Article by Todd Spiker

*JELENA CORNER*

#4...SINGLES RANK (3310)
#8...2002 POINTS RACE (2229)
#19...DOUBLES RANK (1275)

 

   But will Jelena be good enough now?  With the US Open already a distant memory for her, it's tme to move on to (at least for this season) more important things.
   As the 4th quarter of the WTA season begins for Jelena this week in Brazil, she's still holding onto her career-best #4 singles ranking (but only by a single point over Monica Seles!).  The defense of her 160-point Bahia RU result from last year is but an appetizer for what's about to come.  Over the next eight weeks, Jelena's mission will be to attempt to defend the impressive 1366 points she managed to acumulate last Fall during a career-best two-month stretch that included two singles titles and five finals appearances.

 

   This moment has been looming on the horizon since January.  Jelena's successful North American summer run (where she racked up 202 more points than during the same period in 2001) finally provided her with a slight rankings point cushion.  It was an elusive advantage all season, what with nagging injuries preventing her from putting together a series of consistently good results.  It was a string of misfortune that finally came to an end during the July/August run that was her bet since the big one last Fall.  Then, of course, this beautiful quilt of results, too, began to fray at the edges thanks to leg injuries that first reared their heads in February (as the usual case of an overloaded schedule).
   Still, the Spring worry that Jelena might face a struggle to retain her high ranking status looks as if it won't come to fruition.  Barring a serious injury recurrence (and if she has any sense, Jelena will guard against such an event by taking off Weeks 39 and 41, during which she'll be defending just 1 point from last year), she shouldn't have much trouble wrapping up her second straight season-closing Top 10 ranking.

--GOALS, PART DEUX--

   For Jelena to maintain her current Top 5 rank, it will require some solid season-closing work.
   At the start of the 3rd quarter, I set down a list of realistic goals for Jelena to shoot for in order to be able to classify the period a successful one. She nearly hit the goals directly on the head, surpassing them with a combined result one round better than hoped for.
   So here I go again.  In the eight weeks leading up to and including the WTA Championships in 2001, Jelena scored 2 titles, 3 RU, 1 QF, 1 2r and was idle 1 week.  Obviously, matching or surpassing those amazing results isn't very realistic even with the pre-US Open results being as good as they were.  Here's my hoped-for 4th quarter "success" goal list: 1 title, 3 SF, 2 QF, 1 idle week and 1 wild card result (which I'd like to think would be an extra week off, but could be an early upset or RU). Let's see how it goes this time.
   So, shhh... everyone sit back.  Grab your popcorn and soft drink.  The curtain is going up on what should be a very interesting show.

--BRAZIL--

*Brasil Open; Sept.10-16*
*Costa do Sauipe; Bahia, Brazil*
*Hardcourt; Tier II*
*#1 seed - 2r: vs. Poutchek/qualifier*
*2001: Lost to Seles in Final*

*SEEDS*
1.JELENA DOKIC
2.Monica Seles
3.Anastasia Myskina
4.Patty Schnyder
5.Iva Majoli
6.Tatiana Panova
7.Nathalie Dechy
8.Eleni Daniilidou

DRAW: www.tennisrulz.com/draws/brasil.htm

*POINTS TABLE*
W=220
RU=154
SF=99
QF=55
2r=29
1r=1

   The loss to Elena Bovina in New York might begin to pay an immediate dividend in Bahia.  Remember, the 2r exit (and doubles withdaw) means she comes to South America having played just two matches in three weeks.  No player was in more need of rest than Jelena, and she finally got it.  Hopefully, she took advantage because Step One to an effective final quarter-season begins with her good health this week.
   Jelena will have to defend a title in Tokyo next week, but she's got a 2001 RU to deal with right now.  This is where last season's great final push began... and I think it can happen again.  It's reasonable to assume she's healthy (she's playing doubles with Daniilidou), and she managed to grab the #1 seed when Venus Williams pulled out over the weekend.
   With only two Top 10 players in the draw, it's opened up significantly for Jelena.  It's not necessarily a simple path, but a healthy and mentally ready Jelena shouldn't really face a real obstacle until Anastasia Myskina in the SF.  The Russian has been struggling with her week-to-week consistency in 2002, but she's certainly capable of an upset.  She followed up her win over Hingis last month with a pair of living-on-the-edge comeback victories in the US Open before finally running out of luck in the 3r. She looks to be the best of the upper-tier, non-teen Russian women... but Jelena is 10-2 against the Russians (3-1 vs. Myskina, including 1-0 on hardcourts) in 2002 and 18-2 since late 2000.
   One thing seems clear.  If Jelena is healthy, the opportunity is certainly there in Brazil for her to launch herself into the Fall with a superior result.

PREDICTION: In Jelena's previous 20 tournaments in 2002, I've predicted her to win the title on four occasions.  She DID win in Sarasota, but missed out in Strasboug (RU), Amelia Island (SF) and Eastbourne (2r).  So, will Bahia mark the 5th "called shot" of this season?
   The draw would seem to heavily favor a rematch of the 2001 Final that saw Seles defeat Jelena.  Since that match, Jelena has beaten Seles for the first time in her career (in Paris) as well as surpassed her in the WTA rankings.  Great things looked on the horizon when Jelena won that match in France, but it was during the February victory that her initial leg injury took place.  Her progress was thwarted for months afterward.
   The late-season symmetry that presents itself here is just too good to pass up.  Jelena has a chance to grab the remaining momentum from her successful Summer, and make Seles the stepping stone to greater things that she ended up not being seven months ago.
   I think she's ready to pick up the pieces of her Open debacle and shine all over again.  The view from here looks good for a third 2002 singles title, the sixth of her career.  In fact, if Jelena's mind and body are both up to the task after traversing a rocky late-Summer road, I'd say it's a sure-shot.

===================================

WTA REPORT - WEEK 36

 

   Everyone snickered a few years ago when Richard Williams would smile at the camera and say that his daughter Serena was actually going to be a tennis player than her sister Venus.
   We'd all heard the rumors about Venus years before she hit the WTA Tour full time in 1997.  Serena?  She was an afterthought, a hitting partner for the sessions in front of the television cameras whenever the latest reporter stepped inside the Williams circle to hear the sky-high claims of a father who many thought was a little out of step, a man who'd never see his far-fetched dreams for his daughters become a reality.
  #1 AND #2 player in the world at the same time?  Please.  Playing each other for grand slam championships?  Come now, not in this lifetime.
   "Isn't Richard Williams something?  I sure hope he isn't setting his kids up for a very public fall."  That was the general tone of most onlookers.
   Well, the joke was on us.  Richard Williams was right.  About everything.  That's become more and more clear as the sisters have taken over the women's game.  Four Williams Family Invitational grand slam finals in the past five slams (the one miss coming, of course, when Serena was too injured to participate in the 2002 Austalian Open)... three in a row in 2002.
   There'd always been one Richard claim that no one expected to come true. You know, the one about Serena being better than Venus.  Even if the WTA computer didn't say so, Venus was the #1 female player in the world in 2000-01. Serena was the first of the two to win a grand slam title, at the 1999 US Open.  But she'd suffered from injuries and an incomplete schedule since then... and just couldn't overcome her big sister whenever they met on the court.  Then came this year... and now the final piece of the Richard puzzle has been put into place.
   The gulf between the #1 & #2 and the rest of the women's game is a given, but now it looks like there's a widening distance between #1 and #2 in the Williams household, as well.  Serena IS better than Venus.  Right now, a great deal better.  The tune of 3 straight wins over Venus in slam finals better.  The tune of a stranglehold on #1 better.
Her serve is more consistent.  Her groundstrokes harder.  Her athleticism greater.  And, just maybe, her heart and gameday guts stronger, too.
   When Serena beat Venus in Roland Garros, most thought Venus would surely take Wimbledon.  When that didn't happen, eyes turned to Flushing Meadows. Venus wouldn't lose again.  But she did. Serena is better.  That's not ever an arguable issue at this moment in time.
   Now, coming to a tennis court near you (if you live in Oz, that is)... Serena-Slam.
   The last 30 years have seen two variations on a "grand slam" in women's tennis.
   Steffi Graf pulled off the rare feat of winning all four slam championships in one season in 1988 (and grabbed the Olympic Gold for a "Golden Slam").  Though she didn't win all four in the same season, Martina Navratilova completed the task of holding all four titles simultaneously when she won the 1984 Roland Garros title (her 6th consecutive slam singles crown).  Serena can do the same next January in Melbourne when she goes for her fourth straight slam championship.
   Can she do it?  It's hard to argue against her having a better than even chance.
   Hmmm... maybe someone should ask Richard what HE thinks will happen about four months from now.

================================


 

S: Serena Williams d. Venus Williams
D: Ruano-Pascual/Suarez d. Dementieva/Husarova
M: Raymond/M.Bryan d. Srebotnik/B.Bryan

GIRLS
S: Maria Kirilenko d. Barbora Strycova
D: Elke Clijsters/Kirsten Flipkens def. Shadisha Robinson/Tory Zawacki


 

*US OPEN, WEEK 1*
PLAYER: Serena Williams
RISER: Eleva Bovina/Francesca Schiavone
SURPRISE: Yoo Juong Cho
VETERAN: Amy Frazier
NEW FACE: Bea Bielik
DOWNER: Anna Kournikova/Jelena Dokic

*US OPEN, WEEK 2*
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Serena Williams
...Who else?

RISER: Amelie Mauresmo
...Her summer successes (2 slam SF and a Tier I title) are a testament to how much difference a new coach and a willingness to change can make.

SURPRISE: Elena Bovina
...The Russian who's been flying under the radar is doing so no longer.  In the QF, she took Davenport to three sets for the second time this summer.

VETERAN: Lindsay Davenport
...Better quicker than she ever imagined she could be.

NEW FACE: Maria Kirilenko
...ANOTHER Russian.  This one's 15 and upset the Girl's #1 seed Barbora Strycova in the final.

DOWNER: The Waffles
...One year after both Henin and Clijsters had grand slam breakthroughs, the Belgians exited New York having suffered dips in results in the four biggest tournaments.  Henin went from a 4r-SF-RU-4r run in 2001 to QF-1r-SF-4r in 2002.  Clijsters followed up 4r-RU-QF-QF with SF-3r-2r-4r.


 

1.QF - Mauresmo d. Capriati
...Mauresmo's early summer heart is still intact. There was a time when she'd been the one who'd blow a 6-4,6-5 and serving lead like Capriati did here.

2.4r - Venus d. Rubin
...At 5-5 in the 3rd, Rubin had 2 BPs for the chance to serve for her second victory over the Williams family this summer.

3.4r - Hantuchova d. Henin
...Winning the 3rd set TB (after a rain delay and an injury, no less) only further tabs Hantuchova as a big event player who's still searching for consistency when the stage is smaller.

4.Morariu's Successful Return
...Corina Morariu's return to the Tour after a leukemia diagnosis was good enough, then she made the Doubles QF and Mixed SF.

5.Final - Serena d. Venus
...Even as Venus takes the backseat, the Williams Family Invitational events are still becoming more interesting and better contested every time out.

================================

 

**WEEK 37 -- Sept.9-15**
PREDICTIONS

BAHIA, BRAZIL (II-Hard)
F: Dokic def. Seles
...Seles knocked off Dokic in the '01 Bahia Final.  It's a year later, and a healthy Dokic is now better than Seles.

WAIKOLOA, HAWAII (IV-Hard)
F: Schett def. Jidkova
...Schett continues her late-year quest to save her 2002 season.

SHANGHAI, CHINA (IV-Hard)
F: Fernandez def. Kournikova
...Anna bounces back, but not all the way back.

==================================

 

=================================

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

**2001-02 SINGLES TITLES**
13...Venus Williams (6/7)
9...Serena Williams (3/6)

**2002 WTA FINALS**
11...Venus Williams (7-4)
7...Serena Williams (6-1)
5...JELENA DOKIC (2-3)
5...Justine Henin (1-4)

**BEST 2002 WIN PCT. IN FINALS**
1.000...Anna Smashnova (3-0)
.857...Serena Williams (6-1)

**2002 WTA SEMIFINALS**
13...Venus Williams (11-2)
9...JELENA DOKIC (5-4)
8...Serena Williams (7-1)
8...Jennifer Capriati (4-4)
8...Monica Seles (3-5)

**2002 DOUBLES TITLES**
(INDIVIDUALS)
9...Lisa Raymond
8...Rennae Stubbs
7...Paola Suarez
(TEAMS)
8...Raymond/Stubbs
6...Ruano-Pascual/Suarez

===============================

**TDS POINTS LEADERS- WEEK 36**
1t.Serena Williams...255
1t.Venus Williams...255
3.Jennifer Capriati...165
4.Monica Seles...135
5.JELENA DOKIC...115.5
6.Martina Hingis...113.5
7.Justine Henin...112.5
8.Amelie Mauresmo...105
9.Daniela Hantuchova...96
10.Anna Smashnova...70