Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 3, 1990 TAG: 9007030118
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From The New York Times and The Associated Press
DATELINE: WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND LENGTH: Long
Jennifer Capriati looked to Steffi Graf for her cue, dropped a girlish curtsy in front of the Royal Box, and, having gracefully negotiated the umpteenth unprecedented experience of her European tour, gamboled away from Centre Court in search of other novelties.
Capriati already had attracted attention on her first trip to the theater by leaping to her feet and providing the cast of "Les Miserables" with a solo standing ovation. She also persuaded her parents to allow her to attend her first rock concert, an extravaganza performed by Prince.
And Monday on Centre Court, well aware that the eyes of "Princess Fergie" - as she called her - were upon her, Capriati got her wish: She got out her measuring stick to see how her game stacked up against that of Graf, the player she is certain she will have to topple one day in order to reach the top.
Capriati, the 14-year-old who made history here by becoming the youngest player to win a match in the main draw, saw her odyssey end against Graf, the defending champion, 6-2, 6-4 in the round of 16.
Capriati, wearing an MTV T-shirt like one of Graf's she admired earlier in the tournament, was wide-eyed but far from intimidated.
"I thought I played well; I had a lot of fun and I thought she was really great," Capriati said of Graf. "I finally got to hit against her forehand, and now I know why they call it `that forehand.' It was just a bullet."
The 21-year-old West German had not yet played Capriati, but, after having lost to 16-year-old Monica Seles twice this spring, Graf wasn't about to take another teen-ager lightly.
"I don't feel so old, really," she said.
At this stage of her career, Graf is not interested in seeing the record books embellished at her own expense: She had no intention of making Capriati's first appearance in Wimbledon's round of 16 a success.
"I felt she should be more nervous than I was," said Graf, who doesn't get the jitters from tennis anymore. "It was not my turn today."
Rendered fragile mentally and physically because of combined stress inflicted upon her by embarrassing tabloid attacks on her father's private life and a debilitating sinus attack that sent her home to West Germany to see a specialist Saturday, Graf appeared ready the moment she stepped onto Centre Court.
If there were a Lourdes for sinus congestion, said Graf, she would have made a pilgrimage there during the weekend. She said her physician in Hamburg has advised her to have an operation to relieve her inflamed sinuses later this year.
"I really wanted to win today," Graf said. "After how I've felt for the last few days, I just wanted to try and get myself together. You know, Jennifer is such a favorite, so young and so natural, and people like her, and she wanted to play me, so . . . "
Capriati pounded the ball as hard as ever and aimed for winners whenever she found an opening, but on Monday she performed the role of the orchestra while Graf conducted. The West German showed off her forehand and backhand to advantage, constantly pushing Capriati backward. And her serve was unbreakable.
"She almost aced me two times every game," Capriati said. "Her serve was a great weapon: I couldn't break her; it was too explosive."
Capriati said her finest memory of her assault on the professional ranks thus far remains her advance to a semifinal at the French Open, her first Grand Slam event as a pro.
She was defeated there by Seles, the eventual champion, but the surface suited her driving groundstrokes and proficiency in endurance rallies better than the grass here. Already a diplomat, Capriati said she nonetheless liked everything about Wimbledon except her loss.
"I thought she was the one who had all the pressure because she was the one to defend the title, but I was proved wrong," Capriati said. "I'm pretty close, but I'm not up there."
The one-hour match was a most precious gem among many jewels on a grand day of tennis.
Ivan Lendl, the men's No. 1 seed, needed three days to beat former Georgia Tech star Bryan Shelton, playing in his second Wimbledon. Their match was suspended by darkness after two sets Saturday, and following a day's rest Lendl won 7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-4 to reach the fourth round.
Lendl faces unseeded Alex Antonitsch of Austria in the round of 16 and appears well on his way to a semifinal clash with Stefan Edberg, who throttled Michael Chang 6-3, 6-2, 6-1.
Grass-court masters Boris Becker, the defending and three-time champion, and Pat Cash, the 1987 champion, put on a show of power and finesse before Becker won 7-6 (7-3), 6-1, 6-4 to gain a berth against Brad Gilbert in the quarterfinal round. Gilbert survived a 4-hour, 10-minute struggle with fellow American David Wheaton to win 6-7 (8-10), 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 13-11 - the longest singles match this year.
Kevin Curren also reached the quarters, beating Alexander Volkov 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4), and will meet Goran Ivanisevic, a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) winner over Mark Koevermans.
Among the women, Seles, Martina Navratilova, Zina Garrison, Gabriela Sabatini, Katerina Maleeva, Natalia Zvereva and Jana Novotna advanced with straight-set victories.
Graf, whose admirer Mick Hucknall of the English band Simply Red was on hand for moral support in the family box, will face Czechoslovakia's Novotna in today's quarterfinal round.
In other women's quarterfinals, Seles will test her 36-match unbeaten streak against Garrison, Navratilova will face Maleeva and Sabatini will meet Zvereva.
Keywords:
TENNIS
by CNB