First things first, here were the questions I asked on Tuesday night, along with the resulting answers...
A rather mundane evening in the interview area got a shot in the arm from surprise guest star Venus Williams, on the premises to collect her Most Impressive Newcomer of 1997 award. Aside from Venus's multi-colored beads and gleaming glass vase (the Newcomer trophy), the most notable sight was Conchita Martinez sucking on a lollipop and staring at one of the tennis photography displays while waiting for reporters to show up at her press conference. Few did -- there were just three English language queries for Martinez, including my pair. Anyhow, here are a few highlights...
Depending on how you looked at it, this match presented a revenge opportunity for either player. For Huber, it was a chance to avenge a first round defeat on the same court a year earlier. For Majoli, it was a chance to pay Anke back for beating her in their four previous '97 encounters. To call it a grudge match would be a bit much, however, as Huber and Majoli are good friends away from the court.
You usually know what you're going to get from Iva Majoli and Anke Huber...and it isn't particularly pretty. Both players are baseline bashers, bent on knocking their opponents into submission without much variety or finesse. Their matching styles translate into battles which are exciting more for their momentum shifts and close outcomes than the play itself.
The German got off to a slow start initially, falling behind 15-40 on her serve. A baseline non-call on the next point kept the game alive, however, and Huber fought off a second break point on her way to holding. Majoli had an easier time in her first service game, concluding it with an ace. Huber had an ace of her own on the way to holding for 2-1. Suddenly on a bit of a roll, Huber smacked a pair of winners for a 0-30 lead in Game 4 and won it when Majoli steered a forehand wide. Huber solidified the break with a pair of aces in an easy hold for 4-1. Majoli unhappily banged her racquet on the carpet upon reaching her chair for the changeover.
Majoli came back to a life, holding for 4-2 and earning a break chance in Game 7. Huber dismissed that first break point with an ace...a second disappeared when Majoli misfired on a return...a third fell away when Majoli sent a forehand into the net. The fourth break point was the charm, however, as Huber committed a forehand error and bounced her racquet in disgust. Momentum on her side now, the #6 seed escaped from a 15-30 hole to even the set at 4-4.
Huber held for 5-4, but was still not a happy customer. Never one to hide her emotions on the court, Anke screamed after one crucial error in the tenth game and gave her racquet another bounce after getting down a break point in Game 11. Huber netted a backhand to lose that game and suddenly found herself down a break at 6-5. She battled back gamely, though, winning the following game with a tough forehand pass.
A first-to-seven-points tiebreak would determine the set. Huber double faulted to trail 3 points to 1, following that with a winner and an error for 4-2, picking up a racquet abuse warning before changing sides. After Majoli ripped a backhand winner for 5-2, Huber cried "No no NOOOO!!!" and pleaded with herself to do better. She promptly drilled a pair of service winners, narrowing the gap to 5-4. Iva earned her first set point with a forehand winner, but Anke replied with one of her own for 6-5. Facing a second set point, Huber netted a forehand. First set to Majoli -- 7 games to 6; 7 points to 5 in the tiebreak.
Majoli and Huber each held to make it 1-1 in the second. Huber squandered a pair of break points in the next game, Iva completing the comeback with an ace. Huber held for 2-2, but was felled in the next game by a Donna Butler overrule -- the second to go against her. Majoli held for 3-2 and the pair traded love holds for 4-3. The French Open champion got an early foothold in Game 8, whacking a forehand winner down the line to go up 0-30. Not to be outdone, Huber rallied with three winners of her own to hold serve for 4 all.
In the set's tenth game, it was Huber opening up a lead against serve, taking a 15-40 advantage. She converted that break point with a cross-court backhand winner to go up 5-4. Huber's groundstrokes betrayed her in her attempt to serve out the set, though. A netted forehand dragged her to 15-40 and an errant backhand cost her the game.
Anke came right back with a 15-40 lead in Game 11, but a Majoli backhand winner down the line made it 30-40. Break point #2 also disappeared when a Huber backhand sailed long. This time she expressed her displeasure by kicking the ball as it came back to her. Two points later, Majoli was up 6-5 and just one game away from finishing off her hard hitting nemesis. Huber overcame a double fault to hold serve, though, and the second set -- like the first -- went to a tiebreak.
Smartly pulling a feathery drop shot out of her arsenal, Huber took the first point of the 'breaker. She also took the second on a Majoli error. The Croatian just barely caught the baseline with a backhand to make it 2-1. Huber dropped her racquet in dismay, arguing the non-call to no avail. Another Majoli winner was good for 2-2. That's when the wheels came off for the notoriously erratic Huber. Five straight errors followed, gift-wrapping a 7-2 tiebreak win for Majoli.
Done in mainly by a low first serve percentage and errors on key points, Anke Huber emphatically slammed her racquet as the narrow 7-6, 7-6 loss came to an end. A Philadelphia win over Majoli had clinched her place in the Chase Championships field, but Majoli herself ended Huber's stay immediately. After what has been a disappointing indoor season, Iva had to be pleased to escape with a W.
Known primarily for her booming serve, Brenda Schultz-McCarthy provided an early surprise on Tuesday night by breaking #1 seed Martina Hingis for a 2-1 opening set lead. Preternaturally gifted champion that she is, Hingis quickly erased that deficit, breaking and holding to go up 3-2. Schultz won the following game on an impressive drop shot, but Hingis matched her by holding for a 4-3 lead. Unleashing the biggest cannon in women's tennis, Schultz-McCarthy blasted three aces in Game 8 to tie the set.
Looking a bit sluggish, Hingis got down 15-40 in the next game when a lunging attempt at a forehand meekly popped into the courtside press area. Schultz-McCarthy failed to take advantage this time, erring on a hideous little flip shot for 30-40. Hingis shrugged off the second break point with a service winner and won the game with a laser forehand.
Serving with new balls, Brenda held easily for 5-5. Martina held just as easily for 6-5. The next game got tight at 30-30, but Schultz-McCarthy clubbed two more aces to force a tiebreak. The first ace clocked in at 118 miles per hour; the second drew skepticism from Hingis, who smiled ruefully at the spot where she thought the serve had landed long.
Four Schultz-McCarthy errors gave Hingis a 4-2 lead as the players changed sides in the tiebreak. Schultz recovered with an ace for 4-3, but two bad backhands put her behind the eight ball at 6-3. Hingis potentially had three set points to work with, but she only needed one. Not exactly capitalizing on her considerable height, Schultz-McCarthy badly missed an overhead to drop the tiebreak 7 points to 3. After some tense moments, Hingis was now in command of the match.
Displaying a much-improved volley, Schultz-McCarthy warded off a break point to claim the opening game of the second set. Hingis held easily in the following game, with Brenda grimacing in pain. The problem was with the big toe on her right foot. "My nail went off my toe completely," she explained after the match. "I don't know what happened. I just break it. This floor, I guess. Jana (Novotna) just told me in the dressing room that it happens a lot on this surface."
After three minutes of assistance from WTA Tour trainer Kathleen Stroia, Schultz-McCarthy gamely resumed play. She managed another service hold for a 2-1 lead, but wasn't moving well at all. Pulling her opponent around like she was on a string, Martina reeled off a slew of backhand winners to hold for 2-2 and break for 3-2. Hingis was taken from 40-15 to deuce in Game 6, but she pulled it out with a service winner.
The toe pain was clearly hampering Brenda's service motion. Since that is her primary weapon, the end appeared to be near. The crowd attempted to spur on the Dutchwoman, but at 30-40 she netted a backhand volley to get down a second break. Her mobility gone and the chances for a win virtually non-existent, Brenda Schultz-McCarthy had seen enough. She retired, closing the books on a 7-6, 5-2 loss. Energy sapped by a series of three-set wars in Philly, Hingis was not at her best on this night. She maintained her composure, though, and did enough to advance to the quarterfinals.
6-4, 6-2. 6-1, 6-1. 6-4, 6-1. Those were the scores the three previous times these players had met indoors, all of the verdicts in favor of Novotna. History appeared to be repeating itself as the Czech veteran broke serve for a 4-3 lead in the first set. Novotna then held for 5-3 and got within two points of winning the set by taking a 0-30 lead against Conchita's serve. Martinez came back with a nice touch volley which had so much spin on it that it bounced right back over the net. She erased a break point with a nice running backhand down the line and eventually held for 5-4.
Always comfortable on a fast surface, Jana just kept on following her serves into the net. She convincingly served it out at 15, winning the set 6 games to 4. Martinez found new life as the second stanza began, however. She held at 30 and broke at love for a 2-zip edge. Nonetheless, Novotna stormed back from a 40-15 deficit to break back, held for 2-2, and scored her own love break for a 3-2 lead. Both players held with relative ease to bring the score to 4-3.
Even though she was down a set and a break, Conchita at least had some crowd support -- a group of fans seated behind her chair waved Spanish flags and vociferously cheered her on. Totally dialed in now, Novotna held at love. Martinez did likewise, hitting a number of very crisp groundies to stay in the running at 5-4. There would be no comeback, however. Showing no signs of her much-ballyhooed inability to close out matches, Novotna sharply closed out a 6-4, 6-4 win. It was a fine night at the office for the net-charging #2 seed, who dismissed a solid opponent in 74 minutes.
Two days removed from a grueling run in Philadelphia, the last thing Martina Hingis needed was to play a late night doubles match. Install the "past her bedtime" joke of your choice if you must. When I got back from the Martinez and Novotna press conferences, the first set was just coming to an end, unseeded French pair Alexandra Fusai and Nathalie Tauziat taking it 6 games to 3.
If Hingis wanted to get this one over with quickly, her partner sure was helping out. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario opened the second set with an appalling service game, dropping it at love on a pair of volley errors and a double fault. Tauziat then held at love and finished off a break of Hingis with a nice running forehand winner. Looking every bit as determined and efficient as she had in the previous night's singles match, Nathalie was ably carrying her younger, shakier partner.
Fusai struggled in the set's fourth game, hitting double faults for 0-15 and 30-40. Hingis blew two break chances with errors, though, bouncing her racquet after the second one. Fusai finally held for a commanding 4-0 lead. All of a sudden, Hingis got back on track, absolutely smoking a pair of volley winners in Sanchez Vicario's love hold. When the next game went to deuce, it looked like the #2 seeds just might stay past midnight after all. However, Fusai dismissed a break point with a volley winner and Tauziat closed out the game with a pair of hard serves.
Down 3-6, 1-5, 0-30, Hingis double faulted to bring up triple match point. Tauziat missed her first chance to wrap up the victory, though, sending a forehand return wide. Instead the deed was left to Sanchez Vicario, who fired an overhead smash past the baseline to finish an utterly hapless 6-3, 6-1 loss. With the top two teams now out of the picture, the 1997 Chase Championships doubles crown is up for grabs. A spot in the semis already secured, the French Fed Cup pair might as well assume that they have as good a shot at it as anyone.