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.