Article by Todd Spiker

JELENA CORNER
by Todd Spiker

--CALIFORNIA DREAMS, AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS--

After an unusual two weeks of rest, all three faces of Jelena Dokic are finally back on American shores, where she has both new and unfinished business to attend to before she completes her trek to Flushing Meadows for the U.S. Open five short weeks from now.

That year-long drive for a Top 5 ranking is still waiting to become a reality, and it could finally happen this week as the injury-battling #5 Kim Clijsters (who leads #6 Jelena by just 1 point) is faced with defending the first of her three late-season 2001 singles titles.  Jelena advanced to the SF of Tier III Sopot at this time last year, but such a similar result may not be necessary in the higher-pointed Tier II Stanford event for the rise past the Waffle to take place.  It's been a long climb, too.  Clijsters has been ranked ahead of her since surging past with a 4-6,6-2,7-6 Leipzig victory over Jelena in November 2000.

Dokic has few results to defend before the U.S. Open.  Of the approximately 1847 post-Wimbledon points she attained last year, only 335 came before Flushing Meadows.  Here's a quick breakdown (and where she's committed in the corresponding weeks in 2002):
 

With the advantage of being higher seeded and better rested, it would seem a good bet that Jelena can surpass the 335 total and give herself a boost in confidence and a ranking cushion heading into what has long been expected to be the most pressure-filled portion of her 2002 schedule.  Before that, though, comes the U.S. Open:

 

Even while famously ducking out of Oz in January, Jelena has had a fairly successful grand slam season thus far in 2002.  She made the QF at Roland Garros, a career-best result there, then advanced to at least the 4r for the fourth consecutive Wimbledon.  Her most successful US Open came in 2001, when she started quickly and then crashed out in horrible fashion (0-6 in the 2nd set) in a 4r match against Martina Hingis.  With a Top 8 seed this year, she'll need to put together a QF-or-better result to proceed to the ultra-important 4th quarter of the WTA season with some measure of momentum.  She'll need it, for she's facing 1366 points to be defended once she plays her final match in New York.  It was then last season that a brilliant stretch of five finals in six events took her into the Top 10 for the first time in October.  Here's the breakdown of Dokic's career-best extended fit of excellence:

 

As important as that final two-month stretch will be, the argument can be made that the next five weeks might be an even bigger key to the remainder of Jelena's season.   She's never going to be able to fully match that late-season run, so she'll have to find a way to make up the points difference somewhere.  The absence from Australia and various bouts with leg injuries robbed her of a handful of chances to build a significant ranking points cushion earlier this year, so the next five events (plus the Open) are all she has left to construct a servicable firewall.  A great July-August could boost the confidence level that seemed to be severely wanting in Wimbledon, and send Jelena into September-November with the head of steam she'll need.

The last two weeks have provided her with the opportunity to clean up the game that made every match at SW19 a frustrating rollercoaster, and get fit enough to maintain a high level of play for the next three and a half months, what will be her longest extended stretch of play in this injury-touched 2002 season.  It should be noted that Jelena's late-2001 climb took place after, and was more than likely spurred along by, the post-Toronto addition of a traveling full-time trainer in Mike Nishihara... a career-best US, two titles, five finals and a QF at the WTA Championships followed.  Hopefully, a repeat is in the offing this time around -- only maybe the results will start to come a few weeks earlier.  That might be necessary, too, for Jelena to ultimately match her 2001 year-ending #8 finish in an increasingly-populated battle for the eight remaining non-Williams Top 10 spots, which now promises to pit Jelena against the likes of both Waffles, returning nemesis Lindsay Davenport (and maybe Hingis, as well), a resurgent Amelie Mauresmo and the rising star of Daniela Hantuchova for the #5-10 rankings.

 

Once the Drive for #5 has been accomplished, the real battle promises to be only just beginning.  Let's hope Jelena used her time off wisely.  She won't get a real opportunity to rest and reflect again until the middle of November.


**--LATE NOTE:  Jelena will made her return to the doubles court in Stanford, teaming with Tamarine Tanasugarn in a 1r matchup against #4-seeds Janet Lee/Wynne Prakusya


 

Here's a link to my preview for the Stanford tournament:


**JELENA ON HARDCOURTS IN 2002**
Indian Wells...3r (Anne Kremer)
Miami...3r (Anne Kremer)
Stanford...??
San Diego...July 29
Los Angeles...August 5
Montreal (Tier I)...August 12
New Haven...August 19
US Open...August 26
WON/LOST TOTALS: 2-2

 

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RESULTS

FED CUP QUARTERFINALS

Austria def. Croatia  4-1
Spain def. Germany  5-0
Slovakia def. France  4-1
Italy def. Belgium  4-1

WORLD GROUP PLAYOFFS

USA def. Israel  4-0
Australia def. Netherlands  3-2
Russia def. China  5-0
Argentina def. Hungary  5-0
Czech Republic def. Canada  5-0
Sweden def. Switzerland  3-2
Slovenia def. Ukraine  4-1
Colombia def. Japan  (Japan withdrew)


**FED CUP SF - play starts on Nov.4**
Austria vs. Spain
Slovakia vs. Italy


 

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Barbara Schwartz
...wins over Iva Majoli & Jelena Kostanic upped her 2002 FC record to 4-0 and sent Austria to the SF


RISER: Daniela Hantuchova
...the Slovak teenager proved to have the goods in her FC debut.  First with a 7-5,7-5 win over Nathalie Dechy, then a tough 3-setter over Amelie Mauresmo.  Next up: Italy, and then a probable trip to the FC Final

SURPRISE: Sofia Arvidsson
...ranked 209 spots behind her, Swede Arvidsson's shock 6-2,6-2 victory over Patty Schnyder on Saturday proved to be too much for the Swiss to overcome in the World Group Playoffs

VETERANS: Arantxa Sanchez Vicario & Silvia Farina Elia
...this pair of 30-year olds provided the leadership behind their respective teams' passages to the FC SF.  ASV went 2-0, keeping her unbeaten in 2002 and upping her FC record win total to 71, as Spain crushed Germany 5-0.  SFE, meanwhile, contributed two singles wins in Italy's 4-1 defeat of defending champion Belgium (though, it should be noted that neither of the two most famous Waffles were in attendence just days before the beginning of the US Open tuneup season in America).

NEW FACE: Barbora Strycova
...the 16-year old current Junior #1, Strycova made her FC debut in the Czech Republic's 5-0 win over Canada, knocking off Maureen Drake.

DOWNER: Iva Majoli & Patty Schnyder
...Majoli's poor performance nearly cost Croatia a 1r victory, and her quick loss to Barbara Schwartz this weekend set the tone for a 4-1 defeat.  Schnyder posted the worst result by any of the top players this weekend, and even her rebound win over Asa Carlsson Svensson on Sunday couldn't erase the damage of her Saturday loss to Arvidsson, as Switzerland was bounced by a 3-2 score.

1.Sweden/Switzerland - Arvidsson d. Schnyder
...the biggest upset of the weekend

2.Austria/Croatia - Schwartz d. Kostanic
...Schwartz kept her 2002 FC mark clean as she fought off 3 match points in a 2:40 match

3.Slovakia/France - Hantuchova d. Mauresmo
...2-6,6-4,6-3.  Cover-friendly Hantuchova showed a smart, tactics-changing style in a win over the recently hot-again Mauresmo

4.Slovakia/France - Sucha d. Dechy
...the 21-year old's FC debut win provided the clinching point in Slovakia's victory

5.USA/Israel - Davenport d. Smashnova
...Davenport is on her way back, and the ease of her 6-3,6-3 win here must strike a little anxiety in the hearts of many

HM-Slovakia/France - Hantuchova d. Dechy
...the teen's FC debut, a 7-5,7-5 win that only scratches the surface of what she might ultimately accomplish on the FC stage

 

...Martina Hingis now may be trying to make her return appearance following her May 20 surgery earlier than previously believed -- at the U.S. Open


 

...Martina Navratilova: "If Richard Williams had danced in front of me after I had lost to one of his daughters in a match, I probably would have hit him."


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WEEK 30 - July 22-28

*PREDICTIONS*

STANFORD, CALIFORNIA (II - HARD COURT)
SF: Venus d. Seles; Clijsters d. Daveport
FINAL: Venus d. Clijsters
...Clijsters is defending her 2001 title, but Venus is ready to start the trek toward defending her's at Flushing Meadows.  The Waffle is still battling the after-effects of her January arm trouble, so her place in the Final is potentially shaky.  Lindsay Davenport was bumped up to the #2 seed, but can she take her first tournament back all the way to the weekend?  Jelena Dokic is the healthiest top player in the bottom half of the draw, but she could face a mentally-tough QF battle with Davenport (whom she's failed to defeat in 6 tries).  In other words, expect Venus to take the title... and role the dice on who finishes as the RU.


SOPOT, POLAND (III - RED CLAY)
SF: Farina Elia d. Sanchez Vicario; Poutchek d. Schnyder
FINAL: Farina Elia d. Poutchek
...SFE becomes the oldest singles champion of 2002, for the second time.


 

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**TDS AWARDS - MOST WEEKLY WINS**

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
6...Serena Williams, Venus Williams
(Dokic-2)

RISER:
6...Daniela Hantuchova
(Dokic-3)

SURPRISE:
3...Anna Smashnova

VETERAN:
6..Monica Seles

NEW FACE:
3...Vera Zvonareva, Clarisa Fernandez

DOWNER:
4...Kim Clijsters, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
(Dokic-2)