Article by Todd Spiker

(Almost) A New York State of Mind
by Todd Spiker

Last week was Jelena's final chance to improve her position for US Open seeding and, moving up for the sixth consecutive week, she managed to raise her singles rank to a career-high #14.

As the calendar tells us it's now August 20, you might want to put your ear to the ground and listen for a few moments.  Can you hear it?

No, not the sound of Jelena creeping up the WTA rankings yet again at the expense of another veteran (apologies to Maggie Maleeva... well, not really), the echoes of the sounds and sights of the Open:  the buzz of the crowd, the bright lights, Broadway, Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty... that strangely nude man meant to honor Arthur Ashe.  And for those of us in North America, Johnny Mac on the tube each and every night of the week (though some may argue how "wonderful" that is). Hopefully this year, along with the expected likes of Serena and Andre & Co., we'll at least get one chance to see Jelena give everyone a thrill under the nighttime sky on one of the grandest Slam stages.  Ah, Jelena under the lights at the Open.  What a great moment that would be.

*Weekly Points Breakdown*
36 = Advanced to 3rd Round
33 = Quality (Petrova +10, Serna +23)
69 = TORONTO TOTAL
-1 = 2000 points off
-1 = 18-best tournament points diff.
67 = TOTAL POINTS FOR WEEK

But wait, you say there's still another tournament to play (and another
ranking week to ponder) before next Monday's new rankings are immediatey made irrelevant by the goings-on at Flushing Meadow?  Oh, yeah.  The Pilot Pen DOES beckon, doesn't it?

This upcoming week is one of those in the tennis year that's something of a "phantom" when it comes to rankings... but Obi-Wan is nowhere to be found (unless you count Boris Becker and his newly-relauched career in doubles).  With New Haven's results having no effect on the US Open seedings, it's very easy to overlook everything ranking-wise.  Jelena has already wrapped up at least a #14-seed for Flushing Meadow (the same seed as at Wimbledon, and one better than Roland Garros), after all, and even if she manages to rise past Amanda Coetzer to #13 this week the fact will drift into oblivion as soon as the first ball is tossed into the air at Ashe Stadium.

Jelena CAN advance up the rankings for a seventh consecutive week (and has a good shot to make it eight straight two weeks later), but New Haven isn't necessarily about points and standings... it's about momentum.  Draws that have pitted Jelena against Top 10ers before the QF have prevented her from ever really getting on a hardcourt roll this month, and her play has often swerved back-and-forth from brilliant to
frustrating (often in the same match, and even in the same set or game). The potential early rounds at The Pilot Pen aren't easy, either, but
let's hope Jelena can overcome it and create some good feelings to carry with her into the Big Apple.

TOP 25 (August 20, 2001)
NAME==POINTS==(since 8/13)
1.Hingis  =  5342  (-235)
2.Capriati  =  4721  (+202)
3.Davenport  =  4544  (-44)
4.V.Williams  =  4342
5.Clijsters  =  2883
6.Henin  =  2707  (+40)
7.Seles  =  2551  (+199)
8.Mauresmo  =  2480  (+51)
9.Tauziat  =  2235
10.S.Williams  =  2125  (+125)
11.Dementieva  =  1866  (+43)
12.Shaughnessy  =  1751  (+59)
13.Coetzer  =  1722  (+14)
14.JELENA  =  1578  (+67)
15.Maleeva  =  1522  (-175)
16.Farina Elia  =  1509
17.Huber  =  1491  (+134)
18.Testud  =  1417  (+15)
19.Kournikova  =  1318  (-61)
20.Schett  =  1311  (+48)
21.Sanchez Vic.  =  1253  (-167)
22.C.Martinez  =  1232  (-126)
23.Likhovtseva  =  1094  (+30)
24.Tulyaganova  =  1092
25.Serna  =  1086  (+10)

*Standing Pat in Doubles*
(as of August 20)
14.Shaughnessy  =  1485  (+15)
15.Schett  =  1460  (-17)
16.Callens  =  1456
17.JELENA  =  1424
18.C.Martinez  =  1404

*Race for the Sanex Championships*
(Jan.1-Aug.20, 2001)
Top 16 invited to Munich
1.Capriati  =  4037
2.Hingis  =  3368
3.Davenport  =  2945
4.V.Williams  =  2765
5.Henin  =  2348
6.Mauresmo  =  2273
7.Clijsters  =  2004
8.S.Williams  =  1683
9.Shaughnessy  =  1648
10.Seles  =  1574
11.Farina Elia  =  1429
12.Testud  =  1285
13.JELENA  =  1279
14.Coetzer  =  1215
15.Tauziat  =  1144
16.Huber  =  1112

*Race for the Sanex Doubles Chsp*
(Jan.1-Aug.20, 2001)
Top 8 teams invited to Munich
1.Raymond/Stubbs  =  2649
2.Black/Likhovtseva  =  1848
3.Ruano Pascual/Suarez  =  1845
4.Po-Messerli/Tauziat  =  1133
5.Garbin/Husarova  =  953
6.JELENA/C.Martinez  =  926
7.Arendt/Sugiyama  =  876
8.Fusai/Grande  =  857


THIS WEEK...

*The Pilot Pen (Tier II)*
Points Table
TITLE--200
RU--140
SF--90
QF--50
2nd--26
1st--1

*Manueving Through Traffic*
#12 Coetzer - leads by 144 pts.
#13 JELENA - 1578 points
#14 Maleeva - 56 pts. behind
#15 Farina Elia - 69 pts. behind
#16 Huber - 87 pts. behind

*In the Shadow of the Big Apple*
...Jelena is now 144 points behind #12 Amanda Coetzer, who is defending 145 from her New Haven SF of a year ago. The good news here is that Coetzer is slated to meet Lindsay Davenport in the 2nd Round this week. Meanwhile, Jelena is defending just 1 point from her 1st Round loss at New Haven '00.

...#17 Anke Huber nearly dealt Jelena a crucial blow last week although the two didn't meet on the court, but Jennifer Capriati prevented it by
pulling out a 3-set win (it was 3-3 in the 3rd) in the Toronto SF.  If Huber had won, she would have picked up at least 131 additional points
and beaten Jelena to the wire to steal away the potential #14-seed at the US Open.  Huber, by the way, has 314 points to defend at Flushing
Meadow, compared to Jelena's 108.  More on that next week.

...The Dementieva Watch:  Jelena cut the Russian's points lead from 312 to 288 last week, with Dementieva's 446-point defense at the US Open nearly upon us.


THE NUMBERS...

*No Haven, New or Otherwise*
One year ago, in her only previous New Haven appearance, the #43-ranked Jelena lost to Elena Dementieva 4-6,3-6 in the 1st Round just before the Russian caught fire and reached the US Open SF and Oympic Gold Medal Match soon after.

*Jelena -- 2001 Stats*
7-10  =  3-set matches
6-4  =  tie-breakers
1-0  =  retired/walkover
6-13  =  down 0-1 sets
26-5  =  up 1-0 sets

*2001 at a Glance*
JANUARY
Hong Kong (ex) - W - d. Kournikova
Australia - 1r - (Davenport)
FEBRUARY
Japan - 0-2 vs. Coetzer
MARCH
Miami - QF - (V.Williams)
APRIL
Amelia Island - 3r - (Coetzer)
Charleston - 1r - (Majoli)
MAY
Hamburg - SF - (V.Williams)
Berlin - 2r - (Capriati)
Rome - W - d. Mauresmo
Roland Garros - 3r - (Mandula)
JUNE
Birmingham - 2r - (Molik)
s'Hertogenbosch - SF - (Clijsters)
Wimbledon - 4r - (Davenport)
JULY
Vienna - 2r - (Kostanic)
Knokke-Heist - 1r - (Chladkova)
Sopot - SF - (Leon Garcia)
San Diego - 3r - (Capriati)
AUGUST
Los Angeles - 3r - (Tauziat)
Toronto - 3r - (Seles)
New Haven - ??


Next Week:  The US Open points review/preview.