MELBOURNE, January 22: Michael Chang headed the list of new seeds put to the sword today, as French challengers enjoyed a spectacular day at the Australian Open tennis.Guillaume Raoux, the world number 46, beat third seed Chang 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) in the second round. Fellow Frenchman Nicolas Escude, the world No 81, outsted number 10 seed Gustavo Kuerten -- the reigning French Open champion -- 5-7 6-3 6-1 7-5.
The flashing French musketeers left the men's contest with only eight of the 16 seeds, less than half way through the contest. Chang is the biggest victim so far.
But one big name that survived was Andre Agassi whose campaign to return to the top of men's tennis took a dramatic leap when he beat 16th seed Albert Costa 6-4 6-4 2-6 7-5 in a two-hour 26-minute battle that offered flashes of the American back at his best.
In the women's contest, 11th seed Brenda Schultz-McCarthy of The Netherlands was beaten by Henrieta Nagyova of Slovakia.
Patrick Rafter, his foot blistered and his
sunscreen-smeared face looking like a wild mask, survived the Australian Open's first brutal heat blast in a five-set duel against Martin.
Meanwhile, the fierce heat, which sent more than 100 fans to first aid stations for treatment of heat exhaustion, nearly wilted defending women's champion Martina Hingis who entered the third round after defeating Barabara Rittner.
The second-seeded Rafter, finding it tougher to win in his homeland than he did in New York last September, struggled through his second exhausting match to beat Martin 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-3.
Chang's defeat deepened a four-month old slump in which the world number three has now lost eight out of 10 matches played.
The 27-year-old Raoux finished the match off with one of his 12 aces, to make premature end of Chang, who is entering his 11th year on the tour.
Kuerten suffered a groin injury and put in an error-ridden performance against 21-year-old Escude, who only played 12 matches on the men's tour last year, but one of
them was beating the Brazilian on the Paris indoor tournament.
France will have the biggest contingent in the men's third round, with Jerome Golmard, who beat Britain's Tim Henman, Fabrice Santoro, Cedric Pioline and Lionel Roux all through.
Rafter had treatment to a bruised right foot before returning to win 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-3.
No 5 Greg Rusedski, who lost the US Open final to Rafter, got through to the third round by default when Jonathan Stark retired with an injury in third set. Rusedski led 6-4, 6-4, 1-0.
Ninth seed Marcelo Rios of Chile went through by beating Thomas Enqvist of Sweden 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-4.
Hingis swept the first five games, lost the next five, then bore down to beat Rittner 7-5, 6-1 to reach the third round. She next meets 16-year-old Russian Anna Kournikova, who beat American Corina Morariu 7-5 6-2.
Frenchwoman Lea Ghirardi-Rubbi was forced off court in a wheelchair after suffering heat exhaustion.
Ghirardi-Rubbi was beaten by Australia's Annabel Ellwood
4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in a second-round match, and spent the final set in a daze.
Temperatures rose to 34 celsius (90s) on Thursday but few other players complained.
Mary Pierce, the No 5 seed, was another unconcerned by the heat, which caused major problems at the 1997 Australian Open. Pierce, a 6-1, 6-2 winner over Cristina Torrens-Valero of Spain, was barely forced to work up a sweat.
In other women's matches, No 3 Amanda Coetzer downed Larisa Neiland 2-6, 6-1 6-0, No 10 Anke Huber beat Anne Miller 6-4 6-0 and No 16 Ai Sugiyama beat Japanese compatriot Miho Saeki 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 6-1.
Paes-Bhupathi advance, Nirupama out
Second seeds Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi entered the doubles second round with an easy 6-2, 6-2 win over Max Mirnyi (Belarus) and Sargis Sargsian (Armenia).
Meanwhile, India's hopes in singles ended today when Nirupama Vaidyanathan went down tamely in the second round. The 21-year-old, Nirupama who made history as the first Indian woman player to win a Grand Slam match, could
not maintain her form as she was outplayed 2-6, 1-6 by Poland's Magdalena Grzybowska. The former national champion, ranked 196 in the world, was expected to battle it out after she had brilliantly rallied from a first set loss to upset better-rated Italian Gloria Pizzichini 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in the first round on Monday. But Grzybowska, ranked 41, proved too good by breezing through the match.
How the seeds fared
(Seedings in prefix)
Men's singles (2nd round): 2-Patrick Rafter (Australia) bt Todd Martin (US) 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-7 (7-4) 6-4 6-3; Guillaume Raoux (France) bt 3-Michael Chang (US) 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5); 5-Greg Rusedski (Britain) bt Jonathan Stark (US) 6-4 6-4 1-0 (stark retired injured); 9-Marcelo Rios (Chile) bt Thomas Enqvist (Sweden) 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-4; Nicolas Escude (France) bt 12-Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil) 5-7 6-3 6-1 7-5
Women's singles (2nd round): 1-Martina Hingis (Switzerland) bt Barbara Rittner (Germany) 7-5 6-1; 3-Amanda Coetzer (South Africa) bt Larisa
Neiland (Latvia) 2-6 6-1 6-0; 5-Mary Pierce (France) bt Christina Torrens-Valero (Spain) 6-1 6-2; 10-Anke Huber (Germany) bt Anne Miller (US) 6-4 6-0; Henrieta Nagyova (Slovakia) bt 11-Brenda Schultz-McCarthy (Netherlands) 6-1 6-4; 16-Ai Sugiyama (Japan) bt Miho Saeki (Jpn) 6-7 (7-4) 7-5 6-1
Other second round results
Men's singles: Alberto Berasategui (Spa) bt Andrei Medvedev (Ukr) 6-4 7-6 (7-1) 6-4; Jerome Golmard (Fra) bt Jan Siemerink (Net) 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 6-7 (7-5) 3-6 6-1; Karim Alami (Mor) bt Julian Alonso (Spa) 6-7 (7-5) 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-4; Lionel Roux (Fra) bt Jan Apell (Swe) 6-3 6-7 (7-5) 6-3 3-6 6-3; Nicolas Kiefer (Ger) bt David Wheaton (US) 2-6 1-6 6-2 7-6 (7-3) 6-2; Richey Reneberg (US) bt Franco Squillari (Arg) 6-0 6-4 1-6 4-6 6-3; Todd Woodbridge (Aus) bt Christophe van Garsse (Bel) 6-4 4-6 6-3 6-4; Andrew Ilie (Aus) bt Jason Stoltenberg (Aus) 6-3 6-2 7-6 (8-6); Andrea Gaudenzi (Ita) bt Oliver Gross (Ger) 6-4 1-6 6-4 6-4; Wayne Black (Zim) bt Michael Tebbutt (Aus) 6-2 6-4 5-7
6-4.
Women's singles: Magdalena Grzybowska (Pol) bt Nirupama Vaidyanathan (Ind) 6-2 6-1; Elena Likhovtseva (Rus) bt Yuka Yoshida (Jpn) 6-4 4-6 6-1; Rika Hiraki (Jpn) bt Ginger Helgeson-Nielsen (US) 7-6 (8-6) 7-5; Anna Kournikova (Rus) bt Corina Morariu (US) 7-5 6-2; Olga Barabanschikova (Belarus) bt Jana Nejedly (Can) 6-2 6-4; Yayuk Basuki (Indo) bt Kristie Boogert (Net) 5-7 6-4 6-3; Joannette Kruger (SA) bt Sonya Jeyaseelan (Can) 6-3 6-2; Annabel Ellwood (Aus) bt Lea Ghirardi-Rubbi (Fra) 4-6 6-4 6-1
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
