Navratilova Rolls, Then Rolled at WTA Amelia Island

Posted on April 8, 2004

It was the Martina Navratilova of old Tuesday -- for one set, then it was just old Martina. The 47-year-old wildcard American rolled through the first set 6-1 against Milagros Sequera before fading to a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 loss in the first round at Amelia Island Tuesday.

"I lost it mentally," Navratilova said. "I was in and out the last two sets."

Afterward, Navratilova received a standing ovation from the Amelia fans, who witnessed the American's first appearance in singles in 10 years in the states.

"It was sweet," Navratilova said. "The people were obviously excited. It was great to be out there."

Navratilova was scheduled to play Kristina Brandi, but the Puerto Rican withdrew because of a left foot injury. "She's a legend," Sequera said, referring to Navratilova, not Brandi. "I was a bit intimidated to play her."
There was only one seeded upset on the day with American Amy "Joltin' Joe" Frazier ousting the troubled Serbian (11)Jelena Dokic in straights. Seeds advancing were (1)Justine Henin-Hardenne (d. Safina), (4)Lindsay Davenport (d. (Q)Sun), (8)Vera "Warren" Zvonareva (d. Pisnik in three), (9)Paola Suarez (d. Santangelo), (10)Silvia Farina Elia (d. Likhovtseva), (12)Patty Schnyder (d. (WC)Mikaelian in an all-Swiss match-up, dropping one game), and (13)Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi (d. (WC)Hopkins 0-and-0).


Other un-seeds into the second round were Croat riser Karolina Sprem (d. (WC)Irvin), and Aussie Alicia Molik (d. Jankovic 0-and-0). Two 0-and-0s and one 1-and-0, time for WTA CEO Larry Scott to give another interview about the increased parity on the women's tour.

On court Wednesday are (7)Petrova vs. Sequera, Kostanic vs. (5)Dementieva, (3)Mauresmo vs. Morigami, Pierce vs. (2)Serena, (6)Sugiyama vs. Castano, (10)Farina Elia vs. Ruano Pascual, (15)Maleeva vs. Sprem, Medina Garrigues vs. (16)Martinez in an all-Spanish match-up, Mandula vs. Frazier, Parra vs. Molik, Strycova vs. (13)Smashnova-Pistolesi, and Asagoe vs. (9)Suarez.

Three more seeds went out in the opening round Tuesday on the dirt at Casablanca in (2)Marion Bartoli (l. to countrywoman Cohen-Aloro), (3)Katarina Srebotnik (l. to Moroccan wildcard Mouhtassine), and (6)Julia Vakulenko (l. to qualifier Domachowska).

Seeds into the second round were two Slovaks in (4)Ludmila Cervanova (d. Callens) and (7)Lubomira Kurhajcova (d. Razzano), and Italian (8)Maria Elena Camerin (d. (Q)Vinci). Un-seeds advancing were Spaniards Conchita "Not That Conchita" Martinez Granados (d. Schruff in three) and Gala Leon Garcia (d. (Q)Nagy in three), Italians Flavia "Of the Day" Pennetta (d. Pastikova) and defending champ Rita "Ain't It" Grande (d. Sucha), Hungarian qualifier Zsofia Gubacsi (d. Spears in three), and Czech Eva Birnerova (d. Groenfeld).

On tap Wednesday are four matches in Klara "Kouky" Koukalova vs. Cohen-Aloro, Loit vs. Talaja, Camerin vs. Martinez Granados, and Gubacsi vs. Marrero.

WTA AMELIA ISLAND U.S. TV SCHEDULE (EST)
Friday, April 9, 1-2:30 p.m. (live) ESPN
Saturday, April 10, 2-4 p.m. (live) ESPN2
Sunday, April 11, 1-3 p.m. (live) ESPN

FREE TENNIS-X E-NEWSLETTER
Subscribe to the FREE Tennis-X daily e-newsletter, click on the logo on the top right of the page at www.tennis-x.com.

NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Vince Spadea getting pummeled by Andy Roddick in the Masters Series-Miami semifinals seems to have put an end to the Mardy Fish-Davis Cup controversy...Jim "Mattress Mac" McIngvale's plan to lure the WTA's season-ending event to Houston and combine it with the ATP's Masters Cup seems dead in the water for the near term, according to the Houston Chronicle. The two events' contractual obligations remain the stumbling blocks, with Mercedes (ATP) and Porsche (WTA) not interested in sharing their promotional space. Why don't they just have a race to settle it. The word is the Masters Cup will be shuttled off to China, and we're waiting for the ATP spin on how this is going to benefit tennis...WTA CEO Larry Scott pleaded with Justine Henin-Hardenne to play at Key Biscayne/Miami last week(s), but she said no dice, but reportedly did commit to the event for 2005 (which means she'll be skipping Indian Wells or Amelia Island instead?)...The lower-ranked WTA players are grumbling about the top seeds receiving byes at WTA events. When is the WTA going to wake up and initiate a bonus pool/penalty plan (or something) so they can get the top players to play the top events? First-round byes are the best incentive you can do?...Venus Williams has not won a title in her past eight tournaments, her longest streak since winning her first title in 1999...Jiri Novak, Robby Ginepri, Vince Spadea, Taylor Dent and James Blake are among those playing the River Oaks exhibition this week in Houston. Anna Kournikova will participate in an exhibition against American Carly Gullickson...Martina Navratilova said she asked for a wildcard at Miami and was told she would get one, but as part of the deal she would be expected to do a news conference announcing her entry, an autograph session, and a visit to the NASDAQ suite, so she told them to stuff it. "They should have just said, `Yes,' but there were strings attached and I didn't think that was right, so I told them to take their wildcard and give it to a younger player."...U.S. vs. Sweden Davis Cup on ESPN2: Friday, 2-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 p.m.-midnight (tape delay); Sunday, 2:30-5 p.m...Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty says the grass won't bother him in Slovakia's zonal D-Cup match at South Africa: "It's pretty fast and the ball bounces very low, but that is what you can expect from grass. I think it will be the usual serve-and-volley game with not too many rallies and not many breaks, so we will need to take every chance we get. I am not worried about playing on grass. Davis Cup is totally different to normal tournaments. I like the atmosphere and the fact that it's a team event, and I think I have played my best tennis at the Davis Cup." Wayne Ferreira and Wesley Moodie will lead the charge for the South Africans...Wimbledon referee Alan Mills says Britain's zonal D-Cup match against Luxembourg will be no walk after they upset Finland 4-1, and that the Brits are an underdog to get back in the World Group: "It could be down to Tim (Henman) winning three matches," Mills told The Independent. "It's not as easy as it may seem on paper, especially if Greg (Rusedski) is not 100 percent fit. Greg and Tim could play doubles, and the doubles could decide it. That's no reflection on Arvind (Parmar), because Arvind is playing exceptionally well at the moment. You never know what he can do. But I still think it's down to Tim. It's a sad reflection that there's really only one player, and he's not going to go on for ever. I think Britain will struggle to get back into the World Group, because there are going to be some very strong teams in the qualifying round."...Alexandra "Dr. A" Stevenson has not won a main draw match this year...While Martina Navratilova is hitting the singles circuit in this her goodbye year, she will not yet commit to a singles appearance at the All England Club: "I don't think I'll play singles at Wimbledon. You (media) will make a big deal out of it and I really want to concentrate on my doubles. The reason I am playing singles is to help my doubles. Players usually play doubles to help their singles...me it's the opposite."...According to the Miami Herald's Edwin Pope, Serena Williams is not the horn-blowing ego maniac with the gem-studded "Serena" headbands and inappropriate tight-fitting ensembles, far removed from reality, but rather a humble, intellectual role model: "(Serena) Williams will go a long way to deny her gifts. Asked if she could identify with the old TV series Wonder Woman, she ducked the question. Such poise is among her many wonders. She seems totally bereft of any self-consciousness, or a single nervous mannerism...she used the word 'aplomb' in describing the importance of role-modeling for children. 'It is important for me...to carry myself with aplomb,' she said, in a statement far beyond some of tennis' empty heads, past and present." Uhhhhhhhh, right. You need to attend more than one press conference a year Ed. Back to covering the NFL for you...Andy Roddick says he wants Olympic gold this year: "If I got a medal, I'd want the gold. It's one thing to be a finalist in a tournament, knowing that you can go back to it the next year, but the Olympics is once every four years. The US Open was my ultimate dream in tennis...that was almost the pinnacle for me. That being said, if you said, 'OK, pick one tournament that you'd be victorious in this year,' I'd probably say the Olympics."