A Medical Moment Helps Sugiyama Upset Graf in 3 Sets

After reaching her fourth match point, it took Ai Sugiyama more than four minutes--maybe close to five--to dispatch sixth-seeded Steffi Graf on Wednesday afternoon at the La Costa Resort and Spa.

An epic baseline rally, perhaps?

In reality, it was stranger than that. With Graf serving to stay alive and facing her fourth match point, Sugiyama walked up to the chair umpire and requested a medical timeout, saying her right thigh and hamstring were cramping.

It took more than a minute for the trainer to reach the court, and another three for the treatment. Graf stood at the back of the court in the shade, stretching and trying to stay loose.

Finally, they finally resumed playing and Graf finished it by smacking a forehand in the net after a baseline rally. For Sugiyama, the 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 second-round victory over Graf at the Toshiba Tennis Classic was the biggest of her career.

For Graf, the loss was a setback in her U.S. Open preparation and her first loss at this event in 22 matches. In looking for additional match toughness, Graf said she is considering taking a wild-card spot at next week’s event at Manhattan Beach.

“Obviously, very disappointing,” Graf said of the loss. “I played pretty well last night [in the first round], thought I was going for my shots. Today I didn’t do that from the beginning. I played a little tentatively.

“Then again, I had my chances. She started to wear out a little bit. I couldn’t really take advantage of it in the third set. I really didn’t feel like I was in charge of the point. . . . I let her back into the game.”

This is her seventh tournament since returning to the tour last winter after missing nine months because of major left knee surgery. She suffered a pulled hamstring in the semifinals at Indian Wells in March and was out of action until early June.

The original comeback started in her native Germany in February. In her second tournament, at Indian Wells, one of Graf’s matches was a 6-0, 6-1 victory against Sugiyama.

The difference?

“At that point, she couldn’t put a ball in play,” Graf said. “Today, she played a very good match. She played some amazing shots.”

The 23-year-old Sugiyama has been a professional since 1992 and is close to the million-dollar mark in career earnings. A steady, speedy baseliner ranked 17th in the world, she has won two events in 1998, the second in her native Japan in April.

“I think it was the best match ever,” Sugiyama said of her win against Graf. “Zero and one, it was so easy a match for her [last time]. I couldn’t even play even 50%. It was like 20%, 30%. But this time I [felt] I should do my best, no matter what. Whether I win or lose, I just try my best.”

The 2-hour 12-minute match was a hard-fought one, despite the strange ending. Lately, the medical timeout for treatment has become a tactical weapon on the women’s tour, leading to questions about the severity of player injuries.

“She started to get cramps,” Graf said. “I didn’t know you could get a medical for cramps. I didn’t realize that. . . . You try everything you can out there. She did that . . . and everything was all right.”

Graf, who tried to use a medical timeout for cramps to her advantage Saturday at Stanford in her semifinal match against Lindsay Davenport, said Wednesday: “There’s only one good thing about [the medical timeout] today, she [Sugiyama] had the cramps. But it didn’t help because she won.”

But Sugiyama isn’t known to take advantage of the medical timeout and had treatment after the match too. She said she hasn’t cramped in a match in the last four or five years. And Sugiyama apologized for the timing.

“Two points before, I was cramping,” she said. “I couldn’t even walk. It was no way to play right there. So I decided to call the medical immediately. I can’t move at all. But I feel sorry about Steffi that I had the medical time at that time.”

Said Graf: “It’s a difficult situation at that time. If you know the other one has something [wrong], you usually need a few points to concentrate. I was maybe trying for a little too much.”

Her loss prevented a highly anticipated quarterfinal between Graf and Monica Seles. They have not played since the 1996 U.S. Open final, which Graf won, 7-5, 6-4.

The fourth-seeded Seles also struggled but defeated Sandrine Testud of France, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5. Testud led, 5-1, in the second set before Seles rallied. Seles was treated for an ailing back after the match.

In other matches, there was another upset, albeit a small one. Unseeded Mary Pierce of France defeated 1995 champion and fifth-seeded Conchita Martinez of Spain, 6-7 (7-1), 6-2, 6-3.

Although Pierce is ranked 16th, she was as high as sixth in the world as recently as early May.

Top-seeded Martina Hingis of Switzerland had a tough assignment but played well in her first hard-court event since March, defeating Wimbledon semifinalist Natasha Zvereva of Belarus, 6-3, 6-2. Joannette Kruger of South Africa beat Iva Majoli of Croatia, 6-3, 7-6 (7-1).

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Toshiba Tennis Classic

TODAY’S SINGLES MATCHES

* Noon, Stadium Court

Nathalie Tauziat (8) vs. Amy Frazier.

Venus Williams (3) vs. Chanda Rubin.

Lindsay Davenport (2) vs. Lisa Raymond.

*

7 p.m., Stadium Court

Martina Hingis (1) vs. Joannette Kruger.