend’s Rome Masters final but Tim Henman didn’t as the British eighth seed made a premature exit from the $2.95 million Hamburg Masters series here.
Brazilian showman Kuerten destroyed South African Wayne Ferreira 6-1 6-2 in 52 minutes to book his place in last four where he will now play Norman, the man who beat him in Rome to move to the top of the ATP Champions Race 2000 standings. Norman edged out Moroccan 13th seed Younes el Aynaoui 3-6 6-1 6-4, taking one hour, 34 minutes.
Defending champion Marcelo Rios fired a warning to everybody as he overcame Argentina’s Mariano Puerta 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 to win the right to a meeting with Francisco Clavet, who ousted ninth seed and fellow Spaniard Alex Corretja, twice a finalist here, 6-4 6-1.
Henman earlier came off second best to last year’s finalist Mariano Zabaleta of Argentina, who advanced with a 7-5 6-3 win against the same opponent he had beaten a round later 12 months ago.
With Henman, El Aynaoui and Corretja all packing their bags only four seeds have made it to the last eight.
