31.   Seles broke in that ninth game to put the set back on serve.

32.   Serena continued to slip and slide throughout the match but the players held serve until Serena called for a trainer after the ninth game.

33.   Sampras broke Philippoussis in the ninth game of the second set and in the third game of the third, but he never faced a break point himself.

34.   That left the two on serve in the ninth game of the fourth set.

35.   The Avalanche won their ninth straight game, and goalie Patrick Roy won for the first time in the FleetCenter.

36.   The Astros, meanwhile, lost their ninth straight game and were eliminated from the National League Central race as the Cardinals clinched the title.

37.   The Diamondbacks are back in and the San Francisco Giants are tied with the Dodgers after winning their ninth consecutive game Friday.

38.   The first sign that something failed to follow a straight line came in the ninth game of the third set, with the score four games apiece.

39.   The match was on serve in the ninth game of the first set before Davenport broke through.

40.   The Nets played without Derrick Coleman for the ninth straight game and Benoit Benjamin for the fifth straight time.