Edition: U.S. / Global

TENNIS; Borderline Call Helps Henman Reach Fourth Round

Published: June 30, 2002

A backdrop of Britons were on the verge of using their ''Timbledon'' banners for tissues when Wayne Ferreira unleashed a topspin forehand that looped over Tim Henman's head like a vulture today.

A sign of doom was in the air for England's beloved player during a third-set tie breaker at Wimbledon. As Ferreira's passing shot floated gently down the line, it appeared to land on the intersection of the baseline and the sideline.

Both line judges saw it good. But Ferreira's commanding 5-1 lead in the tie breaker was all too brief. Once Henman threw his spindly arms up in the air to protest, and as the Union Jack crowd hissed along with him, the voice of the chair umpire Jorge Dias turned the mood -- and the match -- around by overruling from the opposite side of the court.

The crowd erupted with cheers. Henman was resuscitated. He could live with a 4-2 disadvantage, a far shallower hole. With Ferreira's spirits in ruins, with even his freckles in a frown, Henman won the next four points en route to taking the momentum-shifting tie breaker and third-round match, 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (8), 6-1.

''I think it's shocking,'' Ferreira, a South African, said. ''There's absolutely nothing I can do about it. But if he had any decency, I think he would at least come and apologize. The umpire. Tim has nothing to do with it.

''If I was in Tim's position, 4-1 in a breaker, I'd also hope for it to be out. I think it's a normal reaction from most people. Tim hemmed and hawed about it being close. I think it was total intimidation. I mean, what can you do about it? It's over, over and done.''

Fortune changes in an instant. Not long ago, the United States could count on Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi -- not to mention John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors before them -- to pose an annual threat for a Wimbledon men's title. For 80 years, there has always been at least one American man in the mix at Wimbledon.

Those days are over. Jeff Morrison was unable to prevent a mark in history today as the lone American left standing in the men's draw. Fresh off his upset of Juan Carlos Ferrero on Thursday, Morrison, the likable qualifier from West Virginia, could not fulfill a trip fantastic. He lost his third-round match to 18th-seeded Sjeng Schalken, 6-4, 7-6 (7), 6-0.

Once Schalken unfurled a forehand cross-court winner on match point, the Americans found themselves without a man in the fourth round of Wimbledon for the first time since 1922.

''Obviously, I was the last American in,'' said the 98th-ranked Morrison, who let three set points in the second-set tie breaker get away, foiling any comeback. ''It wasn't the best tournament for us.''

The American women produced. Venus Williams, Monica Seles and Lisa Raymond advanced to the Round of 16 today, but it was not so easy for them. For a set, Venus Williams could not cool off the 110th-ranked Maureen Drake of Canada. Behind wraparound sunglasses that gave Drake an air of intimidation, there was a player hitting the kind of shots made against Williams only on video games.

On set point of the first set, the 31-year-old Drake sprinted to the net and fielded three crushed ground strokes by the looming Williams. Without flinching, she planted a forehand volley to take the first set, a shot that left even Venus's mother, Oracene, applauding.

Egging the crowd on with a wave, Drake went to the changeover after winning the first set, 7-5, but she did not return from her chair the same. The steam ran out on Drake just as Williams began to get more serious. A half hour later, the match was over, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.

''I can just say I've lived to see another day,'' said Williams, who was playing on a sore knee. ''I'm happy to be in the second week. It could have gone otherwise, but it didn't.''

If Henman had not responded, he would have needed a hiding place. The tabloids have all but declared Henman's title a certainty, a gift for the Queen on her golden jubilee. Perhaps the umpire preserved the British dream.

''It was a pretty tight call one way or the other,'' Henman said. ''The umpire made his decision, that's his job. I suppose you'd have to see whether he made the right decision or the wrong one on TV.''

On the replay, Ferreira's passing shot was a clear winner. After his fears were confirmed, Ferreira felt even worse. Still, Ferreira had other chances to end Henman's run at Wimbledon. In the first set, Ferreira had two set points, but botched both, including a routine forehand volley that he dumped into the net.

''I just tried to do something stupid with it,'' Ferreira said. ''It wasn't totally easy. It was quite low and below the net. Maybe I could have done something different.''

He did the right thing in the third-set tie breaker, but the reward was only temporary thanks to a long-distance overrule from the umpire.


The yearly debate over the discrepancy in prize money between the men and women continued. Unlike the Australian Open and United States Open, Wimbledon pays the men's champion more (around $787,000) than the women's champion (around $730,000). ''In my opinion, it's unacceptable in the workplace,'' VENUS WILLIAMS said. ''Outside of tennis, it's against the law -- I'm not sure in England -- to pay a woman less. That's what I think. I'm a woman but I also try to be fair in my views.'' . . . Along with TIM HENMAN, LLEYTON HEWITT advanced to the fourth round after dissecting the unseeded JULIAN KNOWLE in straight sets.

Photo: Wayne Ferreira's momentum was stopped when his topspin forehand was ruled out in the third set. (Associated Press)(pg. 4)