(30 July 1996; Day 11)
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Photo 1: Spanish tennis player Sergi BRUGUERA hits the ball during his Olympic quarterfinal match against US Malivai Washington at the Stone Mountain Olympic Tennis Center, near Atlanta, Georgia, 30 July. Bruguera won 7-6,4-6,7-5. (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) AFP-IOPP/Olivier MORIN. Photo 2: US tennis player and top Olympic seed Andre AGASSI of the US makes a forehand shot during his first round Olympic tennis match against Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden 23 July at the Stone Mountain, Georgia, venue. Agassi won 7-6, 7-6. AFP/IOPP/Olivier MORIN. Hundreds more images available daily in Photo Album. |
It was high drama on Center Court Tuesday, as the two U.S. men's tennis entries battled through their Olympic quarterfinal matches in two-three set thrillers at Stone Mountain Park.
When the smoke had cleared, all hopes for an all-American final had ended, and only top-seeded Andre AGASSI remained. Wimbledon finalist Malvai WASHINGTON's Olympic run had ended with a cross court passing shot by unseeded Sergi BRUGUERA (ESP), who defeated the fourth-seeded U.S. Player, 7-6 (8), 4-6, 7-5 in the first match of the day.
BRUGUERA came back from 5-3 down in the final set to upset WASHINGTON, the second seeded player to fall victim to the resurgent former French Open champion. Both Tuesday's win and his first-round victory over No. 7 Arnaud BOETSCH are somewhat of a vindication for the No. 69-ranked BRUGUERA, whose once-Top 10 dominance has diminished in the two years since winning back-to-back French titles in 1993-94.
"It was a very close match (today)," BRUGUERA said. "He served his games and was playing well, and I didn't break him until the last game of the match. I have one match to go in order to get a medal, and the only thing I can expect is to try to play with the same fight and the same confidence."
After winning the first set in a close 10-8 tiebreak, BRUGUERA dropped the second to WASHINGTON, 6-4. The American seemed poised to take control of the match in the third, going up a service break to lead BRUGUERA at 5-3. But with the match on his racquet, the Spaniard "decided to go for it," answering WASHINGTON with three straight points before holding at 5-4.
Under pressure, Washington dropped the first three points of the next game, saving two before double faulting away his advantage, and unknowingly, the match. The momentum had clearly shifted in favor of BRUGUERA, who won the next eight points before emerging victorious, 7-5.
"When you serve for the match after holding pretty well. You have got to hold," WASHINGTON said in retrospect. "I just wasn't able to do it. The double fault at break point -- I think I was just a little tight there. I was kind of following suit with some of my other service games, which was a little unfortunate."
Clearly more fortunate was AGASSI, who advanced to the semifinals with a 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 defeat of fifth-seeded Wayne FERREIRA (RSA). Like BRUGUERA, AGASSI came back from 5-3 down in the third to win four straight games, breaking the South African in the final point of the match.
"It was certainly not easy," AGASSI said. "And certainly quite fortunate in the sense that he was serving for the match and playing really well. For me to make it back -- the way he was serving -- was a little bit of luck, and a lot of support (from the crowd). When the crowd gets into it with that much emotion, it ups the ante and you give it everything you've got."
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Melissa Horton.
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| Pin trading was one of the most popular Olympic sports, with more than 1.2 million pins changing hands during the Games in the Coca Cola Pin Trading Center at Centennial Olympic Park. |