Stevenson advances to second round

Alexandra Stevenson, playing her first match with a different coach, got a different result in the opening round of the Bausch and Lomb Championships.

Stevenson, the 19-year-old daughter of basketball great Julius Erving, beat Paulina Nola of Bulgaria 6-3, 6-2 Monday for her first opening-round win in her last four tournaments.

Stevenson made a name for herself when she became the first woman qualifier to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon last year. She has done little on the Sanex WTA Tour since, though, reaching quarterfinal stages in two relatively unknown tournaments in Oklahoma City and Birmingham, England.

"What a relief, finally, a win," an exuberant Stevenson said. "I'm very pleased with the way I played. It's my first tournament on clay and I'm still learning. I had to be patient and know when to attack and when not to. I give plenty of credit to Brian Gottfried, my new coach, who has helped me a lot already."

Gottfried, a former touring pro, is no stranger to success.

He was part of the winning doubles team at Wimbledon in 1976 and was a three-time doubles winner of the French Open (1975-77). His success at Wimbledon continued last summer when he teamed with Tom Gullikson to win the senior's crown.

"I've only been with Brian for about a week, but I've learned quite a bit," said Stevenson, ranked 46th at the end of the 1999 season. "I'm learning every day, things like you have to use the court like geometry in the strategic placing of shots. And geometry wasn't my best subject in school, so I'm learning something every day."

Gottfried said it took a special situation, someone like Stevenson, for him to take on a teaching role.

"Alexandra has an abundance of potential with a great attitude," Gottfried said. "I wasn't interested in working with someone who has been on the tour for 10 years or so and is set in their ways. She has lofty goals and a desire to win on the WTA Tour.

"This isn't a short-term deal like two or three weeks. This is a two- or three-year project where we'll work together to help her game. She's young, has a lot of potential and the timing of the whole thing seemed to be just right."

Stevenson looked like anything but a rookie on clay in the win over Nola. She dominated the match with a booming serve, recording four aces. Stevenson will need all of Gottfried's help should she get by her next opponent, Silvija Talaja of Croatia, the No. 14 seed who was a straight-set winner Monday.

That would likely earn Stevenson a shot at the tournament's top-seeded Mary Pierce, the 1998 Bausch and Lomb winner, in a Thursday matchup.

The only seeded player to by upset Monday was No. 9 Amy Frazier, who lost to Rita Grande of Italy 6-2, 6-7 (1), 7-6 (5).

Three other seeded players all posted opening-round wins. No. 12 Elena Likhovtseva of Russia beat Joanette Kruger of South Africa 7-6 (1), 6-2. No. 11 Ai Sugiyama of Japan struggled with 1996 Bausch and Lomb champion, Irina Spirlea of Romania, before prevailing 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. No. 15 Chanda Rubin handled Canada's Maureen Drake 7-5, 6-3.

The Bausch and Lomb, the first clay court tournament of the year on the Sanex WTA Tour, is without the top two ranked players. Lindsay Davenport, ranked No. 1, pulled out of the tournament last week to rest a sore foot, while second-ranked Martina Hingis has never played the Amelia Island tournament.

Results

Singles

Anne Kremer (Lux) def. Mirjana Lucic (Cro) 6-1, 6-3. Alexandra Stevenson (US) def. Paulina Nola (Bul) 6-3, 6-2. (14) Silvija Talaja (Cro) def. Linda Wild (US) 6-3, 6-1. Patty Schnyder (Swit) def. Nadeja Petrova (Rus) 7-5, 4-6, 6-2. Elena Dementieva (Rus) def. Holly Parkinson (US) 6-1, 6-4. Jelena Dokic (Aus) def. Alina Jidkova (Rus) 6-4, 6-3. Gala Leon Garcia (Sp) def. Jana Nejedly (Can) 6-1, 6-1. Magui Serna (Sp) def. Andrea Glass (Ger) 7-5, 6-1. Sonya Jeyaseelan (Can) def. Magdalena Maleeva (Bul) 6-4, 6-2. Paola Suarez (Arg) def. Tzipora Obziler (Isr) 6-1, 6-1. (12) Elena Likhovtseva (Rus) def. Joannette Kruger (SA) 7-6 (7), 6-2. Rita Grande (It) def. (9) Amy Frazier (US) 6-2, 6-7 (1), 7-6 (5). (11) Ai Sugiyama (Japan) def. Irina Spirlea (Rom) 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. Chanda Rubin (15) (US) def. Maureen Drake (Can) 7-5, 6-3.

Doubles First Round

Barbara Schett (Aut) and Patty Schnyder (Swit) def. Magdalena Maleeva (Bul) and Fabiola Zuluaga (Col) 6-2, 6-1. Nicole Arendt (US) and Patricia Tarabini (7) (Arg) def. Tina Pisnik (Sloven) and Silvija Talaja (Cro) 7-6 (7), 6-4. Emmanuelle Gagliardi (Swit) and Marlene Weingartner (Ger) def. Jelena Dokic (Aus) and Nadejda Petrova (Rus) 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. Virginia Ruano Pascual (Sp) and Paola Suarez (Arg) def. Ruxandra Dragomir, Romania, and Nana Miyagi (Japan) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Nannie de Villiers and Jessica Steck (SA) def. Catherine Barclay and Annabel Ellwood (Aus) 6-2, 6-2.