CHANG, SAMPRAS GAIN
The Star-Ledger
Newark, NJ
Saturday, September 2, 1995
BY AL PICKER
NEW YORK -- MICHAEL CHANG YESTERDAY CELEBRATED THE EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS FIRST VICTORY AT THE U.S. OPEN, THE TIME WHEN HE BECAME THE YOUNGEST EVER TO WIN A MATCH IN THE MEN'S DRAW. HE WAS 15, WINNING IN FOUR SETS OVER PAUL MCNAMEE IN 1987.
CHANG, NOW 23, MARKED THE OCCASION WITH ANOTHER FOUR-SET SUCCESS, THIS TIME KNOCKING OFF STEFANO PESCOSOLIDO OF ITALY, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, THE FIFTH-SEEDED PLAYER ADVANCING TO THE THIRD ROUND OF THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR THE EIGHTH STRAIGHT YEAR BEFORE A DELIGHTED AFTERNOON CROWD OF 21,041 AT THE NATIONAL TENNIS CENTER IN FLUSHING MEADOW.
CHANG'S ADVANCE TO THE MEN'S THIRD ROUND CAME ON A DAY WHEN THIRD-SEEDED THOMAS MUSTER, CHANG'S CONQUEROR IN THE FRENCH OPEN FINAL, CAME THROUGH WITH HIS OWN FOUR-SET VICTORY AND 1994 U.S. OPEN FINALIST MICHAEL STICH, THE NO. 8-SEEDED PLAYER, SURVIVED A FIVE-SETTER.
AT NIGHT, PETE SAMPRAS RETURNED WITH A VENGEANCE. A YEAR AGO, AFTER A SUMMER OF INACTIVITY DUE TO AN INJURY, HE WAS UPSET IN THE FOURTH ROUND IN A FIVE-SETTER BY JAIME YZAGA. THIS TIME SAMPRAS WAS OUT TO SHOW WHAT A FLUKE THAT RESULT WAS.
"YOU DON'T FORGET LOSSES LIKE THAT IN SLAMS," SAID SAMPRAS, OBVIOUSLY VERY
MOTIVATED FOR THE REMATCH.
SAMPRAS OPENED THE MATCH BY CRASHING A 130 MPH SERVE. HE STRUCK TWO OF HIS 16 ACES IN THAT OPENING GAME. THE MESSAGE WAS SENT AND DELIVERED WITH FINALITY IN 92 MINUTES, THE SECOND-RANKED SAMPRAS CRUSHING YZAGA, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.
LAST YEAR, SAMPRAS WILTED IN A 3:58 AFTERNOON DUEL. UNDER THE LIGHTS THIS TIME, HE WAS AS STRONG AT THE END AS HE WAS AT THE START.
YZAGA WAS OUT OF HIS LEAGUE IN THIS ENCOUNTER. "IT IS HARD WHEN SOMEBODY STARTS SERVING THAT BIG, HE PLAYED A GREAT MATCH," SAID THE 69TH-RANKED PLAYER.
SOME 3,500 OF THE 19,877 IN ATTENDANCE AT NIGHT MOVED FROM THE STADIUM TO THE GRANDSTAND TO WATCH YOUNG NEW JERSEYAN JUSTIN GIMELSTOB IN THE SECOND OUTING OF HIS FIRST U.S. OPEN. IT ENDED IN DEFEAT AGAINST ONE OF THE TOP PLAYERS IN THE WORLD, 12TH-SEEDED RICHARD KRAJICEK, WHO PARLAYED EARLY BREAKS IN EACH SET FOR A 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 VICTORY.
"HE HAS A FUTURE," SAID KRAJICEK, WHO RECENTLY HELD A MATCH POINT AGAINST ANDRE AGASSI.
GIMELSTOB, AN UPSET WINNER OVER DAVID PRINOSIL IN THE FIRST ROUND, FELT THAT HIS OPEN DEBUT HAS LEFT HIM WITH "GREAT MEMORIES".
"I'M DISAPPOINTED (WITH THE RESULT) BUT HE WAS THE BEST PLAYER I HAVE EVER FACED," SAID THE 18-YEAR-OLD FROM NEW VERNON, WHO WILL COMPLETE HIS JUNIOR CAREER NEXT WEEK IN THE U.S. OPEN JUNIORS.
ON THE WOMEN'S SIDE, TOP-SEEDED STEFFI GRAF AND UNSEEDED CHANDA RUBIN, RANKED 16TH, EACH SCORED DAYTIME VICTORIES AND SET UP A HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FOURTH-ROUND BATTLE. GRAF KNOCKED OFF NO. 20 NATHALIE TAUZIAT OF FRANCE, 6-3, 6-3, IN A 62-MINUTE GRANDSTAND DUEL, LIFTING HER RECORD IN THE PERSONAL SERIES TO 17-0 -- ALL IN STRAIGHT SETS. RUBIN TURNED BACK NO. 29 GIGI FERNANDEZ, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1.
GRAF MIGHT HAVE BEEN WATCHING THE PROGRESS OF A POTENTIAL QUARTERFINAL OPPONENT IN MARY PIERCE. THAT WILL NO LONGER BE NECESSARY, THANKS TO NO. 21 AMY FRAZIER, WHO POLISHED OFF THE NO. 6-SEEDED PIERCE, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6), IN AN 87-MINUTE UPSET. FRAZIER PLAYED WELL, BUT SHE GOT PLENTY OF HELP FROM THE WINNER OF THIS YEAR'S AUSTRALIAN OPEN AS PIERCE PERFORMING ERRATICALLY IN WINDY CONDITIONS.
NO. 3-SEEDED ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO, THE WOMEN'S DEFENDING CHAMPION, ARRIVED IN THE FINAL 32 WITH A 6-3, 6-0 DECISION OVER NO. 123 MARIA JOSE GAIDANO OF ARGENTINA. MARTINA HINGIS, THE YOUNG LADY CONSIDERED A FUTURE STAR ON THE WTA TOUR, MADE IT TO THE THIRD ROUND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A GRAND SLAM. THE 14-YEAR-OLD SWISS PLAYER, RANKED NO. 18, RALLIED TO DEFEAT NO. 73 PATRICIA HY-BOULAIS OF CANADA, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
NO. 9 GABRIELA SABATINI, WHO DROPPED ONLY THREE GAMES IN THE FIRST ROUND, BLEW AWAY NO. 34 SABINE APPELMANS OF BELGIUM, 6-1, 6-1, IN 68 MINUTES.
PIERCE WAS THE LONE WOMEN'S SEED TO FALL AND THE MEN ALSO HAD A SINGULAR DEPARTURE AMONG THE FAVORITES AS 70TH-RANKED BYRON BLACK OF ZIMBABWE STUNNED NO. 9-SEEDED THOMAS ENQVIST OF SWEDEN, 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
"THAT'S MY FIRST VICTORY OVER A TOP 10 PLAYER," SAID BLACK, WHOSE RETURNS FRUSTRATED THE HARD-SERVING ENQVIST.
EXCEPT FOR HIS TENACITY AND FOOT SPEED, THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CHANG OF TODAY AND THE SKINNY 15-YEAR-OLD BACK IN '87. THEN HE WAS AN UNKNOWN. TODAY HE IS HIGHLY ACCLAIMED AND ONE OF THE WORLD'S BEST.
"I WAS PRETTY SKINNY BACK THEN AND NOW I HAVE FILLED OUT QUITE A BIT," SAID THE 5-9 CHANG, BARELY 135 IN HIS INITIAL APPEARANCE AND NOW A SOLID 150. "I WAS A DEFENSIVE PLAYER, JUST GETTING IN MY SERVE AND PLAYING PATIENT TENNIS. I DIDN'T VENTURE TO THE NET UNLESS THERE WAS A DROP SHOT."
CHANG IS PHYSICALLY STRONGER NOW AND PLAYS A FAR MORE AGGRESSIVE GAME, RIGHT FROM THE MOMENT HE UNCORKS HIS SERVE.
PESCOSOLIDO FOUND THAT OUT TO HIS DISMAY. THE HOBOKEN, N.J.-BORN CHANG WAS UNLEASHING 120 MPH. HE LACED TWO ACES IN THE OPENING GAME AND DIDN'T FINISH IN THAT DEPARTMENT UNTIL HE HAD 19.
CHANG IS WILLING TO MAKE FREQUENT VENTURES TO THE NET AND ABLE TO GO FOR WINNERS QUICKLY AND ELIMINATE LONG RALLIES. HE MADE 33 APPROACHES, WINNING 18 POINTS. AND WHEN THE ROAD GETS ROCKY, HE RESPONDS. THE 87TH-RANKED PESCOSOLIDO MOVED TO A 3-1 LEAD IN THE THIRD SET AND THOUGHT: "I HAVE A CHANCE."
BUT THAT'S WHEN CHANG PLAYS HIS BEST. WHEN HE'S BEHIND. HE TOOK TO THE OFFENSE,
ATTACKING SECOND SERVES AND SHORT BALLS. THE DELIVERIES FINALLY WORE DOWN PESCOSOLIDO, WHOSE PLAY DETERIORATED UNDER THE PRESSURE.
MUSTER, A MASTER OF POWER SHOTMAKING FROM THE BACK OF THE COURT, GRADUALLY WORE DOWN AUSSIE MARK WOODFORDE. THE 40TH-RANKED PLAYER HAD A GOOD START BEFORE MUSTER'S ACCURATE AND DEEP STROKES FINALLY MADE THE DIFFERENCE WITH MUSTER PLOWING AHEAD, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4, IN 2:06.
THE 100TH-RANKED MEN'S PLAYER, SEBASTIEN LAREAU OF CANADA, FOUND OUT THAT 14TH-SEEDED JIM COURIER MAY NOT BE THE PLAYER HE WAS IN 1992 WHEN HE WAS NO. 1 BUT THAT HE APPEARS TO BE ON THE ROAD BACK.
"NO REASON TO GO TRUMPETING, BUT WE'LL SEE HOW THINGS GO," SAID COURIER, WHO SIDELINED LAREAU IN REGULATION SETS, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
STICH, WHO WAS OUSTED IN
THE FIRST ROUND AT WIMBLEDON, PLAYED WELL ONLY IN SPURTS, BUT THAT WAS GOOD ENOUGH TO BEAT NO. 98 HERNAN GUMY OF ARGENTINA, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.
"I WASN'T HAPPY WITH THE WAY I WAS PLAYING," SAID STICH. HE SUMMED UP HIS EFFORT THIS WAY: "I PLAYED THREE NORMAL SETS AND TWO TERRIBLE SETS."
GRAF WAS HARDLY STRETCHED BY THE ERROR-PRONE TAUZIAT. THE FRENCH PLAYER WAS NOT A SERIOUS THREAT, BUT SHE MANAGED ONE SERVICE BREAK AND HAD BREAK POINTS IN TWO
OTHER GAMES.
"SHE (GRAF) PLAYED GOOD BUT DIDN'T SERVE AS WELL AS SHE DID BEFORE AGAINST ME," SAID TAUZIAT. "BUT HER GAME WAS NOT TOO BAD."
GRAF, LOOKING AHEAD TO POSSIBLE MEETING WITH PIERCE, WAS RIGHT ON TARGET WITH THIS APPRAISAL OF THE FRENCH STAR: "SOMETIMES SHE PLAYS SOME GREAT TENNIS,
SOMETIMES SHE MAKES QUITE A FEW ERRORS. YOU ARE NOT QUITE SURE WHAT SHE WILL DO."
THAT'S JUST WHAT HAPPENED TO PIERCE IN HER STADIUM MATCH WITH FRAZIER, WHO ATTACKED PIERCE AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY. RESPONDING, PIERCE EITHER HIT OUTRIGHT WINNERS OR SPRAYED ERRORS ALL OVER THE PLACE.
NICOLE ARENDT OF PRINCETON, N.J., WHO PLAYS ZINA GARRISON JACKSON TODAY IN THE THIRD ROUND, WAS BEATEN IN BOTH WOMEN'S DOUBLES AND MIXED DOUBLES. MARTINA NAVRATILOVA, WHO ISN'T COMPETING IN THE SINGLES, KEPT HER HOPES ALIVE IN BOTH DOUBLES. THE VETERAN STAR, IN THE SECOND ROUND IN WOMEN'S DOUBLES WITH SABATINI, ADVANCED TO THE THIRD ROUND OF MIXED DOUBLES WITH PARTNER JONATHAN STARK.