Tennis -- Seles' Attacker Avoids Prison

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. - Players and executives on the women's tennis tour were confused and indignant after the man convicted of stabbing Monica Seles avoided jail again.

Anne Person Worcester, chief executive officer of the WTA Tour, said the decision "defies logic," and Parche should face "significant prison time" for his 1993 attack.

Seles, who lives in Sarasota, issued a one-sentence statement through IMG, her management firm: "I am as surprised as everyone else, and I just don't understand this."

In a ruling yesterday in Hamburg, Germany, judge Gertraut Goering said the tennis star failed to convince the court that because of the stabbing she was unable to resume her career.

The judge also said there was no evidence Guenter Parche intended to do more harm to Seles. Parche contends he was not trying to kill Seles, but disable her so Steffi Graf could regain the No. 1 ranking.

The athlete wrote a letter to the court saying Parche's attack "destroyed my life." But the judge said testimony from Seles was necessary to support such a claim.

Goering added that a likely explanation for the fact that Parche's five-inch knife didn't cause a graver injury was that "he didn't want to kill her."

The decision supported the two-year suspended sentence Parche was given after he was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm on Oct. 13, 1993.

Former WTA Tour president Pam Shriver said she hopes Seles, 21, can put her life back together.

"The best thing that could happen is that Monica put it behind her and get on with life," Shriver said. "And hopefully, getting on with life means competing again because that what's she's, no doubt, best at. I think in the long run, she can grow to be very comfortable again on the court. All the players would certainly welcome that."

Note

-- No. 12 seed Ann Grossman and No. 16 Anna Shashnova lost on opening day of the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Fla.

Grossman, of Grove City, Ohio, was beaten by Laurence Courtois of Belgium 6-3, 7-6. Shashnova of Israel fell to Meike Babel of Germany 7-6, 6-1.

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, the world's No. 1-ranked player, withdrew after spraining her ankle last week. Also out are Mary Pierce, ranked No. 3, and No. 6 Lindsay Davenport.