ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 3, 1996 TAG: 9608050058
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: STONE MOUNTAIN, GA.
SOURCE: Associated Press
Jubilant in victory, Lindsay Davenport hurried across the court to celebrate with her family in section 114, where she was greeted with cheers and tears and hugs and even praise.
``They just said, `Oh, we're so proud of you, and you're awesome' or whatever,'' Davenport said with a giggle. ``They very rarely compliment me.''
But an Olympic gold medalist deserves a pat on the back, and Davenport became one Friday in women's tennis. With help from a friendly net cord on the final point of the opening set, the second-generation Olympian beat Spaniard Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 7-6 (8-6), 6-2.
``This means everything to me,'' Davenport said. ``No matter what happens in my life, I'll always be a gold medalist.''
In the match for the bronze, Jana Novotna erased two set points in the first set and beat Mary Joe Fernandez 7-6 (8-6), 6-4.
Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge of Australia won the gold in men's doubles, defeating England's Tim Henman and Neil Broad 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
Top seed Andre Agassi, another second-generation Olympian, faces unseeded Spaniard Sergi Bruguera in a best-of-five final today. Defending champions Fernandez and Gigi Fernandez play Novotna and Helena Sukova of the Czech Republic in the final of women's doubles.
Davenport's victory, easily the biggest of her career, delighted a partisan crowd of 11,000 that included her father, Wink, who played volleyball for the United States at the 1968 Olympics.
``To win any medal was beyond my parents' expectations, for sure,'' said Davenport, of Newport Beach, Calif.
The ninth-seeded Davenport became the third American woman to win a gold in singles, joining Jennifer Capriati (1992) and Helen Wills (1924).
``I hope it's a breakthrough for me,'' Davenport said. ``When Jennifer won it, she wasn't sure she still wanted to play tennis, so it didn't mean as much to her. I want to build on this. It shows me that I can beat Arantxa on a hard court like the U.S. Open.''
To win the gold, Davenport had to beat four players ranked ahead of her. She also needed a breakthrough against Sanchez Vicario, who had won all five of their previous matches.
Playing high-risk tennis with baseline blasts into the corners, Davenport had more errors but also more winners and better luck than Sanchez Vicario. Davenport failed to convert two set points in the tiebreaker, but with a 7-6 lead she hit a backhand that kissed the cord, then skipped over the net for a winner.
``That's definitely the luckiest I've ever gotten on such a big point,'' she said.
In the second set, Davenport broke serve three times to pull away. When Sanchez Vicario hit a forehand wide on match point, Davenport raised her arms in triumph before the ball even landed.
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Lindsay Davenport of Newport Beach, Calif., followsby CNBthrough on a shot against Arantxa Sanchez Vicario of Spain during
their gold-medal women's tennis match Friday. Davenport won 7-6
(8-6), 6-2.