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Wimbledon Notebook

Williams, Kournikova match should have cameras flashing

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Posted: Friday June 25, 1999 06:33 PM

Venus Williams won't be intimidated by the crowd, which should be in Anna Kournikova's corner. AP

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Venus 2, Anna 0.

That's the score as Venus Williams and Anna Kournikova -- tennis' most photographed and watched teenage stars -- head into their fourth-round match at Wimbledon.

Williams won a year ago in three sets in a hardcourt final in Key Biscayne, Florida, and again this spring 6-2, 6-2 on clay in the Italian Open.

She has the edge, but she's up against Wimbledon's most popular player in the match Monday. And she knows it.

"I've been able to see some [of Kournikova's matches] because I'm at home and I'm watching BBC, I'm watching Wimbledon with everyone else," said Williams, after beating Sarah Pitkowski 6-1, 6-1 on Friday.

"They always put her matches on. It seems like the British really love Anna, which is great."

"I've played when the crowd liked my opponent more. She's a big favorite here, she's done well on the only occasion she's played. So obviously she going to want to do good again ... and of course I want to do a little better than I did last time."

Williams reached the quarterfinals a year ago. Kournikova missed last year with an injury but was a semifinalist in 1997.

"It's going to be a tough match," said Kournikova, who defeated Ines Gorrochategui on Friday when the Argentine retired in the second set with a sore right shoulder after Kournikova won the first 7-5.

"She [Venus] has a big serve, she's a big girl, so I have to just outthink her," said the 18-year-old Russian. "Grass is obviously not her surface, so we'll see."

Overmatched

Top-ranked Pete Sampras easily handled English qualifier Danny Sapsford -- ranked No. 595 -- 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. Here's how their records look after the match: Titles: Sampras 57, Sapsford 0; Grand Slams: Sampras 11, Sapsford 0; Career Record: Sampras 637-174, Sapsford 18-32.

"The only time I felt slight nerves was the second I stepped foot on the court," Sapsford said. "There was a big roar and the ... stadium seemed to spin a little bit. And I was just telling myself to put one foot in front of the other."

Another 16-year-old

Belgian 16-year-old Kim Clijsters ousted No. 12 Amanda Coetzer 6-2, 6-4, setting up a fourth-round match with Steffi Graf. She's the youngest woman playing singles this year -- just a few days younger than Australian 16-year-old Jelena Dokic, who shocked top-seeded Martina Hingis in the first round.

Girlcott

Billie Jean King has reminded Wimbledon executives that female players may stay away if the tournament doesn't pay men and women equally. For now, WTA Tour officials have ruled out a so-called "girlcott."

"Make a sensible business decision," King said Friday in a Times of London story. "Treating women as less valuable than men generates ill-will that is disproportionate to the amount of money you are saving."

King said the men's purse this year was $890,000 more than women's -- a fraction of the reported $52.8 million in net profit Wimbledon generated last year.

Rafter watch

Two-time defending U.S. Open champion Pat Rafter has reached Wimbledon's fourth round the last three years. Now he's in the third round against Sweden's Thomas Enqvist. But his eye is always on grabbing the ATP Tour's No. 1 ranking after being No. 2 several times.

Two-time Wimbledon champion John Newcombe said this week he'd make No. 1 before the year ends.

"My God," said Rafter when he was given that news. "I'd like to be No. 1, no doubt about it. But I think there are 10 guys who can be No. 1."

Sun, sun, sun

Nearly perfect weather has graced Wimbledon for the first five days with temperatures in the low 20s (low 70s F) and no rain after three of the wettest Wimbledons in history. The last rain-free Wimbledon was 1995.

That's the good news. The bad news is that showers are in the forecast for the weekend and early next week. "It doesn't look like a washout or anything, but there could be a good bit of rain," said Matt McColm, forecaster at Britain's national weather office.

Bring on Boris

Australian 18-year-old Lleyton Hewitt faces Boris Becker in the third round and can't wait. "It'll be a big thrill for me to be out there against Boris Becker. He's been there and won three times. I've got nothing to lose."

Odds and ends

Pam Shriver pointed out in her television commentary on the BBC that 16-year-old Jelena Dokic seemed to be getting signals from her father during her second-round match Thursday. Tennis rules don't allow coaching during play. She said afterwards there was no coaching. "No signs, I mean he didn't tell me how to play."

"Anyone, anywhere is forbidden to give advice, instructions or make gestures on court," said WTA Tour executive Georgiana Clark. Rules call for a warning followed by disqualification.

Danny Sapsford gave an assessment of British tennis' future. "If they [officials] are giving the impression that all is well in British tennis, then that is not true. I'm afraid the well is empty after those two [Henman and Rusedski].

 

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