Seles Wins Her Initial Title Of ‘97
Tennis
Monica Seles fought off a match point in the second set and capitalized on Lindsay Davenport’s third set collapse to win the Acura Classic 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 Sunday for her first title this year.
Seles, ranked third in the world, improved to 17-1 lifetime in Manhattan Beach, Calif., where she was champion in 1990 and ‘91 - the years she was No. 1 in the world.
Seles had lost in four other WTA Tour finals this year, and was winless on tour since a victory in Toyko last September.
“I got close a couple times this year and finally pulled it off in a close match. It feels great,” she said. “It was pure luck to get back in the match. I was just fighting.”
Davenport had the match in hand, leading a set and 5-4 in the second. Her crosscourt backhand winner set up match point, but Seles attacked Davenport’s second serve, sending a forehand return crosscourt for deuce.
Seles was clearly the crowd favorite, despite Davenport’s status as a defending champion who grew up in nearby Palos Verdes.
Seles has struggled to regain the form that made her the dominant player early in the decade when she won eight Grand Slam titles. She missed more than two years after being stabbed in April 1993.
Her father, Karolj, who is her only coach, is dying of stomach cancer and Seles often leaves the circuit to be with him. He didn’t watch Sunday’s nationally televised final.
Sampras wins ATP
Top-ranked Pete Sampras beat Thomas Muster of Austria, the fifth seed and fourth-ranked player, 6-3, 6-4 to win the $2.3 million ATP Championship in Mason, Ohio, his fifth title this year.
It was the 49th career ATP Tour victory for Sampras and tied him with Boris Becker for most titles among active players.
Sampras, broken just once, became the first ATP Championship winner in 10 years to go through the week without losing a set.
The match took 1 hour, 10 minutes - just what Sampras averaged all week. Muster had played four three-set matches averaging 2 hours, 13 minutes to get to the finals.
“I was a little bit tired,” said Muster, who got about five hours sleep after his match Saturday night. “Realistically, it probably would not have changed anything if I had slept 24 hours.”