TENNIS / AUSTRALIAN OPEN : A Banner Day for Americans

It was a great day for Americans at the wind-swept Australian Open.

Led by Michael Chang, Jim Courier and Jennifer Capriati, 13 Americans advanced to the third round. The strong showing meant 20 of the remaining 64 players in the men’s and women’s draws are Americans.

Chang finished off the charge with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Italy’s Cristiano Caratti that ended after midnight Thursday, as the remaining fans bundled up in coats and blankets.

Earlier, Courier, seeded second, dropped the first set against a player with a similar style, hard-hitting Thomas Enqvist, but moved into a higher gear to advance to the third round with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 victory.

Capriati, seeded fifth among women, prevailed, 6-3, 6-4, over France’s Noelle van Lottum, then iced down a swollen wrist and a sore knee as she watched Courier’s match.

No. 7-seeded Mary Joe Fernandez struggled against Germany’s Barbara Rittner, needing six match points before she prevailed 6-4, 6-4.

With chilly gusts plaguing the National Tennis Center, Aaron Krickstein blew away No. 10 Goran Ivanisevic, 6-2, 7-5, 6-1, and MaliVai Washington breezed to a 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 victory over No. 16 Goran Prpic.

Other Americans scoring second-round victories included No. 11 Zina Garrison, Pam Shriver, Richey Reneberg, Bret Garnett, Amy Frazier, Katrina Adams and Patty Fendick, who beat compatriot Halle Cioffi.

The only other Americans to fall were Jim Grabb and Linda Harvey-Wild.

It wasn’t such a good day for Australia’s Pat Cash, who was fined a tournament record $9,000 for a verbal obscenity against a lineswoman in his five-set loss the night before to 13th-seeded Emilio Sanchez. The assessment meant that after collecting his prize money for a first-round victory, Cash lost $2,185 for competing.

No. 7 Guy Forget, who defeated fellow French Davis Cup hero Henri Leconte in the first round, became the highest seed to fall, losing, 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, to Sweden’s Christian Bergstrom as fans with faces painted like Swedish flags cheered wildly.

Gabriela Sabatini, the No. 3-seeded woman, continued to look strong with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Patricia Hy. The Argentine star has yet to lose a set since arriving in Australia for last week’s New South Wales Open.

Michael Stich of Germany had much more trouble, losing a set to erratic Jonas Svensson and requiring treatment for a numb arm before he advanced with a 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 victory.

Capriati was particularly bothered by the capricious winds, which seemed to blow their worst as she was trying to pound her powerful serve. She suffered a double-fault when a gust carried her toss so far that she barely nicked the ball, which fell at her feet.

“The conditions were tough,” she said. “I’m not a wind player. I think it affected my toss a lot.”

Capriati, who has made the semifinals of the other three Grand Slam events, said she feels she’s well-prepared to make the big breakthrough.

“I’m ready to win a Grand Slam,” Capriati said. “I’ve come close in others.”