Section B·Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
Monday, September 13. 1999
Freshmen make debut in Wichita tournament
By Melinda Weaver sports@kansan.com Kansan writer/scripter
Redshirt freshman Sebastian Libertino put together an impressive performance yesterday during the final day of the seventh annual Wichita State Shocker Classic.
After losing in the first round, Libertino won three more matches to capture the backdraw consolation championship in the Kansas men's tennis fall season opener.
Libertino lost to Boris Tukic of Denver 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 Saturday
KANSAS TENNIS
but came back to defeat Matt Provat of Cowley County Community College by default in the opening round of the consolation bracket.
Libertino then defeated Jason Gunther of Denver in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 to send him into the consolation championship where he defeated Mark Sewell of Wichita State 6-3, 6-3.
Freshman Pete Stroer also competed in the tournament, making his debut as a Jayhawk
with a 6-4, 6-2 victory against Angelo Vasilescu of Missouri-Kansas City.
He defeated Bozo Markovic of Northeast Louisiana 6-2, 7-6 in the second round before losing to Brian Endress of Denver 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in the quarterfinals.
Stroer and Libertino also competed in doubles competition, finishing with a 1-1 record. The duo defeated Robert Bailey and Doug Breaux of Northeast Louisiana 8-3 but lost in the second round to Paul Wooldridge and Ched Bender of Wichita State 9-7.
Edited by Jennifer Roush
Agassi nets fifth Grand Slam
Player's victory seals summer run
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Andre Agassi never lost his serve or his nerve, even when Todd Martin seemed to have him beat as he capped one of the greatest summers in tennis history yesterday by capturing his second U.S. Open.
Agassi came up with his most spectacular shots — none better than a lunging return from the court that broke Martin's serve and spirit — in a dominating fifth set to win 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-2.
Agassi's fifth Grand Slam title ended a summer run that began with his surprising surge to the French Open championship and continued with his runner-up finish to Pete Sampras at Wimbledon. No man since Ivan Lendl in 1986 had gone to three straight Grand Slam finals in the same year.
No man had fought back to win the U.S. Open from a 2-1 deficit in sets since John Newcombe in
1973, but that's exactly what Agassi had to do against an inspired Martin playing one of the finest matches of his life.
Martin always had all the tools of a champion
— the big serve,
the sweet ground-strokes,
the heart of a fighter — and he almost became one at age 29.
After losing his first service and the first set, Martin went toe-to-toe with Agassi for the next two sets.
Andre Agassi: Has become the world's No. 1 player
staying with him through long rallies and clubbing him with aces to force a pair of tiebreakers that he won with unexpected ease.
But Agassi, who guaranteed himself the No. 1 ranking after beating Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the semifinals, responded the way the best player in the world should.
Agassi bore down on Martin's
serve early in the fourth set and broke him to change the tenor of the match. On one point in that game, Agassi almost knocked Martin out, literally, slamming an overhead from point-blank range that missed Martin's skull by inches.
Martin never recovered. Though he ran his ace total to 23 — 16 more than Agassi — he never could find a way to break Agassi's serve. When Agassi broke him again at the end of the fourth set, the last point on a forehand return that clipped the net cord and hopped over to handcuff Martin, the outcome seemed certain.
Agassi made it five games in a row when he won the first three in the final set, and he closed out the match by breaking Martin one more time.
"I'll tell you what, how can you ask for anything more than two Americans in the final of the U.S. Open playing a great five-set match?" Agassi told the crowd after accepting the trophy and the winner's check for $750,000.
"Win or lose, this is the greatest time of my life. I'll never forget New York right here."
Williams sister wins Open
Serena Williams finished the job that big sister Venus couldn't, beating Martina Hingis 6.3-7 (6-4) to capture the U.S. Open title on Saturday at age 17 in only her second year as a pro.
NEW YORK — The kid sister turned out to be the real champ.
The Associated Press
As graceful and quick as a gymnast, the powerfully built Williams put on a spectacular display of mature tennis with an all-court attack to become the first African-American woman to win a Grand Slam title since Althea Gibson in 1958.
"It's just too exciting to compute right now," Williams said.
“It’s really amazing for me to even have an opportunity to be compared to a player as great as Althea Gibson. One of her best friends told me she wanted to see another African American win a slam before her time is up. I'm so excited I had a chance to accomplish that while she's still alive.”
It was equally meaningful to Williams that her victory came in Arthur Ashe Stadium, named after the 1968 U.S. Open champion and the last African-American to win a prize — Wimbledon in 1975.
Moments after the match, Williams received a congratulatory phone call from President Clinton and daughter Chelsea from New Zealand.
"I thought for sure my day couldn't get any better," Williams said. "The next thing they told me is the president of the United States wanted to talk. I was, like, wow."
AFRICAN-AMERICAN GRAND SLAM CHAMPIONS
Men
Arthur Ashe (5) — Singles (3): Australian, 1970; Wimbledon, 1975; U.S., 1968; Doubles (2): Australia, 1977 (Uk.) French, 1971
Yannick Noah (2) --- Singles (1): French, 1983;
Doubles (1): French, 1984.
Women
Althea Gibson (11) — Singles (5): French, 1956; Wimbledon, 1957-58; U.S., 1957-58. Doubles (5): Australian, 1957; French, 1956; Wimbledon, 1956-58. Mixed (11): U.S., 1957
Venus Williams (3) — Doubles (1); French, 1999,
Mixed (2); Australia, 1998; French, 1998.
Zina Garrison (3) — Mixed (3): Australian, 1987; Wimbledon, 1988, 1990.
Chanda Rubin (1) — Doubles (1): Australian, 1996. Lori McNell (1) — Mixed (1): French, 1988.
Serena, who will move up in the rankings from No. 6 to No. 4, proved too much for Hingis to handle in the critical moments that made the difference in a brilliant match filled with feverish baseline rallies, speedy forays to the net and an array of lobs and drop shots.
Golf to tee off in Nebraska
By Doua Pacev
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas men's and women's golf teams open their season today at the Nebraska Invitational. The men have had good luck in Nebraska, while the women look to improve on their showing from last year.
"If we play well, we could win," men's coach Ross Randall said. "But you never know what you're going to do in your first tournament. Hopefully, we'll play solid golf."
Conrad Roberts, Wichita senior. "We've got a good team, and we're strong throughout all five players."
The men have a positive outlook on their chances to win but are not underestimating the competition.
Last year Kansas went to Nebraska for the Big 12 Conference championship and upset four top-25 teams. Oklahoma State, Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
"Nebraska will get a lot of good teams to come and play at their tournament because of their reputation," said Jake Istnick, Tulsa, Okla., senior.
"I think we'll do fine," said
Senior Ryan Vermeer is a native of Omaha. Neb.
"It's a homecoming for him, so I think that he'll play a little better," Randall said.
One question that Randall had before the season started was if Brad Davis would be able to play. Davis fell two stories off a deck and landed on concrete last spring. He broke his heel in several places and also suffered three compression fractures in his back. Though he
has healed, both Davis and Randall aren't sure what to expect.
"I just hope to be able to make it around the course." Davis said.
On the women's side, this will be Nicole Hollingsworth's first tournament as coach of the Jayhawks.
"The Big 12 is a good conference," she said. "It's my first game as a Jayhawk, and I hope to do well."
Hollingsworth said she expected her top players to be senior Sue Tessary, Collinsville, Ill., senior, and Ashely Bishop, Frankin, Ind., junior.
"I expect them to do well," Hollingsworth said. "They're a one-two punch for us, like Batman and Robin."
Hollingsworth hoped the trip to Nebraska would give the young team much needed experience.
— Edited by Mike Loader
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