Seles, Davenport Bring U.S. To Brink Of Fed Cup Victory

Monica Seles and Lindsay Davenport gave the United States a commanding 2-0 lead Saturday in the best-of-5 Fed Cup at Atlantic City, N.J., threatening Spain’s three-year reign as the world’s top women’s tennis team.

Seles, the world’s top-ranked player, dispatched Conchita Martinez 6-2, 6-4 and then Davenport rallied to top Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 7-5, 6-1, winning 10 of the final 11 games after overcoming a 5-3 first-set deficit.

Davenport’s pivotal victory, her second straight over Sanchez Vicario after five previous losses, puts the United States one point from capturing its first Fed Cup since 1990. It will have three opportunities today.

Seles can wrap it up when she opposes Sanchez Vicario. Davenport then faces Martinez in the second singles match before Davenport and Mary Joe Fernandez face Martinez and Sanchez Vicario in doubles.

In a battle of Grand Slam champions, U.S. Open winner Pete Sampras defeated French Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 in the semifinals of the $1 million Swiss Indoor tournament at Basel, Switzerland.

In his first tournament since winning the U.S. Open, the top-seeded Sampras will meet Germany’s Hendrik Dreekmann in today’s final. Dreekmann beat Jiri Novak 7-5, 6-4 in the other semifinal.