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Article sent by Gerhard Grundhammer
Family Circle Cup,Charleston.I'm sure you're used to this tone by now, but following another dismal performance in the Bausch & Lomb Championships, Jelena heads to Charleston in search of some greatly needed confidence, or perhaps some divine intervention. She will play in the Family Circle Cup, which is a Tier I event with $1,300,000 of prize money available. Like last week's event, it is played outdoors on the green clay, and once again includes the ridiculously over-aged Martina Navratilova. The tournament partner is The Family Circle, whilst other sponsors include State Farm insurance and many other companies which will most likely be of absolutely no interest to you. The Family Circle Tennis Center, however, is a beautiful site with first class facilities. The players wll no doubt look forward to the event and enjoy their time here, unlike those players participating in Birmingham's Tier II event which enjoys a lovely bucket full of rain. Without further adue, I move on to the next segment of the preview. Jelena and Charleston.Firstly I should note that this week's article is somewhat late, and Jelena has already scored a fine win over Russia's diminutive Tatiana Panovain the first round. The final scoreline was 6-0 5-7 7-5. A late birthday present that Jelena will certainly have cherished. Coming through a tough three setter could be the kick start Jelena needs to regain her mental strength after this year's major disappointments, but I shalln't 'jinx' things as the party spoiling Hungarian Demon lurks sinisterly around the corner. What is certain though is the disappointment of last week's performance. Following that respectable, if not somewhat flattering, performance in Miami a few weeks ago, things seemed to be resembling something close to optimism. A QF appearance in Florida would have been steady progress and not too much to ask. Unfortunately, another goal was left far from accomplished. Jelena fell at the first hurdle to the Ame rican veteran Amy Frazier. Jelena dominated most of the match, but failed to play the important points, and was thus left to pack her bags and cancel the hotel. This week will be a very tough task for Jelena if she's to make up ground as she reached the QF of this event last year, before losing to Serena Williams in straight sets. However, Jelena has already scored one big win, and many are hoping she can maintain that form throughout the week. The Draw.
I should note that the number one seed Justine Henin-Hardenne has pulled out of the event, which could be very beneficial if Jelena can somehow find away past Mandula and then Capriati. Jelena is located in the top half of the draw and is the number 12 seed. She will most likely play against Mandula on Thursday, and as we all know, Mandula can be something of a thorn in the side. Ever since that shocking upset in the French Open, the faces of Jelena fans tend to turn somewhat sour when thinking of the Hungarian. For the short term fans, you may cast your memories back to Dubai, and the last day of February. Mandula eased through 6-1 6-2. Following that victory, Petra lost two straight matches before gaining back to back victories at Amelia Island, where she then went on to lose to Nadia Petrova. In the first round here, she defeated the injury prone Ashley Harkleroad in two simple sets. Jelena has a battle on her hands and for a spineless Welshman like myself, it is impossible to predict. I care not to dwell on how this match could go. All I shall say is that if Jelena plays well, she'll win, but if she plays poorly, particularly on the big points, she will suffer more disappointment. ------------------------------------------------ Prediction.1st round - Jelena def. Panova in three (already played). 2nd round - Jelena def. Mandula in three. 3rd round - Capriati def. Jelena in two. ------------------------------------------------ As a final note, I would like to personally wish Jelena a very happy birthday, as she turned 21 on Monday |
