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The tennis phenomenon that was to be ROGER FEDERER after his masterful win at WIMBLEDON this year never materialized at the US OPEN. Seeded second, he was eliminated by 13th seed DAVID NALBANDIAN in the fourth round. But in Houston over the weekend, FEDERER got his game back in form, winning the season-ending MASTERS title in a commanding victory over ANDRE AGASSI 6-3, 6-0, 6-4. ANDRE never had a break point the entire match! FEDERER was the only undefeated player in the finals of this round robin tournament, going 4-0 with victories over JAUN CARLOS FERRERO, DAVID NALBANDIAN, RAINIER SHUETTLER and ANDY RODDICK in the semi-finals, where he won 7-6, 6-2. FEDERER will climb to number 2 in the world as the season ends, behind ANDY RODDICK. “ANDY deserves to be No. 1. I’m very happy with No. 2, and the fact that I won 7 titles, and won on all four surfaces-grass, clay, hard court and indoor.” AGASSI will finish the season at No. 5, having won 4 titles in 2003 including the AUSTRALIAN OPEN in January, where it all starts again in a month plus. 2004 should be interesting with FEDERER looking to regain his No. 1 ranking held briefly after WIMBLEDON, and RODDICK trying to defend his place in the rankings. RODDICK has lost 5 of the 6 matches played between the two. |
It was an unlikely result, but KIM CLIJSTERS won the season ending WTA Championships in easy fashion, blowing AMELIE MAURISMO off the blue court at Staples, 6-2, 6-0. It was hardly a match, lasting less than an hour. MAURESMO is the only player on the tour to have beaten both VENUS and SERENA WILLIAMS this year, though she was lucky to be in the final, having gone 1-2 in the round robin qualifying. But there she was, having beaten the player with the momentum coming into this championship, JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE in Sunday’s semi-final. For HARDENNE, it was the first time all year that she lost back-to-back matches, having lost to ALI SUGIYAMA Saturday, after winning Thursday and Friday. Nevertheless, JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE will be the number 1 ranked player going into the 2004 season as a result of her strong play to end the season. She won both the French Open and the U.S. Open in 2003. CLIJSTERS won last year’s WTA by beating both VENUS and SERENA WILLIAMS, who were no shows this year, along with LINDSAY DAVENPORT who underwent surgery prior to the tournament. Her path to the championship was a bit easier this year. She beat MAURESMO on Saturday in 3 sets. The tournament was hampered by poor attendance, with only 8,000 or so paying to see Monday’s matches and some 44,000 total paid entries to the tournament. Capacity at Staples for tennis is somewhere around 19,000, and close to 100,000 for the tournament. This event clearly has not caught on in LA. The WTA couldn’t even get all of the past number 1’s to attend a special ceremony they had Sunday afternoon to pay tribute to ladies tennis over the last 30 years. Of the 13 women who have been top ranked over that period, only 8 showed up for the event,, MARTINA NAVRATILOVA, CHRIS EVERT, MARTINA HINGIS, TRACEY AUSTIN, LINDSAY DAVENPORT, JENNIFER CAPRIATI, KIN CLIJSTERS and JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE. Four of those were competing in the tournament. The rest, including VENUS, SERENA, STEFFI GRAF, MONICA SELES, ARANTXA SANCHEZ-VICARIO, along with most tennis fans in Southern California couldn’t be bothered. That’s too bad, as the players in the women’s game are quite engaging. And if MAURESMO, CLIJSTERS and HARDENNE can raise their games just a bit, 2004 could be quite a year on the tour.  KIM CLIJSTERS took over the tennis rankings Sunday, climbing to the top spot after beating LINDSAY DAVENPORT in 3 sets for the JP MORGAN CHASE CHAMPIONSHIP from the Home Depot Center in Carson, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1. It was the 6th title fin 2003 or CLIJSTES, who lost a bitter match to her fellow Belgian compatriot, JUSTIN HENIN-HARDENNE just last weekend from Carlsbad, California. The two stand out as favorites to win the US OPEN, particularly with DAVENPORT ailing towards the end of this match, and VENUS WILLIAMS suffering from a lingering abdominal strain, causing her to withdraw from the PILOT PEN tournament in Connecticut August 17th, a tournament she had won 4 straight years; and SERENA who recently had surgery on her knee, keeping her out of the OPEN.CLIJSTERS knocked SERNEA out of the number 1 ranking, a perch she had occupied for 57 weeks. Two nights ago it seemed she wouldn’t get to this point, as 16-year old MARIA SHARAPOVA dismantled CLIJSTERS in the second set. Wining 6-1, it seemed SHARAPOVA would coast to an upset, as she was reading KIM’S serves very well, and gathering some momentum on her own service. But CLIJSTERS mustered the energy and the will to break the young and talented Russian in the very first game of the third set, and the challenge was over as quickly as it began. But it was an amazing display from SHARAPOVA, if only for 1 set against the then, number 2 player in the world. CLIJSETS showed great charm by sharing a cake with members of the media, and those remaining fans, commenting on her new ranking, “No one will ever take that away from me, no matter what will happen to me for the rest of my career now. It’s something I will always have on my-how do you say-on my resume.” Look for that resume to gain a few more additions in the months and years ahead. In a preview of how the US OPEN WOMEN'S final might look, given the recently announced knee surgery and rehabilitation for defending champion SERENA WILLIAMS, JUSTIN HENIN-HARDENNE survived a miserable start in her finals match against KIM CLIJSTERS, and came back to win the ACURA CLASSIC 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. HENIN-HARDENNE looked like she could have emailed it in, starting the first set 0-4 and committing 12 unforced errors in the 4 games. But she used a 5-minute injury timeout after the first set, and methodically got back into the match, in the end, winning it relatively easily. CLIJSTERS seemed annoyed at the ploy, "It's not the first time that has happened. She's probably done it in every match I've played against her." An amused HENIN-HARDENNE answered "She can think whatever she wants." Both CLIJSTERS and HENIN-HARDENNE are the tour leaders in wins this year. They are 3-3 against each other in 2003, but you get the feeling JUSTIN has the mental edge, having beaten KIM in the FRENCH OPEN final 6-0, 6-4. HARDENNE raised her record to 7-8 against KLIJSTERS winning for the 5th time in 6 finals appearances this year. CLIJSTERS has been in 10 finals in 2003, also winning 5. One of these two ladies will be ranked number 1 in the world after the US OPEN, with SERENA having to sit out, and VENUS far behind in points as a result of the few tournaments in which she appeared this year. On the men's side, KIM'S boyfriend, LLEYTON HEWITT lost his finals match at the MERCEDS BENZ CUP in Los Angeles to WAYNE FERREIRA 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. FERREIRA had an impressive week beating SEBASTIEN GROSJEAN, a very hot MARK PHILAPPOUSSIS and HEWITT in consecutive matches. In other tennis action on a very busy tennis Sunday, TIM HENMAN of Britain won the LEGG MASON CLASSIC in Washington D.C. over FERNADNO GONZALEZ of Chile 6-3, 6-4. HENMAN beat American ANDY RODDICK in 3 sets in one semi-final and GONZALEZ beat another American, ANDRE AGASSI in 3 sets in the other semi-final. The games hottest player, ROGER FEDERER, fresh off a win at WIMBLEDON withdrew the day before this tournament began with a back strain. He is expected to be in fine form when the US OPEN begins play August 25.
WIMBLEDON 2003 saw the return of SERENA WILLIAMS to her dominating form. She exacted revenge against JUSTIN-HENIN-HARDENNE in the semi-finals, and then won a lackluster final over her sister VENUS in 3 uninspired sets. Perhaps it would make more compelling viewing if it appeared the WILLIAMS’ girls were having any fun, win or lose. But it all seems too much like business, and not very interesting business at that. The tournament was a great showcase for the crop of Russian talent that is infusing the women’s game with some potential excitement. The final 16 included 5 up and coming young Russians, none of whom was ANNA KOURNIKOVA. ELENA DIMENTIEVA was ousted easily by SERENA WILLIAMS in straight sets, but got to the 4th round without losing a set. ANASTASIA MYSKINA suffered a similar fate, getting to the 4th round without losing a set, including a 3rd round elimination of former champion CONCHITA MARTINEZ, before losing in straight sets JENNIFER CAPRIATI.
Finally, VERA ZVONAREVA couldn’t repeat her stunning victory over VENUS WILLIAMS at the French, losing to VENUS 6-1, 6-3 to exit the tournament. But the promise of these young and talented players was evident.
On the men’s side, ROGER FEDERER finally played to his potential. A junior champion here in 1998, he dismissed SJENG SCHALKEN with some amazing winners, and played with the same, consistent brilliance to dispose of ANDY RODDICK and MARK PHILAPPOUSSIS in straight sets. He made it look easy, losing only 1 set for the entire tournament, and that to rising American MARDY FISH in the 3rd round. Look for FEDERER to be a fixture at grand slams for some time to come. Even the mixed doubles made news, with MARTINA NAVRATILOVA teaming with LEANDER PAES to win the title, MARTINA’S 20th at Wimbledon, tying legend BILLIE JEAN KING, with whom NAVRATILOVA teamed for her 20th. Look for the ovas, and MARTINA at the US OPEN in New York August 25-September 7, 2003. GUILLERMO CORIA, the son of a tennis instructor who was named after tennis legend GUILLERMO VILAS, stepped out of the practice courts and onto the main stage at the French Open, beating ANDRE AGASSI easily, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals. It was a remarkable accomplishment for the 21-year old, who looks more like 17, as ANDRE seemed so invinceable in his 4 previous matches. After winning the first set, ANDRE was dismissed by CORIA, who claims ANDRE his idol growing up. To cap off the perfect day, VILAS was on hand, as he always is at the French, to see the upset. CORIA'S previous best at a grand slam was at this year's Austrailian where he lost to ANDRE in the 4th round. CORIA from Argentina, is one of a new crop of players from South America, including FERNANDO GONZALEZ from Chile who plays JUAN CARLOS FERRERO today in another quarterfinal match. Spain is still very much represented in the tournament, with FERRERO, TOMMY ROBREDO and ALBERT COSTA, the defending champion, still alive. CORIA next plays MARTIN VERKERK from the Netherlands, who ousted former champion CARLOS MOYA in a tough 5-set match 6-3. 6-4. 5-7, 4-6, 8-6. CORIA, who won the French juniors in 1999, appeared earlier this year in Palm Springs, where he lost in the 3rd round. He dutifully did the press room despite his loss, and through an interpretor, said at the time: "I have to keep on working on my serves and strokes so I won't make any mistakes because to be able to play against the best you must be perfect." He was all that on Wednesday in Paris.
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