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Article sent by Todd Spiker
IUS Open: It's Flushing Meadows time - For such an agonising year, 2003 has seemed to have rushed past in little time at all. The US Open is here already, the final grand slam of the year, and Jelena's last chance to salvage something from 2003 in a major tournament (considering Jelena will not make the season ending Championships, which is now cut down to just eight participants). The tournament is continuing to break records, as this year it offers a huge $1million to the winner of the event. The Open, in its 122nd year, is the richest even on the tour, and this year's event is more exciting than ever with the withdrawal of both Williams sisters leaving the draw a lot more open than it has been in recent years. The event is widely covered all over the world, and you should be able to catch some of the action wherever you are. As you'd expect from a Grand Slam, the tournament website is of the highest order with everything you'd need to know about tickets, travel, sponsorships etc. The official site is at www.usopen.org, but if you still aren't satisfied, you can contact tournament director Jim Curley at jcurley@usta.org. A time for slight optimism? Jelena reached a 2003 milestone last week in New Haven when she defeated a top 20 player for the first time, in the form of world No.18 Meghann Shaughnessy. Jelena ousted the American in straight sets, and although another secound round exit isn't much to brag about, she was not upset by a low ranked competitor, but rather by the No.1 seed and finalist (and possibly winner) of the event. Granted the manner in which she went out doesn't leave too much room for praise, but if Jelena can continue to play the way she did against Shaughnessy, she should, unbelievably, be able to reach the QF of this event, with her extremely favourably draw. The time has come to stop reflecting on dismal performances and early exits. Jelena has been given a fantastic draw, and has an opportunity that she really should not squander. Jelena must past the first week of the event, for the psychological consequences of squandering such a wonderful opportunity may have a huge bearing on the concluding part of the season. The 'Oh So Wonderful' Draw -
A big big draw to work through, but Jelena is in the bottom half of the bottom half, and is the number 22 seed. She faces prospective matches with Gagliardi, Pierce, Maleeva and Myskina in the first week, and considering her extreme drop in the rankings, this is a golden opportunity for Jelena. Conclusion - When you're in a slump, every event is a big event. The recent glimpses and brief flings with positive moments are hopefully signs of Jelena returning to her good old self. It has been a topsy turvey year with family issues, coaching issues and relationship issues standing in the way of Jelena's tennis. The US Open will most surely determine whether Jelena grasps some salvation from a dismal year, or continues to spiral further down the rankings. A good performance could well lead to a successful indoor season, but another early exit could lead to a continuation of a devilish year. It's make or break time, and all we can do is pray. ---------------------------------------- PREDICTION - 1rd - Jelena def. Gagliardi in two 2rd - Jelena def. Pierce in two 3rd - Jelena def. Maleeva in two 4rd - Jelena def. Myskina in three QF - Henin-Hardenne def Jelena in two ---------------------------------------- comments: glyn_james@jelena-dokic.com |
