Leach-Stark Team Falters; U.S. To Rely On Agassi, Courier

Paul Haarhuis and Jacco Eltingh relied on booming serves to defeat Rick Leach and Jonathan Stark 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 Saturday at Newport Beach, Calif., and prevent the United States from sweeping its Davis Cup quarterfinal against the Netherlands.

A victory today by either Andre Agassi or Jim Courier would send the U.S. into the semifinals in September.

Agassi will play the first singles match against Jan Siemerink. Courier will play Sjeng Schalken in the second match.

At Hilton Head Island, S.C., Brenda Schultz-McCarthy became Martina Hingis’ 30th consecutive victim this year, losing 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 in the Family Circle Cup semifinals.

Schultz-McCarthy used her 100 mph serves to confuse Hingis in the first set, but then the 14th-seeded player began losing her consistency. Hingis, a 16-year-old from Switzerland, earned the No. 1 ranking last week.

In the other semifinal, No. 2 Monica Seles, her temperature soaring and her voice reduced to a whisper, defeated defending Family Circle champ and No. 5 seed Conchita Martinez 6-3, 6-4.

Seles and Hingis will meet in today’s final. At last weekend’s Lipton Championships, Hingis defeated Seles 6-2, 6-1 in 44 minutes.