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Article
by Todd Spiker
WTA
April Awards
April's ready to flee the
jurisdiction, and my thoughts just have to skip town alongwith it.
FACT: Anna Kournikova has lost 5 straight WTA matches,
including 4 consecutive 1st- Rounders in straight sets. Even
while having advanced to 3 early-season SF's, she's only
13-13 for 2002.
OPINION: No grand slam winner this year will have as
impressive a string of high- quality wins as Patty Schnyder
put together in Charleston, where she knocked off Amelie
Mauresmo, Mary Pierce, Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati
in succession. Oddly enough, she STILL didn't win the title.
...Hey, didn't you used to be Arantxa Sanchez Vicario?
THE DREAM: Jelena Dokic is ranked #5 or better when Roland
Garros begins on May 27.
THE REALITY: With so many points to defend in Europe before
RG, she'll be fortunate to be as high as #7 and more than
likely will still be at #9. But, with only 3r points to
defend in Paris, and with the Waffles facing big defenses at
the same time (Kim Clijsters a RU, Justine Henin a SF) that
could knock them to the bottom rungs of the Top 10 ladder, a
good fortnight might result in Dokic attaining at least a #5
rank AFTER Roland Garros.
...I wonder if 16-year old Dinara Safina has the same
hair-trigger, on-court temper as her big brother, and how
long it will be before we find out?
A RUSSIAN WHO HASN'T: Kournikova is struggling, and she's
either wising up or about to crack under the pressure. It's
a fine line, but it might take only a month to find out the
truth. In a tailspin since losing an Acapulco SF in March,
she hasn't won a match in over a month and recently
attributed her 5-match losing streak to the fact that she
hasn't gotten enough matches under her belt to get her game
in order following 2001's broken foot. Not surprising,
considering losses tend to happen when you're low-ranked and
get handed horrendous 1r draws in nearly every event
(something she's become expert at of late). So, in a
decision four months overdue, she's seemingly finally
dedicated herself to rebuilding her former-Top 10 ranking
(now #68) from the ground up by toiling at the
less-prestigious stops on the WTA circuit in order to get
match tough and boost her confidence. Rather than the Tier
II in Hamburg, she'll be in the Tier III in Bol; and instead
of making a cameo in the Berlin Tier I, she'll ply her trade
in the Warsaw Tier III. I said in January that we'd find out
what Anna K. was made of this year. It's April, and we still
don't know for sure. As the next month will be a very
important one for Jelena, so will it be for Kournikova...but
for very different reasons. If Dokic stumbles, her desire
won't fade and she'll fight ever harder to regain her
composure. I wonder if the same will be even remotely
possible if Kournikova should suffer the same fate in May? I
wonder.
A RUSSIAN WHO MIGHT: Fans of the Russian ladies of the court
(you know who you are...Pierre) might not have to wait so
long to find out about 20-year old Muscovite Anastasia
Myskina. Her steady progress continued over the past month.
After nearly defeating Jennifer Capriati in Miami last
month, she claimed wins over Mary Pierce and Sanchez Vicario
in April and is now at a career high of #29. Just watch, the
lesser- known Myskina will probably end up grabbing her
second WTA title (to go along with her '99 Palermo crown)
before Anna K. scores her career first.
QUOTE...Jelena, after defeating Anna Smashnova 6-1,6-0 in
the 2r of Sarasota:
"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." Dokic won 12 of the
last 13 games, and 17 of the final 22 points, to run her
career games lead over Smashnova to 24-2. In Charleston a
few weeks later, Smashnova won 6-1,6-3. I guess it was going
to be Anna S. that time... or at least she made up her mind
that it wouldn't be Jelena or not Jelena for a third time.
FACT: In the 1r in Amelia Island, Anne Kremer defeated
Jennifer Hopkins on an incorrectly lined court (the service
lines were drawn 1.5 feet short). The error resulted in 29
DFs, but neither player complained and no one noticed
anything was wrong until after the match. Still, the WTA let
the result stand. Kremer followed up the win with an upset
over Amelie Mauresmo, the earliest exit of a defending champ
in the event's 23-year history, and advanced to the SF.
OPINION: Jennifer Capriati will not repeat her Roland Garros
title. Instead, there will be a first-time slam winner as
either Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, Jelena Dokic or Daniela
Hantuchova will defeat Martina Hingis in the Paris final.
...It's been said that "men don't make passes at girls who
wear glasses." I wonder if Stephanie Foretz found that to be
as true after, while ranked #109, she defeated Monica Seles
in Charleston?
TRUTH: Jelena Dokic is currently the only woman in the Top
10 in both singles and doubles.
REALITY: The honor won't last for long, as she'll either
fall out of the doubles Top 10 or be joined in the elite
group by Hingis, as well as possibly Hantuchova by season's
end.
...If she's smart, Sanchez Vicario will latch onto doubles
partner (and maybe- destined-to-be-the-best doubles player
in the world) Hantuchova and hold onto her coat tails for
dear life, considering she can make a Spanish armada-load of
money for most of the next half-dozen years by doing so, not
to mention push her career grand slam title total (currently
16) to well over 20.
FACT: Venus and Serena Williams are being sued for backing
out of a "Battle of the Sexes" match against John & Patrick
McEnroe. With these two families involved, was there any
other possible conclusion that wouldn't have included
controversy and/or a lawsuit?
OPINION: Pringles are great with ketchup.
QUESTION: Is it "ketchup," or "catsup?" And does it matter,
anyway?
QUOTE...Dokic's words after an early-round match in
Sarasota: "I think (this tournament) will make the
difference for the rest of the year." She went on to take
both the singles and doubles titles, a career-first sweep.
...Now that I think about it, I wonder in Hantuchova will be
recovered from her Indian Wells victory hangover (she's 2-4
since) to give Roland Garros a decent run at all?
OPINION: Without Pam Shriver's too-similar style to step on
her lines, Mary Joe Fernandez used ESPN's coverage (and the
assistance of actual pro TV guy Cliff Drysdale) of Amelia
Island to show that she CAN be a legit tennis commentator,
and one with opinions that go beyond her prepared notes.
FACT: Even MJF's somewhat unprofessional rooting for Justine
Henin to defeat Jelena Dokic in an upcoming SF match in A.I.
didn't prevent the final against Venus Williams from
becoming another Novotnian collapse (after a 6-2,4-0 lead)
for the Waffle once the matchup become a reality. Oh, well.
FOUR-MONTH RISERS: Schnyder has already jumped 20 spots to
#17, Hantuchova is up 24 to #14, Myskina has jumped 30 to
#29, Tatiana Panova has risen 18 to #22, and Anne Kremer is
up 10 to #23.
FOUR-MONTH FALL: 2001 #1 Lindsay Davenport, out all year
following knee surgery, has slipped to #7.
...Jelena Dokic has already played four matches that didn't
end with a converted match point: 1 walkover loss, 2
retirement losses and 1 retirement win.
PREDICTION: #3 Kim Clijsters, still hampered by the arm
fracture from Oz, will finish the year ranked below #8 and
fellow Waffle Justine Henin. Both have slam RU points
(Clijsters at RG, Henin at Wimbledon) to defend by the end
of the summer.
...Surely, that wasn't me back in January who picked Lina
Krasnoroutskaya to finish the year #10, not to mention
Kournikova #13. Maybe it was something I ate (though I did
pick rising comebacker Majoli #21). Come to think of it,
that was about the time I sampled that "homemade" wine that
"johnmalkovich" was so insistent that I try. Hmmm, maybe
this is part of his ultimate plan.
FACT: Yes, retired Nathalie Tauziat WILL drop off the WTA
computer rankings some day.
OPINION: Sergio Garcia will win his first golf major before
girlfriend Martina Hingis claims her sixth grand slam
singles title.
DREAM: Lindsay Davenport stays out of action past Wimbledon
for Jelena's peace of mind. What's Tonya Harding's
ex-husband doing these days?
REALITY: Davenport will return in time for RG, play a
Wimbledon warmup, and probably get the chance to end
Jelena's Wimbledon for the third straight year... only this
time Dokic will be seeded ahead of her.
...If not for Henin's big-match crumbles and Anna K.'s 2002
struggles, would Elena Dementieva get more bad press for a
still title-less career that is beginning to look like it
might be one of the more disappointing in quite some time?
REALLY BAD NEWS: The Top 10 has been gutted by injuries
already, as Davenport hasn't played at all, Mauresmo skipped
seven weeks, Clijsters' schedule has been limited since
January, Serena Williams backed out of Oz entirely, and
Dokic has battled various pulls, tears and viruses all
season. And this is after Hingis, Seles and former-Top 10er
Kournikova missed large chunks of time in 2001.
EVEN GREATER GOOD NEWS: Cancer survivor Corina Morariu is
planning to return to the court this summer.
...Ms.Kremer, there's a man referring to himself as "the
devil" on the phone for you. He mentioned something about a
deal you signed and that it might be running out soon unless
you double your protection payments? He needs an immediate
answer.
FACT: Dokic's Euro-Tour will determine her seeding for RG
and Wimbledon, where she'll try to continue her game of
"catch-up" after skipping Oz and going 2-4 in Tier I's so
far in 2002.
OPINION: Dokic will win a title in her pre-RG Euro-jaunt,
but she won't repeat in Rome (or even make the final).
QUOTE: Richard Williams, on his daughter, "I think Serena
puts too much emphasis on her game. And if she keeps that
up, she can turn out to be one of the dumbest athletes in
the world." And people are upset when Damir Dokic lights a
cigar when HIS daughter ties a match 5-5 in the 2nd set en
route to a straight sets win in Sarasota?
...And finally. Iva, nice to see you again. I won't ask
where you've been since my time is limited. But it's a more
interesting Tour when you're around. Welcome back.
And goodbye for now.
*** *** *** *** *** *** ***
WTA APRIL AWARD WINNERS
*PLAYERS OF THE MONTH*
1.Venus Williams...won on clay, is #1 again, her father said
she should retire (again) and she's being sued. All in all,
a pretty well-rounded month.
2.Magui Serna...back-to-back finals appearances, and a 1-1
mark.
3.Jelena Dokic...swept the singles/doubles in Sarasota, the
made a SF the next week.
4.Iva Majoli...unseeded and ranked #58, without a title
since 1997, she surprised everyone again with a Tier I
chamionship in Charleston. Hopefully, she won't have to wait
five years for her next big win.
5.Patty Schnyder...her run in Charleston, title or not,
finally put the former-Top 10er back in the Top 20.
*TOP MATCHES*
1.Amelia Island Final - Venus d. Henin
...Henin led 6-2,4-0 and had served for the match on two
occasions by the time she'd blown an additional 5-3 lead in
the 3rd.
2.Charleston Final - Majoli d. Schnyder
...a Tier I final between two unseeded players, a WTA first.
Majoli, at #58, became the lowest-ranked Tier I winner ever.
3.Schnyder's run in Charleston
...consecutive wins over 3 Top 10ers as well as another over
a two-time slam champion. Then she lost the final to a
one-time RG titleist.
4.Sarasota Final - Dokic d. Panova
...end game of the tournament that may have rescued Dokic's
injury-plagued season.
5t.Charleston 3r - Foretz d. Seles
...#109 defeats #6, probably the biggest upset of 2002 so
far.
5t.Fed Cup 1r - Schwartz d. Seles
...after losing to Foretz, Seles following up by losing to
#75 Barbara Schwartz in a loss that essentially sealed the
fate of US in its first Fed Cup loss to Austria in 8 ties.
HM-.Amelia Island 1r - Kremer d. Hopkins
...29 DFs on a improperly-line court. Kremer's luck of the
draw continues.
*APRIL WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS*
-PLAYER OF THE WEEK-
WEEK 14...Jelena Dokic
WEEK 15...Venus Williams
WEEK 16...Iva Majoli
WEEK 17...Barbara Schwartz
*MULTI-WEEKLY WIN LEADERS*
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Venus Williams (5)
RISER: Daniela Hantuchova (3)
SURPRISE: Anna Smashnova (2)
VETERAN: Monica Seles (5)
NEW FACE: Su-Wei Hsieh (2)
DOWNER: ASV(3) & Mary Pierce (3)
*MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS*
-RISER-
JANUARY: Daniela Hantuchova
FEBRUARY: Alexandra Stevenson
MARCH: Daniela Hantuchova
1st Quarter: Daniela Hantuchova
APRIL: Patty Schndyer
-SURPRISE-
JANUARY: Anna Smashnova
FEBRUARY: Janette Husarova
MARCH: Katarian Srebotnik
1st Quarter: Anna Smashnova
APRIL: Stephanie Foretz
-VETERAN-
JANUARY: Monica Seles
FEBRUARY: Monica Seles
MARCH: Lisa Raymond & Rennae Stubbs
1st Quarter: Monica Seles
APRIL: Iva Majoli
-NEW FACE-
JANUARY: Martina Sucha
FEBRUARY: Fabiola Zuluaga
MARCH: Emmanuelle Gagliardi
1st Quarter: Martina Sucha
APRIL: Dinara Safina
-DOWNER-
JANUARY: Mary Pierce
FEBRUARY: Jelena Dokic
MARCH: Justine Henin
1st Quarter: Jelena Dokic
APRIL: Anna Kournikova
*2002 SANEX DOUBLES TEAM RACE*
(TOP 8 GO TO L.A.)
1.Raymond/Stubbs...2131
2.Hantuchova/Sanchez Vicario...1088
3.Hingis/Kournikova...1065
4.Ruano-Pascual/Suarez...987
5.Dementieva/Husarova...645
6.Lee/Prakusya...600
7t.Arendt/Horn-Huber...484
7t.Dechy/Tu...484
(#36.Dokic/Tulyaganova...136)
(#42.Dokic/Likhovtseva...120)
** ** ** **
WEEK 17
FED CUP 1st Round
Austria def. USA 3-0
Croatia def. Czech Republic 3-2
Spain def. Hungary 4-1
Germany def. Russia 3-2
Slovak Republic def. Switzerland 3-2
France def. Argentina 3-1
Italy def. Sweden 5-0
Belgium def. Australia 3-1
PLAYER AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Barbara Schwartz
...she went 2-0, knocking off Seles and Shaughnessy, is
Austria's 3-0 win over US
RISER: Adriana & Antonella Serra-Zanetti
...the sisters put all of Italian Fed Cup tennis on their
shoulders, and they went 4-0 in singles (with Adriana also
on the winning doubles duo) vs. Sweden
SURPRISE: Jelena Kostanic
...when Iva Majoli stumbled to 0-2, it was Kostanic's 2-0
mark that led Croatia over Czech Republic 3-2
VETERAN: Barbara Rittner
...she went 2-0 in Germany's 3-2 win over Russia. By the
way, ASV went 2-0 in Spain 4-1 defeat of Hungary
NEW FACE: Iveta Benesova
...her upset of Majoli set the bad weekend tone for the
Charleston champ
DOWNER: Mary Pierce
...Pierce's injury woes cropped up again as she was forced
off France's Fed Cup team for the 1st Round. At least her
absence was more legitimate than that of Capriati, who was
kicked off the US team by captain Billie Jean King for
scheduling a private practice rather than keeping strictly
to BJK's "team" strategy
*MATCHES*
1.Austria/USA - Schwartz d. Seles
...#6 Seles has now lost consecutive matches to the #109 and
#75-ranked players
2.Austria/USA - Schwartz d. Shaughnessy
...replacing the booted Capriati, Shaughnessy's loss gave
Austria its first Fed Cup win over the US
3.Austria/USA - Evelyn Fauth d. Capriati
...Billie Jean King's forfeit of the Capriati match created
a hole from which the rest of her team couldn't climb out
4.Switz./Slovak Rep. - Schnyder d. Hantuchova
...after an opening loss to Husarova, Charleston heroine
Schnyder returned to form by knocking Hantuchova's
post-Indian Wells title record to 2-4
5.Croatia/Czech Rep. - Benesova d. Majoli
...is Majoli going to suffer another title hangover?
WEEK 18
PREDICTIONS
HAMBURG, Germany (TIER II - RED CLAY)
SF
Venus def. Hingis
Schnyder def. Dokic
...even on red clay, Venus can intimidate Hingis. Schnyder
is on a real hot streak right now (she's beaten three
straight Top 10ers, and could face three more in Hamburg)
FINAL
Venus def. Schnyder
...close
BOL, Croatia (TIER III - RED CLAY)
SF
Garbin def. Bovina
Montolio def. Srebotnik
...notice how Dementieva, Kournikova and Majoli are
conspicuously absent?
FINAL
Montolio def. Garbin
...she defends her 2001 crown
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