Article by Todd Spiker

EURO-JELENA!

by Todd Spiker

A month from now, we'll all know the story.  By then, we'll know whether the show in question will have continued its rise to prominance, or grudgingly suffered a setback and was sent back for vast re-writes.

Initially, this eye-catching, off-Broadway production earned rave reviews just outside London in 1999.  But that early showcase was but a prelude to the award-winning extravaganza that was put on for the patrons last spring.  Then, the traveling presentation began it's month-long Euro-tour with a nice debut in Hamburg, culminating in a "Roman Holiday" like nothing that Audrey Hepburn ever dreamed of imagining.  In fact, it made the female lead a star in her own right.

Nearly a year later, the long-awaited return engagement of that smash 2001 showstopper is approaching on the calendar.  The sneak preview is still a week away, though, as the show's star is currently in rehearsals, fine-tuning her skills and resting up for what will prove to be a physically-draining run.  And she wants to be at her best, of that all her devotees can be assured.

Thus far, those who have managed to slip past security and catch a glimpse of the starlet in action have reported back with mixed reviews.  In fact, there have been worries for weeks that the European jaunt might not come off at all.  The leading lady has been beset by various physical problems that threatened to persist.  Nestled around her losing battles with her own body, though, she's managed to put on prize-worthy performances in Sarasota, Paris and (for a while) Amelia Island (before the two-shows-a-day schedule finally got the best of her).  The stops in between are better not mentioned, for they didn't exactly elicit the grandest of praise from the critics.

But the star's talents have still begun to round into shape as of late, just in time for what she hopes will be a Euro-romp.  After four months of stops and starts, the show's curtain will finally rise next week in Germany.  It promises to be quite a month, and one that everyone desires will include a succession of crowd-pleasing moments, chocked full of standing ovations and encores.

"Euro-Jelena!" is born.  Raise your glasses, grab a seat, stuff the balconies, fill the orchestra pit and push the standing-room-only limits.  If you can't make it in inside the hall, assemble a vigil outside the dressing room door in the hope of catching a fleeting smile from the star herself.  It could very well be a breathtaking sight.

"Euro-Jelena!"  It's coming!  Catch the fever.

*** *** *** ***

*CHARLESTON (Tier I) Points Breakdown*
1...1st Round bye
0...2r: Anna Smashnova (#35)
1...TOTAL
-1...2001 points off
0...17-best tournaments off
1...TOTAL FOR WEEK

**THE DRIVE FOR #5**
#3 Kim Clijsters...leads by 335
#4 Martina Hingis...leads by 289
#5 Serena Williams...leads by 277
#6 Monica Seles...leads by 274
#7 Lindsay Davenport...leads by 264
#8 Jutine Henin...leads by 47
#9 JELENA DOKIC...3086 points

*NOTES*
...As it turned out, the trip to Charleston was hardly worth it.   Heading into the week capable of closing on the #3-5 players in the world, Jelena failed to even make a dent.  She didn't even make the seemingly assured climb back to #8 over idle Waffle Henin.  Attribute it to the shocking straight-sets loss to Anna Smashnova (after having dominated her 24-2 in total games in their two previous matches), Dokic's first 2002 loss in a completed match to someone not named Kremer.  Maybe it was overconfidence (remember the "If I was going to win it was going to be me, and if I was going to lose it was going to be me" quote the last time she beat Smashnova?... Anna S. probably did).  Was it the lingering effects of the virus that ultimately put her out in Amelia Island?  Maybe, for she likely arrived in South Carolina in a weakened state.  Maybe it was Charleston itself.  Jelena is 0-2 there in her career.  Hey, maybe it was that she just wanted to avoid the rush and catch an early flight to Europe.  Or, here's a wild though, maybe it was Smashnova.  She has won two titles this season, after all.

....Jelena's ranking wasn't noticably hurt by Charleston since she wasn't defending many points (just 1), but her performance there does go down on an unfortunately-long list of missed opportunities in 2002.  First it was Oz, then the injury-riddled post-Paris schedule, and now this.  The draw opened wide for at least a Tier I SF and a chance to chase down a cache of free points that would protect against a less-than-successful European tour leading up to her title defense in Rome.  How open was the draw?  Consider that two UNSEEDED players made the final (a Tier I first) and #58 Iva Majoli became the lowest-ranked woman to ever win a Tier I title.  Now, Jelena heads to her Very Important Month (VIM) without a protective cover.  To healthily maintain her Top 10 ranking heading into Roland Garros (despite what is currently an 834-point lead over #10 Mauresmo, and a 901 edge over #11 Testud), she'll have to once again thrive under intense pressure.  Let's hope her 2-4 record in Tier I's this year -- not to mention the walkover in the Paris final and retirement in the A.I. SF -- is just a big-match anomaly that will be forgotten come Autumn.

...Luckily for Jelena, her fellow Top 10ers obliged by not racing too far ahead in Charleston.  High seeds fell like dominoes as Seles and Serena failed to significantly lengthen their leads.  In fact, as Davenport is now potentially one great tournament result from being overtaken, the closeness in point totals of the highest-ranked women makes it possible to climb as high as #3 before Roland Garros if she can reproduce (or better) her 2001 Euro-Spring results.  At the moment, she's just 335 points from 3rd-ranked Waffle Clijsters.  This is the precise moment Jelena's season kicked into gear last year, so it's easy to disregard the Charleston debacle.  Europe is on the table now and there's no time to waste, and surely not a spare moment to fritter away on regrets.  The VIM is here.


**MAINTAINING A DOUBLES TOP 10**
#8 A.Sanchez Vicario...leads by 146
#9 Nathalie Tauziat...leads by 82
#10 JELENA DOKIC...1782 points
#11 Daniela Hantuchova...trails by 21
#12 Martina Hingis...trails by 41
#13 Anna Kournikova...trails by 187


*2002 TIER I RECORDS*
1999...1-1
2000...9-7
2001...20-5
2002...2-4


*JELENA IN CHARLESTON*
2001...1r...lost to Majoli 3-6,6-0,2-6
2002...2r...lost to Smashnova 1-6,3-6


*JELENA vs. ANNA SMASHNOVA*
2000 US Open...1r...won 6-1,6-0
2002 Sarasota...2r...won 6-1,6-0
2002 Charleston...2r...lost 1-6,3-6


*2002 LOW-RANKED LOSSES*
#42...Patty Schnyder (Feb, Antwerp-ret.)
#35...Anna Smashnova (Apr., Charleston)
#34...Anne Kremer (March, Indian Wells)
#32...Anne Kremer (January, Tokyo TPP)
#30...Anne Kremer (March, Miami)


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WTA REPORT - April 22, 2002

*SINGLES TOP 20*
1.Venus Williams...4669
2.Jennifer Capriati...4553
3.Kim Clijsters...3421
4.Martina Hingis...3375
5.Serena Williams...3363
6.Monica Seles...3360
7.Lindsay Davenport...3350
8.Justine Henin...3133
9.JELENA DOKIC...3086
10.Amelie Mauresmo...2252
11.Sandrine Testud...2185
12.Meghannn Shaughnessy...1729
13.Silvia Farina Elia...1713
14.Daniela Hantuchova...1445
15.Elena Dementieva...1437
16.Nathalie Tauziat...1412
17.Patty Schnyder...1331
18.Arantxa Sanchez Vicario...1328
19.Iroda Tulyaganova...1206
20.Amanda Coetzer...1192


*WEEK 16*

CHARLESTON (Tier I - Green Clay)
S: Iva Majoli def. Patty Schnyder
D: Raymond/Stubbs d. Fusai/Vis

BUDAPEST (Tier V - Red Clay)
S: Martina Muller def. Myriam Casanova
D: Barclay/Loit d. Bovina/Gubacsi


PLAYER AWARDS

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Iva Majoli
...in winning her first singles title since 1997, she became the lowest ranked (#58) and first unseeded woman to capture a Tier I crown.

RISER: Patty Schnyder
...she lost to Majoli in her first career Tier I final, but her path there was over the likes of Amelie Mauresmo, Mary Pierce, Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati.  And now she's a Top 20 player (#17) again.

SURPRISE: Stephanie Foretz
...her results have been improving all year, but who expected the #109 player to knock off Monica Seles?

VETERAN: Iva Majoli
...at 24 and with a lot of lost time the last four years, she's not much of a veteran.  But her career has gone through so many phases she more than qualifies.

NEW FACES: Martina Muller & Myriam Casanova
...Budapest was 19-year old Muller's first WTA title, while it was 16-year old Swiss Casanova's first-ever WTA tournament.  She was given a wild card into the qualifying rounds, then rode that and her #348 ranking to a surprise RU.

DOWNER: Anna Kournikova
...after her 1r loss to Conchita Martinez, she's now dropped four consecutive 1r matches in straight sets.  She's 13-13 for 2002, and looking like she might not have the will to make a comeback.  This is the last time Anna K. will be up for this award until she does something to make anyone believe her week WON'T be a downer.


*MATCHES*
1.Charleston Final - Majoli d. Schnyder
...Schnyder finally ran out of gas in the first Tier I final with two unseeded women.

2.Patty Schnyder's Path to the Final
...2r: def. Mauresmo, 3r: def. Pierce, QF: def. S.Williams, SF: def. Capriati.
It will be hard for even a grand slam winner to string together a similar run of quality wins in 2002.

3.Charleston 2r - Foretz d. Seles
...finally, Monica doesn't reach a SF.

4.Budapest Final - Muller d. Casanova
...Casanova had a chance to become the seventh player to win in her WTA debut.

5.Charleston 1r - C.Martinez d. Kournikova
...on Conchita's 30th birthday, Anna K. fell to 13-13 for the season.

6.Charleston 2r - Smashnova d. Dokic
...Dokic led 24-2 in total games before this, but Smashnova won 12-4 on this day.

7.Charleston 2r - Pierce d. Hantuchova
...Pierce's best win in quite a while means she might finally be over her bad injury luck.

8.Charleston 2r - Myskina d. ASV
...it's not as big it used to be to knock off Arantxa, but Myskina nearly beat Capriati a few weeks ago.  It was no fluke.


*WEEK 17*
April 27-28
Fed Cup 1st Round


**WTA LISTS**

*LOWEST-RANKED TIER I WINNER (since '81)*
#58...Iva Majoli (2002 Charleston)
#26...Daniela Hantuchova (2002 I.Wells)
#23...Jelena Dokic (2001 Rome)

*2002 TEENAGE CHAMPIONS*
18y,47w...Daniela Hantuchova (I.Wells)
18y,51w...Jelena Dokic (Sarasota)
19y,6m...Martina Muller (Budapest)

*WTA TIER I WINNERS - 2002*
February - Tokyo...Martina Hingis
March - Indian Wells...Daniela Hantuchova
April - Miami...Serena Williams
April - Charleston...Iva Majoli

*** *** *** *** ***

*2002 TDS RANKING LEADERS*
1.Venus Williams...105
2.Martina Hingis...101
3.Jennifer Capriati...95
4.Monica Seles...85
5.Serena Williams...55
6.Justine Henin...42.5
7.Daniela Hantuchova...41
8.Amelie Mauresmo...40
9.Anna Smashnova...40
10.JELENA DOKIC...38.5

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NEXT WEEK: WTA April Awards