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PACIFIC LIFE OPEN, March 8-21 2004, Indian Wells
A few weeks off and the tour returns to a
somewhat more reputable event after some time off following the Australian
Open at the start of the year. This event in Indian Wells, and the following
tournament in Miami provides a hugely important month for players, as
seasons can be given a confidence boosting shove in the right direction, or
can create a disappointing drop, as there are a lot of points on offer for
two good performances. That being the case, a good month for Maria will set
up another rise in the rankings. This year has already seen Maria
challenging, despite her not playing to her fullest potenial and suffering
some disappointing losses along the way. Her shocking start to last years
season has allowed for Maria to gain points at most events, and combined
with her high ranking and her regular seedings, Maria is gaining points from
a week without even playing a game. Similarly, she isnt losing points of any
significant amount. Whilst others around her in the rankings are dropping
quarters, semis and finals points, Maria is dropping first round points, and
so will rise up the rankings even if she isnt even entered in an event.
This week however, she is entered in an event.
Last year, Maria was given a wild card for this event, based on the furore
surrounding her first season as a pro. This year, she is the 16th seed. How
things can change. Indeed, as described above, Maria has already gained
points from this event, as she has received a bye into the second round by
being seeded. One would presume that the same would apply in Miami a
fortnight from now, and we are looking at the very real prospect of Maria
heading into the clay season as a top 20 player. Good news, and a long way
from the winless season Maria was faced with last year.
The event itself needs little explaination. It
is seen as one of the more significant events behind the Grand Slams, as the
prize money suggests, offering a purse of $2,100,000. Ranking points of 325
for the winner provides the non financial incentive, as well as the
reputation of winning such a significant event.
THE DRAW
As mentionned before, Maria is seeded,
which means that she will get a bye through the first round. After having a
while off, a few extra days will be of little significance to Maria, but all
the same, it means she will be fresher than her second round opponent. It
will set her up for a nice run into the second week hopefully. It will be
the same for everyone, but having 2 days between matches instead of one will
mean that Maria will be fresher and more able to play to her ability.This
will be of help, as on her day, Maria is capable of beating most, and
pushing all . As teh darw unfolds, we will see the extent to which she has
the ability to push the top players.
So the first round should prove
an easy prospect, in that she wont be playing anyone. Second round, she
should face Ludmila Cervanova. The Slovak, ranked just outside the top 50,
will be a tougher draw than Maria might have hoped for in the second round,
having drawn one the higher ranked players to not receive a wildcard.
Nevertheless, Maria would have to face much harder opponents during the
event if she wanted to reach the latter stages, and so playing a better
opponent than anticipated may help Maria find her game quicker than if she
wasnt really tested, and that is a good thing. I would be very surprised if
Maria didnt come through this match, and having to maintain a decent
standard throughout will aid her cause for the rest of the event.
Third round, Maria will face
17th seed Magui Serna. It is, as always seems to be the case of late,
testament to Maria's development that she enters this event ranked higher
than Serna. However, this is another test that Maria will be faced with. In
the round of 32, the odds are obviously in favour of playing a seed, and
playing one whom is seeded below is better than one above. Playing someone
ranked close to Maria will provide the opportunity to see if her ranking is
actually well deserved, and not the result of a freak season last
year, followed by three consistent performances this season. Serna is ranked
one place below Maria at 25, and will be an excellent test of the legitimacy
of the ranking system, and of the quality evident in Maria's game. The
Spaniard has however, been suffereing for form of late, having not reached
further than a second round in any event this year of the 5 she has entered,
and suffering surprising defeats to wildcards and qualifiers in Antwerp,
Doha and the Australian Open. I think that although she will reach the third
round this week, i dont see her getting any further, and Maria will progress
onto the next round.
In the fourth round, Maria is
likely to face her compatriot Anastasia Myskina. The two have already played
this year, at third round in the Australian Open, where Maria was beaten.
Myskina went on to lose to Clijsters in the Quarters, and her good form has
continued through the season. Indeed, last week she won in Doha, and moved
up to the top 5. This match should be a step too far for Maria. A good week
should come to an end, but for a player of Maria's age, any chance to play
anyone from the top ten should be seen as a yardstick of progress, and as an
excellent way to learn the game off the practice court.
Round One: Bye
Round Two: Maria def Cervanova
in straights
Round Three: Maria def Serna in
three
Round Four: Myskina def Maria in
three
Quarters: Myskina def Suarez in
straights
Semis: Henin-Hardenne def
Myskina in three
Final: Henin-Hardenne def
Clijsters in straights
Any comments, send them to
matty_donaldson1@hotmail.com.
Enjoy
Visit the Andy Roddick's page here
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