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This is an archive article published on November 17, 1998

Graf stays in chase with title victory

Philadelphia, Nov 16: Germany's Steffi Graf will enter next week's Chase Championships on a roll after rallying to defeat top-ranked Lindsay...

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Philadelphia, Nov 16: Germany’s Steffi Graf will enter next week’s Chase Championships on a roll after rallying to defeat top-ranked Lindsay Davenport to win the $450,000 Advanta Championships Indoor Tennis event last night.

Graf won her second straight tournament by outlasting the top-seeded American 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Graf broke Davenport to go up 5-4 in the final set and served out the match to claim her 106th singles title — tops among active players — and third in only her 12th tournament of an injury-filled season. She won $79,000 for the victory.

Since coming back from wrist surgery, Graf won last week in Leipzig, and with her victory last night, extended her winning streak to 10 matches heading into New York. Graf’s other title this year came in August in Connecticut.

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The 29-year-old Graf will face defending champion Jana Novotna in the first round at the season-ending event, which begins today in New York. Graf, a five-time champion, gained the final spot in the 16-woman field following VenusWilliams’ withdrawal on Thursday.

Clavet claims Chevrolet

SANTIAGO DE CHILE: Fifth-seeded Francisco Clavet of Spain today beat Younes el Aynaoui of Morroco 6-2, 6-4 to win the $320,000 Chevrolet Cup.

Clavet broke el Eynaoui’s service twice in each set to win in 66 minutes and maintain the Spanish domination of the tournament for the second straight year. Last year’s champion was Julian Alonso.

Martin wins

STOCKHOLM: The home-court advantage didn’t help Thomas Johansson.

Capitalising on the Swede’s sloppy serving, Todd Martin beat Johansson in three straight sets to win the Stockholm Open for the first time today.

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The 28-year-old American, who lost the final two years ago to another Swede, Thomas Enqvist, won 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 before a sellout crowd at the Royal Tennis Hall.

McEnroe, Forget in final

ZAGREB: John McEnroe beat Mats Wilander of Sweden 6-0, 6-2 to reach the final of an ATP senior tournament in which Iranian Mansour Bahrami provided some humorous moments.

Bahramilost to Bjorn Borg 6-3, 6-4 yesterday. On one point, when he couldn’t reach a Borg serve, he took another ball from his pocket and returned it. Later, they staged a mock fight in front of the refrigerator over who would take the drinks first. The argument ended when Borg jokingly threw Bahrami into the refrigerator.

Borg will play for third place in this robin-round tourney against Frenchman Henri Leconte, a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Guillermo Vilas of Argentina.

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Guy Forget of France will face McEnroe in today’s final, even though he lost to Croatia’s Goran Prpic 2-6, 6-4, 10-5.

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