Article by Todd Spiker - read in Serbian

*JELENA CORNER*

by Todd Spiker


--WELCOME TO NEW YORK--

   Another August.  Another grand slam.  And when you limit yourself to only three a year -- as is the case with Jelena -- you have to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves.  The 2002 Open is one of them.
   Entering Flushing Meadows at a career-best #4 in the world, sporting her highest career grand slam seed of #5, and coming off a North American hardcourt season where she put together one of her best string of results (1 RU, 2 SF and a QF... with two wins over Top 10 players) as a professional this tournament would seem to offer Jelena the chance to stake a claim to being the best women's tennis player who doesn't call Richard Williams dad.
   Well, it could if her body allows her to take full advantage of this opportunity, that is.

--TO PLAY OR NOT TO PLAY--

   Ah, there's the rub... there always seems to be one when it comes to Jelena in 2002.
   After finally seeming to be past her injury woes, they crawled out of the woodwork again in Montreal.  Her hamstring led to a retirement in the SF match with Jennifer Capriati, then forced her to withdraw from New Haven (one of the best decisions she's ever made, to be sure).  The past week has been rife with rumors about her condition, and there have been reports that she may not be fully recovered in time for her 1r match with Greta Arn.  But Jelena's never backed out of a slam because of injury, and has rarely failed to at least give it a go at the one of the many other stops on her schedule.  Did anyone really think it would happen here?  Not likely.
   But the situation does bring about an interesting question:  What with all the points she'll have to defend starting two weeks from now, would it be a crazy decision to consider skipping the Open?  Voluntarily saying "no" to a second 2002 slam seems almost ludicrous, of course, but when she MUST be healthy to defend five 2001 finals appearances in the seven weeks between Flushing Meadows and the Sanex Championships it certainly warrants at least a little debating session inside Jelena's mind.  With a good, but not necessarily great, close to this season she should be able to hold onto her Top 5 ranking for the year... allowing her to exceed her own goals of simply remaining in the Top 10 after finishing 2001 at #8.  Her schedule might allow her to rest in Weeks 39 & 41, before and after her defense of her Tier I Moscow title, but her chances or rewarding herself with those rest stops dwindle if she's not able to put forth her best effort in the weeks that would surround them.
   If the severity of her injury is a borderline case, capable of being played with but possibly susceptible to further injury if she puts too much strain on her body in NYC, it would take a big swallow and a major break from her long-established pattern of behavior to not play the Open.  And, of course, we all know what her decision will ultimately be.
   Let's just hope this doesn't become an issue again over the next fourteen days.

 

#3 Capriati...leads by 593  (402)
#4 JELENA...3338  (146)
#5 Seles...trails by 197 (100)
#6 Henin...trails by 352 (108)
#7 Clijsters...trails by 468 (262)

(xxx)-defending '01 US Open points


 

   Everything depends on Jelena's health.  Even as the #5 seed, she didn't get a very forgiving draw.
   One look at #4 Davenport's draw and you can see the vast difference between the seed Jelena's ranking should have earned and the one she ended up getting.  LD should coast to the QF, with the hardly-terrifying Silvia Farina Elia being her "toughest" potential opponent; while Jelena's troubles could start in the 2r.  There, she could face RG SF Clarisa Fernandez, who just defeated Anastasia Myskina on hardcourt in Montreal, or Elena Bovina, whose tough serve could pose a problem for Jelena.  If she gets past that, she could see a rematch of her San Diego SF against Anna Kournikova (would that be THE perfect night session match on Ashe Stadium Court, or what?).  In the Round of 16, Francesca Schiavone or Elena Dementieva could be in the mix.  If she's healthy, Jelena should still be able to get through those matches and advance to a potential QF match with Davenport, but this draw surely isn't kind to a player whose physical condition begs for one that won't produce a series of energy-sapping 3-set matches.  I'm afraid, though, that's exactly what Jelena's going to face.
   Jelena made the Round of 16 at Flushing Meadows in 2001, so she'll want to make that QF to be able to chalk up all three of her slam appearances this season as successes (she improved her best-ever Roland Garros result by two rounds, then repeated her '01 Round of 16 at Wimbledon earlier this year).  Davenport would be a virtual certainty to be awaiting her there, though, and if Jelena is lucky LD will be tired after a RU in New Haven and a slam grind just a week later, thereby opening the door for Jelena to slip through to her first slam SF since the 2000 Wimbledon.
   Make no mistake, that could very well happen, though the best I can predict would be for Jelena's run to end in the QF.  It'd be a solid result that would still leave room for more improvement in 2003.  But she'll have to work to get that far, and I just hope the treacherous look of her path to the Open's second week doesn't wreak havoc with the 4th quarter of her season.
   I have to admit, I've got something of a bad feeling about this Open... and visions of Petra Mandula are dancing in my head.  I hope it's just a bad dream, and not a sign of an impending nightmare for Jelena.


**JELENA AT THE U.S. OPEN**
1997 Girls... 1r (Maja Matevzic)
1998 Girls... Champion (def. Srebotnik)
1999 1r (Arantxa Sanchez vicario)
2000 4r (Serena Williams)
2001 4r (Martina Hingis)


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**LAST 5 WOMEN'S FINALS**
1997 Martina Hingis d. Venus Williams
1998 Lindsay Davenport d. Martina Hingis
1999 Serena Williams d. Martina Hingis
2000 Venus Williams d. Lindsay Davenport
2001 Venus Williams d. Serena Williams

 

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Okay.  I know everyone's just holding their collective breath for a prediction on who will win this year's U.S. Open (yeah, right), but just keep your pants on.  Or your underwear, at least, if your pants are well past being a long lost proposition.

You probably already know the players I suspect will be standing at the end of this preview, but I'll try to make sure the journey there at least borders on being somewhat interesting, all right?  If nothing else, this little column might be a slight diversion.

So, away we go...


 

...Unless Serena Williams gets lost on her way to the court between Rounds 1 & 2, Marat's little sis will have to wait a few years to make a name for herself at the site of her crazy/sometimes brilliant big brother's grandest moment.

 

...She defeated Anastasia Myskina in Montreal, so she's capable of pulling an upset away from the dirt.  She won't repeat her "who-the-hell-is-she?" RG SF appearance, but if she survives her 1r match with Elena Bovina she might bear watching against a possibly ailing Jelena Dokic in the 2r.

 

...The Russian teen's gutsy style is very reminiscent of Kim Clijsters, but she probably won't survive long enough to face the Wafffle in what would be a memorably gritty 3r.

 

...As with Fernandez (Bovina's 1r opponent), hoping that Dokic is injured or off her game is one thing.  Taking advantage of it is another, especially if you're from Russia.  Dokic is 18-1 versus Russian women going back to 2000.
Her hard serve could give her trouble, though.

 

...With no hardcourt results to hang her hat on this summer, she'll be lucky to even make it to a possible 3r match against Seles (and could go out to Paola Suarez in the 1r).

 

...All her promise never seems to become a reality in the slams.  Plus, she could see Serena in 3r.  Get those plane tickets ready to go.

 

...With two good hardcourt tournaments under her belt, she could get the crowd with her in a possible 3r match with Hantuchova (well, at least a decent-sized portion of the crowd).

 

...She might upset Dementieva in the 2r, and could make the Round of 16 if Dokic's leg injury (or Kournikova's less-than-stellar recent slam history) flairs up again.  Speaking of...

 

...Don't laugh, but she's got a real shot at a breakthrough here that would silence the critics who love to snicker at her tennis results.  Harold Solomon's work reaped rewards on this summer's hardcourts.  A 3r rematch of her San Diego thriller against Dokic could be the Open's most glamorous night session match in years (an maybe ever).


 

...Come on, now.  Don't even think about it.  She's been sleepwalking since February.

 

...She pushed Clijsters at RG, but she might beat her in the 3r this time.  A dark horse QF pick.

 

...She upset Seles at the Open in 2001, but she's been looking for consistency ever since.

 

...She's already defeated Capriati and Hantuchova this hardcourt season.  She might get another shot at Jen in the Round of 16, too.

 

...Russia's best hope. The last time she entered a grand slam playing great tennis she had a disappointing Wimbledon in June.  For some reason, I don't see a repeat of that in New York.  Look for her to face Serena in the Round of 16.

 

...Is there an Act II to her career week in L.A.? Venus will be an unstoppable force by the time they meet in the Round of 16.

 

...Maybe the Open will bring out the best in her for the first time in ages.  Nah.  Just kidding.

 

...She raises her game for Tier I's and Slams, but it's been hit-and-miss everywhere else.  Here's another big stage opportunity.  A QF vs. Serena looms.

 

...Great Wimbledon, won Montreal, showed moxy and ingenuity in New Haven.  But that abductor strain puts a bug in the ear that a slight step back might be coming.  If her mind AND body are willing, though, she could be the biggest non-Williams story over the next two weeks.

 

...Is she ready to make a little noise?  That 0-6 3rd set against Myskina in New Haven certainly raises new doubts.


 

DREAM: That was really an Henin impostor out there this hardcourt season.
REALITY: Bad finger, bad results, bad slams.  She first made her big time mark by upsetting Kournikova here a few years ago, but the "new Anna" Hantuchova will pose a far more difficult task in the Round of 16.

 

DREAM: A Love Match set of titles for LL+KC (go ahead, gag yourself now).
REALITY: Bad shoulder, bad results, bad slams.  Someone left the Waffles on the grill for too long, I guess.  KC has a better shot at re-climbing the mountain in NY than Henin does, but it's hard to see her living up to her seed.

 

DREAM: A final slam title, and a retirement announcement.
REALITY: The title's not coming, but the annoucement might be just around the corner.  Don't be surprised if Monica doesn't make it to Week 2.

 

DREAM: Her leg is fine, her great hardcourt form is intact... uh, and Davenport stumbles (or tires out) before she has to meet her in the QF.
REALITY: Dokic is still looking for her first win over a Top 10er at a slam since the '99 Wimbledon.  If she ever gets one, she becomes an immediate threat to reach a final...but it won't happen at this U.S. Open.

 

DREAM: Her rust is gone and her body's ready to gut out a full, two-week slam schedule.
REALITY: If it is, she's probably a SF lock.  Her draw is insanely easy, and her toughest potential QF opponent (Dokic) is psyched out by the sight of her on the other side of the net.

 

DREAM: The comeback dream isn't about to come to a schreeching halt.
REALITY: She can still beat anybody not named Williams.  Problem is, to win the title she'll have to beat at least one... and probably both.  Not gonna happen.

 

DREAM: The Summer of Venus & Serena continues with the 3rd straight slam final that doubles as a Williams Family Invitational (and the 4th in the last 5).
REALITY:  See above.  Only this time, big sister gets even for SW19 (Venus didn't really care about RG).


*PREDICTIONS*
--Round of 16--
Serena def. Myskina
Hantuchova def. Henin
Davenport def. Kuznetsova
DOKIC def. Schiavone
Mauresmo def. Daniilidou
Capriati def. Sugiyama
Hingis def. Suarez
Venus def. Rubin
--QF--
Serena def. Hantuchova
Davenport def. DOKIC
Capriati def. Mauresmo
Venus def. Hingis
--SF--
Serena def. Davenport
Venus def. Capriati
--F--
Venus def. Serena


That's all folks.

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**CHAMPIONS**
NEW HAVEN (TIER II - HARDCOURT)
S: Venus Williams d. Lindsay Davenport
D: Hantuchova/Sanchez Vicario d. Garbin/Husarova

**PLAYER AWARDS**

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Venus Williams
...Since she lost to Serena at Wimbledon, all she's done is go 13-0 and win three titles.  Now she goes to Flushing Meadows, where she's 30-3 for her career and has won 14 straight.

RISER: Anastasia Myskina
...Finally, she gets back on the board with the best week of her career with two Top 10 wins over Henin & Hingis.

SURPRISE: Angelika Roesch
...Think Roesch's upset of Dementieva was a surprise?  Dementieva must not have thought so since it's the second time she's lost the relative unknown in 2002.

VETERAN: Lindsay Davenport
...She knocked off the hot Mauresmo and reached her second final since her comeback.

NEW FACE: Laura Granville
...She proved herself on grass, and now she's doing it on hardcourts (knocking off Bedanova in New Haven).  She's a dangerous floater at the Open.

DOWNER: Elena Dementieva
...What a disappointment she's been since her 2000 US Open SF.  That someone as hideously inconsistent (and downright bad against lesser-ranked opponents at times) as Dementieva is #13-going-on-#12 is a real indictment of the WTA ranking system.  She's only advanced to the QF 6 times in 19 tournaments this year, and heads to New York having lost 4 of her last 5 matches.


**NEW HAVEN MATCHES**
1.Final - Venus d. Davenport
...now the real show begins.

2.QF - Myskina d. Hingis
...Hingis led 7-6,4-1 and had a break point for 5-1.  Myskina won the last 11 games.  Hang another albatross around the Swiss Miss's neck.

3.1r - Angelika Roesch d. Dementieva
...Who?  Well, she's 2-0 vs. Dementieva this season.  That's who.

4.2r - Myskina d. Henin
...The Waffle is nowhere near good form heading into Flushing Meadows.

5.QF - Davenport d. Mauresmo
...her biggest win yet in her comeback.

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*2002 SINGLES TITLES*
7...Venus Williams
5...Serena Williams
3...Anna Smashnova

*BEST WINNING PCT. IN FINALS (3+)*
1.000...Anna Smashnova (3-0)
.833...Serena Williams (5-1)
.700...Venus Williams (7-3)

*MOST SINGLES TITLES - 2001/02*
13...Venus Williams (6/7)
8...Serena Williams (3/5)
7...Lindsay Davenport (7/0)

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**TDS RANKINGS - WEEK 34**
1.Venus Williams...230
2.Serena Williams...205
3.Jennifer Capriati...155
4.Monica Seles...125
5.JELENA DOKIC...115.5
6.Martina Hingis...108
7.Justin Henin...107.5
8.Amelie Mauresmo...90
9.Daniela Hantuchova...86
10.Anna Smashnova...70

NEXT WEEK: Mid-US Open Awards