Wimbledon runner-up will play here
Advertiser Staff and News Reports
Justine Henin, who lost to Venus Williams in the Wimbledon final, has committed to play in the inaugural Big Island Championships, Sept. 8-16 at Hilton Waikoloa Village.
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Henin is ranked fifth in the world. Her entry gives the $140,000 tournament 10 of the Top 50 players on the Sanex WTA Tour. The current cut-off for the 32-player main draw is No. 87, meaning anyone ranked lower must beat a qualifier to get in.
Justine Henin will compete in the inaugural Big Island Championships in September.
Henin reached the semifinals of the French Open, falling to Kim Clijsters in a match pairing Belgian teenagers. Henin upset Jennifer Capriati in the semifinals at Wimbledon before losing to Williams.
Wimbledon doubles champions Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs will also play on the Big Island, along with Amy Frazier, No. 20 in singles, and Cara Black (40).
Qualifying will be Sept. 8-9, with the main draw running Sept. 10-16. The tournament is placed between the U.S. Open and the Toyota Princess Cup in Tokyo. Tickets will go on sale in the near future.
GENERALI OPEN
• Kafelnikov upset: American Hugo Armando, who entered the tournament as a lucky loser, scored a stunning 6-1, 6-1 victory over third-seeded Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov to reach the quarterfinals yesterday at Kitzbuehel, Austria.
Top-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain, a four-time winner this year, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3 victory over Julien Boutter of France.
MERCEDES-BENZ CUP
• Kuerten wins again: Gustavo Kuerten extended his winning streak to 14 matches yesterday, beating qualifier Robby Ginepri, 7-6 (4), 6-2, in the second round at Los Angeles.
Kuerten, the Brazilian star ranked No. 1 in the world, advanced to the quarterfinals against Germany's Tommy Haas, a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Bob Bryan of Camarillo.
BANK OF THE WEST
• Venus advances: Venus Williams, in her first match since winning Wimbledon, reached the quarterfinals last night with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Kristina Brandi at Stanford, Calif.
The top-seeded Williams admitted to a bit of rust, which showed in several double faults and foot faults. Williams, who won the event last year and has been a finalist three straight years, won the last five games of her match, but lost three match points before finishing.
PROKOM OPEN
• Portas beats Rosset: Second-seeded Albert Portas of Spain beat Marc Rosset of Switzerland, 6-1, 6-3, yesterday to advance to the quarterfinals at Sopot, Poland.
In other second-round matches, Costa Rica's Juan Antonio Marin rallied to beat Alberto Montanes of Spain, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, and Spain's David Sanchez defeated Mariano Zabaleta of Argentina, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-5.
