Article by Todd Spiker

**A LETTER FROM JELENA CORNER**

Dear Jelena-Dokic.com readers (however many of you that are still out there, that is),

Well, Jelena didn't play last week.  Hmmm, she won't be playing this week, either.  So, she's still a week away from returning to America, intent on gathering enough momentum to have a shot to head to Flushing Meadows on August 26 and have her best U.S. Open performance yet.

So...what to do?  I know!  I'll break into song!

Strike up the band... toss me a mike... turn on the spotlight.

Without further ado, the music begins...
 

Far
She's been traveling far
With so many homes
But she still wants to be a star

Free
She only wants to be free
To play her game
And hang on to those dreams

Fresh from Belgrade on a plane
She's coming to America
She's not lookin' back, no way
She's coming to America

Home, it's always seemed so far away
Oh, but let's hope she'll travel lighter these days
Always in the eye of the storm
Always in her eyes she's turned on

We're at home, hoping to see a bright and happy face
Shout off our heads, and say some grace
Jelena's light's still burning warm
Jelena's light's still burning on

Hey, everyone around the world
She's coming to America
Hopin' to see a great gameplan unfurled
She's coming to America

She's got a dream to fulfill there
She's coming to America
It's a dream that's worthy to share
She's coming to America

She's coming to America
She's coming to America
She's coming to America
She's coming to America
Not long from today, today, today, today

Her country tis of thee
Today
A Yugoslav of liberty
Today
Of her we do sing
Today
Of Je-lena we sing

 

Thank you...thank you...thank you.

Jelena IS coming to America soon, but which Jelena will she be?

The brilliant Jelena who won Birmingham, the grumpy and disconcerted Jelena who crashed out of Eastbourne, or the inconsistent combination of the other two Jelenas that showed up in Wimbledon, managing to last into the second week but leaving with that vacant hole in the pit of her stomach that told her she should have accomplished more there?

The three faces of Jelena... whichever one resolves to make an appearance on American soil in Stanford could tell the tale of the ultra-important remaining months of the 2002 season.  Ah, but I'll save that particular discussion until next week.

I WILL dispense a free sample, though.  Here's the 2001 points totals that Jelena's looking to defend for the remainder of the year and where she's committed to be in the corresponding weeks in 2002 (you'll notice the comparatively smaller hills she'll have to re-climb BEFORE the U.S. Open):
 

WK.28...1...Vienna 2r...(02: DNP)
WK.29...1...Knokke-Heist 1r...(02: DNP)
WK.30...94*...Sopot SF...(02: Stanford)
WK.31...34*...San Diego 3r...(02: S.D.)
WK.32...36*...L.A. 3r...(02: L.A.)
WK.33...69...Toronto 3r...(02: Montreal)
WK.34...100...New Haven QF...(02: N.H.)
WK.35/36...146...US Open 4r...(02: U.S.)
WK.37...160...Bahia RU
WK.38...298...Tokyo (champion)
WK.39...1...Leipzig 2r
WK.40...339...Moscow (champion)
WK.41...DNP
WK.42...262...Zurich RU
WK.43...174...Linz RU
WK.44...132...WTA Sanex Chsp. QF

That's all for now.

Hey, I had to do SOMETHING to try to lure you guys back next week in the middle of this extended period of Jelena Withdrawal, right?  Pierre made me promise to make an attempt to only subtly tempt you, but not really say much of anything that could be construed as truly provocative... just to make it SEEM like I wasn't simply filling valuable space on his website.  If I said too much this week, what would there be left to say next week?

Well, I'm sure he WOULD have made me promise that if I hadn't beaten him to it.

Until next week.  Over and out.

Sincerely,

Todd Spiker


P.S.-- None of the above material was quoted from, thought up by, or otherwise connected to in any way, shape or form to any 45-year old Czechoslovakian-born, Americanized, bottled-blonde, eyeglass-wearing woman who may or may not have won 18 grand slam singles titles.  You have my word on it.  But, of course, there's certainly no one in the known universe who fits THAT description, anyway.  What's that you say?

Next stop:  California!

**WTA REPORT**

BRUSSELS
S: Myriam Casanova d. A.Sanchez Vicario
D: Schett/Woehr d. Garbin/Sanchez Vicario

PALERMO
S: Mariana Diaz Oliva d. Vera Zvonareva
D: Koulikovskaya/Syssoeva d. Bacheva/Roesch

CASABLANCA
S: Patricia Wartusch d. Klara Koukalova
D: Mandula/Wartusch d. Dulko/Martinez-Granados
 

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Myriam Casanova
...the Swiss teenager, at 17 years and 1 month, became the youngest singles champion of 2002 with a three-set victory over vet Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the Brussels final

RISER: Vera Zvonareva
...the 2nd 17-year old mover and shaker of the week, the Russian (who made the RG 4r and took a set off Serena) advanced to her first career final in Palermo

SURPRISE: Patricia Wartusch
...Wartusch had won three WTA titles (1 singles/2 doubles) before this weekend, then she picked up 2 in two days as she swept both the singles and doubles in Casablanca

VETERAN: Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
...sure, 26-year old Mariana Diaz Oliva won the Palermo title, but 30-year old ASV returned from her brief exhaustion-related absence and advanced to both the singles and doubles finals (losing both) in Brussels

NEW FACES: Svetlana Kuznetsova & Gisela Dulko
...Kuznetsova was the Oz Girls doubles RU in January, while Dulko won the Oz Girls Doubles.  Six months later, they both advanced to their first career WTA singles SF in Casablanca.

DOWNER: Cristina Torrens-Valero
...CTV's forgettable season continued with a 1r loss to eventual Brussels champ Casanova.
 

1.Brussels Final - Casanova d. ASV
...the 17-year old Swiss, a Wild Card and ranked #119, advanced to her second 2002 singles final and won her first WTA title as her veteran opponant tired down the stretch

2.Palermo SF - Zvonareva d. Suarez
...the 17-year old Russian followed up her RG success with her first career singles final

3.Brussels QF - ASV d. Serna
...maybe the rest during Wimbledon was exactly what ASV needed.  Of course, making both the singles AND doubles final tired her out all over again.

HM-Casablanca SF - Klara Koukalova d. Kuznetsova
...Koukalova made her 2nd career WTA singles final (01 Antwerp) with a win over the Russian teen.

*NOTES*
...Martina Hingis announced that she will miss the hardcourt tuneups, as well a the US Open.
...Lindsay Davenport returns to action this week in Fed Cup play.
 

*YOUNGEST SINGLES CHAMPIONS*
17yr,1mo...Myriam Casanova (Brussels)
18yr,3mo...M. Mikaelian (Tashkent)
18yr,47wk...Daniela Hantuchova (I.Wells)
18yr,48wk...Kim Clijsters (Hamburg)
18yr,51wk...Jelena Dokic (Sarasota)

*SINGLES/DOUBLES CHAMPION - SAME EVENT*
April...Jelena Dokic (Sarasota)
July...Serena Williams (Wimlbedon)
July...Patricia Wartusch (Casablanca)
 

NEXT WEEK:
Look out, California... here comes Jelena!