There’s Still No Quit in Seles

Monica Seles’ comeback unofficially ended on Friday, shortly after 9 at night, and a sellout crowd at Manhattan Country Club acknowledged it and applauded.

Of course, there is the obvious question: Why?

Well, after surviving six match points against two-time defending champion Serena Williams, it’s clear that Seles doesn’t have to come back.

She’s back.

Williams had not lost a match at this event since 1998, and when she holds six match points--including three on her own serve--it seemed almost a certainty that Seles was going to fall short against another power player.

Instead, the No. 6-seeded Seles was the one who overpowered No. 4 Williams in a stellar test of wills, winning, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (2), in the quarterfinals of the Estyle.com Classic. For Williams, the loss stopped a 12-match winning streak here.

The match was of such high quality, it was a shame that Seles and Williams had to meet in the quarterfinals. Even before Seles fought off the first set of match points, the crowd was boisterous and shouted encouragement to both players.

“The crowd was so into it,” Seles said. “Very rarely do you feel electricity like that.”

Said Williams: “It was almost like a New York crowd, for sure. There was a lot of cheers.”

Then the atmosphere turned almost surreal in ninth game of the third set when Williams served for the match at 5-3. She quickly took a 40-0 lead, and Seles promptly saved the first three match points. Williams hit a backhand wide, a backhand in the net and then double-faulted. Despite this, Williams had another series of match points in the 12th game. Seles was serving at 5-6, and again, fell behind 0-40. Again, she rallied with a service winner, a backhand winner down the line and another service winner.

Once the match shifted to the tiebreaker, Seles seemed energized and Williams downcast. Seles won the tiebreaker, 7-2, needing only one match point to close it out when Williams netted a forehand after a rally.

“I guess you could say I got a little tight,” Williams said. “She played great tennis. She stayed focused until the match is over. She did a great job. Every time I’ve played her she’s always been focused and she’s always doing her best.”

Williams could only shake her head about the lost match points.

“I made the wrong shots,” she said. “I got crazy. I definitely should be in the semifinals right now. It’s too late to go back, you have to go on to the next match.”

Instead it is Seles who moves on. She will play No. 1-seeded Martina Hingis of Switzerland in the night semifinal, and No. 2 Lindsay Davenport will face No. 5 Nathalie Tauziat of France in the afternoon semifinal.

It was a week ago at Carlsbad when Seles took a major step forward by beating Hingis in the semifinals. But this was a bigger test. She had never defeated Williams in three previous matches.

“It’s mind-boggling,” Tracy Austin said of Seles’ improvement. “She’s moving better and is in better shape. Last year, the power players didn’t allow her to get set and balanced. Today, she was just as strong at the end.”

*

In the other quarterfinals, Hingis had little trouble against No. 12 Amy Frazier, winning, 6-2, 6-3. Hingis was pleased her injured foot held up during the 69-minute match. Davenport struggled against No. 7 Elena Dementieva of Russia but prevailed, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. “I don’t think I’m that fresh or that strong,” Davenport said. “It’s just one of those days, I got through and maybe shouldn’t have.”

Tauziat had the biggest upset early, defeating No. 3 Kim Clijsters of Belgium, 6-4, 6-2.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Semifinals

Starting at noon

* Nathalie Tauziat, France vs. Lindsay Davenport

*

Time 6 p.m.

* Martina Hingis, Switzerland vs. Monica Seles