Sampras retains Japan Open tennis
Sampras retains Japan Open tennis
TOKYO (AFP): World number one Pete Sampras continued his winning run when the defending champion outgunned crowd-favorite Michael Chang yesterday to retain the men's singles title at the Japan Open tennis tournament.
Earlier, Japanese royalty watched the women's final, won by top seed Kimiko Date 7-5, 6-0 over fourth-seeded American Amy Frazier. Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako were on hand at the Ariake Colosseum for the match.
Date, an Australian Open semifinalist this year, came back from 0-4 down in the first set to take her third consecutive title at the home event and the winner's check of $27,000.
The 22-year-old from Florida, who clinched the top spot in the world rankings by winning the Japan title last year here, chalked up a 6-4, 6-2 win over the fellow American second seed.
Sampras stood firm in his games, giving only five points to Chang in each set, while Chang struggled to hold his own, often mis-hitting his aggressive, hard forehand shots.
On Saturday, Japanese wild card entrants Mami Donoshiro and Ai Sugiyama captured the women's doubles title and the winners' prize of US$9,000 when they downed the second-seeded Indonesian- Japanese pair of Yayuk Basuki and Nana Miyagi 6-4, 6-1 Saturday.
Donoshiro and Sugiyama earlier in the day downed Michelle Jaggard-Lai of Australia and Marianne Werdel of the United States 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 6-2 in the semi-finals.
The first chance came to Sampras in the third game of the opening set when Chang double faulted to go 30-40 down.
Chang saved it, but after he hit a forehand long on an advantage point for Sampras, it appeared to be an uphill battle throughout the remainder of the 80-minute match.
Going on to take the set, Sampras again broke Chang in the first game of the second set and never looked back afterward, giving no break point to the totally outclassed Chinese American.
He completed the match with his 10th ace of the day to the forehand corner.
It was his 26th career victory and sixth this season, winning four tournaments in a row following Indian Wells, Key Biscayne and Osaka last week.
He narrowed his life time record against Chang to three wins against six losses in major tournaments.
With the win, which was worth $156,000, Sampras stretched his match-winning streak to 21 this season - 33 wins against two defeats overall.
Chang, who captured five titles in Asia out of his 15 career victories, received the $82,100 runner-up prize.
WTA event
In Amelia Island, Florida, three-time winner Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina and defending champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario of Spain reached the finals of a $400,000 WTA event with semi-final victories Saturday.
Sabatini, who lost to Sanchez Vicario in last year's final here, eliminated US high school student Lindsay Davenport 6-2, 6- 4. Sanchez Vicario, the top seed, beat Martina Navratilova 6-4, 6-3.
Sabatini won the first point of the 10th game by running down the ball and returning it with a between-the-legs shot.
"It's exciting to win a point like that," Sabatini said. "It was a very lucky shot. I just went for it."
Sabatini, who has not reached a final since losing to Steffi Graf last May in the German Open, seeks her first crown since taking the 1992 Italian Open.
Sanchez Vicario seeks her first title of the year after losing the Australian Open and Delray Beach finals to Graf. She hit 28 winners, most of them passing shots, against an attacking Navratilova. Sanchez Vicario broke Navratilova twice in winning the final five games of the match.
Navratilova, training for her first French Open appearance since 1988, lost in the first round of two prior clay events before reaching the semi-finals here.