Article written by Conchita Slice

Well last week Jelena progressed one step further than she had in 2002 in the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo where she finished up as a Quarter-Finalist. Hopefully, she can repeat similar fashion at this week’s Open Gaz De France Tournament in Paris where she was an eventual finalist to Venus Williams last year before withdrawing due to injury.

As the number 4^th seed, she has most likely been given the hardest draw out of all her compatriots, drawing the number 1 seed in the semi-finals. Luckily she has been given a bye that should give her some more time to work on some strategies that may have failed her in Tokyo where she was upset by Lisa Raymond of the United States.

2^nd Round:

As a result of the bye, nonetheless, her second round opponent could be either a qualifier, who is yet to be determined, or hometown favourite Emilie Loit of France. Normally, either of these opponents would be considered as a relatively easy match for Dokic. However, considering Loit’s ability to have nearly beaten eventual champion, Serena Williams, in the 1^st round of the Australian Open a few weeks ago with her spins and slices, she could be a tough opponent for Dokic as she will constantly have to create her own spice and get under the ball to firmly clear the net. This could be very difficult as Dokic’s shots are hit with so much power that they barely clear the net normally.

Quarterfinals:

If successful in the second round, Jelena could play a handful of players, including the following:

1. Nicole Pratt (Aus): this veteran was a former Davis Cup player with Jelena in Australia. She has shown she can compete with the world’s elite by beating the 13^th and 23^rd seeds at the recent Australian Open where she made the 4^th round. She has only played Dokic once in 2000, where Jelena won in straight sets, and it would be no surprise if Jelena was victorious in a similar score line. However, it is highly likely that Pratt will not progress to this stage of the tournament

2. Alexandra Stevenson (USA): this young American could be quite a tough meeting for Jelena if she made it to the QF, as their head-to-head record is 2-2 with Stevenson winning their last meeting in Zurich 2002 in three tough sets. On the other hand, because she is known to always go for low percentage shots and is subsequently prone to committing many unforced errors, Dokic should prevail in two tough sets or in 3 lopsided sets.

3. Eleni Daniilidou (GRE): Eleni and Jelena have only played once where Dokic won 6-4 4-6 6-4 in Birmingham last year, which is a grass surface. I suspect that Dokic will win this with a similar score line, regardless of the surface, as once again Jelena will have to generate her own pace of shot due to the slices and moonballs that the Greek will undoubtedly produce.

Semi-finals:

In the semi-finals, if Jelena has won her other matches, her opponents would most likely be one of the two players:

1. Patty Schnyder (SWI): the new/old Swiss miss has once again climbed up the rankings and has shown she can handle the pace of other players, such as Serena Williams, Amelie Mauresmo, and Lindsay Davenport whom she all beat in 2002. She really should progress to the Quarterfinals where she will once again meet Serena Williams. She really has a chance to win this match because Serena was playing poorly throughout the Australian Open and I am still amazed as how she could have won it. Therefore, capitalising on unforced errors and momentum swings should prove mighty successful for the young Swiss.

2. Serena Williams (USA): enough said here. She is the defending Australian, US and French Opens as well as Wimbledon. Jelena had her chances of beating her in November last year when they competed in the QF of the Sanex Championships. Dokic had a 4-1 lead but, due to an injury, eventually lost 7-6 6-0. However, Williams will still be tired because she has only taken a one-week vacation from tennis that will therefore give an opportunity for Jelena to capitalise on tiredness and unforced errors from her opponent.

Finals:

Mauresmo or Hantuchova are realistically Jelena’s final opponents according to the seeds and considering the relative easiness of their draws, they will both probably make the semi-finals where one will win in a tight three setter. Dokic has the ability to beat both these players, especially Hantuchova who always seems to beat her in tough sets.

Predictions:

2^nd Round: Dokic defeats Loit 6-3 6-4.

QF: Dokic defeats Daniilidou 4-6 6-3 6-1

SF: Dokic defeats Schnyder 6-2 7-5