Ferrero Tightens Hold on No. 1 Ranking; Clijsters Opens Door for Henin-Hardenne in Zurich

Posted on October 20, 2003

ATP REVIEW/PREVIEW
No. 1-ranked Juan Carlos Ferrero showed that he is no hardcourt pretender Saturday at the TMS-Madrid, and Chilean indoor novice Nicolas Massu showed he is a quick study by beating (15)El Aynaoui. Ferrero's semifinal win made a statement in the race for No. 1, outdueling Roger Federer in three sets 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. "I wasn't too happy with my game," Fed said. "A few moments it was all right, but it was a little bit too much up and down. You know, I took chances on my serves and double-faulted. That shouldn't happen. I put myself in difficulties situations. He wasn't really controlling the match, I was. I was the one who was taking chances." Ferrero leads the head-to-head with Massu 3-1. The doubles final will be Black/Ullyett vs. Bhupathi/Mirnyi.

WTA REVIEW/PREVIEW
Top-seeded Kim Clijsters whupped unseeded Jelena Dokic 6-1 in the first set before taking a nap in the Zurich semifinals Saturday, allowing the Yugo-Aussie to come back for a 6-3, 6-4 win. Now No. 2 Justine Henin-Hardenne (d. Petrova) is just one win from ascending to the No. 1 ranking for the first time on Sunday. "Right now I am mentally and physically tired," Clijsters said. "I do not think I recovered very well after playing a late doubles match last night and this was one match too many." The series head-to-head between H-H and Dokic is tied 1-1, with Dokic winning their last meeting, on clay in 2002. The quality doubles final will be (2)Ruano Pascual/Suarez vs. (1)Clijsters/Sugiyama.

2003 TENNIS-X TOP TITLE CHOKERS (Singles)
Players on the ATP and WTA Tours with more losses than wins in finals this year. Mardy Fish remains the top choker on tour, winless in three finals, ahead of Lindsay Davenport's impressive 1-5 record (minimum three runner-up efforts, through Oct. 12, 2003):

Position/Player/W-L in finals:

1. Mardy Fish (USA) 0-3
2. Lindsey Davenport (USA) 1-5
3. Venus Williams (USA) 1-3
4T. Agustin Calleri (ARG) 1-2
4T. Jennifer Capriati (USA) 1-2
4T. Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) 1-2
4T. Jiri Novak (CZE) 1-2
4T. Mark Philippoussis (AUS) 1-2
4T. Rainer Schuettler (GER) 1-2

2003 TENNIS-X TOP TITLE CHOKERS (Doubles)
Aussie Open champs Llodra/Santoro, who have qualified for the Masters Cup doubles, come in at No. 2 with their weak mark in finals this year (minimum three runner-up efforts, through Oct. 12, 2003):

Position/Player/W-L in finals:
1. Frantisek Cermak/Leos Friedl (CZE) 1-5
2. Michael Llodra/Fabrice Santoro (FRA) 1-3
3. Wayne Black/Kevin Ullyett (ZIM) 1-2

NEXT WEEK ON TOUR
ATP Basel
ATP Stockholm
ATP St. Petersburg
WTA Linz
WTA Luxembourg

NOTES, QUOTES, AND BARBS
Carlos Moya has pulled from Basel next week, citing a shoulder injury...How long until Venus announces she is skipping the year-end WTA Championships? We're taking bets...With Clijsters out, Justine Henin-Hardenne needs only to beat Jelena Dokic to ascend to No. 1. Talk about a tough roadblock. Hah...Juan Carlos Ferrero will be seeking his fourth title of the season in Madrid...Justine Henin-Hardenne is gunning for a tennis-leading eighth title of the year...This week, Yannick Noah's 6-foot-10 son, Joakim Noah, verbally commited to playing college basketball next year at the University of Florida. Noah, who currently attends Lawrenceville Prep in New Jersey, selected the Florida Gators over Maryland, Virginia and Villanova. Last season, Noah averaged 24 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks a game at the forward position...The Daily Telegraph reports that Venus Williams's Yorkshire terrier dog, Bobby, wears a gem-encrusted gold collar. See, a dog's life ain't that bad after all...Anna Kournikova seems to have figured out her future. The blond starlet is apparently interested in a career as a TV awards presenter. Way to aim high, Anna.