JELENA-DOKIC.com -
Feb.9, 2004
JELENA CORNER
by Todd Spiker
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LOST (&
FOUND) IN TRANSLATION
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*TOKYO (#7 seed)*
1357=Feb.2 points (#17)
135..SF
10...1r-Black (#48) 3-6/7-6/6-1
2....2r-Husarova (#166) 7-6/6-7/6-1
2....QF-Panova (#250) 6-1/6-1
0....SF-Davenport (#6) 1-6/0-6
149..TOTAL (Grade: A-)
-57..2003 Paris
+92..POINTS FOR WEEK
1449=Feb.9 points (#15)
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"My
confidence is very high tennis-wise. I haven't
been like this for a while, a year and a half.
I'm very happy about it." - Jelena, last week
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A week ago, you might have gotten some fairly long
odds that Jelena would be uttering those words after her
2004 debut in Tokyo. Amidst an atmosphere that included
a sub-.500 record on carpet and back-to-back 2nd Round
exits in this very event in 2002-03, early success this
season seemed to be something that was destined to be
lost in translation in Tokyo.
But the playing surface wasn't an obstacle, and court
rust didn't turn out to be fatal, either. As it turned
out, nothing was lost in Japan. Instead, it was
Jelena's confidence that was found right where she'd
left it -- on her racket after her sigh-of-relief
performances in Zurich and Linz last October.
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"THE COMEBACK"
CHART
--Zurich to Tokyo--
Match Record......9-3
3-setters.........6-1
Loses 1st set.....3-3
Wins 1st set......6-0
TB/sets to 7+.....4-2
QF-or-better......3/3
SF-or-better......2/3
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Still, Tokyo was a series of highs and lows. A year
after falling behind 0-5 to Angelique Widjaja in her
2003 debut match, Jelena found herself down 1-4 to Cara
Black. At 3-6/5-6 she was just four points from a
straight sets exit... then she paused for a moment, and
won eight of the last nine games to take the match.
Last year, Jelena went 0-7 the first seven times she
lost a match's opening set (not winning one until
April). She was 1-16 in her first seventeen such
instances, and 4-26 overall. In 2004, she was suddenly
1-0.
Against Janette Husarova, Jelena fell down 3-4 only
to take the first set 7-6. Then, up 4-1 in the 2nd, she
lost it in another tie-break. Of course, she did a 180
again after that and claimed another 6-1 3rd... leading
into her cruising win over Tatiana Panova in the QF.
In 2003, Jelena made one SF in her first twenty-eight
events. Now, though, she's done so twice in her last
three.
Needless to say, there was a lot to feel good about
in Japan. Of course, everything has it's limits and
that good feeling was no different. Some things don't
change. Nothing stops a Jelena run like an immovable
object. In the Fair One's case, her name's Lindsay
Davenport. Just as in the 2000 Wimbledon SF and that
incredible streak of three straight finals (two of which
ended with losses to the American) in late 2001, Tokyo
ended with Davenport winning her 18th of 19 career sets
versus Jelena.
But since she was playing in a diminished capacity
due to a groin injury (she only played to avoid a double
SF default for the tournament, as Chanda Rubin lost in a
walkover to Maggie Maleeva earlier in the day), the
medicine that Jelena took in that 1-6/0-6 loss at least
had reason to not taste as bitter as it might have
otherwise. Her SF participation pretty much amounted to
a victory lap at the end of a good week's work. (How's
that for a positive spin?)
No matter. Jelena has already accomplished more than
could have ever been expected at this point in the young
season. She's already quite a ways down the road to
recovery. Just look at that quote at the beginning of
this week's Corner -- the Fair One wasn't capable of
forming such a thought in 2003 (at least not until
October). She was shaky at times in Tokyo, but it's
more important that she was able to catch herself and
roar back. Such ebb-and-flow used to be a common trait
in a Jelena match, but not last year. Then, she
ebbed... and just kept on ebbing.
Combined with Zurich and Linz, there's now ample
evidence that 2003 was indeed the aberration it appeared
to be. Such early code-breaking on Jelena's part is a
welcome sign in this "year of the comeback."
And, guess what, "The Jelena Code" (no surprise) is
all about the Fair One making a friend of confidence.
Right now, they're arm-in-arm and walking in lock step.
Here's to keeping that particular buddy very close for,
oh, say about nine more months.
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1Q POINTS CHART
DEFEND......NEW
0......Wk1....0
0......Wk2....0
0......Wk3....0
77.....Wk4....0
57.....Wk5..149
1......Wk6.....
0......Wk7.....
1......Wk8.....
0......Wk9.....
1......Wk10....
0......Wk11....
118....Wk12....
1......Wk13....
===============
Defending...255
04 1Q Pts...149
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**TWO+ TIE-BREAKS IN A MATCH**
00 Montreal 1r - lost to Appelmans
01 Linz 2r - def. Majoli
02 Hamburg QF - def. Henin
02 San Diego SF - def. Kournikova
03 US Open 2r - lost to Pierce
04 TokyoTPP 2r - def. Husarova
PARIS, FRANCE
Open Gaz de France
Tier II
Greenset Indoor (hard)
#4 seed - 2r vs. Bovina/Q
*JELENA AS A #4 SEED*
Career..........15-10
Runner-Up...........2
Semifinal...........3
Quarterfinal........1
2nd Round...........3
1st Round...........1
==========================
So far, something good seems to be in the air for
Jelena (let's face it, she's overdue). With Mauresmo
and Serena pulling out of the Paris indoors, the Fair
One again has a managable draw.
She's the #4 seed, but doesn't find herself in the
same half of the draw as #1 seed Kim Clijsters. Her
first opponent will either be a qualifier or Elena
Bovina, who's already been dumped out in the 2nd Round
of both Sydney and the Australian in 2004. The 3rd
Round could bring Mary Pierce (who's yet to play a match
this year), Petra Mandula (remember, Jelena exorcised
Great Mandula's Ghost last October in Linz) or Nathalie
Dechy (okay, she can be tough and shouldn't be
underestimated playing in her own backyard).
The bottom half of the draw's top seed is Elena
Dementieva, who's currently riding a three-match losing
streak and who's found every way imaginable to lose to
Jelena since the Sydney Olympics. Only Daniela
Hantuchova has had any great success of late (other than
Jelena) in the bottom half... her big wins over Molik
and Sharapova in Tokyo were maybe even more surprising
than Jelena's SF. But the jury's still out on whether
she can put together back-to-back good results
Of course, the same might be said of Jelena. But
she's confident, playing well and will get a 1st Round
bye to rest that groin injury. If her health holds up,
this could be a very fun week.
================================
THIS WEEK ON TENNISRULZ BACKSPIN: "Girl Wonders"...
Jelena and Daniela rise in the Land of the Rising Sun
