TENNIS ROUNDUP : Germany Rallies to Reach Davis Cup Quarterfinals

Germany, tied 2-2 after team leader Michael Stich lost a 5 1/2-hour duel with Austria’s Thomas Muster, advanced to the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup when Marc Goellner came from behind to beat Horst Skoff in first-round play on Sunday.

Muster, No. 11 in the world, outlasted No. 2-ranked Stich, 6-4, 6-7 (10-8), 4-6, 6-3, 12-10, on the indoor clay court at Graz, Austria.

It was then up to Goellner, who lost to Muster on Friday, to pull off a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-1 victory.

The U.S. team of Jim Courier and Todd Martin, who clinched the victory Saturday, put the finishing touches on India.

Courier lost the first set but came back to defeat Leander Paes, 6-7 (7-5), 6-1, 6-4, on the grass court of the Delhi Tennis Assn. Martin beat Zeeshan Ali, 6-2, 7-5. The United States next plays the Netherlands in the second round in July.

In other Davis Cup play, Russia, led by veteran Alexander Volkov and newcomer Yevgeny Kafelnikov, defeated last year’s runner-up Australia, 4-1, at St. Petersburg to gain its first-ever berth in the World Group quarterfinals. . . . At Eindhoven, Netherlands, Paul Haarhuis and Jan Siemerink each won their singles matches as the Netherlands swept Belgium.

At Madrid, Sergi Bruguera lifted Spain to a 4-1 victory over Italy with a five-set, come-from-behind victory over Stefano Pescosolido, 6-4, 1-6, 0-6, 6-2, 6-3. . . . At Besancon, France, Arnaud Boetsch of France beat Jozsef Krocsko of Hungary, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 to clinch France’s 4-1 victory. . . . At Lund, Sweden, Stefan Edberg and Magnus Gustafson each won to complete Sweden’s 5-0 victory over Denmark. . . .At Ramat Hasharon, Israel, Petr Korda of the Czech Republic wore down Amos Mansdorf, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7-4), 6-1, 6-1, to clinch the 4-1 victory.

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Sabine Hack, needing some time to get her game going in the strong winds, beat Mary Pierce, 7-5, 6-4, to win the $400,000 Virginia Slims of Houston.

Hack, seeded seventh, had beaten top-seeded and defending champion Conchita Martinez to make it to the final.

Pierce, seeded fourth, had 50 unforced errors. Hack had 18.

In the first set, Pierce won the first 12 points and was ahead 3-0. But then her German opponent began to slowly come back.