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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Final Four For Sweet 16s Hingis, Kournikova Advance To Semifinal Showdown

Jennifer Frey Washington Post

Sixteen-year-old Anna Kournikova brought to the All England Club her mother, her boyfriend and a game so fearsome that Iva Majoli, the French Open champion, got knocked off her feet.

Already the darling of this Wimbledon, Kournikova proved she was a true contender in Wednesday’s quarterfinal, when she upset No. 4 Majoli 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, to advance to the first semifinal of her brief Grand Slam career.

Kournikova’s victory set up a blockbuster semifinal match-up between the two 16 year olds that many expect to make up the next great rivalry in women’s tennis. The other half of that duo is No. 1 Martina Hingis, who took an easy 6-3, 6-2, victory over Denisa Chladkova to continue a glide toward what Hingis hopes will be her first Wimbledon championship.

The men’s No. 1 seed, Pete Sampras, had a far less easy time of it. Sampras arrived here Wednesday up a set and a break over No. 16 Petr Korda, but blew tiebreakers in the third and fourth set before recovering for a 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (10-8), 6-7 (7-1), 6-4, fourth-round victory. Sampras’ travails surprisingly turned out to be far more entertaining than the conclusion of the rain-delayed showdown that began Tuesday between Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek and British favorite Tim Henman, who easily won the fourth set - and the match - when they resumed play Wednesday.

“If I was playing against the whole of England, I don’t know,” said Krajicek, who lost 7-6 (9-7), 6-7 (9-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. ” … The only thing I do know is that I’m not going to name my kid ‘Tim’ because I hate that name.”

The delirious Brits will be back to see Henman today. Rain has resulted in a rather fat daily schedule. In addition to a full slate of men’s quarterfinals, the day also will feature both of the women’s semifinals.

The second women’s semifinal of the day will pit No. 3 Jana Novotna against No. 8 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. Both Novotna and Sanchez Vicario wasted no time dispatching their quarterfinal opponents Wednesday. Novotna defeated Yayuk Basuki 6-3, 6-3, and Sanchez Vicario beat Nathalie Tauziat, 6-2, 7-5.

First on Centre Court will be Hingis and Kournikova, who can’t seem to separate themselves from each other, no matter how hard they might try. Off the court, the self-possessed Kournikova is 16 going on 25 and Hingis is 16 going on, well, 17. On the court, though, Hingis is clearly the senior member of the teenage sorority, her tennis career already in full bloom.

In their last meeting - and only match on the professional tour - Hingis defeated Kournikova, 6-1, 6-3, in the third round of the French Open. And in juniors, Hingis once beat Kournikova so badly the Russian burst into tears. But Kournikova has been a far more composed player here at Wimbledon. Hingis herself admitted that Kournikova is playing at an entirely new level since she arrived here.

“Tomorrow is going to be a different match,” said Hingis, almost 10 months older than Kournikova, who just turned 16 last month. “It’s another Grand Slam. It’s very good for her. She had great results here. I never made it to semifinals by that time, so she beat one of my records now.”

Wednesday, Kournikova showed just how quickly her game has been advancing. For a 16 year old playing in her first Wimbledon, Kournikova has not been a tentative player, cautiously feeling her way to comfort on the grass. She is quick to move to the net, play drops, take risks. Her chief asset, though, is her athleticism on the court.

Kournikova may be far from as strong as Steffi Graf, but she already has legs like Graf’s - long, strong and capable of covering the entire court with remarkable quickness. Poor Majoli learned this the hard way.

Majoli tried to tire Kournikova, running her from corner to corner at the baseline as often as she could. At times, Majoli placed her shots so well that Kournikova was forced to run outside the lines to reach them, yet that only afforded Kournikova the ability to demonstrate how well she can hit in the stretch.

“I wasn’t scared or anything, it’s just Anna was playing better, I think, and I gave her a chance to play,” Majoli said. “And when you give her a chance, especially on grass, the one who is attacking is usually winning.”

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: WEDNESDAY AT WIMBLEDON Men’s fourth-round winners: No. 1 Pete Sampras and No. 14 Tim Henman. Women’s quarterfinal winners: No. 1 Martina Hingis, No. 3 Jana Novotna, No. 8 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Anna Kournikova. Upsets: Kournikova over No. 4 Iva Majoli. Henman over defending champion and No. 4 Richard Krajicek. Stat of the Day: Sampras never lost his serve in his five-set match against No. 16 Petr Korda. Quote of the Day: “The only thing I do know is that I’m not going to name my kid ‘Tim’ because I hate that name,” said Richard Krajicek, reacting to the enthusiastic crowd chanting Henman’s name during their fourth-round match.

This sidebar appeared with the story: WEDNESDAY AT WIMBLEDON Men’s fourth-round winners: No. 1 Pete Sampras and No. 14 Tim Henman. Women’s quarterfinal winners: No. 1 Martina Hingis, No. 3 Jana Novotna, No. 8 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Anna Kournikova. Upsets: Kournikova over No. 4 Iva Majoli. Henman over defending champion and No. 4 Richard Krajicek. Stat of the Day: Sampras never lost his serve in his five-set match against No. 16 Petr Korda. Quote of the Day: “The only thing I do know is that I’m not going to name my kid ‘Tim’ because I hate that name,” said Richard Krajicek, reacting to the enthusiastic crowd chanting Henman’s name during their fourth-round match.