WTA Backspin

TENNISRULZ.com - March 2003/Week 9

   The moment for the February Awards has arrived, so it's time to fill in another section of the mural on the Tennisrulz Headquarters back wall (you know, the one facing the highway... Exit 2B, to be precise).
   There'll be no worries about Head-Honcho Cantin this month.  He found my January artwork a few weeks back, and has since given me permission to go forward with this year-long project.  Hmmm, maybe I should have asked him what he was doing back here in the first place?  (But I guess that's his business, right?)
   So, as I look around I see that all the proper media personnel have arrived.  Welcome to you all.  We're short on time, so I'll go ahead with the unveiling.  Ladies?  Come on out.  Everyone... Rebecca and Amelia.

(polite applause as the short-skirted models shimmy across the asphault)

   Watch your step, girls.  Cantin hasn't gotten anyone to fill in those potholes yet (I say he's setting himself up for a lawsuit, but that's just me).  Go ahead, just pull that cord and the fallen sheet will unveil this month's winners:


**PLAYERS OF THE MONTH**
1.Venus Williams
2.Serena Williams
3.Justine Henin-Hardenne
4.Kim Clijsters
5.Anastasia Myskina
6.Ai Sugiyama
7.Lindsay Davenport
8.Amelie Mauresmo
9.Tamarine Tanasguarn
10.Fabiola Zuluaga

**RISERS**
1.Lina Krasnoroutskaya
2.Fabiola Zuluaga
3.Laura Granville

**SURPRISES**
1.Flavia Pennetta
2.Anabel Medina Garrigues
3.Anca Barna

**VETERANS**
1.Ai Sugiyama
2.Amanda Coetzer
3.Lisa Raymond

**FRESH FACES**
1.Stephanie Cohen Aloro
2.Maria Kirilenko
3.Carly Gullickson

**DOWN**
1.Martina Hingis
2.Jelena Dokic
3.Elena Dementieva


   Okay, that's it.  Those are the lists.  You can all go home now.  There are refreshments in the lobby.  What's that, you say?  Pay no attention to the paintings behind that other curtain.  Good night.

(later that night, a flashlight beam darts through the shrubbery)

   Are we alone now?  Good.  Now the real awards -- the most colorful part of the February mural -- can be unveiled as they should be... under the cover of darkness:


STAT TO PONDER:  The Williams Family was 8-0 in February.  The ex-Mrs. Fedorov (oops, I mean the current Miss Kournikova) was also undefeated... at a sterling 0-0.


FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH AWARDS: Amanda Coetzer (31) & Lisa Raymond (29) won singles titles.  Coetzer, Monica Seles (twice at 29) were runners-up.  Martina Navratilova (46) and Rennae Stubbs (31) won doubles crowns, too.


HAPPY TRAILS:  Martina Hingis bought herself a horse as an "after-career" present.  Hold on tight to the reigns, Martina, your new pet might be rougher on you than the Williams sisters if she's agitated.


SEQUELS:  Angelique Widjaja put together (or is it took apart?) two confidence-sapping collapses, blowing a 5-0 1st set lead to Dokic in Tokyo and then failing to convert any of her five 2nd set MPs against Maria Kirilenko in Hyderabad.


MS.CELLOPHANE:  Fabiola Zuluaga claimed her second title in the past two seasons when she repeated in Bogota.  Despite being ranked in the 70's, she's one of just 13 women with multiple championships over the same period...but who'd ever have guessed?


EVEN BLIND SQUIRRELS CAN FIND A NUT:  After going 0-5, Tamarine Tanasuguarn finally won her first career singles title in Hyderabad.  Still waiting for Elena D. to follow suit.


IT WAS NICE WHILE IT LASTED:  Anastasia Myskina reached the Top 10, but it was just a one-week cameo appearance.


STAT TO PONDER, Pt.II:  Kim Clijsters was 0-3 against the Williamses in 2003, but 17-0 against everyone else this season... before she lost to Sugiyama in Scottsdale.


JELENA'S WORLD TURNS COUNTERCLOCKWISE: Jelena Dokic hasn't managed to win back-to-back matches since September, has lost 5 straight 3-setters (after going 17-4 in the previous 21), 12 straight matches after losing the 1st set and lost to a lesser-ranked player in 12 of her last 13 tournaments.


AND INTRODUCING...
16-year old Tennessee native Carly Gullickson made her WTA debut in Memphis, making it all the way to the QF and pushing eventual champ Lisa Raymond to three sets.


DR.ELENA & MISS HYDE:  In Week 5 in Tokyo, Dementieva got a huge win over Hantuchova...then lost to Rubin for the third time in 2003.  In Week 6, Dementieva got a nice victory over Shaughnessy, then lost 0-6,0-6 to Mauresmo.  In Week 9, as the top seed in Acapulco, she dropped her opening match to #90-ranked Shinobu Asagoe.


SEQUELS, Pt.II:  Amelie Mauresmo made her successful return to the tour last month, then left weeks later after having retired in a match due to yet another injury.


AND HOW WAS YOUR DAY?:  March 2, 2003...Ai Sugiyama wins a singles SF in 3 sets, a final in 3 sets, a doubles SF in 2 and another final in 2.  Scottsdale should commission a statue of the Japanese vet that future players can pat on the head as they head out onto the court... for good health and excellence.


 

1.Dubai Final - Henin-H. def. Seles
....Monica's semi-choke as she served for the match at 5-3 in the 3rd before losing the deciding set 5-7.
--------------------------------------
2.Scottsdale Final - Sugiyama d. Clijsters
....Sugiyama was the first non-Williams to defeat Clijsters in four-and-a-half months.
--------------------------------------
3.Toyko TPP Final - Davenport d. Seles
....Davenport breaks her 0-4 finals slump by coming back from a set down with the help of 16 aces.
--------------------------------------
4.Dubai SF - Henin-H. d. Capriati
....a stronger Henin-Hardenne rebounded from her cramps-filled Melbourne run with a tough, tight 3-setter.
--------------------------------------
5.Doha 2r - Lina Krasnoroutskaya d. Seles
....the 18-year old is finally healthy and starting to make the most of it.
--------------------------------------
HM-Antwerp Final - V.Williams d. Clijsters
....as easy post-Oz title for Venus might set the tone for the rest of her season.


 

1.Hyderbad 2r - Kirilenko d. Widjaja
....Widjaja blows 5 MPs in the 2nd set of this 3-set collapse.
-------------------------------------
2.Dubai Final - Henin-H. d. Seles
....Seles served for the match at 5-3 in the 3rd.
-------------------------------------
3.TokyoTPP 2r - Dokic d. Widjaja
....just weeks before the Kirilenko collapse, Widjaja showed danger signs when she led 5-0 and 40-0 on Dokic's serve in the 1st set.  She lost 6-7,4-6.


   Well, that just about does it.  Now, I'll just add my signature to the corner of the painting.

(scribble, scribble)

   There.  What's that noise?  It sounds suspiciously like the boots of the officially-licensed Tennisrulz security guards (jackbooted thugs, I'd say).  I thought Cantin told them I was allowed back here!
   Hmmm, German Shepherds can sense fear, right?  I guess I'd better get out of here.  Until next time...


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

 

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA
S: Ai Sugiyama def. Kim Clijsters
D: Clijsters/Sugiyama d. Davenport/Raymond
--------------------------------------
ACAPULCO, MEXICO
S: Amanda Coetzer d. Mariana Diaz-Oliva
D: Loit/Svensson d. Mandula/Wartusch

 

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Ai Sugiyama
....the 27-year old vet from Japan had a career week in Scottsdale as she claimed her first singles title since 1998.  Two weeks after a win over Top 10er Jelena Dokic, Sugiyama followed up with wins over Top 20 players Eleni Daniilidou and Alexandra Stevenson, plus two more Top 10 victories over Lindsay Davenport and Clijsters.  Oh, and she won her third doubles title of the season, too.

RISER: Alexandra Stevenson
....finally coming out of her '03 hibernation, Stevenson took advantage of Serena's late withdrawal to advance to the Scottsdale SF.  She had a MP against Sugiyama in their 3-set battle, but once again proved unable to push her career that one additional, elusive step.

SURPRISE: Alena Vaskova & Mariana Diaz-Oliva
....27-year old Czech Vaskova made her WTA debut in 1995, and had just one QF to her credit ('01 Tashkent) until she got her second -- after beating Magui Serna & Week 8 finalist Anabel Medina Garrigues -- in Acapulco.  Diaz-Oliva, 26, found a way to ride her #104-ranking to a RU in that same modestly-filled out draw in Mexico.

VETERANS: Ai Sugiyama & Amanda Coetzer
....SuperSugiyama put in four matches (10 sets) in her SuperSunday in Scottsdale.  Coetzer, 31, followed up her appearance in the Memphis final with another -- this time more successful -- final in Acapulco.  She's the oldest WTA singles champ since a 33-year old Nathalie Tauziat won Birmingham 2001.

FRESH FACE: Virginie Razzano
....Razzano made it through Scottsdale qualifying and then knocked out Memphis champ Lisa Raymond in the 1r.

DOWN: Elena Dementieva
....Elena went to Acapulco as the #1 seed, and went up one set to none against the lesser-ranked Shinobu Asagoe in her first match... and lost.  Punch-Drunk is back in full force.

 

1.FOR THE "AI" OF AI
Scottsdale F - Sugiyama d. Clijsters
...."Ai" means love in Japanese, dontcha-know, and how could you not love what Sugiyama did last week?  She topped it all off with a 4-0 Sunday that got her her first singles title away from the Japanese/Australian portion of your neighborhood world globe.  This week, she's up seven places in the singles rankings.  Clijsters has made the final in 6 of her last 8 tournaments (and 5/6).  But after winning the first four, she's lost the last two since her Serena Choke in Melbourne.

2.Scottsdale 2r - Sugiyama d. Davenport
....it was her most impressive win of the year until, well, you know.

3.Acapulco 2r - Asagoe d. Dementieva
....this is already the third time in 2003 that Dementieva's won the 1st set against a lesser-ranked opponent and went on to lose anyway.

4.Scottsdale 2r - Granville d. Rubin
....Granville showed that her SF in Memphis didn't go to her head.

5.Out of Hibernation
....Scottsdale QF--Stevenson d. Dechy.  If only she'd been able to convert that MP in the SF against Sugiyama this could have been Stevenson's latest "breakthrough" tournament.

HM-Scottsdale 2r--Shaughnessy d. Dokic
....Dokic has lost four matches in 2003, all to women who have already won singles titles this season.  Does that lighten the darkening clouds over her recent level of play?  Well, before you answer, remember that she's also 5-11 in her last 16 and 16-16 in her last 32.


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

**SINGLES TOP 20 - March 3, 2003**
1.Serena Williams.............6940
2.Venus Williams..............4994
3.Kim Clijsters...............4080
4.Justine Henin-Hardenne......3605
5.Daniela Hantuchova..........2897
6.Jennifer Capriati...........2718
7.Lindsay Davenport...........2535
8.Amelie Mauresmo.............2509
9.Jelena Dokic................2353
10.Monica Seles...............2281
11.Anastasia Myskina..........2245
12.Chanda Rubin...............2159
13.Patty Schnyder.............1713
14.Maggie Maleeva.............1628
15.Eleni Daniilidou...........1577
16.Anna Pistolesi............1536+
17.Elena Bovina..............1493+
18.Ai Sugiyama................1489
19.Amanda Coetzer.............1464
20.Elena Dementieva...........1425

**TOP 10 DOUBLES**
1.Paola Suarez...............4196
2.Virginia Ruano Pascual.....4155
3.Lisa Raymond...............3198
4.Janette Husarova...........3075
5.Rennae Stubbs..............3069
6.Elena Dementieva...........2694
7.Ai Sugiyama................2370
8.Cara Black.................2079
9.Elena Likhovtseva..........2038
10.Serena Williams...........1927


**WTA FINALS**
3...Kim Clijsters (1-2)
2...Serena Williams (2-0)
2...Venus Williams (1-1)
2...Lindsay Davenport (1-1)
2...Amanda Coetzer (1-1)
2...Monica Seles (1-1)


**BACK-to-BACK WEEKS in FINAL**
Jan - S.Williams (Hopman-W,Aust.-W)
Feb - A.Coetzer (Memphis-L,Acapulco-W)


**SINGLES/DOUBLES TITLE IN EVENT**
Jan - Kim Clijsters (Sydney)
Jan - Serena Williams (Australian)
Feb - Ai Sugiyama (Scottsdale)


**OLDEST 2003 SINGLES CHAMPIONS**
31y-4m-1wk...Amanda Coetzer (Acapulco)
29y-6m-2w....Lisa Raymond (Memphis)
27y-8m.......Ai Sugiyama (Scottsdale)


**MOST DOUBLES TITLES (d/m)**
PLAYERS
3...Martina Navratilova (2/1)
3...Kim Clijsters (3/0)
3...Ai Sugiyama (3/0)
TEAMS
3...Clijsters/Sugiyama
2...Kuznetsova/Navratilova


**AI SUGIYAMA CAREER SINGLES TITLES**
1997 Tokyo (Japan Open)
1998 Gold Coast
1998 Tokyo (Japan Open)
2003 Scottsdale


 

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA (I-Hard Outdoor)
--QF--
Shaughnessy def. Capriati
Davenport def. Schnyder
Dokic def. Coetzer
Clijsters def. Dechy
--SF--
Davenport def. Shaughnessy
Clijsters def. Dokic
--FINAL--
Clijsters def. Davenport
....Wonder Girl Hantuchova faces the big-time pressure of defending her first career title over the next two weeks.  She's always best on the big stage (4-1 in Melbourne, 5-5 elsewhere in 2003), but she's never experienced anything like this before.  Someone -- I'm guessing maybe Coetzer -- might take advantage earlier than anticipated.


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

**TDS COMBINED RANKINGS**
WTA
1.Serena Williams..........88
2.Kim Clijsters..........63.5
3.Venus Williams...........50
4.Lindsay Davenport........49
5.Justine Henin-Hardenne...45
6.Meghannn Shaughnessy....39.5
7.Amanda Coetzer...........38
8.Monica Seles.............35
9t.Eleni Daniilidou........34
9t.Lisa Raymond............34
ATP
1.Andre Agassi.............80
2.Roger Federer............51
3.Karol Kucera...........35.5
4.Gustavo Kuerten........30.5
5.Rainer Schuettler........30
6.Andy Roddick.............25
7.James Blake............23.5
8t.Agustin Calleri.......22.5
8t.Max Mirnyi............22.5
10t.Sebastien Grosjean.....22
10t.Hyung-Taik Lee.........22


**ATP FEBRUARY PLAYERS OF THE MONTH**
1.Andre Agassi
2.Roger Federer
3.Karol Kucera
4.Ivan Ljubicic
5.Max Mirnyi

Visit the Daniela Hantuchova page here

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