Sabatini hungry for gold

Press, 30 September 1988, Page 15

Sabatini hungry for gold

NZPA-Reuter Seoul Steffi Graf and Gabriela Sabatini, rivals on the professional tennis circuit, bulldozed their way through the semi-finals yesterday to battle for Olympic gold. Graf, who beat Sabatini in the United States Open this month to complete a sweep of the year’s four Grand Slam titles, is just a match away from what her agents have dubbed the Golden Slam. But Sabatini, the only woman to beat the West German Graf this year, is hungry to take Argentina’s first gold medal since it won the men’s double sculls rowing event in 1952. Both teenagers dropped only two games each in their

centre court semi-finals. The top seed Graf, aged 19, was back to her usual fearsome standard after looking occasionally vulnerable during the Olympic tournament. She beat the American Zina Garrison, the No. 8 seed, 6-2, 60. Sabatini, aged 18, outplayed the Bulgarian No. 7 seed, Manuela Maleeva, in a game of lengthy rallies from the back court to win 6-1, 6-1. Garrison, who knocked out her fourth-seeded teammate, Pam Shriver, in the quarter-finals, and Maleeva will both be awarded bronze medals. Graf, who had started to voice fears of losing after dropping a set to the

Soviet Union’s Larisa Savchenko in the quarterfinals, gave Garrison little chance. When the American broke her serve in the third game she broke straight back and gave away only five points in the rest of the set. The West German, who has beaten Sabatini 10 times in their 12 meetings — including a semi-final win at the French Open this year — said the hardcourt surface could count in her favour for tomorrow’s final. “The court suits my game better than Sabatini’s,” she said.

“You have to run a lot.” But Sabatini, the No. 3 seed, coped well with

being made to run by Maleeva in a match of long baseline rallies. Maleeva tired more quickly and made numerous errors. After saving two break points in the fifth game, which went six times, to deuce, she hit a forehand too long. A backhand into the net cost her the first set and she was unable to reach a backhand volley from Sabatini on matchpoint. But Maleeva was happy with her bronze medal. “It is incredible winning it for my country,” she said. “Until five years ago there was no tennis and there is still no tennis in Bulgaria apart from me and my sister (Katerina).”