Tennis: Chang has too much firepower for Steven

By Foster Niumata

MELBOURNE - The key to unlocking Michael Chang is power. Brett Steven had it once, when he was 17 and Chang was 14.

It was the final of the 1986 United States 18s grasscourt tennis championship.

It rained after the first set, so they went indoors, and Steven won.

Chang has not forgotten - "I don't think he's the kind of a guy who forgets any match," Steven said - and he has made Steven pay for it ever since.

In their third match against each other as well-heeled pros in the Australian Open yesterday, Chang yet again dealt a straight-sets defeat - 7-6 6-3 6-3 - to 100th-ranked Steven, who was hoping 27th-ranked Chang would have a flat battery, lose his rackets, or run out of breath. Fat chance.

Chang, fighting fit (unlike last year when he crashed in the second round, starting an injury-plagued slide out of the top-15 for the first time in 10 years), gradually quietened a big New Zealand contingent in overflowing 3000-seat showcourt three, which reeked of suntan lotion.

Steven, in form after making the Auckland semifinals, was aggressive but too charitable, giving up 36 unforced errors.

"There were times I thought I had the point won and he'd whip a passing shot, he's so fast," said Steven, who in the tiebreak fought back from 1-5 but could not get his nose in front and lost it 7-9.

"He's a tough cookie from my point of view," Steven said. "He's the type of guy you really need to overpower and I don't have the game. I've always played him close but I haven't actually quite got over the hump."

Chang is looking at a second-round match with Mark Philippoussis, who was playing last night, while Steven, who did not enter the doubles, goes home today in good company.

Withdrawals took out world No 2 Marcelo Rios, with a stress fracture in his back, and No 12 Goran Ivanisevic, with a pinched nerve in his back.

That left 10 players with a mathematical chance of taking the No 1 ranking from the absent Pete Sampras, including No 3 Alex Corretja, who stared at defeat when Grand Slam rookie Takao Suzuki, a born net-rusher coached by an Italian, served for the first Open win by a Japanese man since 1989, at 3-6 6-4 6-3 5-4.

But Suzuki blinked.

Corretja said: "It was not much fun. I was almost knocked down, but I won and that's nice." He won 6-3 4-6 3-6 7-6 6-2.

In the women's draw, fifth seed Venus Williams was two points from defeat by 82nd-ranked Silvija Talaja, of Croatia, at 5-6 in the third set but reeled off a dozen points before ultimately squeaking in 3-6 6-3 9-7.

Jennifer Capriati, ranked 93rd, offered a rare flashback against home-town Junior Open doubles champion Evie Dominikovic, by rallying from 5-7 0-3 to win 5-7 6-3 8-6.

Pictured: Brett Steven in his match with Michael Chan. PICTURE / JOHN SEFTON