Aug. 7, 1999
LEXINGTON, Kty.–Crowd favorites Cedric Kauffmann and Johan Hesoun fell in thesemifinalsof the Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships on Friday, dropping a tough, 7-5,6-4 decision to Gabriel Trifu and Michael Sell.
Even with the near-capacity crowd at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Centercheering them on, Kauffmann and Hesoun could not top the fourth-seeded duo. After an exciting late-night quarterfinal win on Thursday, the pair could notrecapture the magic in the semifinals.
After the loss, Hesoun, who will be a senior at Kentucky this fall,admitted his disappointment, but looked to the upcoming season.
?This experience will help me a lot next year,? he said. ?Knowingthat Ican play on this level has given me so much confidence. Hopefully, I cancarryit through the season.?
Trifu and Sell advance to Saturday night?s men?s doubles final, wherethey will face Scott Humphries and Kevin Kim, 6-4, 7-6 winners over WynnCriswell and Robert Givone.
In men?s singles, No. 1 seed Anthony DuPuis rolled on, topping NoamOkun, 6-3, 6-3. He moves on to the semifinals, where he will meetfifth-seededHarel Levy.
Levy, who bested Barry Cowan, 7-6, 6-3, topped Michael Chang two weeks ago andappears to be at the top of his game, leading some on-lookers to dub him the?man to beat.?
Louis Vosloo and Kevin Kim were winners in the other two men?s quarterfinalmatches, and will meet at 3 p.m. Saturday for a spot in the men?s final.Upsets continued on the women?s side, as the last two seeds were eliminated inFriday?s action. Third seed Fang Li dropped a three-set marathon, 6-3, 3-6,6-3, to Francesca Lubiani, and No. 7 seed Jolene Watanabe fell, 6-1, 6-2, toAustralian Annabel Ellwood. Ellwood and Lubiani will now face off in onewomen?s semifinal, with Florencia Labat and Nannie DeVilliers meeting in theother.
Labat, who ousted No. 2 seed Jana Nejedly on Thursday, moved on with a 7-5,6-4win over qualifier Linda Wild, while qualifier Nannie DeVilliers rallied for a6-7, 6-3, 6-1 win over Hila Rosen.
In ladies? doubles action, the top-seeded and 45th-ranked tandem of AlexandraFusai and Labat ousted Sandra Cacic and former Fifth Third Champion KarinMiller, 7-6, 6-2. Fusai and Labat next battle Irina Seylutina and Ellwood, whomoved on by virtue of a withdraw by the No. 4 seeds Maja Muric and ChristinaPapadaki.
Second-seeded Rika Hiraki and Yuka Yoshida also won in quarterfinal action,beating Rachel McQuillan and Lisa McShea, 6-2, 6-4. They will meet Eun-Ha Kimand 1998 Fifth Third winner Julie Pullin in the other doubles semifinal. Kimand Pullin fought off match points to pull off a 1-6, 7-6, 6-3 win over AmandaGrahame and Lubiani in late-night quarterfinal action.Saturday?s matches are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., with tickets available atthe gate.
Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships
Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center
Lexington, Ky.
Men?s Singles Quarterfinals
Anthony DuPuis d. Noam Okun 6-3, 6-3
Harel Levy d. Barry Cowan 7-6 (3), 6-3
Louis Vosloo d. Paul Kilderry 6-1, 6-4
Kevin Kim d. Geoff Grant 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4
Men?s Doubles Semifinals
Humphries/Kim d. Criswell/Givone 6-4, 7-6 (6)
Sell/Trifu d. Kauffmann/Hesoun 7-5, 6-3
Women?s Singles Quarterfinals
Annabel Ellwood d. Jolene Watanabe 6-1, 6-2
Francesca Lubiani d. Fang Li 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
Nannie DeVilliers d. Hila Rosen 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-1
Florencia Labat d. Linda Wild 7-5, 6-4
Women?s Doubles Quarterfinals
Fusai/Labat d. Cacic/Miller 7-6 (4), 6-2
Ellwood/Selyutina d. Muric/Papadaki w/o
Kim/Pullin d. Lubiani/Grahame 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3
Hiraki/Yoshida d. McQuillan/McShea 6-2, 6-4
Saturday?s Schedule of Play
Stadium #1
3 p.m. Start
Men?s Semifinals
Louis Vosloo v. Kevin Kim
Followed by
Anthony DuPuis v. Harel Levy
Not before 7 p.m.
Men?s Doubles Final
Scott Humphries/Kevin Kim v. Michael Sell/Gabriel Trifu
Stadium #2
3 p.m. Start
Women?s Semifinals
Nannie DeVilliers v. Florencia Labat
Followed by
Amanda Graham/Francesca Lubiani v. Rika Hiraki/Yuka Yoshida
Not before 7 p.m.Annabel Ellwood v. Francesca LubianiFollowed by Alexandra Fusai/Florencia Labat v. Annabel Ellwood/Irina Selyutina
For more information on the Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships, contactBrad Sutton at (606) 257-8710
