No takers
Punters to see the back of Davenport
Posted: Thursday January 28, 1999 11:02 AM
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Mauresomo dropped Lindsey Davenport 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 AP |
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- No-one wanted Amelie Mauresmo before the Austraian Open -- even at 150-1.
She fought off two match points in the opening around and before the third round was still unloved at 100-1.
Australia's leading betting agency Centrebet had Mauresmo at 16-1 for the title, and 7-2 for the match, before she beat No. 1 Lindsay Davenport on Thursday.
"It's a great result for us to have Davenport out, she's easily the most backed player in the women's draw," Centrebet assistant manager Ian Loughlin said. "Mauresmo was 150-1 to one at the start and there were absolutely no takers at all. There's been hardly any interest all the way through."
He said only about US$500 had been wagered on Mauresmo before Thursday's match and she'll be a big outsider again in the final against Martina Hingis. Loughlin said he's offering 9-4 on the big-serving Maureso with two-time defending champion Hingis at 2-5.
Depth Charge
Don't try to tell Yevgeny Kafelnikov, at No. 10 the only seed left in the semifinals, that there's no depth in men's tennis.
With world No. 1 Pete Sampras resting, No. 2 Marcelo Rios injured and all the rest of the top ten beaten by unseeded players, Kafelnikov is leading a pack of relative unknowns.
"I was reading an article a couple a days ago, it was on the floor in [the] locker room, and Mary Pierce was saying that the women's game is much more interesting and has much more depth than the men's," Kafelnikov said. "I completely disagree with that.
"The game of tennis today is really hard."
He singled out No.44-ranked Vince Spadea ousting Andre Agassi as an example.
"You see Spadea beating Agassi, playing wonderful tennis, and it creates a lot of intensity around the game.
"That makes the game very wonderful because you wouldn't know who is going to win the Slam."
"A few people dominate the women's tennis."
Winning by a hair
Tennis players are a superstitious breed. Kafelnikov has adopted the habit of retired Swedish champion Bjorn Borg and has not shaved since the start of the tournament. By day 12 he had begun to look definitely shaggy.
He has also given up gambling in Melbourne's casino, where he has bet on the black this week.
"I was quite down these weeks, so I kind of stay away from that place for a little while," he said.
In for a penny, in for a pound
The competitive spirit also runs strong in German semifinalist Tommy Haas -- whether it be on the court or playing 10-cent slot machines at the casino.
Coach David Ayme said the 22-year-old was most upset to find himself down by about A$10 (US$6) with just one coin to go while playing the 10-cent slots.
"He was very upset he was about to lose ten dollars," Ayme said. "Then he happens to win enough coins to make up to 15 dollars and he's the most excited guy in the place."
The thrill must be in taking risk for its own sake, not the money. Haas, in his best performance in a Grand Slam, has already earned US$113,400 for reaching in semis.
Slam Recognition
Martina Hingis received recognition in a special ceremony Thursday for becoming only the second woman ever to win a Grand Slam in doubles.
The 18-year-old Swiss last year paired with Mirjana Lucic to claim the Australia Open women' title, then partnered Jana Novotna to win the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
She is the first woman since namesake Martina Navratilova partnered Pam Shriver to accomplish the women's doubles Grand Slam in 1984.
Hingis was presented with flowers on center court at the Australian Open by Australia's Ken McGregor, who was last week inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Serving it up
It's been a slow start to the year. The fastest serve at the Australian Open would not even make into the top 10 fastest serves of last year, according to ATP Tour statistics.
While six of the fastest servers from last year in men's tennis played, including Britain's Greg Rusedski who topped the list with a 239.7 kph (149 mph) rocket at Indian Wells, none reached the slowest speed on last year's top 10 list.
The Netherlands' Richard Krajicek and Rusedski are fastest at the tournament so far, both with serves clocked at 213 kph (132 mph). The slowest speed to make the top 10 last year was 214 kph (133 mph), shared by Marcelo Rios and Brian MacPhie in Memphis.
Coming second in Melbourne are Marat Safin, Mark Philippoussis and Marc Rosset, all with 211 kph (131 mph).
Eleven others broke the 200 kph (124.3 mph) mark, including semifinalists Tommy Haas, Thomas Enqvist and Vincent Spadea.
The fastest women's serve so far in the tournament is Venus Williams' 189 kph (117.5 mph).
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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