Dubai Duty Free Women's Open;

This week, Jelena travels to the United Arab Emirates where she is the #6 seed for the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open.  This Tier II event boasts $585,000 of prize money and it is the first time that Jelena plays this event.  The event will be played outdoors on a hardcourt and is looked upon very favourably by a range of players from the WTA and the ATP.  A certain Jennifer Capriati compared the event to being in an Aladin movie, and a touch of magic is something Jelena could do with herself right now.  You can visit the official website at http://www.dubaitennischampionships.com/main.htm (and I've also saved you the bother of going through the irritating intro), where you may find information on tickets, latest news and live scores.  The tournament has also pulled in some fairly big sponsors such as Lacoste and Adidas, whilst the Dubai Duty Free is the official partner of the event.  The tournament is directed by one Salah Tahlak.  The main news surrounding the tournament is Venus Williams' first tournament since being upsetted in the Australian Open by Lisa Raymond, and many will be keen to see how Justine Henin-Hardenne performs following last week's withdrawal from Antwerp due to respiratory problems.

Are you ready? -

After a disappointing loss in her opening match in Paris against Elena Bovina, Jelena decided to take a week off in preparation for this event in Dubai.  She has no doubt been training hard and will demand more from herself.  The niggling groin injury which seemed to hamper her at Paris will hopefully have gone away and therefore allow Jelena to play her own game, free of any physical restrictions.  She will also have to show a strong mentality if she is to succeed here.  Her attitude in the Pan Pacific Open is certainly commendable after pulling through two three setters and finishing them with relative ease, but she will need to put behind her those disappointing feelings from Paris behind her and lock them away to a place far from thought (maybe Australia).  As far as points defence is concerned, Jelena has only one point to defend following her early straight sets loss to Meghannn Shaughnessy last year at Sarasota, so that should relieve a little pressure.  Despite the inconclusive pondering of Jelena's physical and mental state, it should be noted that confidence is something I have regarding this week.  Jelena dominated Bovina a few weeks back in Paris with some fantastic winners.  Clearly playing the way she is used to, and not reverting to any of the net approaches she was 'taught' by an over rated Swiss fellow, Jelena looked more like herself.  It was a long way off a vintage performance, but with a little tidying up and some practise, Jelena will certainly have enough to live up to the expectation and put in a solid performance here in Dubai.

The Draw -

For those of you who have been following Jelena for a time, you will remember the name Petra Mandula for that Roland Garros 3rd round defeat in 2001, which came off the back of that tremendous debut tour title at Rome.  Mandula hasn't done a great deal since, but finds herself with a respectable rank of 38 in the world.  She is a competent player with a sometimes beautiful inside out forehand, but really fails to find the consistency required to maintain a higher ranking.  Jelena should come through this first round without too much difficulty.  Asides from that Roland Garros upset, their only other meeting was in Linz last year, where Jelena pulled through in three sets.  In the second round, one may expect Jelena to face Meghannn Shaughnessy.  This presents Jelena with an imediate opportunity to right some of the wrongs of 2003.  This time last year, Shaughnessy prevailed over Dokic with relative ease, but she has failed to make any mark on 2004, and once again, anything other than a Dokic win would be a surprise.  Next up is the QF, and excluding an upset in the section above Jelena's in the draw, she will face Anastasia Myskina.  The pair failed to play against one another last year, but Jelena leads the head-to-head 4-2, with the latest victory coming in the end of year Championships.  Myskina is of course a very talented player, but lacks the weaponry of Henin, Clijsters and even Dokic.  However, Myskina will chase everything down and won't give away too many free points.  Jelena will need to play aggressively and will need to play well if she has any intentions of surpassing the QF stage.  Unfortunately, the buck will most likely stop there.  It would be a great achievement for Jelena to reach her second SF here at Dubai, but a victory over Justine Henin-Hardenne in the SF seems a little beyond Jelena.  Potential wise, Jelena could definitely be the better player, but taking form into account and confidence, Henin-Hardenne is the hottest player on the tour and will surely be expected to breeze through this tournament, even with the likes of Capriati and Venus Williams lurking in the lower half of the draw.

PREDICTION -

1rd - Jelena def. Mandula: straight sets.

2rd - Jelena def. Shaughnessy: straight sets.

QF - Jelena def. Myskina: three sets.

SF - Henin-Hardenne def. Jelena: straight sets.