No Lead Is Safe : Sabatini Comes Back After Facing a 7-5, 5-2 Deficit Against Novotna

Jana Novotna took a 7-5, 5-2 lead against Gabriela Sabatini in the French Open Tuesday--and managed to lose.

Novotna twice held match points, but blew them both in Sabatini’s 5-7, 7-6 (12-10), 6-0 quarterfinal victory.

It was the third time Sabatini had defeated Novotna after facing a match point, a piece of history of which Sabatini was well aware.

“I wasn’t sure I was going to win the match until she had match point,” a smiling Sabatini said.

Novotna’s collapse cost her a spot in Thursday’s semifinals against Monica Seles, who defeated Conchita Martinez, 6-0, 7-5.

Novotna served for the match at 5-2 and 5-4 in the second set and failed. She held match points in the tiebreaker at 8-7 and 9-8 and failed.

But 6-0 in the third set?

“I guess she was disappointed that she didn’t win the second set,” Sabatini said. “She didn’t look as though she was trying in the third set.”

Novotna said she was mentally exhausted in the third set.

“There is not much left mentally to fight with,” Novotna said. “That is why maybe it looked like I gave it away. But I did not give away. It was just to difficult to fight.”

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Steffi Graf won easily, setting up the other semifinal. Graf beat Nathalie Tauziat, 6-3, 6-2, and Sanchez Vicario defeated Mary Joe Fernandez by the same score.

The last time Graf played Sanchez Vicario at Roland Garros Stadium was in the 1989 final, when Graf lost as a heavy favorite. Graf said she will remember the match.

“Maybe for a short moment,” Graf said. “Once you are on the court, it is a different day. It is some time ago that we played this match now. People will always remember it, but I will try and make the memory change and do better this time.”