The Sarasota Clay Court Classic

......say that after a few beverages!!!!

March 31st- April 6th 2003

Which Daja will we see??

After two Tier I events, the WTA comes down a few levels with a week where there are a Tier V and a Tier IV. The Tier IV is being held at The Meadows Country Club in Sarasota, Florida. Obviously, as a Tier IV, it doesnt have the greatest line up, but there are a number of high profile names appearing. Jelena Dokic is top seed, with the likes of Anastasia Myskina, doubles specialist Paola Suarez and wild-card entry Anna Kournikova in the event. The prize money too is nothing like the previous two tournaments, with a relatively small purse of $140,000, and the sponsers suffer the same fate. Such names and Mercedes-Benz and Fila are absent, replaced with Spiele, Danka and the Master Limousine Service. However, despite its relative short comings compared to recent weeks, the club does offer a Champions Brunch on the day of the final, offering a select few the opportunity to sample the culinary wonder that is Omelettes. Despite these apparant mockings, the tournament will obviously take some effort in organising, and the person offered such responsibility is one Lesley Eckert, who can be contacted at info@sarasotaclaycourtclassic.com, although ill do my best to cover Daja's games in the message board if i can find somewhere to watch the match.

Daja at Sarasota

As with the Sharapova site, i intend to steal Naomi's idea of running through the players history at the tournament. As i understand the copyright is pending on such a section, and so i cant be sued yet!! ;)

Daja did indeed play at this event last year, and beat Fabiola Zuluaga in the first round. Thats where the story ends though, as in the second round, she had to withdraw against Paola Suarez.  

However, after that short excursion into history, we approach the tournament this week in a sense of mystery. How will Daja play? The week certainly offers an opportunity to earn some much needed points, as she continues to slide down the rankings, and she is now in danger of falling out of the top 50, at number 48. Last years second round appearance means that there is a chance that she can pick up points, if she begins to perfrom to the level at which she was playing this time last year. She was seeded 6th at Sarasota last year, and enjoyed quarter final appearances at both Antwerp and Scottsdale.

1st  round	2nd round	QF	SF	Final	Winner
Dokic(1)
Suarez
Hopkins
Matevzic
Majoli
Kournikova
Tulyaganova
Panova(8)
Sugiyama(5)
Martinez
Qualifier
Schett
Drake
Fernandez
Qualifier
Pistolesi(6)
Dechy(8)
Chladkova
Mikaelian
Bedanova
Perry
Tanasugarn
Cargill
Schnyder(4)
Dementieva(7)
Pisnik
Qualifier
Pierce
Likhovtseva
Qualifier
Loit
Myskina(2)

Daja's first match is against the Swiss player Marie-Gaiane Mikaelian, who is currently ranked at 36 in the world. Despite being ranked higher than Daja, she lacks some match practice, and last weeks appearance at Miami was her first since reaching the second round at the Australian Open 2 months ago.  

The lack of match practice might give Daja a bit of a boost. However, i said that after she pushed Davenport to three sets, and she suffered another early exit at Miami. This tournament should be grasped with both hands. The field is not overly great, so Daja should capitalise. The lack of seeding makes it difficult to progress much further than the second round or the quarter finals, and this week Daja has to gain ranking points. The first match will be close, but i have faith, and think she has enough to come through, even if it is simply based on the greater match fitness.

Her probable second round opponent will be 8th seed Nathalie Dechy, who has been in good form recently. Last week it was something of a shock, for me certainly, that she went out to Dokic, and in weeks before she had reached the fourth round in Indian Wells, and the quarter finals at Scottsdale. Such form has seen her rise to number 23 in the rankings, and she will prove a problematic opponent for Daja. Over the last few weeks i have said that if she can get a win under her belt in the first round, she has a chance. However, that hasnt been the case in the last two tournaments, and im not so sure that a first round win will ahve the hoped effect in this case either. I can see a straight sets win for Dechy, where the games are close, but the match is not.

 

1st Round: Daja def Mikaelian in three

2nd Round: Dechy def Daja in straights

Quarters: Dechy def Schnyder in three

Semis: Myskina def Dechy in three

Final: Dokic def Myskina in three