TENNIS ROUNDUP : Alleged Racial Slur Inspires Tarango

Unseeded Jeff Tarango, angered by what he felt was a racial slur directed at him, defeated top-seeded Aaron Krickstein, 5-7, 7-6, 6-1, Saturday night in the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships at Charlotte, N.C.

Krickstein lost two match points, then blew a lead in the second-set tiebreaker. It was in the midst of the match that Tarango, a Mexican-American who lives in Manhattan Beach, said he heard Krickstein mumble “greaseball.”

“I didn’t really get fired up at all in the match until he started mumbling under his breath ‘greaseball,’ ” Tarango said. “That’s when I started getting fired up.

“I’ve known Aaron for a long time. I think he’s a really nice guy, but when he’s looking over at his girlfriend and saying ‘What a greaseball,’ I can’t put up with that. Even though I don’t think he meant it to be, I took it as a racist comment.”

Krickstein was the first of the two players to be interviewed after the match, so he was unaware of Tarango’s claim. When informed of it, Krickstein, through his coach, Dean Goldfine, told a tournament official he had no comment.

Tarango said he hoped to speak with Krickstein later.

Tarango said he heard the same racial slur from a fan at the end of the second-set tiebreaker. Tarango hit a ball into the stands and was given a warning.

“It hit a sensitive nerve. Maybe I overreacted,” Tarango said. “People are overreacting everywhere, and if I can make a statement here . . . maybe that’s my forum to say something.”

Tarango also said the riots in Los Angeles have been on his mind. He said his mother flew home to stand guard over her home and is being escorted to and from her classes at El Camino College by campus police.

That, however, has been a common practice since a reported rape took place on campus last year.

Despite the charge, Tarango said he didn’t want to brand Krickstein a racist.

“I don’t think he meant it as a racist comment, and that’s what worries me the most--that someone could say something like that without thinking about what they said.”

Gabriela Sabatini and Monica Seles, for the second year in a row, will meet in the final of the Italian Open after scoring easy semifinal victories at Rome.

Top-ranked Seles needed only 80 minutes to beat South Africa’s Amanda Coetzer, 6-0, 6-4, and second-seeded Sabatini defeated Mary Joe Fernandez, 6-2, 6-3, in 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, Stefan Edberg and Andre Agassi dropped out of the men’s edition of the Italian Open, which begins Monday.

Wimbledon champion Michael Stich of Germany defeated Richard Krajicek of the Netherlands, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, to advance to the semifinals of the ATP German Open at Hamburg.

Stich’s was the only match completed as rain and hail repeatedly interrupted action.