Seles Pushes Hingis To Limit, But Teen Still Unbeaten In ‘97

Martina Hingis proved she can come back from difficult situations. Monica Seles thinks she’s proved the same thing.

Hingis, the world’s No. 1 player, was two swings from defeat before beating Seles 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) for the Family Circle tennis championship Sunday in Hilton Head Island, S.C. It was her sixth straight title and 31st consecutive victory.

For Seles, who is winless against Hingis and Steffi Graf since returning to tennis 20 months ago, the loss was another step closer to the top spot she held nearly four years ago.

“Each loss is tough,” said Seles, 0-3 against Hingis and 0-2 against Graf. “But I am definitely happier with the way I played this week.”

A week ago at the Lipton Championships, Hingis destroyed Seles 6-2, 6-1 in 44 minutes. This time, Hingis trailed 5-0 after only 14 minutes.

“I was just hoping she didn’t do the same score to me as I did to her,” Hingis said. “I liked last week a lot better.”

Seles has gradually improved her game since a two-year layoff after a 1993 stabbing incident in Germany.

Andre Agassi, handcuffed early by Jan Siemerink’s serve-and-volley game, rallied with pinpoint passing shots for the victory that gave the United States a 4-1 win over the Netherlands in a Davis Cup quarterfinal in Newport Beach, Calif.

The Americans advanced to the semifinals Sept. 19-21 against Australia, a 5-0 winner over the Czech Republic. It was Agassi’s 15th straight Davis Cup singles victory, one shy of Bill Tilden’s streak during the 1920s and early 1930s. Agassi ended the 2-hour, 48-minute match with a crosscourt backhand for a 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory.