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TournamentReview: Filderstadt
TENNISRULZ.com - Oct.2003/Wk.41
WTA BACKSPIN by Todd Spiker
WEEK 41: A CORONATION DELAYED
FILDERSTADT, GERMANY (II-Hard/i)
S: Kim Clijsters d. Justine Henin-Hardenne 5-7/6-4/6-2
D: Raymond/Stubbs d. Black/Navratilova
------------------------------
TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN (IV-Hard/o)
S: Virginia Ruano-Pascual d. Saori Obata 6-2/7-6
D: Beygelzimer/Poutchek d. Li/Sun
The Russians' unending road to success came to an abrupt end in Week 41,
replaced by the exploits of a 30-year old doubles specialist who won her first
singles title in five years. Well... Virginia Ruano-Pascual AND a little match
for the WTA's top ranking between so-called #1 Kim Clijsters and #1-in-waiting
Justine Henin-Hardenne in Filderstadt.
In the absense of The Family, the Belgians' race to the wire has been the
non-Russian story that's taken its fair share of the headlines since late
summer. And with both the #1 & #2 ranked players recently announcing that
they'll bag their participation commitment to their country's Fed Cup SF
appearance (ironically, in Moscow) next month, their competition for the top
spot will now hold their sole attention no matter when/if the Williamses return
to the court in 2003.
After Clijsters' SF retirement in Leipzig avoided a US Open final rematch
with JHH two weeks ago, she made the most of their meeting in Germany and
retained her #1 ranking by repeating as Filderstadt champion despite dropping
the opening set against her countrywoman.
So, has Clijsters silenced her demons (and critics) with this win? Well...
no, at least not this one. The season-long case against the legitimacy of her
#1 ranking has hinged on her performance on the game's biggest stages. Winning
Filderstadt does nothing to put a lid on that particular can of worms. It just
proved what was already known, that she can handle the pressure of a Tier II
final. Nothing more. Nothing less. In Tier II's or less against JHH this
season, Clijsters is an unassailable 4-1; in Tier I's and slams she's still 0-3.
This week in Zurich, at a Tier I, Clijsters might finally get her chance to
take down Henin-Hardenne in a final performance that could at least partly
muzzle the carping about the overriding questions that still linger about her
now 10-week reign as the game's top player. That sound you hear is the Backspin
office's head beancounter tapping his fingers on the nearest tabletop... waiting
to be impressed.
Well, Kim?
PLAYER AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Kim Clijsters
....she's still #1, and should finish out the month there with her repeat as
Filderstadt champion no matter what happens this week in Switzerland.
RISERS: Saori Obata & Elena Bovina
....25-year old Obata made her first career WTA final in Tashkent, but couldn't
pull off a win over Ruano-Pascual. Bovina, while she couldn't extend the
Russian winning streak, followed up her upset of Capriati in Moscow with wins
over two more Top 10ers (Davenport & Myskina).
SURPRISE: Lioudmila Skavronskaia
....the 23-year old Russian, ranked #223, qualified in Tashkent and made the QF
after upsetting Angelique Widjaja. The run matched her other career-best WTA
result... an identical QF in Tashkent last season.
VETERANS: Virginia Ruano-Pascual & Mary Pierce
....VRP, 30, achieved a career feat a few weeks ago by briefly rising to #1 in
the doubles rankings. But it was in singles that she shined in far off
Uzbekistan, where she advanced to and won her first WTA title since taking
Budapest in 1998.
FRESH FACE: Arantxa Parra
....there's another Spanish Arantxa making waves on the tour, as the teen went
to Tashkent and advanced to her second straight WTA SF.
DOWN: Jennifer Capriati
....Capriati's late summer surge has officially come to an end as she lost early
again, to Mary Pierce in Filderstadt.
MATCHES
1.Fild.Final - Clijsters def. JHH
....5-7/6-4/6-2. Impressive, but...
----------------------------
2.Fild 2r/QF - Pierce def. Capriati/Maleeva
....after knocking out Capriati in straights, Proud Mary followed it up by
rolling Maleeva down the river to make her first WTA SF since January 2001 in
Canberra.
---------------------------
3.Fild 2r/QF - Bovina d. Myskina/Davenport
....three Top 10 wins in two weeks.
---------------------------
4.Tashkent F - Ruano-Pascual d. Obata
....6-2/7-6. VRP's third career WTA singles crown.
---------------------------
5.Fild 1r - Maleeva d. Dokic
....7-5/6-0. Dokic led 4-2 in the 1st and served at 5-4, but still failed to
advance to even a QF for the sixteenth time in her last eighteen events.
---------------------------
HM-Fild.Doubles Final
Raymond/Stubbs d. Black/Navratilova
....the old Raymond/Stubbs team partnered up again after an extended separation
and immediately showed their old form in winning their 31st title together, but
their first in nearly fifteen months.
**CLIJSTERS vs. JHH in 2003**
Sydney SF (II)..KC 6-2,6-3
Antwerp SF (II).KC 6-2,7-6
Berlin F (I)....JHH...6-4,4-6,7-5
R.G. F (GS).....JHH 6-0/6-4
s'Hert.F (III)..KC 6-7/3-0 ret.
S.D. F (II).....JHH 3-6/6-2/6-3
US Open F (GS)..JHH 7-5/6-1
Fild.F (II).....KC 5-7/6-4/6-2
**REPEATED AS SINGLES CHAMPIONS**
Antwerp.......Venus Williams
Memphis.......Lisa Raymond
Bogota........Fabiola Zuluaga
Miami.........Serena Williams
Estoril.......Magui Serna
Berlin........Justine Henin-H.
Strasbourg....S.Farina Elia
Eastbourne....Chanda Rubin
Wimbledon.....Serena Williams
Filderstadt...Kim Clijsters
**SINGLES TITLES - Last 3 Years**
15....Serena Williams (3-8-4)
14....Kim Clijsters (3-4-7)
14....Venus Williams (6-7-1)
12....Justine Henin-H. (3-2-7)
WEEK 42 PREDICTIONS
....as I lick my wounds after seeing both my
Week 41 champion picks make their respective finals, and then both promptly
lose, I step once more into the breach.
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND (I-Hard/i)
2002 Final: Schnyder d. Davenport
2003 Top: (1)Clijsters & (2)JHH
=============================
SF: Clijsters d. Mauresmo; JHH d. Bovina
FINAL: JHH d. Clijsters
....last week, Filderstadt was a Tier II proving ground for so-called #1
Clijsters. But Zurich's a Tier I, so I'll stick with recent history.
Nonetheless, JHH's seemingly inevitable ascension to the top spot looks like it
might have to wait until November if it happens at all in 2003. This race
appears certain to last to the conclusion of the season-ending WTA
Championships.
