Chang looking for revenge vs. Rafter

Friday, Sept. 19, 1997 | 9:20 a.m.

While the Davis Cup is all about team and country, it's also giving Henderson's Michael Chang a chance for some payback for one of the most painful individual losses of his career.

Seemingly on the way to his first Grand Slam title in eight years, Chang was run off the court in straight sets by Patrick Rafter in the semifinals of the U.S. Open earlier this month.

Rafter went on to win the title, his first Grand Slam crown, while Chang was left plotting how to keep his strong baseline game from being thwarted by Rafter's serve-and-volley tactics the next time around.

"The next day," Chang said when asked how soon he started thinking about the rematch, scheduled for today as the United States starts play against Australia in Washington, D.C.

This weekend's best-of-5 semifinal contest is the first in Davis Cup history to feature the world's top three singles players (Pete Sampras, Chang, Rafter) as well as the top-ranked doubles team (Australia's Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde). It also continues the most storied rivalry in the tournament's history: Australia's 26 Davis Cup titles are second only to the United States' 31. It is also the first Davis Cup match to be played in Washington.