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).
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."
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