Chang knocked out, Philippoussis wins at Sybase Open
SportsTicker
SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) -- The career of American Michael Chang continued its downslide tonight as the fourth seed was eliminated in the quarterfinals at the $375,000 Sybase Open.
A two-time champion here, Chang was stopped in his bid for a third as unseeded Mikael Tillstrom of Sweden rallied for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory.
Second seed Mark Philippoussis of Australia, looking to successfully defend a title for the first time in his career, eliminated former UCLA standout Justin Gimelstob, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, tonight.
Fifth seed Jim Courier of the United States, vying for his first title since April 1998, secured a semifinal berth tonight by downing countryman Paul Goldstein, 6-4, 6-4.
Weakened by the flu in the early part of the season, Courier's only tournament in 2000 prior to this week was the Australian Open, where he lost in the second round.
"A lot of guys are intimadated by playing a former No. 1," said Courier, who held the top spot for a period of time in 1992 and 1993. "We practiced a lot together, so the intimidation factor was lost. I expected a difficult match, and I got a difficult match. But I have no doubt I'm capable of playing tough matches. I just have got to stay healthy this year."
Seventh seed Wayne Ferreira of South Africa reached the semis earlier today as he got past Magnus Larsson of Sweden, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Ferreira will meet Tillstrom in Saturday's semifinals.
Chang failed to reach an ATP Tour final last season for the first time since turning professional in 1988 and finished at No. 50 in the rankings, the lowest year-end ranking of his career.
"My results have been inconsistent and it's been frustrating," Chang said. "I don't feel that there's any magical solution. There's no quick fixes."
Scud adds lip to his lethal serve in a fiery encounter
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
A FRUSTRATED Mark Philippoussis has taken a verbal jab at Justin Gimelstob before easily winning their quarter-final match at the ATP tournament here.
Philippoussis and Gimelstob engaged in a classic big man's battle with both competitors going for winners at seemingly every opportunity.
Gimelstob was treated for a right ankle sprain at 4-4 in the first set, but played on.
In the end, though, the powerful Australian was too much for him, pasting 44 winners, including 16 aces, ending the contest on a service winner 7-6 (7-5) 6-4. However, Philippoussis was clearly irritated by the amount of time Gimelstob was taking between points.
Moreover, on a changeover, the American took a jab at his foe, saying: ``How do you like the pace of my serve?''
``I was frustrated and and just wanted to get off the court,'' 23-year-old Philippouissis said.
WORLD No.3 Pete Sampras has his sights set on an early March return in a tournament in Arizona and is busy rounding up sponsors and players for his first Pete Sampras Classic charity golf tournament on 6 March.
Philippoussis plays Courier in Sybase Open semifinals
SportsTicker
SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) -- Second seed Mark Philippoussis of Australia, looking to successfully defend a title for the first time in his career, takes on No. 5 Jim Courier of the United States tonight in the semifinals of the $375,000 Sybase Open.
Philippoussis advanced to today's match with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 victory over former UCLA standout Justin Gimelstob on Friday night and Courier downed countryman Paul Goldstein, 6-4, 6-4.
Seventh seed Wayne Ferreira of South Africa plays Mikael Tillstrom of Sweden in the first semifinal. Ferreira got past another Swede, Magnus Larsson, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, to reach his first semifinal in almost a year. Ferreira was a finalist in the Japan Open at Tokyo last April.
Tillstrom rallied past two-time champion and fourth seed Michael Chang of the United States, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, Friday.
Last season, Philippoussis beat American Cecil Mamiit in the final here to win the first of his two titles in 1999. He later won his first Super 9 event at Indian Wells for his seventh career crown. The 23-year-old Philippoussis, who owns a 3-2 lifetime advantage over Courier, is looking to reach his 14th career final.
Courier is hoping for a chance to vie for his first title since April 1998, when he won in Orlando. His last final was at Memphis last season. A former No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion, Courier is playing in only his second event of the season after suffering from the flu in January.