Julie Halard-Decugis is to defend her DFS Classic title in Birmingham this summer, raising the prospect of a repeat of last year's All-French singles final at Edgbaston Priory. Her compatriot Nathalie Tauziat, the 1997 DFS champion and Wimbledon runner-up to Jana Novotna in 1998, will be making her regular pilgrimage to Sir Harry's Road from June 12 to 18. She has supported the event for more than a decade and will return as the No 1 seed. Rated fifth on...
JOHN NEWCOMBE, Tony Roche and Mark Woodforde - a Grand Slam winning trinity - have withdrawn from the race for the Fed Cup leadership. Former world No. 1 Newcombe yesterday revealed he had abandoned his push to succeed Evonne Goolagong as captain.And multiple major doubles winner Woodforde, the current Fed Cup coach, and French singles champion Roche also opted out. The trio's decision leaves Nicole Bradtke a favourite to replace Goolagong....
Michael Chang of Placentia and Arantxa Sanchez of Spain, who won the singles titles at the 1989 French Open, were picked today as the most improved tennis professionals of the year by Tennis magazine.Chang, 17, became the first American to win the French singles since 1955. He improved from 30th to fifth in the rankings.Sanchez, a 17-year-old Spaniard, improved from 18th to fourth in the rankings....
JOHN NEWCOMBE, Tony Roche and Mark Woodforde -- a grand slam-winning trinity -- have withdrawn from the race for the Fed Cup leadership. Former world No. 1 Newcombe yesterday revealed he had abandoned his push to succeed Evonne Goolagong as captain.And multiple major doubles winner Woodforde, the current Fed Cup coach, and French singles champion Roche also opted out of the contest.The trio's decision leaves Nicole Bradtke a short-priced favourite to replace Goolagong....
JACK CRAWFORD Born John Herbert Crawford in Albury in 1908. In the 1933 Wimbledon final, he defeated Elsworth Vines after five sets of what many say was the most entertaining tennis title match of all time. He also won the French singles championship in 1933 and the Australian title in 1931-33 and '35. He died in 1991.KARL MALDEN Born Mladen Sekulovich in Indiana in 1912, he honed his acting in the 1930s on Broadway. His films include A Streetcar Named Desire, for which he...