Tennis

DAVIS CUP: Briton belies lack of experience and place in world rankings to keep home hopes alive

Tennis

Tennis

These are hardly salad days for the likes of Steffi Graff and Pete Sampras, who have both found the stifling heat of Melbourne heavy going. But advice to tackle the oppressive on-court temperatures is being offered by the Australian cyclist Alan Iacuone. When the heat is on, he puts a lettuce leaf on his head.

Beaten by Boris Becker on Thursday, the world No 1 from the United States, Pete Sampras, bounced back here yesterday with the 500th singles victory of his career, beating Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-4, 6-4 to clinch a semi-final place at the ATP Tour World Championship.

Tennis

Tennis

Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski are poised for their first confrontation this year at the Czech indoor tournament in Ostrava.

Four years ago it would have been perfectly clear where Tim Henman and David Felgate stood in relation to one another. "We might have been about to practise, and I'd say, 'Right, you get the balls, I'll be out in a minute'," the coach to the new star of British tennis recalled last week. "Not to put him down, but that's just how it was."

TODAY'S

Goran Ivanisevic dropped the curtain on the Grand Slam career of Stefan Edberg with a United States Open quarter-final victory in straight sets at Flushing Meadow yesterday.

Monica Seles last night moved into her fourth US Open final, easing past the fourth seed, Conchita Martinez of Spain, 6-4, 6-3.

Tennis