Article written by Gerhard Grundhammer

What would you do, if you should write something about Jelenas next opponent? Would you write about a girl from Russia you have never heared of, as she is playing Jelena in the second round of the Nasdaq 100 Championships at Miami, today, or would you write about Jelena herself, as she seems to be her toughtest opponent, these days?

I decided to not give up my hopes on Jelena, and write about Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 17 year old russian talent from St. Petersburgh.

Svetlana introduced herself to the tennis world at the US-Open girls competition in 2001 where she won the title, and it seems like she liked the feeling of getting cups. Only one year later, still only 16, she won 2 WTA-trophies! And though neither Helsinki nor Bali are the most famous tournaments she beat players like Patty Schnyder, Sucha, Chladkova, Krasnoroutskaya, Sanchez-Vicario and Conchita Martinez on her way to those titles!

If that start of her career should remind some of you to the start of Jelenas career, her game doesnt at all. Svetlanas first serve is alright, but her second serve reminds the spectators more to a throw in at football as to a serve in tennis. And also her weapons are different to Jelenas. In fact: beside her savety on court, and the abiltiy to run down shots and bounce everything back which comes across the net, she has no weapons at all.

And it was exactly those abilities, where both Schiavone and Majoli found no proper way to play against, and so the russian no7 proceeded to the second rounds of Dubai and Doha earlier this year. But reaching second rounds is certainly not the career-target of Svetlana. Last week at Indian Wells she beat the top-russian player Anastassia Myskina in 3 tough sets to reach for the first time in her career a third round of a tierI tournament, and she will try again to do so, this week.

Svetlana Krznetsova already reached position no 37 in the WTA ranking system, and she can only win in her first match vs. a top 10 player, ever. Either Jelena gets back to normal, gets her safety back into her game, and scores winners whenever she has the slightest chance to do so. Then the russian talent, who trains and lives at the Sanchez-Tennis-Academy in Barcelona/Spain, will win a tromendeous amount of experience. Or Jelena keeps playing like the last weeks... then the 17 year old russian will even win that match!

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Gerhard
www.jelena-dokic.com