Norman loses match, wins hearts

It should have given Norman a reprieve, and forced Grosjean to take his first serve again, but the world number four rejected the opportunity and insisted the match was over handing Grosjean a 7-6, 6-3, 0-6, 6-4 victory.

He shook Grosjean’s hand to let the 22-year-old Frenchman know he could enjoy his achievement of reaching the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.

Grosjean faces Spaniard Carlos Moya in the quarter-finals, with the winner to meet either Russian fifth seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov or French 15th seed Arnaud Clement in the semifinals.

After knocking Pete Sampras out, American Todd Martin now has his sights set on Andre Agassi. Martin pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament so far when he beat Sampras 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in Sunday’s third round and is hoping to add Agassi’s scalp when they meet in Tuesday’s first men’s singles quarter-final.“I would assume Andre Agassi’s pretty damned please that (Sampras) lost,†Martin said. “But I think he will also know that he can expect a tough match from me.â€

Agassi has firmed up as the clear favourite to win the 2001 Open after Sampras, world number two Marat Safin and eighth seed Tim Henman all lost on Sunday. Safin was beaten 2-2, 7-6, 6-4 in straight sets by 14th seed Dominik Hrbaty while Australia’s Pat Rafter whipped Henman 6-2, 6-3, 6-3. Hrbaty and Rafter will play each other in Tuesday’s featured night match.

Venus Williams produced two blistering aces to finish off powerful French girl Amelie Mauresmo. The US Open and Wimbledon champion won 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to advance to a quarter-final against South African tenth seed Amanda Coetzer. Oetzer eased into her first Grand Slam quarter-final since 1998 beating Argentina’s Paula Suarez 6-1, 6-4.

Serena Williams swatted Czech girl Daja Bedanova 6-2, 6-2 to move into the quarter-finals. Serena, the sixth seed, now plays world number one Martina Hingis. A security scare involving Anna Kournikova overshadowed the Australian Open action today as Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Martina Hingis moved clinically into the quarter-finals. The pair went on to win in three sets against Japan’s Shinobu Asagoe and Yuka Yoshida.

Kafelnikov let nothing hold up his progress, pummelling Sweden’s Andreas Vinciguerra 7-5, 7-5, 6-1, racing through his third set in just 20 minutes. The outspoken Russian will take on French 15th seed Arnaud Clement who dashed Britain’s open hopes by defeating Greg Rusedski 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.

Meanwhile, Indian challenge in the Australian Open mixed doubles ended when Peter Tramacchi and Rachel McAnillan of Australia defeated India’s Mahesh Bhupathi and Ai Sugiyama (Japan) 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (8-6). Leander Paes and his partner Lisa Raymond of US lost to Ellis Ferreira (SA) and Corina Morarin (US) 7-5, 6-7 (3-7).

A flare-up on court
The Australian Open is to review its security arrangements after a lighted orange flare was thrown onto a court which Anna Kournikova was playing a doubles match on. A 15-year-old boy was apprehended immediately after the incident and was later given an official caution for discharging a dangerous missile, Melbourne police said. He will face no further action. Play on court number one was held up for 12 minutes to allow the players to compose themselves and a slight burn mark on the court’s surface to be repaired. “I was hitting the ball and suddenly something just dropped in front of me,†Kournikova said. “That’s it. I just walked away.†The Russian glamour girl said she had not been frightened by the incident and appeared to be completely unfazed, even giggling that she had not had anything like that happen to her since a streaker ran on to her court at Wimbledon.

Kournikova and Hewitt slapped with big fines
Tennis pin-up girl Anna Kournikova has been fined $2,000 for being coached from the sidelines during her fourth round win against doubles partner Barbara Schett. The Russian teenager was given a code violation during yesterday’s match, which she won 2-6, 6-6, 6-3 before the fine was imposed, a spokesman for tournament referee Peter Bellenger said. The spokesman said Kournikova’s mother Alla had been calling out advice to her when she trailed 3-4 in the second set. Lleyton Hewitt has also been slapped with a $2,000 fine for abusing the chair umpire during his titanic third-round loss to Spaniard Carlos Moya. Seventh-seeded Aussie Hewitt lost 4-6, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 to Moya in a three hour 48-minute thriller, which finished early yesterday. The feisty Hewitt fired an audible obscenity at umpire Rudi Berger after the official over-ruled a line-call in the ninth game of the tense fifth set. At least 21 players have been hit with fines for code violations so far with Frenchman Fabrice Santoro leading the packafter being ordered to pay $5,000 for unsportsman-like behaviour towards an official following his second round loss to Canadian Daniel Nestor.