TENNIS ROUNDUP : American Trio Makes Hay on Clay

Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and Michael Chang continue to show that Americans can win on clay courts.

And Courier and Sampras, the top-seeded players at the Italian Open at Rome, are continuing their march toward a possible all-American final.

No. 1-seeded Courier overpowered Sergi Bruguera of Spain, 6-3, 6-2, Thursday to reach the quarterfinals, and No. 2 Sampras beat Goran Prpic of Croatia, 6-2, 6-7 (7-5), 6-3.

Chang, the No. 5-seeded player who is in Courier’s half of the draw, defeated defending champion and 11th-seeded Emilio Sanchez of Spain, 6-1, 7-5.

It’s the first time three Americans have reached the quarterfinals in Rome since 1983.

Also reaching the quarterfinals were eighth-seeded Petr Korda of Czechoslovakia, Carl Uwe-Steeb of Germany, Christian Miniussi of Argentina, Carlos Costa of Spain and Jaime Yzaga of Peru.

The $1.4-million tournament has marked a breakthrough for the Americans, who have struggled over the years on the slow red clay. The last American champion in Rome was Jimmy Arias in 1983.

“Things have changed,” said Courier, who won the French Open on clay last year, but had never made it past the round of 16 in Rome. “It seems like Americans, including myself, are making more of a mark on the clay. It’s pretty encouraging.”

Courier, who grew up playing on green clay in Florida, looked right at home as he hit groundstrokes to all angles of the court.

Sampras was as dominant as Courier in the first set of his match. But he lost five consecutive games in the second set, double-faulting five consecutive times during one stretch.

“I was playing really well and then I just lost my rhythm and my concentration on my serve,” Sampras said.

Chang kept Sanchez on his heels all night with sharp service returns. At one point in the second set, Sanchez turned to the crowd and shrugged his shoulders in frustration after Chang made a running get of a drop volley and scooped it up for a winner.

Top-seeded Steffi Graf of Germany quashed a threat from Helena Sukova, winning, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, in the Berlin Open.

Jennifer Capriati and Mary Joe Fernandez advanced to the quarterfinals with easier victories. Capriati beat Wimbledon junior champion Barbara Rittner, 7-5, 6-3, and Fernandez defeated Judith Wiesner of Austria, 6-4, 6-4.

Graf’s next match is against Julie Halard of France, who defeated seventh-seeded Katerina Maleeva of Bulgaria, 6-2, 6-3.

Second-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario of Spain beat Natalia Zvereva of Russia, 7-6, 6-3.