CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) – Monica Seles was upset by qualifier Stephanie Foretz 6-4, 7-6 (6) Thursday in the Family Circle Cup, where play was disrupted by a fire on a nearby bridge.
A truck carrying gas cylinders caught fire after hitting a police car on an interstate bridge near the Tennis Club at Daniel Island. Some broken glass fell from the 100-foot-high bridge onto a storage tent for soft drinks and water, but there were no injuries at the tournament site.
The fire was put out, and play resumed after about 35 minutes.
Jennifer Capriati, the defending champion and top seed, also advanced to the quarterfinals, beating Alexandra Fusai 6-3, 7-5. Capriati will faces Anastasia Myskina in the quarterfinals.
Foretz, a Frenchwoman ranked No. 109, reached her first top-level WTA Tour tournament quarterfinal. She’ll play seventh-seeded Sandrine Testud , who beat Jill Craybas 6-3, 6-2.
Seles led 6-5 in the second set, but Foretz forced the tiebreaker by holding serve, ending the game with an ace. Foretz then led 5-2 in the tiebreaker, allowed Seles to reach 6-all, then won the match’s last two points.
“I was very calm,” Foretz said. “I don’t think of the score and I just think what I can do.”
Seles dropped out of a doubles match Wednesday with a stomach virus but said she never considered pulling out of the singles.
“I felt better today than I did yesterday, obviously not 100 percent, but I went out and did the best I could,” Seles said. “She just played too good on key points. Whenever I had chances, she closed the door on them, and I didn’t really take control of the match.”
Play was suspended because of the bridge accident just a few minutes after Foretz completed her victory.
Seles was taking a shower in the clubhouse at the time.
“Someone just came in and yelled ‘Get out! Get out!’ Obviously it took me a little while to get out, but I got out. But definitely a scary sight,” Seles said.
Amanda Coetzer, seeded 13th, needed 2 hours, 37 minutes to get past Paola Suarez 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Coetzer next plays Iva Majoli, who eliminated Anna Smashnova 6-1, 3-6, 6-2.
“It’s very, very difficult to be out there for that long focusing mentally,” Coetzer said.
Myskina defeated beat Fernandez 3-6, 6-4,6-4.
Patty Schnyder edged Mary Pierce 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 to advance to a quarterfinal match against Serena Williams.