Clijsters Makes Quick Start at the WTA Championships; Roddick Receives Easy Masters Cup DrawView Comments (1) | View Discussions
Posted on November 7, 2003
WTA REVIEW/PREVIEW
Top ranked Kim Clijsters made quick work in her opening match at the WTA Championships Wednesday night, easily disposing of Russia's Elena Dementieva 6-2, 6-2. Clijsters, the defending champion of the event, is in a dogfight this week with countrywoman Justine Henin-Hardenne for the year-end No. 1 ranking. Also, the low-ranked Americans made a heady start with No. 10-ranked Chanda Rubin upsetting No. 6-ranked Amelie Mauresmo in three sets, and No. 5 Jennifer Capriati subduing the bottom-seeded Ai Sugiyama in straights. "I tried to force the play and be aggressive," Rubin said. "After being down a set and a break, I felt like I had new life."
Thursday's schedule features (6)Mauresmo vs. (9)Dementieva in a must-win for both players, (1)Clijsters vs. (10)Rubin, and (2)Henin-Hardenne in her debut vs. the Russian (8)Myskina.
Red Group:
(1)Kim Clijsters 1-0 win-loss (2-0 sets)
(10)Chanda Rubin 1-0 (2-1)
(6)Amelie Mauresmo 0-1 (1-2)
(9)Elena Dementieva 0-1 (0-2)
Black Group:
(5)Jennifer Capriati 1-0 win-loss (2-0 sets)
(2)Justine Henin-Hardenne 0-0 (0-0)
(8)Anastasia Myskina 0-0 (0-0)
(11)Ai Sugiyama 0-1 (0-2)
In the WTA Championships doubles single-elimination draw released yesterday, (1)Clijsters/Sugiyama face Black/Likhovtseva, and (2)Ruano Pascual/Suarez face Kuznetsova/Navratilova, with the semifinals and final played Nov. 9-10.
Lots of excitement at the WTA Pattaya City stop...if you're from Thailand. The locals got a brief glimpse of hope when Thai wildcard Napaporn Tongsalee split sets with No. 8 seed Angelique Widjaja of Indonesia before falling 6-3 in the third in the only seeded action. Un-seeds advancing were (Q)Bandarenko (d. Zheng), Tatarkova (d. (Q)Domachowska 6-0 in the third), Kleinova (d. Sun), (LL)Steinbach (d. Yan), Nagyova (d. Talaja in three), and Rodionova (d. Fedak in three). On court today in Pattaya City are Widjaja vs. Kurhajcova, Tanasugarn vs. Kleinova, Tamaela vs. Barna, Abramovic vs. Obata, Kostanic vs. Bondarenko, and Steinbach vs. Tatarkova.
ATP REVIEW/PREVIEW
Andy Roddick's road to the year-end No. 1 ranking became clearer on Wednesday following the release of the 2003 Tennis Masters Cup pairings. The 21-year-old American was drawn in the opposite group from Wimbledon champion Roger Federer and former No. 1 and 1990 Masters Cup champion Andre Agassi.
The two round robin groups are:
Red Group: (1)Andy Roddick, (4)Guillermo Coria, (6)Rainer Schuettler, (7)Carlos Moya
Blue Group: (2)Juan Carlos Ferrero, (3)Roger Federer, (5)Andre Agassi, (8)David Nalbandian
The top two finishers from each group advance to the semifinals. Agassi, who arrived in Houston on Monday to practice, has not competed in a tour event since the US Open. "My body feels good, and my mind feels sort of excited to be out here," Agassi told the Houston Chronicle on Tuesday. "The playing part is going to be the key."
The race for No. 1 falls mainly between Roddick and Ferrero, with Federer still an outside shot.
"It's almost been scripted with Juan Carlos (Ferrero) winning on clay, Roger (Federer) winning on grass, me winning in the states -- it's kind of been almost a fairy tale year for us," said Roddick during the indoor season, where he failed to win a title following his US Open breakthrough. "But only one of us gets to finish on a fairy tale. I think it's nice for all of us, and it's a big relief for all of us." Roddick is 1-0 career against both Coria and Moya in his group, but has struggled with a 1-2 record against Schuettler.
While Coria's hardcourt game in still in the developmental stages, Moya could join Schuettler in proving problematic for the world No. 1. "I honestly think I am a better player than I was four years ago, when I was No. 1 in the world," said Moya earlier this year when he reached the hardcourt final at the TMS-Miami, losing to Agassi.
In the other group, Ferrero holds impressive win-loss leads over Federer (3-2) and Agassi (3-1), while Nalbandian is not expected to be competitive since he is recuperating from a wrist injury, and could be replaced by alternate Mark Philippoussis. The drama will lie in who among Ferrero, Federer (who may also be a question mark with an earlier back injury), and Agassi gets left out of the semifinal party.
Red Group Intangibles: What if Coria goes into "Wizard Mode"? What if Schuettler realizes he is 2-1 vs. Roddick this year? What if Moya's shoulder is good and the former No. 1 peaks like he did during the spring U.S. hardcourt season?
Blue Group Intangibles: What if Agassi comes out firing? What if Fed has shaken off the back injury and goes into "Fed Mode"? What if Ferrero plays like he did at the US Open? What if Nalbandian pulls with his wrist injury, and alternate Mark Philippoussis is introduced into the mix?
Singles play begins Monday at the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston, Texas.
The Masters Cup doubles draw:
Red Group: (1)Bryan/Bryan, (3)Bjorkman/Woodbridge, (6)Llodra/Santoro, (7)Damm/Suk
The Bryan brothers and Wimbledon/US Open champions Bjorkman/Woodbridge are the clear favorites to come out of this group. The Aussie Open champions Llodra/Santoro have shown an ill habit of dropping big matches, while Damm/Suk are capable of the big upset but generally regarded as over the hill.
Blue Group: (2)Bhupathi/Mirnyi, (4)Knowles/Nestor, (5)Arthurs/Hanley, (8)Etlis/Rodriguez
The Indian/Belarusian combo of Bhupathi/"Beast" and last year's No. 1 team Knowles/Nestor are the by-a-nose favorites here, though the Aussies Arthurs/Hanley have wins over both teams. Write off Etlis/Rodriguez, who didn't win a title this year and only snuck into the draw when Paes/Rikl pulled.
Saturday doubles schedule, beginning at 1:00 PM: Bjorkman/Woodbridge vs. Llodra/Santoro, Bryan/Bryan vs. Damm/Suk, Bhupathi/Mirnyi vs. Etlis/Rodriguez.
NOTES, QUOTES, AND BARBS
The Staples Center has 55 bathrooms, one for each fan in attendance at the WTA Championships (nice empty-seat camera shots by ESPN last night)...Juan Carlos Ferrero is the only player in the Top 10 to not lose a first round match this year...At 33, Andre Agassi is the oldest player to qualify for the year-end championship since Jimmy Connors in 1987 at age 35...Todd Martin and Gustavo Kuerten have been confirmed for the ATP Auckland stop in January 2004...Guillermo Coria and David Nalbandian are the first Argentines in 20 years to qualify for the year-end Masters Cup...New Zealand's Brenda Perry will be the first woman to referee an ATP tournament when she officiates at the Jan. 12-17, 2004 stop in Auckland...Andre Agassi's practice partner in Houston is American Cecil Mamiit...Jennifer Capriati and Kim Clijsters attended the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors game together Sunday in Los Angeles...Justine Henin-Hardenne will become No. 1 by emerging from the round robin and reaching the semifinals at the WTA Championships, regardless of how Kim Clijsters performs...No teenagers have qualified for the WTA Championships for the first time since 1978...Chanda Rubin's win yesterday was her first in four attempts at the year-end championship...If Andy Roddick or Juan Carlos Ferrero win two matches at the Masters Cup, Roger Federer will be eliminated from the year-end No. 1 race...Is it just us or is the fix in for Andy Roddick finishing No. 1? Let's be honest, you knew he would win the US Open, you knew Ferrero/Federer would not light up the fall season, you knew Roddick would get to No. 1 before his Saturday Night Live appearance, and you knew he would get the "easier" Cup draw. Who says the ATP doesn't know what they are doing! Roddick, by the way, will play his first round match Tuesday night at 7pm against Carlos Moya...13 of 15 of Jennifer Capriati's losses this year have come in three sets, nice mark in the clutch...Only three times this year has Amelie Mauresmo failed to reach the QF at an event, and is the only player to beat both Williams sisters in an event this year...Nice WTA Championships television debut by ESPN in the U.S., delayed more than an hour by the finish of the Louisville vs. TCU college football game...Hey Boris, after producing an illegitimate child, divorcing your wife, getting sued for tax evasion, seeing business investments tank, fleeing your country for Switzerland, and writing a book about how you abused drugs and alcohol during your playing days -- how is that legacy going?...Sweden failed in their appeal to the ITF over seeding issues, and will have to face Australia in the first round of the Davis Cup in 2004.
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