DECEMBER 2000 SPORT HEADLINES

Tuesday, January 23, 2001 - Web posted at 9:51:25 AM GMT

Sporting Norman loses as flare disrupts match

MELBOURNE - A noble gesture by Magnus Norman on match point ensured the Australian Open lost its top four men's seeds after a smoking flare had interrupted a doubles match involving Anna Kournikova yesterday.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested but later released when he threw the flare on to the court during Kournikova's third round doubles match.

No-one was hurt in the incident but organisers said security arrangements were being reviewed.

Norman, the fourth seed from Sweden, was knocked out 7-6, 6-3, 0-6, 6-4 by Sebastian Grosjean in the fourth round.

After the final point the Frenchman was already celebrating the biggest win of his career when the chair umpire called a let.

Norman told the umpire that he did not think the ball had hit the net tape and insisted the point should stand."

"That has never happened to me, certainly not on match point," Grosjean said."

"I don't know why he did it - but Magnus is a nice guy.

He is a competitive player but he is very fair."

"Norman's loss meant that none of the world's top four men have made the quarter-finals after Gustavo Kuerten, Marat Safin and Pete Sampras were all beaten in the first week.

But former champions Martina Hingis and Yevgeny Kafelnikov had no problems yesterday as the remaining results went according to script.

Kafelnikov, winner in Melbourne in 1999 and runner-up last year, blasted past Swede Andreas Vinciguerra 7-5, 7-5, 6-1 while Hingis, three times Australian Open champion, was merciless in a 6-0, 6-3 demolition of unseeded Italian Rita Grande.

The Swiss top seed has reached the Australian Open final for the past four years but this year is likely to have to beat both Serena and Venus Williams to reach that stage again.

Hingis will meet 1999 US Open winner Serena in the quarter-finals after the younger of the two Williams sisters beat Daja Bedanova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-2.

Big sister Venus then beat 1999 Australian champion Amelie Mauresmo 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

She will play Amanda Coetzer after the 10th-seeded South African beat Paola Suarez of Argentina 6-1 6-4.

Arnaud Clement joined his compatriot Grosjean in the last eight when he ended British hopes in the tournament by routing Greg Rusedski 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.

Spaniard Carlos Moya, returning from a back injury, also had cause to celebrate when he beat German Rainer Schuettler 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first grand slam quarter-final since the 1998 US Open.

Moya, runner-up in Melbourne in 1997, has slumped to 42 in the world rankings after the injury almost ruined his career.

He will now play Grosjean.

- Nampa-Reuters

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