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Olympic Tennis Recaps: 29 July (Day 10)

Women's Tennis Singles/Quarterfinals

Top-seeded SELES Falls, FERNANDEZ Upsets MARTINEZ

Monday was an up-and-down day for the U.S. tennis team, as two of three American women remaining in the Olympic singles draw advanced to the semifinals. Ironically, top-ranked and top-seeded Monica SELES (USA) was not among them, falling 7-5, 3-6, 8-6 to sixth-seeded Jana NOVOTNA (CZE) in a quarterfinal upset at Stone Mountain Park.

NOVOTNA twice overcame a 5-3 SELES advantage to defeat the American for the second time in two months. She now faces third-seeded Aranxta SANCHEZ VICARIO (ESP) -- the highest seeded player remaining in the women's draw -- who staged a third-set comeback of her own to defeat No. 8 seed Kimiko DATE (JPN), 4-6, 6-3, 10-8.

Seventh-seeded Mary Joe FERNANDEZ took up for the U.S. where SELES left off, upsetting No. 2 seed Conchita MARTINEZ, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. FERNANDEZ will meet her friend and teammate, Lindsay DAVENPORT (USA) in the semifinals, a 7-5, 6-3 winner over fourth-seeded Iva MAJOLI (CRO).

See story.


Men's Tennis Doubles/Quarterfinals

Only Two Seeds Remain in Men's Doubles Draw

Wimbledon champions Mark WOODFORDE and Todd WOODBRIDGE advanced to the Olympic tennis men's doubles semifinals Monday with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Spain's Sergi BRUGUERA and Tomas CARBONELL. The top-seeded "Woodies" have not lost a match since the French Open in June, and will face the only other seeded pair remaining in the championships, No. 3 Paul HARRHUIS and Jacco ELTINGH (NED), in the semifinals. HAARHUIS and ELTINGH defeated sixth-seeded Wayne and Ellis FERREIRA (RSA) on Monday, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4).

The upsets continue in the bottom half of the draw, as the British tandem of Neil BROAD and Tim HENMAN advanced to the semifinals with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory over fifth-seeded Jiri NOVAK and Daniel VACEK (CZE). HENMAN and BROAD will meet Marc-Kevin GOELLNER and David PRINOSIL of Germany in the semifinals, 6-2, 6-3 winners over Croatians Sasa HIRSZON and Goran IVANISEVIC.

"This is the position that we like to be in," Todd WOODBRIDGE (AUS) said of reaching the semifinals. "We struggled a bit the first and second rounds, and if we can get deeper, that's where we tend to play better."


This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department.


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