Article by Todd Spiker

Closer, and Not as Far Away
by Todd Spiker

While gathering confidence for a US Open run was the top priority, Jelena's all-around good results in New Haven will propel her to career highs in both singles (#13) and doubles (#14) when the newest WTA rankings are released on Monday.

*Weekly Point Breakdown*
50 = Advanced to QF
35 = Dementieva
15 = Raymond
100 = NEW HAVEN TOTAL
-1 = 2000 points off
-31 = 17-best tour.pts.off
68 = TOTAL POINTS

The big comeback victory over Elena Dementieva, after being two points from a straight sets defeat, was ultimately the key to the week for Jelena.  It enabled her to raise her ranking for the seventh straight time, climbing over Amanda Coetzer and getting to within striking distance to surpass Meghannn Shaughnessy and Dementieva to move to #11 once the US Open is over.  In fact, with a draw that gives her a shot to better her Round of 16 Flushing Meadow result from 2000, it's realistic that Jelena could actually achieve the goal of reaching the Top 10 in just two weeks... making the move a bit quicker than the (at the time) seemingly short period of two years that Lindsay Davenport predicted
while complimenting Jelena's game at the Aussie Open back in January.

But, at the moment, the momentum Jelena has coming out of New Haven is probably more important than her constantly-improving ranking points total.  Even the QF loss to Jennifer Capriati can be looked at as encouraging. 

Consider, after the 4th Round US Open loss to Serena Williams last year, when the '99 champion outlasted the then-17 year old Jelena in a tense 7-6 opening set before seizing control and winning the second 6-0, I saw a newspaper headline that read, "For Dokic, So Close and So Far Away." Obviously, one of the keys for 2001 was to close that narrow gap.  After that match, Williams said that Jelena had a bright future.  Her results
since last year, when she entered the Open ranked #43, have backed up the praise and promise. 

But has the gap closed?  Not  yet, at least not completely.  Remember, Jelena had 3 set points in that Williams match, losing one on a very questionable line call.  Against Capriati, she had 6 break points on Capriati's serve to go up 5-4 and serve for the set.  She wasn't able to get the one BIG point to give herself the decided advantage in either match, but she put herself in position to have the chance.  At the 2000 Open, Jelena lost her concentration for a moment and Williams raced away with the match.  In New Haven, she opened the second set by getting the break of Capriati's serve that had eluded her minutes earlier.  She still lost the match, but the fight didn't drift away and the improvement is apparent.  As for Jelena now?  She's closer, and not as far away.

Timing is so very important in so many endeavors, and the time simply hasn't been right for Jelena... yet.  Now, she heads to Flushing Meadow trying to close that even narrower gap just a little more with each victory.  Only time will tell if this is when she will finally close it.


TOP 25 (as of Aug. 27, 2001)
NAME==POINTS==since 8/20
1.Hingis  =  5342
2.Capriati  =  4833  (+112)
3.Davenport  =  4731  (+187)
4.V.Williams  =  4433  (+91)
5.Clijsters  =  2956  (+73)
6.Henin  =  2693  (-14)
7.Mauresmo  =  2580  (+100)
8.Seles  =  2318  (-233)
9.Tauziat  =  2215  (-20)
10.S.Williams  =  2125
11.Dementieva  =  1831  (-35)
12.Shaughnessy  =  1744  (-7)
13.JELENA  =  1646  (+68)
14.Coetzer  =  1605  (-117)
15.Maleeva  =  1522
16.Farina Elia  =  1509
17.Huber  =  1475  (-16)
18.Testud  =  1417
19.Schett  =  1327  (+16)
20.Kournikova  =  1318
21.Sanchez Vic.  =  1293  (+40)
22.C.Martinez  =  1232
23.Nagyova  =  1093  (+54)
24.Tulyaganova  =  1092
25.Serna  =  1086

*Race for the Sanex Chsp.*
(Jan.1-Aug.27, 2001 pt.totals)
Top 16 invited to Munich
1.Capriati  =  4185
2.Hingis  =  3368
3.V.Williams  =  3172
4.Davenport  =  3132
5.Henin  =  2425
6.Mauresmo  =  2373
7.Clijsters  =  2160
8.S.Williams  =  1683
9.Shaughnessy  =  1649
10.Seles  =  1574
11.Farina Elia  =  1430
12.JELENA  =  1379
13.Testud  =  1312
14.Tauziat  =  1237
15.Coetzer  =  1216
16.Huber  =  1161


*U.S. Open Points Review/Preview*

Points Table
TITLE--520
RU--364
SF--234
QF--130
4th--72
3rd--44
2nd--26
1st--2

*Big Apple Score Sheet*
A look ahead...

For Jelena
...The Dementieva Watch could end soon, as Jelena is now just 185 behind as the Russian prepares to defend 446 at Flushing Meadow.  Jelena defends just 108.

...Jelena trails #12 Meghannn Shaughnessy by just 98 points, but the American is defending only 3rd Rd. points.   An intriguing possibility is that Jelena might be able to pass #9 Nathalie Tauziat, who currently leads by 569 but defends 232 QF points in New York.

For the Top Five
...Martina Hingis' run at #1 is in serious jeopardy.  She holds a 509-point lead over Capriati, and is up 611 over Davenport.  With Hingis' tough draw (Granville in the 1st, Krasnoroutskaya in the 2nd, Frazier in the 3rd, Jelena in the 4th) and Capriati only defending 112 from her 4th Round result in 2000, a SF here might be enough to push Capriati to #1 on the computer.

....Amelie Mauresmo, having skipped the 2000 Open, has a free ride as far as defending points and could break into the Top 5 -- elbowing past Clijsters and Henin -- if she can overcome her recent grand slam disappointments.


*Rd.1-2 Matches to Watch*
Women
1st: #7 Seles vs. Pratt
1st: #8 Mauresmo vs. Myskina
1st: #9 Tauziat vs. Black
2nd: #1 Hingis vs. Krasnoroutskaya
2nd: #13 Coetzer vs. Razzano
2nd: #6 Henin vs. Schnyder
Men
1st: #12 Clement vs. Blanco
1st: #20 Gambill vs. Pioline
2nd: #15 Ivanisevic vs. Tabara
2nd: #5 Ferrero vs. Ferreira
2nd: #8 Grosjean vs. Dent
2nd: #3 Safin vs. Ljubicic


*Predictions*
Women's QF
#7 Seles d. #14 Dokic  (I hope not!)
#10 S.Williams d. #3 Davenport
#4 V.Williams d. #17 Huber
#2 Capriati d. #9 Tauziat
Women's SF
#7 Seles d. #10 S.Williams
#4 V.Williams d. #2 Capriati
Women's Final
#4 V.Williams d. #7 Seles

Men's QF
#1 Kuerten d. #12 Clement
#5 Ferrero d. #4 Hewitt
#3 Safin d. #9 Henman
#6 Rafter d. #2 Agassi
Men's SF
#1 Kuerten d. #5 Ferrero
#3 Safin d. #6 Rafter
Men's Final
#3 Safin d. #1 Kuerten


NUMBERS...

*Notable 2000 US Open Pt.Defenses*
1056 -- Venus Williams
592 -- Lindsay Davenport
462 -- Martina Hingis
446 -- Elena Dementieva
314 -- Anke Huber
280 -- Monica Seles
232 -- Nathalie Tauziat
190 -- Serena Williams
166 -- Justine Henin
112 -- Jennifer Capriati
108 -- JELENA
60 -- Meghannn Shaughnessy
56 -- Amanda Coetzer
42 -- Kim Clijsters
0 -- Amelie Mauresmo

*Top 10 -- After 2000 US Open*
1.Hingis
2.Davenport
3.V.Williams
4.Pierce
5.Seles
6.C.Martinez
7.Tauziat
8.S.Williams
9.Sanchez Vicario
10.Huber

*Top 16 - The Last 5 Years at US*
Women
(00-99-98-97-96)
#1 Hingis - SF-RU-RU-W-SF
#2 Capriati - 4r-4r-1r-1r-1r
#3 Davenport - RU-SF-W-SF-4r
#4 V.Williams - W-SF-SF-RU-x
#5 Clijsters - 2r-3r-x-x-x
#6 Henin - 4r-1r-x-x-x
#7 Seles - QF-QF-QF-QF-RU
#8 Mauresmo - x-4r-3r-x-x
#9 Tauziat - QF-3r-4r-1r-2r
#10 S.Williams - QF-W-3r-x-x
#11 Dementieva - SF-3r-x-x-x
#12 Shaughnessy - 3r-1r-1r-x-1r
#13 Coetzer - 3r-1r-QF-4r-1r
#14 JELENA - 4r-1r-x-x-x
#15 Maleeva - 2r-x-x-3r-1r
#16 Farina Elia - 1r-2r-3r-2r-1r
others:
#17 Huber - QF-QF-1r-3r-1r
#18 Testud - 4r-2r-3r-QF-4r
#20 Sanchez V. - 4r-4r-QF-QF-4r
#23 Serna - 4r-3r-1r-4r-x

Men
#1 Kuerten - 1r-QF-2r-3r-x
#2 Agassi - 2r-W-4r-4r-SF
#3 Safin - W-2r-4r-x-x
#4 Hewitt - SF-3r-x-x-x
#5 Ferrero - 4r-1r-x-x-x
#6 Rafter - 1r-1r-W-W-1r
#7 Kafelnikov - 3r-SF-4r-2r-x
#8 Grosjean - 3r-1r-1r-x-x
#9 Henman - 3r-1r-4r-2r-4r
#10 Sampras - RU-x-SF-4r-W
#11 Corretja - 3r-1r-4r-3r-QF
#12 Clement - QF-4r-1r-x-x
#13 Federer - 3r-x-x-x-x
#14 Johansson - QF-x-QF-1r-2r
#15 Ivanisevic - 1r-3r-4r-1r-SF
#16 Haas - 2r-4r-2r-3r-1r
others:
#18 Roddick - 1r-x-x-x-x
#19 Enqvist - 4r-1r-x-x-4r
#30 Rusedski - 2r-QF-3r-RU-1r
#32 T.Martin - SF-RU-2r-2r-3r


*Jelena at the Open*
1997 (jr)
1st-lost to Matevzic
1998 (jr)
1st-d. Reynolds
2nd-d. Charbonnier
3rd- d. Laiho
QF-d. Granville
SF-d. #3 Pisnik
F- d. #1 Srebotnik
1999
1st-lost to #10 Sanchez Vicario
2000
1st-d. Smashnova
2nd-d. Oremans
3rd-d. Schiavone
4th-lost to #5 S.Williams



Enjoy the show!