European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 20, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 26 a the stars and stripes monday january 20, 1992mcenroe records Mcm iracle by Steve wieste1n Melbourne Australia a John Mcenroe obeying his self imposed gag order on court stayed Cool in blistering 124-Degrcc heat and pulled off a five set 4-hour, 41-minute Mcm iracle at the australian open sunday. Mcenroe three games from a straight set Romp into the quarterfinals endured a courageous comeback by the younger Emilio Sanchez to win 7-5, 7-6 7-44-6, 2-6, 8-6 on his sixth match Point. Unlike Mcenroe a three set Victory Over defending Champion Boris Becker a match played on a Chilly night against a powerful so rec and volleyed Mcenroe had to Cope this time with a burning court and a Crafty Baseline. He had to stave off three match Points himself in the fifth set. Mcenroe ruled the net with his quickness touch volleys and overheads in the first two sets virtually forcing the 13th-sccded Sanchez to change his tactics and venture away from the Baseline. As Sanchez attacked More in the third set Mcenroe began to Wilt suddenly showing the six year age difference against the 26-year-old spaniard. Sanchez broke Mcenroe to 4-3 in the third set As Mcenroe wearily hit an indifferent backhand wide. The fourth set turned into a rest Stop for Mcenroe who seemed to Drift through it while awaiting his Chance in the fifth set. Sanchez broke Mcenroe at love in the first game of the fourth set in the Middle of a nine Point run and ended the set with his ninth Ace. In the fifth set the place where Mcenroe created Tennis history in matches against Bjorn Borg Jimmy Connors Becker and other great players he reached deep inside and found the strength to win. If Ever Mcenroe was going unleash his explosive temper in this match it would have been on his third match Point on Sanchez serve in the 10th game. Leading 5-4, 30-40, Mcenroe watched Sanchez a first serve go by for a dubious Ace. The crowd roared in protest Mcenroe pointed to the spot where he thought the serve landed Long but there was no overrule by the Umpire. Television replays showed the serve apparently Long. Mcenroe briefly buried his head in his hands then returned to receive obviously dispirited but refusing to give up or yield to his emotions. His Opportunity gone Mcenroe lost the game and nearly the match. Sanchez blew two match Points at 40-15 in the australian open Monica sulcs makes a face and return in route to Victory Over Leila Meskhi sunday. 12th game with a double fault and wildly mis hit forehand. A drop Volley gave Sanchez a third Chance but he failed again to Cash in when he tapped a backhand Volley into the net. The tension mounting with each stroke Mcenroe grabbed the advantage with another mis hit forehand by Sanchez then broke him Back when Sanchez dumped a forehand into the net. Mcenroe easily held service to 7-6 with a delicate and Gutsy forehand drop Volley at 40-15, then jumped on Sanchez a serve to take a 0-30 Lead with a backhand Volley on the second Point. Sanchez netted an easy backhand to give Mcenroe two More match Points but the first was wasted with a backhand into the net on a passing attempt. Sanchez who started the match clean shaven and had a Beard by the end saved his fifth match Point with a backhand pass Cross court. Mcenroe finally ended the incredible Duel on his sixth match Point with a forehand into the Corner and Down the line. Mcenroe a Tongue lolled out of his Mouth As he walked to the net to shake hands and wrap his arms around Sanchez in an affectionate hug exhausted though not too much to display a bit of humor Mcenroe dropped to the court and Lay sprawled Flat on his Back for a half minute As the crowd laughed and cheered. In other late matches Gabriela Sabatini the women a no. 3 seed beat Katerina male Eva 6-1, 7-5, and Sanchez a sister no. 4 Arantha Sanchez Vicario beat Larisa Savchenko 6-1, 7-6 8-6. Earlier defending Champion Monica Seles overcame an unusually High number of errors 52, and seemed surprised by the net attacking strategy of Leila Meskhi. But Seles recovered her poise to break Meskhi three times in the final set and reach the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 46, 6-2 Victory. A i Wasny to going for my shots i Wasny to attacking and i Wasny to pumped up a Seles said. A i was serving pretty Well in the first set and Early in the second. It sort of went. I done to know what happened. It was pretty  Seles said shed have to put the match out of her mind when she plays Anke Huber a German who is also 18. Seles beat Huber in the quarterfinals last year. Jana Novotna who blew her first Opportunity to beat Huber while serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set saw her chances vanish when she served with a 4-2 Lead in the third set. Novotna double faulted three times and lost the last five games to give Huber a 5-7, 7-6 7-56-4 Victory. A i play better under pressure a Huber said. A the third set she was injured a bit. She had  Huber said there a no pressure on her in playing Seles who beat her easily last year. Seles served poorly in the second set As the 13th-seeded Meskhi sent forehand deep to Selest backhand then came in to put volleys away. Meskhi broke Seles at love for a 5-3 Lead in the second set and again at 15-40 in the 10th game As Seles made four unforced errors. It was the first set Seles lost in four matches and she responded by bearing Down harder grunting louder and hitting deeper More accurate ground strokes. Seles broke Meskhi in her first two service games of the third set for a 3-0 Lead holding her own service in Between with her seventh Ace on game Point. Though broken at love in the fourth game Seles won the last three games of the match to close it out. Even the final game though did not come easily As Seles double faulted on her first match Point at 40-30 and fought off a break Point before winning on a backhand return Long by Meskhi. In another Early match sunday 15th-Seedcd David Wheaton lost to Wayne Ferreira of South Africa 6-7 3-76-4, 62, 6-2. Also Amy Frazier beat Dominique Monami of Belgium 6-3, 6-4. Australian open fans have been watching Jim courier with a sense of Awe gasping at the Power of his shots. He was a no. 25 nobody a year ago a fourth round loser who rarely gathered a crowd. This time he a no. 2 and somebody everyone wants to watch. A a in a not afraid to win and in a not afraid to lose a said courier who hit nearly every shot full tilt to reach the fourth round with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 Romp saturday Over Thomas Muster. Courier Winner of the French open and runner up at the . Open has an unseeded path to the semifinals where he could face sore armed Wimbledon Champion Michael Stich. Michael Chang a master of the five set match got a lesson in comeback skills from a Rangy dutchman with a blistering serve. Chang who had an 11-2 record in five set matches including a grueling fourth round showdown against Ivan Lendl in route to the 1989 French open title fell in a three hour see saw Battle to Richard Krajicek 6-4, 6-1, 5-7, 1-6, 6-3.Walker, Harrell earn bobsled berths Altenberg Germany a Minnesota Vikings running Back Herschel Walker and former Nee tight end Greg Harrell won berths on the . Olympic bobsled team in saturdays push Competition. Another nit. Player wide receiver Willie Gault of the los Angeles raiders must try again sunday to make the team for next month s Winter games at Albertville. Walker finished first in the 12-Man up Shoff Competition with a Best time of 7.0394 seconds. Walker had the three Best push offs of the Day and was the Only bobsled Der to come in under 7.1. �?o1 came to compete and 1 expected to do Well a Walker said. The push offs followed a week of court wrangling Over whether Harrell and Gault would be allowed to try for the team. They and two time olympic track Gold medallist Edwin Moses had claimed they weren to properly informed of the schedule and regulations for the original trials at Lake Placid n.y., last july. Moses later dropped his attempt to make the bobsled team saying he wanted to concentrate on i he summer olympics. The Battle went All the Way to the appellate division of new York state supreme court. The court ruled Friday that new push trials would be held this weekend at Altenberg. The team must be named he monday. The top four finishers from saturdays push off were guaranteed spots on either the two two Man or the two four Man teams. Saturdays top finishers were Walker Jeff Woodard with a Best time of 7.1226 Harrell at 7.1621, and Joe Sawyer at 7.2068. A Gault finished ninth at 7.3293. He and others will compete again for a last shot at the team sunday when the Side push Competition is held. The top four finishers from that heat Are expected to Complete the team. Four Drivers including Brian Shimer who already qualified Are training this weekend at Winterberg Germany. The . Slidders in Altenberg did t know whether they would be competing until late Friday night. A a it a a joke. A total joke a Bryan Leturgez said after the new push offs were announced. A a it a a tragedy for the sport. It has destroyed any momentum that the sport had going for  Leturgez who had made the team during the july trials finished sixth saturday at 7.2871. The controversy overshadowed the slender so practices All week and culminated in an emotional meeting late thursday night. A any time you stand up and fight for a position you re going to draw fire a Gault said