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Chang Feels the Heat, but Survives

Michael Chang, the top seed in the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, got much more than he had bargained for in his opening match. Tournament qualifier Luis Herrera was playing his fourth match in as many days and knew his chances would be slim.

But midway through the match, Herrera’s goal seemed to change from having fun to pulling a major upset. He came agonizingly close to doing so before finally succumbing, 6-3, 6-7 (11-9), 7-6 (7-5), before 5,204 at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center.

"It’s matches like this that really get you in the tournament quickly," Chang said. "Today was really a fight for both of us, and this match could have gone either way, there was no question about that. Luis was just playing some great tennis out there."

Chang appeared to have the match in control with a 5-3 lead in the second set. Herrera fought back, winning two break points to force a tiebreaker. Chang had four match points in the tiebreaker but couldn’t win it, and Herrera took the set by scoring three straight points after trailing 10-9.

Herrera broke Chang to open the third set. Leading 3-2, Herrera seemed vulnerable on serve when Chang went up, 30-0. But, again, he fought back for four straight points to win the game, then won four more consecutively to take a 5-2 lead.

Chang found himself fighting off elimination when Herrera held a 40-15 lead, serving for the match. He forced deuce, took the advantage when Herrera hit into the net, and won the game on a shot that landed on the right sideline.

Chang won the next three games to take a 6-5 lead, but again Herrera came back.

Holding the advantage off deuce, Herrera put a shot out of Chang’s reach down the right sideline to force another tiebreaker. Herrera, relieved, slammed a ball to the ground in celebration.

He lost in the tiebreaker, but not before one final comeback try. Trailing 6-2, Herrera rallied for three straight points before Chang finished him off, 7-5. "He was just covering the court so well tonight," Chang said. "He seemed to really know where I was going to hit most of the time, and I’m not really used to that. Herrera credited the crowd with helping him repeatedly come back.

"I think the people really helped me," he said. "I was amazed—the people really cheered me on a lot. That was the reason I kept going."

Chang, the No. 2-ranked player on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour, said he didn’t put much stock in Herrera’s ranking of 155.

"I know Luis is a good player," Chang said. "I never really take a look at a ranking and say because he’s 155, this should be a cakewalk. I never look at it that way because I think the rankings can be deceiving."

Chang survived to face Michael Joyce on Thursday, but four seeded players fell in afternoon action. Petr Korda of the Czech Republic, the tournament’s second seed, did advance, topping South Africa’s David Nainkin 6-4, 6-2. But No. 6 Lionel Roux of France, No. 10 Sargis Sargsian of Armenia, No. 13 Justin Gimelstob and No. 15 Neville Godwin of South Africa all were bounced from the tournament.

Roux fell, 6-3, 6-3, to Australia’s Luke Smith, the reigning NCAA singles champion from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Smith, a wild-card entrant playing in his first ATP Tour event, made an early exit from his last U.S. Tennis Association satellite tournament. He said he wasn’t too confident entering the Legg Mason.

"Coming in, I was actually hoping not to embarrass myself," Smith said. "[But] the whole atmosphere of the place kind of gave me some new energy. . . . Nobody knows how good I am. I’ve been playing satellites—I could be a bunny, for all they know."

Smith, who said his usual strategy is to "break once a set, and then hopefully I can serve it out," broke Roux twice in the second set, including the last game.

"I was really excited when I won, but I didn’t want to let it out too much," Smith said. "I didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of him. [But] I’m kind of glowing inside."

Gimelstob, who knocked off French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten in the first round of Wimbledon last month, was ousted by Germany’s Ranier Schuttler, 6-3, 6-3.

Gimelstob, seeded 13th, said that although he probably could have used a break in his schedule, he didn’t want to miss the Legg Mason. Gimelstob has family in the area, including his uncle Gerry Gimelstob, the men’s basketball coach at George Washington University from 1981 to 1985.

"It’s a shame," he said. "I would like to have had a good week. Hopefully I’ll make a run in doubles, but that’s not really the same."

Even Korda got a small scare, losing the first two games to Nainkin before recovering to win handily.

"I didn’t start well, but most important, I finished well," Korda said. "I’m happy I won, but I feel I need to raise my game if I want to play better during the tournament to beat some other people."

© Copyright 1997 The Washington Post Company

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