TENNISRULZ.com
May 23, 2004
Week 20
WTA BACKSPIN
by Todd Spiker
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Nous Verrons Ce Que Nous Verrons
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Don't forget Paris -- look forward to it... for we might not see a slam
with more potential for calamity this year (or most others) than the one
that begins on Monday. Go ahead, make any predictions you like. You could
be right, but you could just as easily be horribly wrong with so many
"favorites" entering play with their own unique set of worrisome questions.
Nous verrons ce que nous verrons -- we shall see what we shall see.
C'est la vie in gay Paris, at least for this year's version of Roland
Garros.
.::BACKSPIN 10::.
...ten pressing things to watch in France
1.Who will be the Mad Hungarian upset queen? History says there'll be at
least one. Petra Mandula is seeded #29 and plays a qualifier, so it won't
be her in the 1st Round. Aniko Kapros, who upset Justine Henin-Hardenne at
RG in 2002, DOES play #16 Patty Schnyder. Melinda Czink, meanwhile, goes up
against Virginia Ruano-Pascual. Still, the best shot at the usual Hungarian
shocker might come if Mandula faces #6 Anastasia Myskina in the 3rd.
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2.Who'll be the first seed to fall? Some 1st Round possibilities:
#28 Lisa Raymond (Kurhajcova)
#19 Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi (Pennetta)
#6 Anastasia Myskina (Molik)
#12 Ai Sugiyama (Bartoli)
#24 Jelena Dokic (Perebiynis)
#16 Patty Schnyder (Kapros)
#25 Elena Bovina (Vinci)
#30 Mary Pierce (Schaul)
I'd include Daniela Hantuchova in the list but, wouldn't you know it, Wonder
Girl isn't even ranked high enough to be seeded this week. For what it's
worth, though, her 1st Round opponent is Shinobu Asagoe.
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3.Mini-Miss Opportunity: the Vera Zvonareva/Maria Sharapova 3rd Round
survivor vs. a tiring Henin-Hardenne in the Round of 16. Neither might be
able to win this title, but that doesn't mean they can't rock the draw.
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4.Fresh Faces to Watch:
Tatiana Golovin...the Frussian Pastry could pull a 1r-2r-3r upset trifecta
over Koukalova/Smashnova-Pistolesi/Dementieva
Jelena Jankovic...vs. Silvia Farina Elia in the 1st Round
Barbora Strycova...1st Round vs. Els Callens, then in the 2nd vs. the
Myskina/Molik victor
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5.South American Dark Horses: Paola Suarez and Fabiola Zuluaga. Argentine
#14 seed Suarez, a 2002 RG quarterfinalist, might face JHH in the 4th; while
Colombian #23 Zuluaga, an Oz semifinalist in January, could get Venus in the
4th, as well.
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6.Results that Could Change the Tournament:
3r-Loit def. JHH
3r-Pierce/Schaul def. Venus
4r-Zuluaga def. Venus
4r-Martinez def. Serena
4r-Schiavone def. Capriati
4r-Maleeva/Farina Elia def. Mauresmo
...then there's that 2nd Round match where Maria Kirilenko plays Serena
Williams. But that couldn't happen...right?
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7.Martina? The 47-year old Navratilova, fresh off her Vienna doubles title,
plays her first grand slam singles match since 1994 against 19-year old
Gisela Dulko. Guess what? She might just win it, too, and set up a
super-intriguing 2nd Rounder against Conchita Martinez... who just so
happens to be the player who beat Martina in her last slam match, in the '94
Wimbledon final.
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8.Odds and end:
Most Photographed Early-Rounders?: 2r-Dokic vs. Harkleroad, 3r-Dementieva
vs. Golovin
Standing-Room-Only Matches:
3r-Zvonareva vs. Sharapova
4r-Zvonareva/Sharapova vs. 2003 semifinalist Nadia Petrova
3r-Kuznetsova vs. Sprem
Last Year's French Crowd Favorite, This Year's Enemy?: JHH might face home
favorites Sandrine Testud (1r) and Emilie Loit (3r) in the early going.
Seniors Tour: 2r-Martinez, 32 vs. Navratilova, 47
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9.Toughest Road to Final?: Jennifer Capriati could beat both Venus and
Serena and still need another win to claim her second RG crown. Yes, that
means the Sisters might play each other... but in a SF, not the Final.
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10.Dream Final Matchups:
Capriati vs. Mauresmo - Part III of their Euro04 dance
JHH vs. Serena - a rematch of the "Wave-Off" semifinal of 2003
And Mademoiselle Opportunity will be... hold on, Backspin has to save
something for later. Plus, there's still some unfinished business to take
care of.
STRASBOURG, FRANCE (III-Red Clay)
S: Claudine Schaul d. Lindsay Davenport 2-6/6-0/6-3
D: McShea/Sequera d. Krizan/Srebotnik
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VIENNA, AUSTRIA (III-Red Clay)
S: Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi d. Alicia Molik 6-2/3-6/6-3
D: Navratilova/Raymond d. Black/Stubbs
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Claudine Schaul
...stunning winner this week. The 20-year old from Luxembourg had a career
week, advancing to her first final and winning her first WTA title in
Strasbourg. Defeating Davenport, Sugiyama and Loit might even put her in
the upper echelon of performances all season.
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RISER: Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi
...as promised, Pistolesi's name now gets longer around here with her title
in Vienna. You could probably win quite a few bets with your friends with
the knowledge that, over the last three seasons, the player with the most
WTA singles titles who's not named Williams (or is a Belgian) is ol' ASP
with seven.
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SURPRISE: Schaul
...of course.
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VETERAN: Martina Navratilova
...finally, Martina gets her first doubles title of 2004 (post-Kuznetsova).
Of course, this one in Vienna sets two more records -- oldest titleist, at
47, and career doubles crown #173.
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FRESH FACES: Yuliana Fedak & Andrea Petkovic
...Ukrainian Fedak, 20, followed up her streak-ending defeat of Jelena
Jankovic in Rome with a successful qualification for Roland Garros.
Petkovic, a 16-year old from Germany, gets a slightly belated
congratulations for her $10K title -- a career first -- in Antalya, Turkey.
She qualified for the main draw, then went on to take the title, as well.
(You can find out more about Petkovic on her site on the Tennisrulz
network.)
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DOWN: Clarisa Fernandez
...the Argentine, 23, was a Roland Garros semifinalist in 2002. Last week,
she was forced to try to qualify just to get into the main draw. She
failed, too, retiring in the 3rd set of the final round match against Sandra
Mamic.
1.Stras F - Schaul d. Davenport
...2-6/6-0/6-3. No, that's not a misprint -- she did win the 2nd set at
love.
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2.Vie F - Smashnova-Pistolesi d. Molik
...6-2/3-6/6-3. Career title #9, with seven coming in the last
two-and-a-half seasons.
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3.Vie 2r - Jidkova d. Rubin
...7-6/6-7/6-4. Rubin's return was foiled by one of the more anonymous
Horde members.
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4.Stras SF - Davenport d. Farina Elia
...SFE's three-year reign in Strasbourg comes to an end.
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5.RG Qualifying Q3 - Mamic d. Fernandez
...4-6/6-2/2-0 ret. Guess that SF really WAS a fluke.
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HM-Vie Doubles F - Navratilova/Raymond d. Black/Stubbs
...6-2/7-5. Another record, ho-hum. She'll be missed when she's gone for
good, though.
*ROLAND GARROS QUALIFIERS*
Teryn Ashley
Lubomira Bacheva
Yuliana Fedak
Marissa Irvin
Petra Kucova
Sandra Mamic
Kelly McCain
Kveta Peschke
Shenay Perry
Barbara Rittner
Julia Schruff
Roberta Vinci
...the big summer movie season is kicking
off, so did you ever wonder what might be the most common rain delay DVD
choice in the ladies' lockerroom? Well, for a clue, here are some of the
leaders in the "favorite movies" listed in the latest WTA media guide:
5...Gladiator
4...Pearl Harbor
4...Pretty Woman
4...Titanic
3...The Matrix
2...A Beautiful Mind
2...Good Will Hunting
2...Notting Hill
Plus a few extras:
Hungarian Classic Picks: Some Like it Hot (Petra Mandula) & Gone With the
Wind (Melinda Czink)
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Maggie Maleeva: Bowling for Columbine (makes Backspin want to pick Maggie's
brain for other interesting tidbits)
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Anne Kremer: Alive (eat to win?)
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Amy Frazier: The Cutting Edge (a knowing nod from Backspin, who also
enjoyed this undiscovered semi-precious gem)
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Shinobu Asagoe: Terminator 2 (she's back)
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Patricia Wartusch: Wild Things (which brings to mind one question: Can
you play "triples" -- tennis a trois? -- in tennis?)
*MOST TITLES - 2002-04*
15...Clijsters (4/9/2)
14...Henin-H. (2/8/4)
13...S.Williams (8/4/1)
10...V.Williams (7/1/2)
7....Smashnova-Pistolesi (4/2/1)
*2004 FIRST-TIME CHAMPS*
Hyderabad - Nicole Pratt, 30
Acapulco - Iveta Benesova, 21
Casablanca - Emilie Loit, 24
Budapest - Jelena Jankovic, 19
Strasbourg - Claudine Schaul, 20
*LOW-RANKED 2004 CHAMPS*
#99...Benesova (Acapulco)
#66...Schaul (Strasbourg)
#60...Frazier (Hobart)
#59...Pratt (Hyderabad)
#59...Jankovic (Budapest)
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ROLAND GARROS PREDICTIONS
(unabridged)
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03 FINAL: JHH d. Clijsters
04 TOP: JHH/Serena
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[Section I]
#1 Henin-Hardenne d. Testud
Martinez-Grenados d. Garbin
Zheng d. Randriantefy
#31 Loit d. Kleinova
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#24 Dokic d. Perebiynis...Dokic is
reeling, so don't be stunned by an upset here
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Diaz Oliva d. Harkleroad
Douchevina d. Obata
#14 Suarez d. Sequera
#10 Zvonareva d. Kucova(Q)
Serna d. Morigami
Grande d. Nagyova
#18 Sharapova d. Schwartz
#27 Daniilidou d. Weingartner
Frazier d. Camerin
Fedak (Q) d. Santangelo
#8 Petrova d. Castano
[Section II]
#3 Mauresmo d. Cervanova
Medina-Garrigues d. Craybas
Vakulenko d. Parra-Santonja
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Kurhajcova d. #28 Raymond...clay
isn't Raymond's surface
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#21 Maleeva d. Barna
Marrero d. Wheeler
Reeves d. Shaughnessy
#15 Farina Elia d. Jankovic
#9 Dementieva d. Jugic-Salkic
Pisnik d. Pratt
Golovin d. Koukalova
#19 Smashnova-Pistolesi d. Pennetta
#32 Safina d. Schruff (Q)
Irvin (Q) d. Snyder
Sanchez-Lorenzo d. Mamic (Q)
#5 Davenport d. Pichet
[Section III]
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#6 Myskina d. Molik...Molik rarely
puts together back-to-back good results, and she made the final in
Vienna, so...
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Strycova d. Callens
Beltrame d. Chladkova
#29 Mandula d. McCain (Q)
#22 Sprem d. Casanova
Vento-Kabchi d. Lee-Waters
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Rittner (Q) d. Schett...poor,
Barbara (that'll work for which ever one loses)
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#11 Kuznetsova d. Bacheva (Q)
#13 Rubin d. Perry (Q)
Srebotnik d. Black
Likhovtseva d. Jidkova
#23 Zuluaga d. Sucha
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#30 Pierce d. Schaul...can Schaul
regain her center of gravity after Strasbourg?
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Leon Garcia d. Granville
Kostanic d. Pin
#4 V.Williams d. Tanasugarn
[Section IV]
#7 Capriati d. Beygelzimer
Peschke (Q) d. Birnerova (LL)
Groenefeld d. Stosur
#25 Bovina d. Vinci (Q)
#17 Schiavone d. Cohen Aloro
Razzano d. Brandi
Czink d. Ruano-Pascual
Bartoli d. #12 Sugiyama
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Kapros d. #16 Schnyder...Mad
Hungarian Upset Special
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Hantuchova d. Asagoe
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Navratilova d. Dulko...chalk one up
for "old school"
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#20 Martinez d. Ashley (Q)
#26 Dechy d. Foretz
Talaja d. Gagliardi
Kirilenko d. Mikaelian
#2 S.Williams d. Benesova
[Top Half]
#1 Henin-Hardenne d. Martinez-Grenados
#31 Loit d. Zheng
Diaz Oliva d. #24 Dokic
#14 Suarez d. Douchevina
#10 Zvonareva d. Serna
#18 Sharapova d. Grande
#27 Daniilidou d. Frazier
#8 Petrova d. Fedak (Q)
#3 Mauresmo d. Medina-Garrigues
Kurhajcova d. Vakulenko
#21 Maleeva d. Marrero
#15 Farina Elia d. Reeves
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#9 Dementieva d. Pisnik...Pisnik
upset Dokic in the 2nd Round here last year
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Golovin d. #19 Smashnova-Pistolesi
#32 Safina d. Irvin (Q)
#5 Davenport d. Sanchez-Lorenzo
[Bottom Half]
#6 Myskina d. Strycova
#29 Mandula d. Beltrame
#22 Sprem d. Vento-Kabchi
#11 Kuznetsova d. Rittner (Q)
Srebotnik d. #13 Rubin
#23 Zuluaga d. Likhovtseva
#30 Pierce d. Leon Garcia
#4 V.Williams d. Kostanic
#7 Capriati d. Peschke (Q)
#25 Bovina d. Groenefeld
#17 Schiavone d. Razzano
Bartoli d. Czink
Kapros d. Hantuchova
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#20 Martinez d. Navratilova...next
slam stop: SW19
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#26 Dechy d. Talaja
#2 S.Williams d. Kirilenko
#1 Henin-Hardenne d. #31 Loit
#14 Suarez d. Diaz Oliva
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#10 Zvonareva d. Sharapova...winner
is "Russian of the Day"
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#8 Petrova d. #27 Daniilidou
#3 Mauresmo d. Kurhajcova
#15 Farina Elia d. #21 Maleeva
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Golovin d. #9 Dementieva...Frussian
over Russian
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#5 Davenport d. #32 Safina
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#29 Mandula d. #6 Myskina...Myskina
is 1-4 in her career at RG
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#11 Kuznetsova d. #22 Sprem
#23 Zuluaga d. Srebotnik
#4 V.Williams d. #30 Pierce
#7 Capriati d. #25 Bovina
#17 Schiavone d. Bartoli
#20 Martinez d. Kapros
#2 S.Williams d. #26 Dechy
#1 Henin-Hardenne d. #14 Suarez
#10 Zvonareva d. #8 Petrova
#3 Mauresmo d. #15 Farina Elia
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#5 Davenport d. Golovin...but,
remember, Davenport lost to Schaul
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#11 Kuznetsova d. #29 Mandula
#4 V.Williams d. #23 Zuluaga
#7 Capriati d. #17 Schiavone
#2 S.Williams d. #20 Martinez
#1 Henin-Hardenne d. #10 Zvonareva
#3 Mauresmo d. #5 Davenport
#4 V.Williams d. #11 Kuznetsova
#7 Capriati d. #2 S.Williams
#3 Mauresmo d. #1 Henin-Hardenne
#7 Capriati d. #4 V.Williams
#7 Capriati d. #7
Mauresmo
...Opportunity knocks, and The Not-Quite-As-Petulant One answers.
Meanwhile, Heinz Gunthardt takes a bow, just as Stefano Capriati elbows him
in the gut to get into the photographer's line of sight.
Of course, as I said, I could be horribly wrong. All for now.
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NEXT WEEK: Mid-RG "Backspin 10"
