Fromberg Gets Australia Even in Davis Cup

Richard Fromberg survived five match points and came back from two sets down to beat Marc-Kevin Goellner in a dramatic five-set match Friday and pull Australia into a 1-1 tie with Germany in the Davis Cup final at Duesseldorf. Fromberg won, 3-6, 5-7, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2, 9-7, in a match that lasted 4 hours 33 minutes.

Earlier, Michael Stich fought back from a break down in the fifth set to outlast Jason Stoltenberg, 6-7 (7-2), 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. Stich’s victory had given Germany a 1-0 lead, but Australia remained in contention for a 27th Davis Cup title because of Fromberg’s thrilling rally.

In today’s doubles, Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, Wimbledon champions and runners-up at last week’s ATP Doubles World Championships, will play for Australia against Stich and Patrik Kuehnen, who are undefeated this year.

Golf

Zimbabwe’s Nick Price shot a six-under-par 66 to take a seven-shot lead after the second round of the Million Dollar Challenge at Sun City, South Africa.

Price had a 36-hole total of 11-under 133, equaling the tournament record.

Curtis Strange, showing signs of coming out of a prolonged slump, shot a six-under-par 67 and took a two-shot lead after two rounds of the Greg Norman Classic at Sydney, Australia.

Deborah McHaffie and Tom Sieckmann teamed to shoot a three-under-par 69 and take a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the J.C. Penney Mixed-Team Classic at Tarpon Springs, Fla.

Swimming

Guohong Dai (200-meter breaststroke) and Jinyi Le (400 individual medley) each broke world records twice--first in the preliminary heat and later in the final--to continue the Chinese women’s domination of the World Short Course Championship at Palma De Mallorca, Spain.

Another world record set was by American Angel Martino in the 100 backstroke. Her 58.50 seconds topped the old mark of 59.89.

Eric Namesnik set an American short-course record in winning the 400-meter individual medley in the U.S. Open at Ann Arbor, Mich. Namesnik had a winning time of 4 minutes 14.25 seconds, breaking Jeff Kostoff’s record of 4:14.29 set in 1986.

Miscellany

Brooksfield, the Italian yacht in the Whitbread Round the World Race, was found “safe and well” this morning in the southern Indian Ocean by the French Maxi La Poste. Brooksfield sent a distress signal on Friday.

Names in the News

Michelle Kwan of Los Angeles edged Krisztine Czako of Hungary in the technical program to move into first place heading into today’s free skate at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships at Colorado Springs, Colo. . . . Gail Devers, who won two world outdoor championships and one indoor title, was the winner of the Jesse Owens Award as America’s top track and field athlete. . . . Yoko Kominami, a 14-year-old member of Japan’s national ski team, died after she lost control and crashed into a stand of trees at the Nakiska ski hill west of Calgary, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said. . . . Kansas City Chief cornerback Dale Carter pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of attempting to carry a concealed weapon, was given a 90-day suspended sentence and was placed on probation for one year, the Jackson County prosecuting attorney said. The charge stemmed from a confrontation outside a Kansas City nightclub Sept. 30. . . . John V. Kasser was hired by the University of California as athletic director. Kasser is currently the athletic director at UC Santa Barbara.