BELGIUM PREVIEW
by Glyn James

This week, Jelena participates in the Proximus Diamond Games, Antwerp, Belgium.  This tournament is a Tier II tournament with $585,000 at stake.

Jelena will be up against tough opposition, such as Venus Williams, Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin.  A good performance here would put Jelena an extra step closer to the next milestone, the top five.  She is currently some 700 points away from #5 Kim Clijsters, but this is a good chance for Jelena to close up that gap as Clijsters is stricken by injury, and therefore unable to play this week.

Crowd support will no doubt be with Justine Henin, Els Callens and Elke Clijsters who will be representing Belgium in the tournament, and Anna Kournikova is likely to recieve massive support and press, as she does wherever she travells.

Here is the draw for the tournament -

Venus Williams (Usa)
BYE

Anna Kournikova (Rus)
Marlene Weingartner (Ger)

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Marie-Gaiane Mikaelian
Nathalie Dechy (Fra)

Marta Marrero (Spa)
Silvia Farina-Elia (Ita)

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Amélie Mauresmo (Fra)
BYE

Rossana Neffa De los Rios (Par)
Zsofia Gubacsi

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Daja Bedanova (Slo)
Lilia Osterloh (Usa)

Christina Torrens Valero (Spa)
Daniela Hantuchova (Svk)

-----------------------------------------
Anne Kremer (Lux)
Francesca Schiavone (Ita)

Eva Dryberg
Joanette Kruger (S-Afr)

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Elke Clijsters(Bel)
Patty Schnyder (Sui)

BYE
*JELENA DOKIC* (Yug)

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Magdalena Maleeva (Bul)
Martina Sucha (Svk)

Elena Bovina (Rus)
Meilen Tu (Usa)

-----------------------------------------
Anke Barna
Els Callens (Bel)

BYE
Justine Henin (Bel)


So as you see, Jelena's route to the final seems well within her capabilities, and we'd expect a good performance from Jelena.  It's not as if she would slip up against someone like Anne Kremer is it? :-)

This tournament will show whether Jelena has regained her fitness or not and may prove that missing the final of the Open Gaz tournament was infact a wise decision rather than a tragedy.
Come on Jelena!!!

PREDICTION -
Venus Williams def. Jelena Dokic 7-6 6-3 in the final.5