’” fore, Daniel.

Wednesday, September 30, 1992 — North Shore News - 13

Canada overpowered on Hollyburn courts

Canadian players drop from Davis Cup World Group after weekend loss to Austria

THE GRASS isn’t always
greener for the home side.

By Bob Mackin Jr.
Contributing Writer

. That’s what Team Canada
leaned on the weekend at West
Vancouver’s Hollyburn Country
Club in a 3-1 Davis Cup loss to
Austria. -

' When Tennis Canada won the
right to host the three-day event it
also had the option of court sur-

. face.

Since Austria’s top two players
Thomas Muster and Horst Skoff
have feet of clay, Team Canada

coach Pierre Lamarche chose

grass.

. To say the- Austrian team was
unhappy with the conditions of
the tender, two-month-old court

“would have been an understate-
ment.. Coach Gunther Bresnik

. suggested the International Tennis
Federation couid expect an appeal
if Austria lost.

‘However, the Austrians even-
tually laughed in the face of their
nemesis as Alex Antonitsch ted his

_ Squad to doubles and singles vic-
tories Sunday to clinch the tie and

: _relegate Canada to the American

Group Zone I for 1993.

"> After Antonitsch beat former

“North Vancouverite Grant Connell

“RE straight sets to secure a berth in
the--elite World: Group, the

:: Austrian bent down. to kiss the

"- Centre court. grass ‘before uncork-

- ing the bubbly.-

: Despite . the setback, Connell
“doesn’t regret. his coach’s prefer-
nce for natural turf.

: ‘Playing’ on grass was the right
decision,” Connell said.

Muster and Skoff: out of the pic-
_ ture; but we. ‘didn't: expect a per-

. _ formance like that from An-
* tonitsch.””

& ‘Connell, 26; ‘regained his top
-billing seven months‘after. he was
lupstaged . in. the - playoff. . series
‘against Sweden. when teammate
Daniel Nestor: upset No. J-ranked

“It took:

WEWS photo Nell Lucente

.FORMER NORTH Vancouver resident Grant Connell reacts after blasting a shot past Alex An-

tonitsch in their singles match on Sunday at Hollyburn Country Club. The Austrian beat Connell in
straight sets to clinch a berth for his country in the Davis Cup World Group.

Stefan Edberg. . :

However, the — 164th-ranked
Connell got to bask in the
limelight among the treetops at
Holiyburn in only one of the three
matches he played.

After 96th-ranked Antonitsch
disposed of 243rd-ranked Nestor
in four sets on Friday, Connell
had Canada’s sole win of the
weekend over 607 th-ranked Thomas
Prerovsky, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (8-6),
6-2.

Prerovsky wreaked havoc for
Connell in the first two sets, forc-
ing tiebreakers both times.

The Canadian struggled early in

‘the match as Prerovsky broke his

serve once on the way to a 4-1
lead. But Connell replied by
breaking Prerovsky in the seventh
game.

Connell failed to capitalize on
chances for further breaks in the
second set, but managed a pair of
key breaks in the third to sweep
the match,

“Tl was surprised at how good
he was," Connell said. ‘‘I could
have broke him more times than }
did.”

Connell had another slow start
on Saturday in the rain-delayed
match with doubles partner Glenn
Michibata, as underdogs Gerald
Mand} and Antonitsch broke

Connell’s serve in the second
game and breezed to a 6-2 first
set win.

‘The five-year-old duo of Con-
nell and Michibata. forced a
tiebreaker in the second set, and
were finally successful in the third
set, winning 64 before dew-in-
ducing, late-afternoon shadows
on the court forced suspension of
play.

Near-perfect weather on Sun-

: day, though, ailowed Canada to
parlay the third-set momentum

into a feurth-set triumph.

But the self-assured Antonitsch
took control in the deciding fifth
set, ignoring often disparaging”

\ntonitsch too much for ‘Davis Cup

THE CANADIAN Davis Cup tennis team went into its

-world group tie (competition) against Team Austria this
past..weekend at. the Hollyburn Country Club well aware

that’ a loss of the best-of-five series meant relegation to
: the ‘American-zone playdown category.

- ‘Apparently the notion of play-
ing..in loud-.
: stadiums was not enough to incite
~ Our. boys.
oPThough full of confidence be-
“Nestor’s ‘ opening
* match against Alex Antonitsch on
Friday, the Canadian team’s train
quickly lost power as Nestor could
muster none of the inspired play
he displayed last February when

he defeated the No. 1 player in -

the world to put Canada on the
brink. of defeating the powerful
Swedish team.

*Sunday’s match between North
: Vancouver’s Graut Connell and
Antonitsch saw Canada down 2-1
and facing elimination.

-The Austrian doubles team of
Antonitsch and Gerald Mandl had
* ° finished off the Canadian pair of
-" Connell and Glen Michibata in a

“<> five-set match that concluded just
“" gne-hour before Connell and An-

South American

‘nell’s - second. serve’ from

By A.P. McCredie
Sports Reporter

to contest the fourth match of the
tie.

Going into the ‘match, Connell
had faced the 26-year-old
Austrian only once, the Canadian
emerging the victor.

Any psychological advantage
this presented to Connell was
quickly erased as the newly-wed
Austrian — playing some of the
best tennis of his career — broke
Connell’s serve in the third and
seventh game of the first set.

Antonitsch was all over Con-
‘the
outset, and the Ausirian’s net
game was unstoppable on the way
to a 27-minute, 6-2 first set vic-
tory.
Connell showed some signs of
his frustration after Antonitsch

GAME OF
THE WEEK

again broke the Canadian’s serve
in the third game of the second
set.

Every time Connell dug down
and fought back with some truly
remarkable play, the Austrian
countered with incredible shots

from all corners of the newly in- -

stalled — and quickly chewed-up
— grass court.

Antonitsch held his serve in the
second set, winning 6-4.

Connell fell behind quickly in
the opening game of the third set
as the Austrian overwhelmed the
struggling Canadian “with ag-
gressive returns of serve.

Antonitsch won the game on a
lightning down-the-line return
that caught Connell in no man’s
land at mid-court. The Canadian
could just watch as the yellow
bullet streaked by.

At this point it looked like the
best course of action for the
crowd, which had to this point
not even been a factor
match, was to catch an early shut-

in the’

tle bus to the parking lot.
But Connell fought back.
He finally broke Antonitsch in

‘the second game of the set and

seemed to be at the point of turn-
ing the fortunes of the Canadian
team.

But it was not to be, as-An-
tonitsch shrugged off the. game
and took Connell’s serve away
again, winning the third and
fourth games with little effort.

The crowd finally got off its
hands in the seventh game of the
set.

Connell served out the game
and pulled within one of the
Austrian, 4-3.

Both players held the next two
games, putting Austria on the
edge of victory at 5-4, Antonitsch
serving for the match and the tie.

Amid chants of ‘Go Grant
Go,’’ Connell leapt out to a triple
game-point lead, and tied the
third set 5-5.

Antonitsch is well known for
blowing leads by not being able to
win match games, and the crowd
and the Canadian bench hoped
history would repeat itself.

Unfortunately, it didn’t.

Antonitsch broke Connell in the

remarks made by Canadian fans.

Despite falling in the fourth
game and twisting his left ankle,
Antonitsch played inspired tennis,
breaking Connell and Michibata
two sets later to take a 4-2 lead.

After ancther two sets, the
upset was complete. :

“The doubles. was defi initely
disappointing,’’ Conuell said. ‘If
you looked at it on paper, we
could have and should have -won
the doubies. :

‘“We got off to such a horrible
Start (on Saturday), and we seem-
ed to fight back. But it was all
just a little too late, because once
youu get into a fifth set on grass,
anything can happen.”’

A fifth set is what Connell may
have seen in his singles’ tete a tete
with Antonitsch — had it not
been for The Lob.

Down 2-6, 4-6, Connell. gained
a 5-5 tie after breaking An-
tonitsch’s serve.. With Antonitsch
up 40-30 in the [ith set, a long
rally ensued. :

Antonitsch took a desperate’
swing at the ball from out of-

-bounds, forcing Connell to deal

with what seemed to be a routine
lob. But Connell fanned at the :
ball as it sailed out of the blue sky-
and over his head for game point”
and a service break.

If Connell connected it would:
have beem a deuce and he may
have held serve.

Connell broke Antonitsch in the ..
next game to force’a tiebreaker,
but the gritty Austrian rebounded, :,
7-3, to.win the match and" the ;*
series. oie
“Ht was very frustrating, a sort’

‘of icing ‘on. the. cake,”?. Connell:

said. ‘‘i: just had been grinding .
and struggling. real hard to win the |
set. Things just: didn’t: Seem to”
want to go my way. - -

“I’m not: going to look “back!
Maybe, but Pll tell ‘you what, we’
just went: out there and tried. our”
best arid my serve wasn’t: happen-" :
ing much. It might have been ‘just*:
a few technical things, but I’m not;
going to look’ .back -and* ov:
analyze any of these matches.”*."*

Conn ell > .

next. game, the Canadian. fanning | a

onan at-the-net: overhead: It
summed up the Canadian’ team’s
fortunes on-the weekend...

But Connell was not ready to
give up. ae
He fought back and forced a
seven-point tiebreak, and with 2

Davis Cup record “of: 9-3".
previous _tiebreakers, Canada’s
hopes flickered with life. :

But the stronger Austrian had
other plans as he quickly disposed
of Conneil, and Canada, with a
7-3 win in the third- set
tiebreaker.

Austria will now play. in ‘the .
World Group of i6 countries: for
the 1993 Davis Cup, while
Canada’s next shot at the trophy -
will not be at least until 1994.

The three-day competition ‘at
the newly constructed Hollyburn

grass court stadium was attended .—

by 17,050 tennis fans, many of
whom complained about the
seating levels on the west and east
sides of the court.

The angle of the bleachers made -
it very difficult for people above ©
the fifth row to see the complete
court.

i -- tonitsch took to the stadium court
a re a a te