Graf returns to winning form as Yayuk flops
Graf returns to winning form as Yayuk flops
MANHATTAN BEACH, California (Agencies): World co-number one Steffi Graf of Germany returned from a five-week layoff to beat American Katrina Adams 6-4, 6-2 in the second round of the US$450,000 Acura Tennis Classic Tuesday.
Indonesia's number one Yayuk Basuki, however, found herself nowhere to run as she succumbed 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-1 to little- known Petra Begerow of Germany.
It was an anticlimax for the 26-year-old Indonesian who reached last week's Canadian Open semifinals after a series of surprise wins. Yayuk upset world number four Iva Majoli of Croatia, Amy Frazier of the United States and Elena Likhovtseva of Russia before losing to world co-number one Monica Seles.
Yayuk was a semifinalist of the tournament here last year, also in a giant-killing fashion. Her victims included Lindsay Davenport and Mary Joe Fernandez. Then world number two Conchita Martinez of Spain denied Yayuk her final place.
Graf, whose tendinitis in the left knee forced her to miss last month's Olympic Games, didn't have the impeccable timing that has won her 100 titles, including 20 Grand Slams.
Graf had difficulty with the serve and volley style of the 94th-ranked Adams but was able to get through her first match since the Federation Cup on July 8.
In the second set, Adams took a 2-1 lead after trading service breaks. But she faded as Graf ran off the next five games.
Next up for Graf was a third-round clash yesterday night against 16-year-old Venus Williams, who overpowered fellow American and 13th seed Linda Wild 6-1, 6-2 in 55 minutes.
"I have never really seen a whole lot of her matches," Graf said of Williams. "She physically overpowers the ball. So it's just a matter of being patient with her."
Sampras labors
Meanwhile in Indianapolis, top-seeded Pete Sampras was seriously tested by 300th-ranked qualifier Don Johnson of the United States before capturing a 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (8-10), 6-2 second-round win at the $1.04 million RCA Championships.
"I feel that my game is coming around a little bit even though I struggled a little bit today," Sampras said. "I feel like I had such a long break, five weeks after Wimbledon. That is the longest break I've had in some time and I need some matches to get into the swing of things."
Fifth-seeded American Todd Martin is also feeling a little bit uncomfortable on the tennis court these days, but managed to post a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory over 121st-ranked Mauricio Hadad of Colombia.
"I think sometimes you just aren't as eager and don't go out there with the same amount of vigor as you usually do and that is part of what happened today," said Martin.
Wildcard Tommy Haas, an 18-year-old from Munich, Germany, is into the third round of his first main draw on the tour. The 390th-ranked Haas upset eighth-seeded and 30th-ranked Renzo Furlan of Italy 6-1, 6-2.
The top-ranked Sampras, who lost his bid for a fourth consecutive Wimbledon title when he fell to eventual champion Richard Krajicek in the quarterfinals there, has been struggling to find his form.
Johnson pushed Sampras to two tiebreaker sets, saving two Sampras match points in the second-set tiebreaker, to force the third set where Sampras broke Johnson's serve twice.
On his third break point in the sixth game, Sampras hit a winning backhand crosscourt passing shot. Johnson served a loose eighth game, which included two double faults, to lose that final game.