Thursday, August 13, 1998
Murphy and Luke Jensen lost Wednesday night.
(Steven M. Herppich photo)
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The scars above the eye and on the bridge of the nose give Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia the appearance of a veteran hockey player rather than the 16th best tennis player in the world.
He was injured during a quarterfinal doubles match on Saturday at the du Maurier Open in Toronto. The cut over the right eye gave Ivanisevic the appearance of one involved in a contact sport during Wednesday's 6-3, 6-2 victory over Mark Philippoussis in the round of 32 at the Great American Insurance ATP Championship.
Last week, he and doubles partner Philippoussis "were down 4-2 when a ball bounced toward me after a missed shot," Ivanisevic said. "I saw the ball boy coming, but I didn't see Mark. I went to head it to the ball boy, and so did Mark -- and we butted heads."
Six stitches were required to close the cut, forcing Ivanisevic and Philippoussis to default to Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor.
It wasn't the first time that Ivanisevic required stitches this year.
"At a players party during the Australian Open, I was boxing (Spanish player) Jordi Burillo with oversized gloves," Ivanisevic said. "No one is supposed to get hurt, but I took an elbow to the eye which required four stitches."
A finalist at Wimbledon this year, Ivanisevic admitted that the disappointing loss to Pete Sampras has been tough to overcome.
"I'm trying to find my motivation again," Ivanisevic said. "Five times I was eliminated in the first round of a Grand Slam Tournament. Wimbledon was mine to win, but I was nervous. It was my one chance, and I didn't do it."
In 1992 and 1996, Ivanisevic finished with the No. 4 world ranking. Today, he plays Petr Korda, currently the No. 4 ranked player.
"If I play well, I can beat anyone," Ivanisevic said. "I've played Petr several times, and he could blow me out or I could blow him out."
The Korda-Ivanisevic match is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Center Court.
Attendance dips
Attendance through Tuesday's matches, which includes the seniors tournament and main draw qualifier, is 72,340 -- off 4,527 from last year (76,867).
However, attendance is only off 374 fans on Monday and Tuesday, which should be erased when the official figures are announced for Wednesday's two sessions.
I-71 congested
The most often heard complaints from fans is the traffic congestion for the evening sessions.
Many report that it took more than 45 minutes from Interstate 71 North and Pfeiffer Road to reach the ATP parking lot, which is less than an 8-mile trip.
The most congested area for northbound fans is the intersection of I-71 and Interstate 275. Fans coming from the north report few problems getting into parking lots.
Jensens out
Luke and Murphy Jensen, the popular doubles team, bowed out in the first round 6-4, 6-4 to Daniel Vacek and Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
Vacek, who ousted Marcelo Rios in the singles competition, and Kafelnikov play at 7 p.m. today against Petr Korda and Marcelo Rios, who are teaming up for the first time.
Double duty
Four players competed Wednesday in singles and doubles. Todd Martin pulled off a twin killing, defeating Thomas Muster in singles, then winning with Justin Gimelstob in doubles.
Patrick Rafter won in singles and lost in doubles. Martin Damm lost in singles and won in doubles. Kafelnikov won his singles match, then teamed with Vacek to beat the Jensens.
Mr. Perfect
Keeping the ATP complex in perfect condition before and during the tournament is the responsibility of Ray French, stadium manager the past 12 years. It keeps him busy.
"Every morning, the (Mason) fire marshal inspects the wiring at all the booths to make sure everything meets standards," said French, a native of Sydney, Australia.
Adding to the responsibilities this year is the addition of four television production trucks and two office trailers.
Communications and security are other major responsibilities that French handles.
"There are 196 radios and 10 channels used for communications," French said. "Twelve uniform police officers are on duty, and we're tied in to the Mason Police Department if we need help."
Ushering in new era
Milton Cohen, an 84-year-old resident of Hyde Park and a first-year volunteer usher, was like a kid in a candy shop Tuesday while working at Gate 7 in the main grandstand.
"I'm having a great time," Cohen said. "A friend of mine suggested that I volunteer, and I decided to try it. It's hard to believe that a ball hit 120 miles per hour is hit back even harder."
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