Reverse the Curse(TEM)
 

I've decided to switch to something new, which if nothing else will definitely be different. This forum needs some stories of my favorite sport(tennis). No, the title doesn't refer to the Babe or anything else baseball-related.

The curse in question is that of tennis in Great Britain, where the sport has its origins in the late 19th century. In the Open Era(1969-present), they have not had a single men's Slam champion, and the last woman champion was in 1977(Virginia Wade). For those of you who aren't aware, 1969 was pretty much the start of modern tennis, the ranking system came into being a few years later and prior to that, professionals couldn't participate in the Slam events which were amateurs only.

The story here will begin in the late 90s, for the purposes of being able to participate in the Age of Federer and because I think it's an interesting period and because it creates a unique challenge -- he's the ultimate obstacle in the game. Our primary protagonist is aspiring tennis coach/parent/magnate Jason Franklin -- think a fusion of Richard Williams and Nick Bollettieri with all the tennis passion and knowledge and highly suspect human character associated.

In our alternate history, Mr. Franklin has two children who concern us -- Eric and Jessica, a representative each on the men's and women's tours. They are twins in fact, each born on August 8, 1981. An auspicious day, as that is when a certain prodigy was born in much different circumstances in Basel, Switzerland. But all of that comes later.

We begin at the start of 1997, the beginning of Jessica Franklin's career, at age 15 and nearly five months(the men start two years later, so we'll see Eric starting in 1999). Timeline will run through the present, the end of 2010-2012, somewhere in there depending on what I'm feeling like doing when we reach that point, it will be near the end of their playable careers anyway. The exploits of the top stars in the game and those of the Franklin twins will be herein catalogued.

The key records, as they were historically at the beginning of 1997, for each tour are listed below:

ATP

WORLD NUMBER ONES

** Any player who has at any time been ranked #1 in the world, from the onset of the rankings to the end of 1996**

Ilie Nastase
Johnny Newcombe
Jimmy Connors
Bjorn Borg
John McEnroe
Ivan Lendl
Mats Wilander
Stefan Edberg
Boris Becker
Jim Courier
Pete Sampras
Andre Agassi
Thomas Muster

13 players, less than one for every two years. An elite list.

CONSECUTIVE SEASONS AS YEAR-END #1

4, achieved by Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras, the Pistol having tied this mark just in the past season.

GRAND SLAM TITLES

1. Bjorn Borg(11)
2. Jimmy Connors(8)
2. Ivan Lendl(8)
2. Pete Sampras(8)
5. John McEnroe(7)
5. Mats Wilander(7)
7. Boris Becker(6)
7. Stefan Edberg(6)
9. Rod Laver(5)
9. John Newcombe(5)
11. Jim Courier(4)
11. Ken Rosewall(4)
11. Guillermo Vilas(4)
14. Jan Kodes(3)
14. Arthur Ashe(3)
14. Andre Agassi(3)
17. Sergi Bruguera(2)
17. Johan Kriek(2)
17. Ilie Nastase(2)
17. Stan Smith(2)

15 additional men are 1-slam wonders, for a total of 35 distinct champions in the 28-year history of the modern game.

WTA NUMBER 1'S

Chris Evert
Evonne Goolagong Cawley
Martina Navratilova
Tracy Austin
Steffi Graf
Monica Seles
Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario

A more elite group here, only seven names.

Martina Navratilova's 5 straight years as the year-end #1 is the record for the women: Steffi Graf has the most overall, with eight seasons at the top spot compared to seven for Navratilova. A bit of an asterisk there though, as Graf shared the top spot with Monica Seles in 1995.

GRAND SLAM TITLES

1. Steffi Graf(21)
2. Martina Navratilova(18)
2. Chris Evert(18)
4. Margaret Court(11)
5. Monica Seles(9)
6. Billie Jean King(7)
6. Evonne Goolagong Cawley(7)
8. Hana Mandlikova(4)
9. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario(3)
10. Virginia Wade(2)
10. Tracy Austin(2)

An additional 10 have a single title.

At the start of the 1997 season, the top of the WTA rankings:
1. Steffi Graff(27, Germany) – 16,865 points
Steffi is possibly the greatest ever to play the game, with a record 21 Slam titles to her credit, and defied the advance of aging last year with a dominant season, but it seems inevitable that it will catch up to her soon. Using her consistent forehand to counter the power of the tour’s big hitters is her top weapon at this stage in her career.

2. Conchita Martinez(24, Spain) – 9,285

With a great return game, the ability to use her opponent’s pace against them, and consistency off both wings, Conchita uses excellent court positioning and quick reactions to make it very difficult to get quick, free points against her.
3. Martina Hingis(16, Switzerland) – 7,125
Combining excellent tactical awareness and reactions with incredibly accurate ground strokes and serve, the Swiss teenager is a true tennis prodigy. She can turn any mistake into a point in her control, and has ice-water in her veins when the pressure is on during the biggest points, rare for one so young.
4. Monica Seles(23, United States) – 6,785
Monica is far from done, yet ranks fifth on the list of Slam titles with nine, and is the top active practitioner of the power game. Her serve and forehand are among the most powerful shots on tour, and in the case of the serve she is also able to combine that power with extremely high accuracy. Mobility is a significant weakness. Seles is also the only top lefty.
5. Anke Huber(22, Germany) – 6,565
Anke is tactically impeccable, and has speed comparable to Martinez and Hingis. An excellent returner and great passer, she lacks the punch and accuracy on her serve and baseline game to be a truly consistent major threat.
6. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario(25, Spain) – 6,215
Sanchez-Vicario’s three Slams rank her third among active players. She has a fairly unique mix of abilities, excellent at the net, poised and usually positioned well, and great lobs and passing shots to put fear in any attacking player. Good technique on her serve but it’s on the weak side, an accurate if weak backhand, and a consistent forehand. Not the athlete that most of the Top 10 is, but enough game to be a threat if the other top players have an off day.
7. Jana Novotna(28, Czech Republic) – 5,470
Jana is the top serve & volleyer on the tour, but as age catches up to her the success of that style should decline soon. Incredible command at the net as well as excellent reflexes and consistency and accuracy with the serve and forehand all have served her well.
8. Lindsay Davenport(20, United States) – 3,965
Just coming into her natural prime, Davenport is a tactical genius and has an impeccable return game, but is slower around the court than her competition. She rivals Seles in the all-around power she brings to the game though, and has reliable technique with the serve and off both wings.
9. Irina Spirlea(21, Romania) – 3,485
Spirlea is possibly the most physically fit competitor on the tour, possessing outstanding speed and stamina which she uses to stay in rallies longer than most can – she also almost never makes excessive unforced errors. Her mental game is not up there with the elite though, and combined with a lack of punch on her serve, these faults keep her from reaching the very top.
10. Iva Majoli(22, Croatia) – 3,320
Virtually never out of position, Majoli has good speed, great mental focus, and hits the ball harder off the ground than even Davenport or Hingis. Accuracy, except on the backhand, can be questioned as well as her fitness and decision-making, but Iva definitely has the weapons to threaten anyone.
11. Barbara Paulus(26, Austria) – 3,190
12. Magdalena Maleeva(21, Bulgaria) – 2,940
13. Brenda Schultz(21, Netherlands) – 2,905
14. Amanda Coetzer(25, South Africa) – 2,870
15. Karina Habsudova(23, Slovakia) –2,425
16. Chanda Rubin(20, United States) – 2,215
17. Nathalie Tauziat(29, France) – 2,025
18. Lori McNeil(33, United States) – 1,975
19. Helena Sukova(31, Czech Republic) – 1,835
20. Ruxandra Dragomir(23, Romania) – 1,800
YOUNG GUNS(under 20 & Top 100)
3. Martina Hingis(16) – Switzerland
41. Henrieta Nagyova(18) – Slovakia
46. Patty Schnyder(18) – Switzerland
68. Nathalie Dechy(17) – France
79. Tamarine Tanasugarn(19) – Thailand
80. Denisa Chladkova(17) – Czech Republic
93. Julia Matogan(19) – Estonia
98. Maria Sanchez Lorenzo(19) -- Spain
Hingis stands alone – none of the other youngsters are anywhere near her league.
UK Women
None in the Top 100 players. The delegation is headed by no. 123 Amanda Keen, who is 21 and still has many glaring holes in her game. In doubles, the picture is even worse, with no-one in the Top 150.

Strange things always seem to happen most in Australia. The year's first Slam is played while players are still finding their footing after the off-season. Steffi Graf's lead is huge enough to be completely safe for the time being, but the whole tour is looking for signs of weakness from the aging legend. She was knocked out in the quarters of Sydney -- the only big event prior to the Open -- the previous week by Ai Sugayama, while Davenport defeated Mary Pierce for the title.

With #3 Hingis and #7 Novotna separated by just 1,410 points, there is much to be decided here.

Day 1(R1), 1.20.1997
** A difference of a decade as World No. 1 Steffi Graf(DEU) faced off against France's top young hope, 17-year-old Nathalie Dechy. Graf was over-confident and expected to wipe the court with her, finding out differently after she dropped the first set. The last two sets, she brought up her level and took control for a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 win. Both players served well, but Graf was able to dominate Dechy’s second serve, winning 68% of those points.
** Russian qualifier Svetlana Komleva stunned (32) Shi-Ting Wang of Taiwan. Komleva nearly blew a 5-1 lead in the third set, squandering four match points before capitalizing on the fifth to pull off the upset, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in two hours and forty-five minutes.
** Youth was served as 17^th-seeded American Lori McNeil, by two years the oldest woman in the Top 20 at 33 years old, was dismissed by a Russian qualifier less than half her age and contesting her first main draw Slam match. Anna Kournikova, 15, showed some nerves in losing a lead in the first set before bringing it home convincingly, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.
** Italian Laura Lapi and American qualifier Brie Rippner went the distance and then some before Rippner, ranked just 166^th in the world coming in, moved on with a 3-6, 6-3, 8-6 triumph on her fourth match point.
** (10) Iva Majoli took a surprising early exit, as the Japanese no. 1 Naoko Sawamatsu took her out 6-4, 6-0 in just under an hour. Majoli had only 19 winners and 33 errors in a decidedly subpar performance.
** A big upset in the third section, with Sandrine Testud(FRA) taking out world No. 5 Anke Huber(DEU) 6-4, 6-2. Huber was erratic all match long and won only one of six break point opportunities. The road just potentially got easier for American Jennifer Capriati and Austrian Barbara Paulus, the players she was seeded to meet in her quarter.
** An incredibly ugly day for (25) Jennifer Capriati(USA), who utterly failed to take advantadge. She was bageled and humiliated by Manon Bollegraf(NLD) 6-0, 6-3, going 0-for-7 on break points in the process.
** (22) Meike Babel(DEU) became the third straight seed to go down to defeat, this one at the hands of 237^th-ranked Anna Zaporozhanova … how’s that for a mouthful … a Ukranian qualifier. It was actually a credibly-played match, an impressive 47 winners from Zaporozhanova.
** An entertaining third set that went down to the wire between Caroline Vis(NLD) and Dominique Van Roost(BEL). Break chances were few and far between with both players serving at over 80%. Van Roost converted her first match point to win it in a little under two hours, 6-4, 3-6, 8-6.
** #3 Martina Hingis(CHE) started her campaign against Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn(ain’t alliteration grand?) and even her B game was enough for a crushing 6-1, 6-2 win in just 49 minutes. Hingis surrendered only 23 points, with a scant 11 errors off her racket.

what game is this?

*cheers for Kournikova*

The game being used is Tennis Elbow Manager.

Day 2(R1), 1.21.1997
** No. 4 Monica Seles(USA) rolled to a 6-2, 6-3 victory against Florencia Labat(ARG), hitting an impressive 33 winners to 15 errors.
** In a matchup of two South Africans, 13^th-seed Amanda Coetzer found herself fighting an up-hill battle to avoid becoming another upset victim and opening-round foot-note, thanks to spirited play from countrywoman Joannette Kruger. Kruger took the first set and held two match points on Coetzer’s serve in the second at 4-5, but she replied with an ace each time and held for 5-all. Kruger was broken for the first time in the match in the next game, and went on to lose the next three games for five straight after she had been on the verge of a huge win; in that time she went from a game away from the match, to being a set all and a break down in the decider.
Amanda Coetzer held her nerve the rest of the way, surviving for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory, all five of her aces coming at big moments. Heart-breaking loss for Kruger here.
Lots of qualifiers in the sixth section, and so placed in the draw that the top two seeds(Barbara Schultz and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario) are guaranteed to have qualifiers for their first and second-round opponents.
** Bit of a strange match between (28) Asa Carlsson(SWE) and Mariana Diaz-Oliva(ARG). Nearly unwatchable too, I might add, low-quality from both women overall. Carlsson’s racket sprayed 69 errors, the most of any match in the tournament so far. Combined with Diaz-Oliva’s extremely reliable first serve(89% on the day), it added up to a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 upset as the qualifier sent Asa packing.
** Miroslava Vavrinec(CHE) earns the ineptness award for the day. Despite facing another qualifier – Radka Bobkova(CZE) – Vavrinec spent only 49 minutes on court, winning only 32 points and getting handed the first double-bagel of the AO this year.
** No. 6 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario looked asleep in waltzing past qualifier Sofia Prazeres(PRT), 6-2, 6-2.
** No. 7 Jana Novotna faced off against Jane Taylor, an Australian wild card who at #307 is the lowest-ranked player in the draw. Even a tired, token effort was more than enough, 6-2, 6-4.
** Qualifier Samantha Smith was the lone British woman to make the main draw, meeting Australian wild card Rochelle Rosenfield in as kind a draw as she could have hoped for. Smith had an easier time of it than in either of her qualifying matches, moving on 6-3, 6-1.
** One of the tighter first-round matches took place here, between another national wild card, Nicole Sewell, and Estonia’s Julia Matogan. Each player won a set and played the third even to 5-5, when Sewell got the break and served for the match. She faced three break points, but Matogan’s nerves failed and she couldn’t take advantadge. Ranked outside the top 200, this 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 win for Sewell is a huge moment for her.
** The last match of the first round was one of the best matchups, with No. 2 Conchita Martinez being challenged by one of the top young guns, 18-year-old Henrieta Nagyova of Slovakia. Martinez took the first set, but Nagyova was the aggressor and eventually prevailed 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. She hit 63 winners with 76 errors, controlling the action more often than not and overcoming a weaker serve in a match that lasted 2 hours and 36 minutes, with only two points separating the players(125-123).
With two of the Top 5 bowing out in the first round, the draw has opened up a bit already.

Izulde ... are you cheering for Kournikova because you like(d) her tennis/personality, or is it because you are a fan of her ... *ahem* ... 'portfolio'? ;)

A little of A/B and more than a fair bit of C ;)

Never heard of this game before. Suffice to say, I need to check it out. Will be following!

It definitely has it's flaws, but it's more fun than it should be. Thanks for following -- let me know if you have any questions about the game as well!

Day 3(R2), 1.22.1997
** Graf met fellow German Petra Begerow in her next match, and went down a break immediately. She had to fight off multiple set points on Begerow’s serve at 3-5 before forcing a tiebreak, which she won decisively before finishing off the match 7-6(2), 6-1.
** An interesting match between young Anna Kournikova(RUS) and Daja Bedanova(CZE). Both players won an identical 119 points, but Kournikova’s inexperience proved decisive as the Czech eventually prevailed, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5.
** Hingis’s next victim was Mana Endo(JPN), who led early in the second set and had enough chances that she should have won it. The Swiss star saved 10 of 11 break chances in the match however, and pulled through in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.

Day 4(R2), 1.23.1997
** Seles eased past Angela Kerek(DEU) 6-4, 6-2. Only 14 winners to 35 errors for Kerek … Monica has yet to have to put in a full match effort.
** (19) Helena Sukova(CZE) was on the receiving end of an unwanted surprise, falling 3-6, 6-3, 8-6 to Yayuk Basuki(IND).
** (12) Brenda Schultz(NLD) got a real surprise. Leading 6-2, 4-1 over newcomer Venus Williams(USA), the momentum suddenly changed and the American teenager mounted a brilliant comeback to steal the match, 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-1 in 2:36. Neither player will soon forget this one, and Schultz has to wonder how she lost after being in such complete control.
** (21) Mary-Joe Fernandez(USA) turned in an incredibly dominant display against Flora Perfetti(ITA). She took only 47 minutes to cruise 6-2, 6-0, surrendering just 22 points and belting 27 winners to 10 errors.
** Another virtual walk-over for Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, 6-2 6-2 against Radka Bobkova(CZE).
** Jana Novotna hit 36 winners to just 12 errors in blasting Larisa Savchenko Neiland(RUS) off the court in a scant 43 minutes, 6-2, 6-0.
** Rene Alter(CAN) just managed to successfully make a comeback attempt against qualifier Katarzyna Nowak(POL), 2-6, 6-4, 8-6. A good match from both players, 132 combined winners in two hours, 36 minutes.
** After losing the first set, (16) Nathalie Tauziat(FRA) laid the hammer down on Samantha Smith, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0, ending the UK’s participation and extending the streak of Slams without a champion to 65 straight, with no end in sight.
** Rotten luck for Rita Grande(ITA), who was forced to retire just a few points from victory. She’d managed to hound Anna-Gidelle Sidot(FRA) into a bevy of errors, and led 6-1, 3-6, 5-1, but was unable to close out the win. Making the third round here would have been a great result for Grande, presently ranked 49th.

Day 5(R3), 1.24.1997
** Qualifier Elke Clijsters of Belgium was next up for Steffi Graf, and the world’s top player made short work of her, 6-1, 6-1 in 54 minutes.
** Martina Hingis is still looking for her first real test after the world no. 3 flattened Sandra Cacic(USA), 6-2, 6-2.
Day 6(R3), 1.25.1997
** Monica Seles had another laugher, this one over Aleksandra Olsza of Poland, 6-2, 6-2.
** Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario ran into Brazilian lefty Gisele Miro, and after falling behind early, she rallied to force and win a tiebreak in the first set. The rest was paperwork, the final scoreline 7-6(2), 6-1.
** Jana Novotna had another easy match, cruising past Canadian Rene Alter 6-3, 6-3.
** An interesting match between Anna-Gaelle Sidot(FRA), beneficiary of a retirement in the last round, and Henrieta Nagyova(SLV), who knocked out world No. 2 Conchita Martinez in the first round. Sidot actually won a few more points in this one, but Nagyova prevailed for her third consecutive three-set victory, breaking Sidot at 5-5 in the final set en route to a 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 win. For a player only 18, she has shown a lot of poise so far, and met every challenge.

Day 7(R4), 1.26.1997
** The fourth round brings, on paper at least, the first real challenge for Steffi Graf, in the form of 15th-seeded American Chanda Rubin. Rubin appeared to be intimidated by the German legend, and Steffi grabbed the lead immediately and kept it to take the first set. Chanda struck back to get her first break in the middle of the second set, but Graf wouldn’t allow her to consolidate, breaking back immediately. She didn’t surrender another game, and after Rubin fought off numerous match points, Graf eventually advanced to the quarters with a 6-4, 6-4 win.
** The next match featured the lowest-ranking player still alive and one of three unseeded women to make it this far, No. 68 Miriam Oremans(NLD). She had a big jump in competition from her previous wins today, taking on Lindsay Davenport. Oremans broke first, and took the first set. Momentum started to shift at the beginning of the second, as the fitter Davenport became relatively stronger as the match wore on. She finally got the critical break at 3-4 in the second set, and soon evened it up.
Lindsay reeled off six straight games, seizing the decisive third and the match. It was definitely a battle, but Davenport advances 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. Oremans served extremely efficiently(89%), in keeping with her excellent form of late, but while both players had the same number of winners, she had 52 errors to only 29 for the far higher-ranked American.
** Sandrine Testud(FRA), who upset Huber in the first round, met up with Barbara Paulus(AUT), the only seeded player in the third section to survive the first day. There wasn’t ever much rhythm to the match: either one player was in control or the other, never both playing well at the same time. This match really was mostly on Testud’s racket, but she ultimately couldn’t handle the moment mentally, whereas Paulus is a very intelligent, adept player mentally and pulled though, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.
** Martina Hingis had her first quality foe here also, in (14) Magdalena Maleeva(BLG). You couldn’t tell much in a waltz of a first set, but Maleeva settled down in the second and turned it around to force a third. Hingis grabbed a critical break early, and struggled to hang on to it but did manage to do so, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.
Day 8(R4), 1.27.1997
** Monica Seles started the day off against Amanda Coetzer, who has been living on borrowed time after surviving two match points against in the first round, but you couldn’t tell she was an underdog by the way the match played out. The first set went to a very tense and competitive tiebreaker, which Seles edged out. The no. 4 American got the only break of the match in the final game, taking a tough one in straight sets, 7-6(5), 6-4. Coetzer really had her chances, but failed on all 7 break opportunities she was able to create.
** A tale of missed opportunities for American Mary-Joe Fernandez against Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in the second match. Fernandez held a pair of set points on Sanchez-Vicario’s serve at 4-5 in the first set, but failed to capitalize and eventually lost it in a tiebreak. The second set was over almost before it began, and the 6^th-ranked Spaniard is through to the quarterfinals, 7-6(4), 6-3.
** The match with the most anticipation was between Irina Spirlea and Jana Novotna, the young defensive specialist vs. the veteran attacker. It didn’t live up to the billing, as Novotna slapped aside her challenger without incident, 6-2, 6-2, racking up an astonishing 36-13 edge in winners.
** (16) Nathalie Tauziat of France was the latest to try and stop the young Slovakian who has become the story of this tournament so far, Henrieta Nagyova. Tauziat just looked tired out there, but while she missed several break opportunities in the first set, the tiebreaker was totally in her control. Nagyova struck back immediately, creating the match’s first break to love to open the second and handing her more accomplished, experienced, and higher-ranked opponent a shocking bagel to even up the match.
The pair traded breaks early in the third, and it was anybody’s guess what might happen after that. Tauziat pulled ahead 5-3 and served for the match, and eventually closed it out after the Serbian deflected three match points to make it interesting. 7-6(1), 0-6, 6-3, a compelling match to be sure, and Nagyova has shown she is one to watch.

Interesting. I did some random googling as Nagyova wasn't a player I'd heard of before and I kept a casual interest in tennis for a good number of years. And this quote popped out at me relative to the events in your sim.


It was in an article about her upsetting #2 seed Dominique Van Roost for the 1997 Volvo Women's Championship.

That is interesting -- I didn't know who she was at the time either.

The quarterfinals commence with six of the top eight seeds reaching this stage.
Steffi Graf(DEU) vs. Lindsay Davenport(USA)
Graf is on the decline, Davenport on the rise – no question that soon the powerful challenger will be the better player, the only question is whether that point of transition has yet been reached. It certainly looked like it early. Davenport took an early break, then rallied from 0-40 while serving at 4-2 … a big missed opportunity for Graf. This was just a one-sided beat-down: while Steffi Graf used to eat power players for breakfast, she has clearly lost a step and just got out-classed here, 6-2, 6-3. Her second serve was just eaten alive.
Barbara Paulus(AUT) vs. Martina Hingis(CHE)
A battle of counter-punchers, but unfortunately for Paulus she has little more than experience on her side. Frankly, the Austrian got here largely through the good fortune of upsets to other players, and this was another very one-sided affair. Hingis rolls through 6-2, 6-0, overwhelming with her defense in this one.
Monica Seles(USA) vs. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario(ESP)
Both of the active multiple-Slam titlists not named Graf are here for this one, a classic matchup of power vs. defense. I don’t see Sanchez-Vicario having the speed to get to enough balls at this point in her career though.
Shows what I know. When it comes to predictions, sometimes I should just shut up. Seles got pretty much handled here, 6-2, 6-3. Her lack of movement and the Spaniard’s consistency off the ground ended up being a very poor combination.
Jana Novotna(CZE) vs. Nathalie Tauziat(FRA)
Three matches, three blowouts. Not what the networks like for the beginning of the second week of a Slam. This one has all the makings of entertainment though. Two players that love to attack the net, both veterans(28 & 29) near the end of their playing careers. Novotna may be ranked a lot higher, but I think this is a pick ‘em.
It looked like another waltz for a set – Tauziat took command early and won it easily, but the second set was equally one-sided for Novotna. At least a minor injection of drama to the proceedings. The Czech No. 1 got an early break in the third after a long, tough game, but didn’t do a whole lot right after that. Nathalie Tauziat won five of the last six games, pulling this one out 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. She was able to get her first serve in consistently at the end, and Novotna was not. That was pretty much the difference.

Lindsay Davenport(USA) vs. Martina Hingis(CHE)
The first semi matches what, for my money, have been the two best players in Australia this year. They are also the two youngest players in the Top 10: one expects there will be many more meetings. A good start by Hingis, but Davenport rallied to take the first set. The Swiss responded by upping her game and dominating the second set, leaving both competitors one away from the final. Martina continued to play brilliantly, and ended this match leaving no doubt that her youth should not be mistaken to include a lack of championship mettle. 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Hingis was the only player that Davenport hasn’t been able to consistently attack on the second serve – her tactics and shot-making are just a cut above.
Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario(ESP) vs. Nathalie Tauziat(FRA)
Nobody goes into a Slam semifinal without nerves, but Tauziat was clearly overwhelmed by the setting. On the other hand, Sanchez-Vicario just had one of those days that every athlete has where she wasn’t able to bring anything close to her best to the court. And so what resulted was a match where neither player really showed what they are capable of.
It looked like a simple match for a while. Tauziat was a game away from it, up a set and up big in the second, when the wheels just fell off. Pressure of the moment or whatever, but she got broken twice in succession to let Sanchez-Vicario back in it. After dropping the tiebreak fairly meekly, it was now down to a third set against a player who has been here before repeatedly.
The door might have been opened, but nobody walked through it. The last set was like the first, and Tauziat moves on to her first Slam final anyway, 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-1.

1997 AUSTRALIAN OPEN FINAL

Martina Hingis(CHE) vs. Nathalie Tauziat(FRA)
A true mismatch if ever there was one. Neither player has ever won a Slam, so there will be some history made today regardless. Hingis won the first nine points straight, and that was a pretty good indication of how this was going to end up. It took less than an hour to decide it. In quite anti-climactic fashion, Martina Hingis adds her name, the 22^nd, to the list of Slam champions, 6-1, 6-2 … and the youngest ever, while she is at it.
** Historical ATP Update: Pete Sampras takes the 1997 Australian for the men, and in so doing breaks the three-way tie with Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors for second on the all-time Slam list. He now has nine, putting him two behind all-time leader Bjorn Borg.

APRIL 1997

TOP 20
1. Steffi Graf(DEU) – 13,945
2. Martina Hingis(CHE) – 10,890
3. Conchita Martinez(ESP) – 8,220
4. Monica Seles(USA) – 7,650
5. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario(ESP) – 5,480
6. Anke Huber(DEU) – 5,286
7. Jana Novotna(CZE) – 5,011
8. Iva Majoli(CRO) – 4,805
9. Lindsay Davenport(USA) – 4,415
10. Nathalie Tauziat(FRA) – 3,655
11. Barbara Paulus(AUT) – 3,465
12. Amanda Coetzer(ZAF) – 3,390
13. Irina Spirlea(ROM) – 3,375
14. Brenda Schultz(NLD) – 2,945
15. Magdalena Maleeva(BLG) – 2,580
16. Mary-Joe Fernandez(USA) – 2,420
17. Karina Habsudova(SLV) – 2,185
18. Mary Pierce(FRA) – 2,080
19. Chanda Rubin(USA) – 2,050
20. Ruxanda Dragomir(ROM) – 1,955
At the top things look quite a bit different now. Hingis has won all the big events – the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, >Dubai … she has only one loss this year, in a dead rubber in the Fed Cup. She pretty much walks on water right now, and seems set to be the next new #1. That will happen this summer if Graf, who is really struggling, doesn’t find her game soon. Monica Seles has also distanced herself from the rest of the pack. There’s a distinct Top 4 right now of Graf/Hingis/Martinez/Seles, with a lot of switching back and forth going on below them. Seles also notably came the closest anyone has come to beating Hingis, an epic match in the Miami final a couple weeks ago in which the American won the first set in a tight tiebreak, lost the second 7-5, and lost a pretty one-sided tiebreak in the third to decide it. She’s definitely been the Swiss’s top challenger over the first few months of the 1997 season.
Meanwhile, Nathalie Tauziat is now the clear French no. 1 over Mary Pierce, and has moved up several spots to 10^th. She’s had some decent results since showing the Australian wasn’t a complete fluke for her.
Kournikova Watch: up from 110^th to 64^th in the first three months of the year, a 13-9 record overall. Selected for the Fed Cup, where she lost both singles rubbers, including the decider vs. Croatia. Best result was the semis in Memphis, where she won only a single game against Fernandez. The win in Australia over McNeil remains her only win to date against a Top 20 player.
Fed Cup: The UK was guaranteed to remain out of the World Group immediately, losing in the first qualifying round to the Ukraine, 4-1. Samantha Smith and Karen Cross represented the Isles, losing both of the first-day singles matches and the doubles to go down to defeat immediately.

Franklin Academy

Jessica is getting ready for her first professional event in a couple weeks, presently still unrated in both singles and doubles.

1997 French Open
Hingis comes in with a recent loss to Mary Pierce, and there is a sense that she is likely to be a bit more vulnerable on clay then elsewhere. Really several players have a chance at the title here. Hingis, Seles, and Sanchez-Vicario are the top favorites to my mind.
Steffi Graf, meanwhile, is still No. 1 but only 11-9 on the year ...

Day 1(R1), 6.5.1997

** Steffi Graf starts by easing past qualifier Yuka Yoshida(JPN). 7-6(3), 6-2
** (32) Yayuk Basuki(IND) is the first seed to fall, 6-3, 7-6(4) to Lariso Savchenko Neiland(RUS). A weird clay matchup it was, with two serve-and-volley specialists going at it. Neiland got an amazing 90% of her first serves in, and won 70% of those. When you can’t crack the first serve, and get only 8 second serves to look at all day, it’s bound to be a long match.
** A dominant start for (17) Magdalena Maleeva, who was notably the player who came the closest to stopping Hingis in Australia. The top Bulgarian showed her versatility and plowed through Austrian qualifier Petra Schwarz in 51 minutes, 6-1, 6-1.
** (16) Mary Pierce is as good a dark-horse pick as you may imagine. She has wins over Hingis, Davenport, Martinez, Huber, Majoli twice(though she’s been stopped multiple times, in close matches, by Sanchez-Vicario), all in the clay season, including a title in Barcelona . And of course it never hurts to be playing at home. With her and Tauziat both having better-than-expected seasons, they are guaranteed to have robust cheering sections.
She started off with a 53-minute trouncing of Canadian Tania Rice, only 12 errors and a single game surrendered.
** A surprisingly strong first match for journeywoman Rene Alter(CAN), who dismissed Tamarine Tanasugarn(THA) 6-2, 6-0 in 57 minutes, hitting 38 winners to only 17 errors. Alter came into the French with four straight first-round losses after a strong start to the year, but was quite impressive today.
** U.S 16-year-old Venus Williams, who had the comeback of the event in Australia, has risen almost 100 spots in the rankings since, with mixed results but a fine 22-8 overall record. She did it again in her first-round match here. Trailing 4-2 in the first set, she reeled off the next eight games straight, before relaxing a little too much and almost giving up the lead. After serving it out in the final game, Venus recorded a 6-4, 6-4 win against Katarina Studenikova(SLV).
** (12) Brenda Schulz(NLD) had a huge scare in the first round, but battled her way through it. She rallied from a set down and from a break down in the final set to outlast Hungarian qualifier Petra Gaspar, 3-6, 6-4, 8-6 in two hours and 10 minutes.
** Her style may not be suited to clay, but (30) Miriam Oremans(NLD) was still a favorite to do reasonably well here. She’s better than halved the 68^th rank she started the year off at. After winning a narrow first set here, she was fairly well thumped by Italian Rita Grande(6-9 on the year coming in) for the rest of the match, and bows out 5-7, 6-0, 6-3. Oremans sprayed 62 errors and just generally looked fairly flat.
** In a matchup of two left-handers, no. 4 Monica Seles got by Gisele Miro(BRA) 6-4, 6-4 with a half-hearted effort, essentially just waiting for Miro to beat herself.

Day 2(R1), 6.6.1997
** No. 3 Conchita Martinez got the day started off by disappointing the home crowd, eliminating Anna-Gaelle Sidot(FRA) 6-1, 6-4.
** One of the top young French hopefuls, 17-year-old Amelie Mauresmo, was in action for her first main-draw Slam match: she lost in the second round of qualifying in Australia, and has already cut her start-of-year ranking of 149^th in half. Italian 29^th seed Laura Lapi ended her participation here quickly, 7-6(2), 6-2.
** (20) Ruxanda Dragomir(ROU) had a virtually perfect first match, handing a double bagel to Francesca Lubiana(ITA) in 38 minutes. The point total was shockingly one-sided … 49-7!! Dragomir hit 24 winners to 4 errors – talk about efficient play!
** Nathalie Dechy, considered the top young French player at the beginning of the year, came into this event with a seven-match losing streak and only three wins on the season. So it was quite a surprise when she upended Laura Garrone(ITA) in pretty routine fashion, 6-2, 6-3, after requiring a wild card to even make the main draw. It’s her first main draw win in a Slam of her career.
** Perhaps the best paper first-round matchup pitted (12) Barbara Paulus(AUT) against fast-rising Slovakian Henrieta Nagyova. Nagyova has struggled in the clay this year, but put up a good show today. Both players had their chances in a tight third set after splitting the first two. Nagyova served for the match at 5-4, but couldn’t hold. She broke Paulus after a struggle in the next game, and this time took care to end it quickly. Another first-round upset giant-killing for the Slovakian, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. 2 hours and 35 minutes of not particularly fine tennis from either player, but it was quite entertaining.
** (12) Nathalie Tauziat is ranked fourth on the season to date after her final at the Australian, and showed with a quarterfinal finish in Rome that she has a diverse enough game to handle clay, although this is certainly her weakest surface. An easy start here, 6-2, 6-1 over American Sandra Cacic.
** Qualifier Hannah Collin was the first British player to take the court, but even a barely-there effort from (21) Karina Habsudova(SLV) was more than enough to beat her, 6-0, 6-3.
** The other national player to make the draw was another qualifier, Karen Cross. She had a tough draw as well, in (28) Sandrine Testud, another French player having a fine year. Testud made a challenger final early in the year, the fourth round at the Australian Open, and quarterfinals in Miami and Strasbourg. It took Testud exactly an hour to end British participation in the second Slam of the year, 6-2, 6-2.
** Anna Kournikova(RUS) met Mana Endo(JPN) in a typical first-round matchup of solid, capable baseline sluggers. A little more skilled, but giving away better than ten years of experience, the young Russian needed to be at her best today and was not. Trailing by a set and with her Japanese foe serving for the second and the match, Kournikova summoned some big points and broke, eventually earning a tiebreaker. Mana ‘Endoed’ it quickly, and with it Anna’s tournament hopes, 6-2, 7-6(2).
Note: Sorry about that, but some things, no matter how bad, just write themselves**
** (6) Jana Novotna(CZE), who hasn’t played much this year but has a fine 24-5 record, yawned her way past Slovakian Rabka Zrubakova. She gave up only two games in the 52-minute match.
** (9) Iva Majoli(CRO), who despite having no titles this year, was the finalist in Indian Wells and Miami, had a walk against the lowest-ranked player in the draw. She lost only one game in dismissing Argentinian qualifier Natalia Garbellotto in less than an hour. Garbellotto did well just to qualify, ranked 487^th coming in.
** An easy first match for Martina Hingis, who faced off with unlucky qualifier Claudia Chabalgoity(BRA). Hingis yawned her way through to the second round, 6-3, 6-3.

Day 3(R2)
** A fairly tough matchup for Steffi Graf as second rounds go, in the form of Manon Bollegraf(NLD). Manon has a strong mental game, and managed to make a match of it by converting half of her break opportunities. Graf’s superior shot-making eventually proved decisive, and she served out the final game to love, preserving a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 win in a hair under two hours.
** An incredible serving display by veteran Russian Larisa Savchenko Neiland against Emmanuelle Gagliardi. Neiland missed only five first serves the entire match, and they were effective enough for her to outlast her Swiss opponent, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.
** Another crushing victory for Mary Pierce, this time 6-3, 6-0 in 44 minutes over Nirupama Vaidyanathan, an Indonesian qualifier.
** Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario expected an easy match against fellow Spaniard Magui Serna, and promptly handed Serna a bagel in the first set. And then, she fell asleep, or … something. Sanchez-Vicario dropped the second set, and before the final one was over she had to rally from a break down, fight off a match point at 5-6, and breathed a sigh of relief when it was finally over. The world no. 6 advances … barely, 6-0, 3-6, 8-6, in 2 hours and 5 minutes. Serna nearly had the upset of a lifetime – Sanchez-Vicario has probably been the second-best player in the clay season this year, but nearly was undone early in this tournament.
** One of the better second-round performances came from (19) Natasha Zvereva(BLR), who allowed only two games and 22 points in thrashing American qualifier Tara Snyder in 52 minutes.
** Monica Seles cruised through Eva Martincova(CZE), 6-2, 6-0.

Day 4(R2)
** Conchita Martinez faced a little early trouble, then cruised late, 6-4, 6-0, against Russian qualifier Irina Bulykina.
** The routs continue. Austrian Barbara Schett, a very solid player, was unexpectedly pummeled by Italian Laura Lapi. 6-2, 6-0. Tons of bagels being served up in this round.
** Another one: 20^th-seeded Ruxanda Dragomir(ROU) blanked French hopeful Nathalie Dechy, losing only 4 points on serve.
** No. 6 Jana Novotna breezed again, 6-2, 6-1 in 42 minutes against Kristie Boogert of the Netherlands. Boogert won only four points on her first serve, and 20 total. That’s just plain ugly.
** A competitive match was a welcome sight. A good one between one of the old guard, 32-year-old Czech Helena Sukova, and Aleksandra Olsza of Poland. Any year could be Sukova’s last at this point, and the experience of a decade more on tour was all that got here through this one, 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-5. Olsza played well, just not quite well enough.
** Swede Asa Carlsson provided the next obstacle for Martina Hingis, and while the young star donated the second set – a fatal mistake against a top opponent – she dominated the first and last to advance 6-2, 1-6, 6-1. Hingis will definitely need to improve on this effort.

Day 5(R3)
** Steffi Graf did the best impersonation of a #1 player that’s been seen from her this year, disposing of Larisa Savchenko Neiland(NLD) 6-1, 6-1 in less than an hour.
** [b]Monica Seles]b\ had a tough start, trailing Italian Rita Grande 4-2 at the start. She found her footing after that though, reeling off 10 straight games to close out the match – a most impressive adjustment by the top U.S. player.
Day 6(R3)
** Conchita Martinez had a potentially tricky foe in Laura Lapi(ITA), but I don’t think anyone expected it to start the way it did. The Italian just seized it at the start, winning the first four games, including breaking Martinez from 40-0 in the opener. After that, the world no. 3 adjusted well, rallying to take the first set anyway, despite Lapi having a chance to serve for it at 5-4. The second was close the whole way, but again Martinez had the upper hand at the business end when it mattered. A tight win, 7-5, 7-5, and many missed chances for Lauri Lapi. Only 2 of 14 break chances converted, and this one really showed how important the mental edge is that the top players nearly always possess.
** A pretty good match today between the French no. 3, Sandrine Testud, and Jana Novotna. Testud came from behind to take a tight first set, while Novotna controlled the second fairly easily. The sixth-ranked Czech won the first three games of the final set, and showed some toughness in overcoming a quality player in Testud as well as the vocal fans, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Physically Jana is not at all the better player, but she still knows how to win. She was definitely better here in terms of shot selection and knowing when to go for the big winner.
** A shocking result involving the ‘other’ young Swiss, Patty Schnyder. She announced herself as a top player today, annihilating No. 7 Anke Huber 6-1, 6-0 in 39 minutes. Anke was a bit off her game, but Schnyder was brilliant today, losing only 20 points and not allowing a single break chance while winning 5 of her 7 opportunities. It is a rare thing indeed to see a top 10 player just completely blown off the court like Huber was here.
** Iva Majoli continues to roll, crushing Kimberly Po(USA) 6-1, 6-0.
** A pair of U.S. women, (18) Chanda Rubin and (15) Mary-Joe Fernandez, put on a good show as would be expected given their closeness in the standings. Only five points separated them at the end, but Fernandez’s more consistent serve fueled a comeback victory. 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 was the final. Neither player took advantadge of their break chances well, and Rubin definitely walks away feeling this is a missed opportunity.
** A few questions surround Martina Hingis after the last round, and this time her foe is Helena Sukova – who conveniently forgot to bring her game to the court. Hingis basically just gave her opportunities to hit errors for a little more than an hour, and advanced 6-2, 6-2.

Day 7(R4)
Only one un-seeded player made the fourth round, and only one of the Top 8 seeds is gone(for the second Slam in a row, Huber).
** Steffi Graf vs. Mary Pierce in a matchup of an aging legend and a younger hometown favorite in her best years. Few have played better than Pierce in the leadup to this match, and an upset is a real possibility. Unfortunately for Graf, she was not nearly as sharp as in her previous matches. This is as good a place and time as any for it – I think here was witnessed a real changing of the guard. Mary Pierce dominated, and the time of Steffi Graf’s reign at the top ended here. Not officially, but it was sealed today. 6-1, 6-1, Graf spent only 41 minutes on court and won just 20 points.
** Interesting matchup between a couple of powerful, consistent hitters in No. 10 Irina Spirlea and No. 8 Lindsay Davenport. Spirlea has more power and speed, while Davenport’s mental game and return are significantly better. Both came to play today, treating the crowd to some high-quality tennis.
got the first break, but choked when it was time to serve for the first set. It went to a tiebreaker, where the American made most of the mistakes and lost a set she had almost in the bag. Spirlea took the momentum, getting an early lead in the second set, but Davenport wasn’t done yet and broke back immediately for 2-2. The Romanian had to deflect three break chances at 3-4, but saved them all and held eventually. She wasn’t so fortunate in the next game, and the match went to a decisive third set.
The finale wasn’t so close. Irina Spirlea grabbed the first four games, and after a brief rally went on to close out the match, 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2 in two hours, twenty-one minutes. Big win for Spirlea, and a good show by both players.
** 11-seed Amanda Coetzer(ZAF) and No. 5 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario played a good semi in Rome, won by Coetzer in three sets, and come into this match with a lot of mutual respect. Leading 5-4 and serving for the first set, Coetzer dropped the next three games to lose the set. In the second, the top South African served for it again, but this time she fought off four break points to eventually hold and force a third.
Fitness is not a strength of either player, but it is not in Sanchez-Vicario’s favor against almost anyone. In contrast to the first two, both players held easily most of the final set – almost as if they knew it would come down to the end and were just waiting for that moment to really focus and use the last of their energy. Two chances for Coetzer to break at 4-4 were denied, and she had to fight off triple break point in her next game … but Sanchez-Vicario broke through eventually, and ended it 7-5, 5-7, 6-4. At 3 hours, 6 minutes, it’s the longest Slam match so far this year. Coetzer actually won more points(137 to 133) and it was quite a high-quality three hours, but she didn’t get the biggest points when they mattered.
** No. 4 Monica Seles took on (18) Natasha Zvereva(BLR), and Zvereva knocked out the top American 6-4, 6-2, forcing 50 errors from the usually accurate favorite. Seles had lost to Zvereva previously in three sets in the Warsaw quarters, and this match proves it was no fluke.

Day 8(R4)
** Attempting to crash the party again as the lone unseeded player to reach this stage is Henrieta Nagyova, and No. 3 Conchita Martinez stands in her way. The young Slovakian is not at the elite level, at least not yet – Martinez dismissed her, 6-2, 6-0.
** A bad day for both players as Jana Novotna met French no. 1 Nathalie Tauziat. Novotna dealt a big blow to the crowd’s hopes, taking just over an hour to finish off Tauziat 6-4, 6-2.
** Iva Majoli(CRO) was the next to try to stop impressive Patty Schnyder, and they put up one heck of a match. Schnyder eventually prevailed, 6-4, 4-6, 8-6, in 2 hours and 50 minutes, hitting a single-match high this season of 80 winners. Another one of those that it was unfortunate someone had to lose.
** Martina Hingis meets Mary-Joe Fernandez for the final quarterfinal spot, and though she played very well, Hingis also showed signs of vulnerability. An easy first set, but Fernandez raced to a 4-1 lead in the second before she recovered. Serving to get to a tiebreak, the Swiss phenom lost her nerve a bit, and the set with it.
A couple of lost break chances in the first game of the third, and then Fernandez broke to go in front 2-0. Martina just folded after that. Her first slam loss of the year, and Mary-Joe Fernandez is most definitely the woman of the hour. She handles the world No. 2 here, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2. It’s a story of the big points, where Hingis is usually great. But she actually out-pointed Fernandez today, 97-96. However, she failed on 12 of 16 break chances, while the American converted 5 of 9. And that’s pretty much the story of the match – Hingis served much better, but in the end that wasn’t enough. A relatively quick match, 1:51.

Some great matches on Day 7 and 8. The Coetzee/S-V match in particular sounds like riveting viewing.

Very cool dynasty!

Thanks! I find it tends to get more interesting(at least for me) a year or so in, so I hope you'll keep enjoying it. It was a crazy set of matches for the 4th round, that's for sure.

QUARTERFINALS
Three of the top four did not even make it this far. The Spaniards, Martinez and Sanchez-Vicario, are the top-ranking players left and would seem to have the inside track.
** First up though, the French are not yet done in their home slam. Mary Pierce continues her run against Irina Spirlea. Spirlea won an earlier matchup this year, a three-setter in the Madrid quarters.
A good effort from both here. Spirlea cracked late in the first set, and Pierce took it with the match’s first break of serve. The Romanian grabbed the lead fairly early on in the second, and never let go of it. A third set. Spirlea kept the momentum with an immediate break to love, and an epic game followed. It took eight chances, but Mary Pierce equalized.
Spirlea broke again right away though, and was never threatened on her serve the rest of the way. She dashes the French hopes with a tough, well-earned 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 win, serving 91% for the match. Here’s a stunning stat: Spirlea converted all three break points: Pierce was only 2 of 22. She had to hit 54 more serves than Pierce to get through this one, but held enough to do it.
** There is now a big opening for Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario. Natasha Z vereva is a good player, and this was another high-quality match, but Sancez-Vicario controlled it for a 6-4, 6-4 win.
** Jana Novotna and Conchita Martinez in what is just a matchup of age and style. Novotna being past her age and not a natural clay-courter even when she was. However, Martinez wasn’t particularly sharp today, and a close match resulted. Martinez won the first set, Novotna the second, and the veteran Czech had a leg up in the third, eventually serving for the set at 5-4. Just a couple points away from the semis, but she couldn’t close it. Martinez took the last three games and with them the match, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. Only one point difference between the two, but the Spaniard was very opportunistic, converting 6 of 11 break opportunities. Novotna sprayed 70 errors, and missed her chance today.
** Patty Schnyder and Mary-Joe Fernandez were not expected to make it this far, but both have put up some impressive victories. Both players were fairly nervous to be here, and it showed in a volatile first set. The lead went back and forth, with Schnyder eventually failing to serve out the set, leading to a tiebreaker. Fernandez took a 4-1 lead, Schnyder evened it up, but the American played well the last few points and took it 7-4.
Same pattern in the second set, except this time Schnyder didn’t give up the lead, making fairly short work of it when it came time to close it out. In the decisive third, Schnyder broke at 3-3 but then couldn’t consolidate, and it came right down to the wire. Fernandez finally converted her sixth match point, able to handle the pressure just a hair better than her youthful opponent to win 7-6(4), 2-6, 8-6 in two hours and nine minutes. It was her third straight three-set win: she’s been just good enough, at just the right moments.

SEMIFINALS
It’s still looking like an all-Spanish final is on tap: Martinez and Sanchez-Vicario are the unquestioned favorites in this round.
** No. 5 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario(ESP) vs. No. 10 Irina Spirlea(ROU)
A pair of natural clay specialists, and Sanchez-Vicario seized control of this match immediately. A shockingly quick and one-sided affair, with Spirlea spending just 52 minutes on court before departing without taking a game. 54-20 in points, with only five winners for the powerful Romanian. She clearly was just not ready for this one mentally – technically and physically, she absolutely has the game to beat Sanchez-Vicario.
** No. 3 Conchita Martinez(ESP) vs. No. 15 Mary-Joe Fernandez(USA)
This one had to be a little more competitive … right? Another sub-optimal day for Martinez, but Fernandez is definitely the one player of the four still in contention here that you look at her game and just say … what is she doing in a French Open semifinal? Confidence, determination, and an accurate serve, but there’s not much sign of the classical clay-court game there.
A fairly quick first set went to Martinez, but Fernandez bounced back to get a quick break starting off the second. She roared through it, stunning everyone by handing the Spaniard to bagel. A pretty quick pair of sets, but if Martinez could turn the momentum around, her superior fitness might play a role.
After a long struggle, Martinez got a crucial break to open the third and settle her down a bit. She rolled the rest of way and finished off her third match point. Very strange scoreline, none of the sets were competitive at all. 6-2, 0-6, 6-1. Fernandez played an aggressive match, but for most of it was just far too erratic. No question she did very well to get this far though.

FINAL
** No. 5 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario(ESP) vs. No. 3 Conchita Martinez(ESP)
And so, as expected for the last few days, we have an all-Spanish final. Sanchez-Vicario is going for her fourth Slam crown: Martinez is looking for her second. I can see either player winning this. Sanchez-Vicario is a tougher player mentally, while Martinez makes much better tactical shot-making decisions on the court and is clearly the better athlete of the two. I think she takes it if she can extend it to a third set, but Sanchez-Vicario has the most complete, versatile array of shots and probably the best ‘peak’ if she is on today.
looked sharp from the first ball, but understandably a bit more nervous. Sanchez-Vicario, on the other hand, seemed just a half a step slow. There were plenty of break chances on both sides, and control of the match swayed back and forth. Martinez finished the first set well to claim it, and that put her in a really strong position as I would expect her to just get stronger as the match wears on.
An immediate break by Sanchez-Vicario to start the second, but Martinez rattled off three straight games and no advantadge was gained by either player. A string of poor shots at the end of the set cost Martinez a chance to end it early. As evenly matched as these two are though, a third set is really the most sensible way to decide this.
In the fourth game of the set, a few more stray attempts basically donated the lead to Sanchez-Vicario. She continued to press too much, particularly in her return games, instead of patiently making Arantxa work for her points which I think would have been a lot more effective. Easy to say that from the stands of course, but that’s how it looked to me.
Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario had no struggles to hold the rest of the way, and preserve her fourth Grand Slam title with a poised display, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. 2:20 was the official time. A ton of errors on both sides, but perhaps the biggest difference was her ability to make the most of her occasional ventures to net to mix it up, winning 16 of 17 points there(Martinez was just 3 of 7).
With both players losing in the fourth round, Graf remains #1 by a narrow margin over Hingis. Sanchez-Vicario moves up a spot to 4^th with the title, while Anke Huber slides to 10^th after her second straight early-round Slam departure.
The tour turns it’s attention toward the grass and Wimbledon.

Neglected to mention this last time ...

** Historical ATP Update – Fast-rising Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten joins the ranks of slam champions with his first title, the 36^th man to do so.


A week after the French, Martina Hingis officially took the No. 1 spot from Steffi Graf. She is the youngest No. 1 ever, and it was an extremely anti-climactic way to do it: Graf simply skipped the small event at Birmingham, and dropped below her by a mere 134 points, a little over 1% of her total.


1997 WIMBLEDON Day 1(R1)
** Her first Slam match as No. 1 matches Martina Hingis with British wild-card Hannah Collin. Hingis’s C game was much more than Collin could handle, 6-0, 6-1 the final in 48 minutes. There are eight British women in the draw: hopefully some of the others would fare better.
** A very impressive, overwhelmingly display by young American Venus Williams, 6-0, 6-1 over Rene Alter(CAN) in a scant 36 minutes.
** Top Bulgarian and 18^th-seed Magdalena Maleeva, who made the third round or better in the first two Slams of the year, was summarily dismissed by Ai Sugiyama(JPN), 6-3, 6-1.
** Louisi Latimer(GBR) vs. Iciri Raj(IND). Another British wild card was flattened, 6-1, 6-2.
** WC Amanda Keen(GBR) made it three easy losses, to Magui Serna(ESP), 6-2, 6-1.
** Samantha Smith, the British No. 1, actually made the draw as a direct acceptance. There’s something new. At the bottom, but still. A pretty favorable draw gave her a relatively even matchup with Italian qualifier Sandra Cecchini. Smith took it in three sets, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.
** Anna Kournikova was a fairly significant underdog, drawing (20) Chanda Rubin(USA). A competitive setback for the young Russian here in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
** No. 4 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario had an easy first match, 6-1, 6-2 over Ludmila Cervanova(SLV)

Day 2(R1)
** A double-take of names here, as No. 3 [Conchita Martinez[/b] met another Spaniard, qualifier Conchita Martinez Granados. After one close set, form held with a 7-5, 6-1 win for the French Open finalist.
** Another national player, Elena Baltacha, was quickly dispatched by Miriam Oremans(NLD), taking only a single game in the 38-minute match.
** An unkind draw for (30) Kimberly Po(USA), who had what was basically a toss-up match with one of the top unseeded players, Manon Bellegraf(NLD). It was tight, but Bollegraf dismissed the American 7-6(3), 6-4.
** A strange start for (19) Ruxanda Dragomir(ROU). After dropping the first set 6-3 against Polish qualifier Iwona Kuczynska, Dragomir went on a tear and didn’t surrender another game the rest of the match.
** Lucie Ahl(GBR), making her first Slam appearance of the year, had a surprisingly easy time of it against Chattida Thimjapo(THA). Thimjapo is one of the lower-ranked qualifiers to make it through, and Ahl quickly ended her involvement to add a second British name to the second round schedule, 6-2, 6-1.
** A good start for No. 14 Mary Pierce, who easily knocked out solid Meike Babel(DEU), 6-0, 6-2 in 48 minutes.
** A quick exit for British WC Shirli-Ann Siddall, losing 6-3, 6-0 to South African qualifier Joannette Kruger.
** Qualifier Flora Perfetti(ITA) and Laxmi Poruri(USA) put on a surprisingly good show after Perfetti won the first set easily. Poruri took a tiebreak in the second set, but cracked under the pressure at the end of the third, virtually donating the final game to fall 6-2, 6-7(3), 7-5. The American converted only 1 of 13 break points, and paid for it.
** A huge mismatch for Monica Seles, who faced the lowest-ranking player in the draw: national WC Jane Wood. Seles got off to a slow start before reeling off five games in a row, and eventually closed it out 6-3, 6-1.
** An impressive defensive display was put on by Belgian Dominique Van Roost, who permitted only two winners to Czech Eva Martincova in cruising through, 6-2, 6-2.
** A very efficient effort by qualifier Meghan Shaughnessy(USA) ends the run of another hopeful, Karen Cross. 6-4, 6-1 was the final, in just over an hour.
** A tough first-round matchup for (25) Helena Sukova(CZE), who loses unceremoniously to Katarina Studenikova of Slovakia, 6-3, 6-2. It really looks like time has caught up with the 32-year-old Sukova, who has not progressed past the third round of any slam this year(French Open).
** A couple of players ranked outside the Top 100 combined for one of the more entertaining matches of the first round: Croatian Ivana Visic and Petra Kamstra of the Netherlands. Visic was more erratic, especially in the later stages of the match, and after two hours and 11 minutes Kamstra was able to claim victory, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
** (16) Natasha Zvereva(BLR) had a surprisingly tough first challenge. Austrian Marion Maruska proved to be quite stubborn before eventually losing 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Maruska couldn’t deal with Zvereva’s consistent serve, failing on 12 of 15 break chances.
** Caroline Vis(NLD) put on a relatively brilliant display in her first-round match. The 24-year-old is a natural grass player, and totally dominated Russian Evgenia Koulikovskaya, 6-0, 6-1 with 42 winners to only 17 errors.
** Big disappointment for American Sandra Cacic. After dropping the first set, she fought back to serve for the match, but couldn’t hold the final game. Russian Elena Makarova seized the momentum and rallied for the win, 6-2, 4-6, 8-6.
** Elke Clijsters(BEL) provided the opposition for Steffi Graf’s first Slam match since losing the top spot in the rankings. It was closer than one would expect, but Graf wins it in the straight sets, 6-2, 7-6(4).

Day 3(R2)
** Russian qualifier Julija Salnikova was the next minor road bump for Martina Hingis, who put in an efficient hour of play, 6-1, 6-2.
** Lisa Raymond(USA) overcame a stiff challenge from Ai Sugayama(JPN), recovering from the loss of a tense first set to advance 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 in just under two hours. This is the first time this year that Raymond has advanced to the third round of a Slam.
** (22) Silvia Farina(ITA) barely escaped Switzerland’s Emmanuelle Gagliardi, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Farina was just a hair better, especially on the big points.
** No. 9 Iva Majoli had a quick romp over Haruka Inoue(JPN), 6-0, 6-1 in 47 minutes. Majoli converted 7 of 9 break points, not wasting any time or energy.
** More smooth progress for No. 6 Jana Novotna, overwhelming Mana Endo(JPN) in 38 minutes, allowing only 18 points and 5 winners in a 6-1, 6-1 win.
** (26) Amy Frazier(USA) is already having her finest Slam of the year, having missed Australia and lost in the second round of the French(Alter). She crushed India’s Iciri Rai with only a game lost in the effort.
** (22) Sabine Appelmans(BEL) and unheralded Spaniard Magui Serna put on quite a show, and the result will surprise most. Serna eventually outlasted the Belgian that outranks her by more than 50 3-6, 6-4, 8-6. She overcame an atrocious conversion rate at the net by coaxing a lot of errors out of the ‘just slightly off’ Appelmans, and out-pointed her by just two. This was about as tight as it gets.
** British No. 1 Samantha Smith’s second visit to the round of 64 this year brings a matchup for South Africa’s Amanda Coetzer, world no. 11 coming into this tournament. A mere 104 spots in the rankings separate them. The match reflected that – Coetzer waltzed, 6-3, 6-0, without really trying that hard.
** Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario had a pretty routine match, stopping Austrian Barbara Schett 6-3, 6-4.

Day 4(R2)
** Conchita Martinez had a fairly tough second-rounder against Miriam Oremans(NLD), and barely got through it. Oremans served very well, and nearly pulled off an upset before Martinez prevailed 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
** Japan’s Naoko Sawamatsu won a tough battle with Manon Bollegraf(NLD), 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, to make the third round as she did in France and Australia. Pretty impressive consistency this year for an(as yet) unseeded player.
** Lucie Ahl, the last remaining British hope in the draw, ran into No. 14 Mary Pierce. She gave it a good effort, but Pierce wasn’t really taking this match very seriously. Ahl served for the first set, got broken, and lost a close tiebreaker. She went in front again to start the second, quickly forcing a third set which gave the French no. 2 no choice but to start focusing a little more. Pierce won the first dozen points of the set, and ended the charade 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-2, winning every point on her serve in the decider and blasting 11 aces on the day.
** Australian Open finalist Nathalie Tauziat, playing on her favorite surface here, was stunned in a taut battle by South African qualifier Joannette Kruger, 7-6(5), 7-5. After a fourth-round finish at the French and a title at Birmingham as a warm-up, the French no. 1’s hopes were high, but she missed on all nine break chances and was a little more erratic than normal today. A huge win obviously for the 145^th-ranked Kruger, who will undoubtedly look on this as one of the great moments of her career, at least to date.
** At the same, another stunning result was wrapping up. Seeded for the first time in a Slam, young Swiss No. 2 Patty Schnyder was throttled by Australian qualifier Rennae Stubbs, 6-1, 6-4. It appeared to simply be a combination of bad matchup – Stubbs is a grass-court specialist – and nerves, as Schnyder was feeling a little more pressure with each victory. Physical gifts she has, but mental toughness is definitely a question mark. After back-to-back quarterfinal appearances at Warsaw and the French Open, this is a big disappointment.
** Monica Seles found smooth sailing against Flora Perfetti(ITA), 6-1, 6-1. Seles struck 7 aces, and closed it out in 44 minutes.
** The upsets continue. No. 7 Lindsay Davenport(USA) was surprisingly poor today, and paid for it with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 loss to Belgian Dominique Van Roost. Davenport had 48 errors and put less than half of her first serves into play, pretty uncharacteristic and a very early exit for her.
** Smooth progress for Steffi Graf, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Elena Makarova(RUS).

1997 WIMBLEDON

Day 5(R3)
Four players ranked outside the Top 100 have made the third round: by contrast, there were two at Australia and none at the French.
** An interesting match for Martina Hingis, who meets rising young American Venus Williams. Williams, only months Hingis’ senior, has already knocked more than 100 ranks off this year to reach the Top 50, and certainly looks likely to be one of the main obstacles of the Swiss prodigy’s generation at this early date. This is their first meeting, and right now there’s no real comparison between the two.
Both were sharp, and Venus went up a break immediately. Even more surprisingly, she held throughout to take the set, and the Swiss was unable to break her until the sixth game of the second, and then only after a long, tough game on her fourth opportunity. To open the third, Hingis broke right away and then saved four break points to consolidate. Williams was much tougher than expected, but comes up short 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, converting on just one of five break points while the world no. 1 was much more opportunistic.
** An impressive display today by American Lisa Raymond, who, after second-round losses in Australia and France, is having by far her best Slam of the year. Raymond blasted 65 winners past (15) Brenda Schultz(NLD), moving into the fourth round 7-6(3), 6-1.
** A bit of a hiccup for Jana Novotna, who overcame (27) Amy Frazier(USA), 6-2, 7-6(1). Novotna rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the second set, hitting 8 aces in the process.
** Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario had another easy one, ending the dreams of Croatian qualifier Nadine Ercegovic, 6-3, 6-2.

Day 6(R3)
** Naoko Sawamatsu(JPN) threw a sizable wrench into the draw today, not just beating but flat-out dominating No. 3 Conchita Martinez, 6-1, 6-3. This is Martinez’s second early exit(1^st round in Australia), and she was beaten just comprehensively here.
** (14) Mary Pierce(FRA) and (19) Ruxanda Dragomir(ROU) put on the best match of the day, both players very effective on serve with neither managing to convert as many as one in five break chances. Pierce was the more effective player at the net, and eventually managed to hold off Dragomir 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in 2 hours and 12 minutes.
** Two qualifiers that nobody expected to get here matched up in Australia’s Rennae Stubbs and South Africa’s Joannette Kruger. Making it to the fourth round would be a huge result for either. Kruger’s bigger serve(109 mph average) eventually proved to be the biggest difference, and she advances after a struggle, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.
** Monica Seles is the top seed in her quarter after the upset of Martinez. Seles was not particularly impressive here, but did manage to eliminate 28-seed Sandrine Testud, 6-3, 7-5.
** The fourth qualifier/dreamer still active is 18-year-old American Meghan Shaughnessy. Her opponent was Dominique Van Roost, and the Belgian took the gift this match is for her, allowing only one game and dismissing Shaughnessy in exactly an hour.
** Quite the intruiging final set between (16) Natasha Zvereva(BLR) and (17) Barbara Paulus(AUT). The players traded one-sided sets, and Paulus led the whole way in the third until she squandered three match points on Zvereva’s serve at 5-3. Paulus was the quickly broken, evening the set … but she re-gained the lead at 6-6 and served it out for a 1-6, 6-1, 8-6 triumph in two hours and five minutes. Overall, it wasn’t a match for either player to be particularly proud of, but after losing in the first round her last two events and the second round the two before that, Barbara Paulus is headed back in the right direction.
** Steffi Graf endured her greatest indignity yet, getting upset in less than an hour by Caroline Vis of the Netherlands, 6-4, 6-2. Vis’s serve was nearly impregnable, and she viciously attacked Graf’s second serve all match. Steffi has fallen quite far to endure a third-round loss, and at this point it’s hard to imagine her adding to her record 21 Slam titles.

1997 WIMBLEDON: FOURTH ROUND

Day 7
Five unseeded players are alive in the fourth round, and three of the top eight seeds have already departed. The bottom half of the draw, which will be in action tomorrow, is particularly wide-open: only Seles remains of those considered a legitimate threat coming into this tournament.
** Martina Hingis gets Lisa Raymond(USA), on paper a step down from her last match in terms of difficulty. It was competitive for all of a set, and Hingis makes her third straight quarterfinal, 6-4, 6-1, in 52 minutes.
** No. 8 Iva Majoli(CRO) and No. 10 Irina Spirlea(ROU) are a couple of excellent players in the prime of their careers who are more comfortable on clay, both getting their best result of the year at the French. Really tough to call this one, and both of them looked sharp. Spirlea has been on fire, making the semis or better at her last six tournaments: Majoli comes off a title at s’Hertogenbosch, albeit against pretty weak competition relatively speaking.
Spirlea got off to a 5-2 lead in the first set, and then inexplicably fell apart. Majoli rallied to take the next five games and a set lead. There wasn’t enough will left in the Romanian after that, and Iva Majoli takes it 7-5, 6-3.
** Probably my favorite matchup of the day put (11) Amanda Coetzer(ZAF) against (6) Jana Novotna(CZE). Coetzer has some really good results this year, wins in the last couple months at Warsaw and Eastbourne(beating Fernandez and Seles at the latter), but has lost in the fourth round of both Slam events. She needs a breakthrough, while Novotna is definitely on the decline but prefers the grass.
Coetzer definitely has the talent to win a match like this, but once again couldn’t handle the moment. The finish was a great example why. With Novotna serving for the match, the South African had two break points at 15-40. She lost the last four points … badly … and another 4^th-round loss results, 6-2, 6-3. Novotna had 15 more winners, and 8 fewer errors.
** Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, looking solid in her pursuit of the Channel Slam, meets American Mary-Joe Fernandez. Fernandez has been very good the last several weeks, and is 8^th on the year, a legitimate threat. Sanchez-Vicario got a rare break late in the first set, then saved a pair of set points to force a second-set tiebreak … only to watch Fernandez reel off five straight points and easily take it, forcing a decisive third.
At 2-2, the Spaniard was broken for the first and only time in the match. For the fitter Fernandez, that was just enough. She fought off two break points and closed it out, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 in 1:45. Sanchez-Vicario was better from the baseline, but Mary-Joe won 61% of her net approaches to just 28% for the world no. 4, and that was just enough to be the difference. This was unquestionably one of the best matches of the year, and definitely the best match of Wimbledon so far.

Day 8
** Leading off the chaotic bottom half is (14) Mary Pierce against Japan’s Naoko Sawamatsu. Pierce saved all six break points she faced, and won in fairly routine fashion, 6-3, 6-3.
** Monica Seles and Joannette Kruger are both 23 years old, but that about ends the similarities. At least, prior to today. They looked awfully darn equal between the lines. Seles had a few problems with the serve, but blasted 11 aces past the South African qualifier, and that is the main thing that saved her. She was broken serving for the first set, but managed to get through in a pair of tiebreakers, 7-6(2), 7-6(3), in an hour and 40 minutes. Kruger should halve her ranking after this, in the Top 70 at a minimum, but will have some regrets after being very close against the U.S. no. 1.
** German no. 2 Anke Huber is having her first decent Slam of the year, and here she attempted to battle past the steady Belgian, Dominique Van Roost. Huber played the first set like she was gunning for Most Disappointing Player of the Year, then took a 3-0 lead in the second, and soon a third set commenced.
Van Roost struck first, breaking in the fifth game after a sizable struggle and chances for both players. Huber continued to misfire on key points, and for the first time this year, there will be an unseeded player in a Slam quarterfinal. Dominque Van Roost gets it done, 6-1, 2-6, 6-2. Really, it’s more about what Anke didn’t do: she had nearly twice as many errors(52) as winners(27). For a player of her caliber, on grass, that’s pretty much inexcusable – but there’s a reason why she has six semis and no finals or titles this year. She just doesn’t like the pressure, and folds when it comes.
** Barbara Paulus(AUT) plays spoiler to the one remaining underdog story, Caroline Vis(NLD), in the last match of the day. Somebody forgot to tell Caroline the storyline though. She didn’t just compete – she handed Paulus, who wasn’t playing badly, an utterly shocking bagel in the first set, then played almost as bad as she could in the second.
So after two one-sided sets, the third was very even as both players seemed to have reached a reasonable idea of how to deal with each others’ game. Vis continued to buck the odds, getting the crucial break at 3-4 and then fighting off triple break point, then another, to serve it out in the next game. 6-0, 1-6, 6-3 is the final, another match where there was a clear domination in net play to determine the winner.

'97 Wimbledon Quarterfinals

Martina Hingis(CHE) vs. Iva Majoli(CRO)
1 vs. 8 – this is the one matchup where form held. Hingis is one of only two players to make the quarterfinals of the first three Slams this year – the other is a much bigger surprise. Iva was somewhat too aware of the stage, and dropped the first three games. Hingis played nearly mistake-free, and quickly dispensed with this one 6-3, 6-1, in 50 minutes, losing only 8 points on serve. She was just scary good today.
Mary-Joe Fernandez(USA) vs. Jana Novotna(CZE)
Novotna is the second player to have made it this far in every Slam so far. An excellent matchup here against Fernandez, both players who have been in good form and are very comfortable on the grass. The American is younger and lower-rated, yet was a little less nervous coming in – though neither looked anything like completely ready.
That bit of a mental edge looked like it was going to get Fernandez the match. She won a tight first, then deflected a pair of sets points for Novotna to get to a tiebreaker in the second – but Jana came up big at the end of it, narrowly forcing another set. Looks like Mary-Joe is headed for her second classic in as many rounds.
In the end, other than that tiebreaker, Jana Novotna utterly failed to convert her key opportunities. 0 of 10 in break points, and 14 aces can only take you so far. Mary-Joe Fernandez was the better player under pressure in at least two of the three sets, the better player at the net, and definitely the aggressor of the two players. She moves on to her second straight semi, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3.
Monica Seles(USA) vs. Mary Pierce(FRA)
Time to see what Seles really has on the grass – she’s not been tested to this point. Neither player is known for their skill on this surface, but have rather gotten here due to upsets and their overall game. Both looked ready and pretty loose.
Seles was in relative control for a set and a half, then bombed the last half of the second. She was the better player most of the third, but was unable to break through despite several opportunities. Finally, Pierce self-destructed with three straight errors in the final game, and Monica snuck through 6-3, 3-6, 8-6 in just over two hours. A very even match across the board – the world no. 5 simply did a little better on the big points.
Dominique Van Roost(BEL) vs. Caroline Vis(NLD)
The unseeded quarter. Nobody in the other matches was ranked outside the Top 15. Here we have no. 41 vs. no. 72. There’s a fair amount of interest in this match for the simple reason that a lot of people have no idea what either player is capable of, and one of them is going to be the final semi-finalist on Friday.
As for me, I was sold on Vis’s incredible ability at the net against Paulus in the last round. At the outset, she seemed to also be much more prepared for the match mentally. Van Roost laid a complete and total egg in the first set,
And so on to the third we go, with still no real feel or flow to it. It never got any. Momentum went back and forth – it seemed the winner would be the next-to-last woman to choke. Van Roost takes it with plenty of drama, but most of the big points were decided on poor, indecisive play. 1-6, 6-4, 7-5, with the Belgian winning 59% of the points when Vis didn’t make it into net.

'97 Wimbledon Semifinals

Martina Hingis(CHE) vs. Mary-Joe Fernandez(USA)
No way I would pick against Hingis here after what she did in the quarters. One of her biggest advantadges is that she’s still young to fully appreciate how big of a deal these matches are. Case in point – she deflected a set point on her serve with an ace, then quickly broke Fernandez and finished off what had been a very even first set. An older player might have become more cautious in such a situation, but the Swiss just swings away.
This match, overall, was on the racket of Fernandez, not Hingis. Unfortunately for her, Mary-Joe’s serve largely deserted her and from the baseline it was completely one-sided for the world no. 1. 7-5, 6-4, a competitive but decisive match. At the business end of both sets, it was all Martina.
Monica Seles(USA) vs. Dominique Van Roost(BEL)
David vs. Goliath here. One thing we’ve learned this week is that Van Roost has one whale of a backhand – consistent, powerful, accurate. She also moves better than Seles. But having said that, in general they are the same player – the top American just does most things a lot better. Perhaps most importantly, Monica has much better shot selection on the court.
I have yet to see a match involving Van Roost that made a whole lot of sense. She had a spurt of absolutely brilliant play for a while, but for the most part Seles was smarter and more cool-headed, resulting in a ton of missed chances for the underdog Belgian, and the American taking advantadge of her upset-riddled draw to make the final, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Van Roost had far too many poor errors, 69 in all.

'97 Wimbledon Final

Martina Hingis(CHE) vs. Monica Seles(USA)
Today Seles goes for her 10^th slam title, Hingis her 2^nd. I think the young Swiss’s much quicker reactions should give her the edge, but this should be what a final should be – the toughest match of the tournament for both of them.
It was surprisingly close – an excellent way to end Wimbledon. And yet there was never all that much doubt about the outcome. Hingis has won matches in a lot of ways, but her serve has never been a key decisive factor until today. She blasted 17 aces, accurate in the extreme even though Seles was able to put a lot more heat on her deliveries. In all other ways, the American was fully her equal. A good effort, but not enough to beat the Swiss prodigy, who prevails for her second title 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in an hour and 43 minutes.
** Historical ATP update: Sampras takes another one, not unexpectedly, his 10^th Slam title to put him just one behind Borg.

July 1997

TOP 20
1. Martina Hingis(Switzerland) – 12,565
2. Steffi Graf(Germany) – 9,351
3. Conchita Martinez(Spain) – 8,130
4. Monica Seles(United States) – 7,380
5. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario(Spain) – 6,632
6. Jana Novotna(Czech Republic) – 5,446
7. Iva Majoli(Croatia) – 5,345
8. Lindsay Davenport(United States) – 5,005
9. Mary-Joe Fernandez(United States) – 4,840
10. Anke Huber(Germany) – 4,581
11. Amanda Coetzer(South Africa) – 4,390
12. Nathalie Tauziat(France) – 4,340
13. Irina Spirlea(Romania) – 4,095
14. Mary Pierce(France) – 3,480
15. Barbara Paulus(Austria) – 2,360
16. Brenda Schultz(Netherlands) – 2,271
17. Natasha Zvereva(Belarus) – 2,220
18. Ruxanda Dragomir(Romania) – 2,120
19. Chanda Rubin(United States) – 1,955
20. Patty Schnyder(Switzerland) – 1,900

Hingis has now opened up a big lead, and Seles leaps Sanchez-Vicario to take the No. 4 spot. Back-to-back Slam semifinals earns Fernandez a third U.S. spot in the Top 10, and Swiss no. 2 Patty Schnyder hits a career high at 20^th.
YOUNG GUNS
1. Martina Hingis(16, Switzerland)
20. Patty Schnyder(18, Switzerland)
29. Henrieta Nagyova(18, Slovakia)
37. Venus Williams(17, United States)
55. Magui Serna(18, Spain)
67. Anna Kournikova(16, Russia)
80. Meghan Shaughnessy(18, United States)
82. Amelie Mauresmo(17, France)
85. Denisa Chladkova(18, Czech Republic)
86. Marlene Weingartner(17, Germany)
95. Nathalie Dechy(18, France)
Samantha Smith, the British #1, is up to 84^th in the world now.


Kournikova Watch -- Not a particularly good last few months, only 16-17 on the year. Aside from a third round at Birmingham, she just looks stalled.

Franklin Academy

Jessica went 9-4 in qualifying for a few low-level events over the course of the spring, and just recently made it to her first main draw, in a futures event in Venezuela. As of yet she is still unranked but it appears that will change soon. .

1997 US OPEN


The trendy long-shot pick is Lindsay Davenport, who has been as good as anyone in the summer hard-court season. Davenport has moved up from 9^th to 6^th with wins at Stanford, San Diego, and Montreal, with a semi in Cincinatti where she narrowly lost to Hingis in a third-set tiebreak. Other than the impeccable Swiss no.1, nobody has been as good her over the past couple of months.
Meanwhile, world no. 5 Conchita Martinez will not be in the field this year.
Day 1(R1)
** Martina Hingis won three straight tournaments after Wimbledon, but then suffered her fourth loss of the year at Montreal(to Rubin in three sets). She starts this one off against Rene Alter of Canada, winning pretty routinely 6-2, 6-4.
** Anna-Gaelle Sidot(FRA) and Barbara Rittner(DEU) required an extended final set to decide their match, which Sidot eventually won in a little over two hours, 4-6, 6-0, 9-7.
** Another extended final set involving (17) Chanda Rubin(USA) and Yayuk Basuki(IND), one of the better first-round matchups. Rubin wins it eventually, 6-3, 3-6, 9-7
** First up among the national players was Julie Pullin, who met one of the best young French players, Amelie Mauresmo. It was close for a while, but Mauresmo was fully in control by the final set, and won it 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2. It was a bit of history for her – the first Slam win of her career.
** British no. 1 Samantha Smith was summarily dismissed by 14-seed Magdalena Maleeva, 6-3, 6-1.
** Versatile 22-year-old Ai Sugiyama(JPN) is seeded 28^th here, and having a fine year after beginning the ’97 season ranked outside the Top 100. No titles, but she was a finalist at s’Hertogenbosch, and made the semis at Sydney, Bastad, Portoroz, and is just coming off a fine quarterfinal at Montreal, where she beat Steffi Graf.
She suffered a big dent to all that momentum here, losing unceremoniously to unheralded qualifier Miroslava Vavrinec(CHE), 6-1, 6-4, showing uncharacteristic looseness in her baseline game.
** Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario cruised through her first match, giving up only two games to Gisele Miro(BRA) and committing just seven errors in the 51-minute contest.

Day 2(R1)
** Having just risen to her highest ranking of the year(no. 3) courtesy of winning New Haven last week, top American Monica Seles had an underwhelming but patient performance in easing past Switzerland’s Emmanuelle Gagliardi, 6-2, 6-1.
** A rather shockingly dominant match for Russian Tatiana Panova, who blasted past Nannie de Villiers(ZAF) 6-0, 6-1 in a matchup of virtual unkowns. De Villiers did not win a single point on her second serve today.
** Venus Williams is seeded for the first time here, at 29^th, but she was surprised by fellow American Sandra Cacic and lost a tough one despite nine aces, 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 in 2 hours and 20 minutes. Williams won five more points than Cacic, but was horrendous(3 of 21) in break opportunities and other than second set was really outplayed in the key points.
** Elena Baltacha, another British entrant and qualifier, met a quick end to Svetlana Komleva(RUS), 6-1, 7-6(4).
** (27) Amy Frazier(USA) had an easy first match, 6-1, 6-1 over Katazyna Nowak of Poland in less than an hour.
** Bit of a shocking result for Mariana Diaz-Oliva. The Argentinian was facing Nicole Arendt, an American wild card, but despite being highly favored she got flattened, taking only a single game and 24 points in a 45-minute loss to the 222^nd-ranked Arendt, a doubles specialist.
** Another national player, qualifier Shirli-Ann Siddall, matched up with Eva Martincova(CZE). Siddall gave the upset opportunity a good run until the final set, where she got run over quickly to lose 6-4, 4-6, 6-0. She played an aggressive but erratic game, with 73 errors in the match.
** American Gigi Fernandez, who didn’t even play in the first two Slams of the year and lost in the first round of Wimbledon as a qualifier, thrilled the New York crowd by pulling off a considerable upset. Rallying from a set down, she beat No. 7 Irina Spirlea of Romania 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, saving 9 of 11 break points in the two-hour match. Spirlea should have been able to dominate her off the ground: this is a very poor result after reaching the fourth round or better in the previous Slams, and two finals and a semi coming in.
** Mary Pierce was another Top 10 casualty, courtesy of Barbara Schett, who rallied from a set down to eliminate the new French no. 1 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. Much like Wimbledon, the bottom of the draw appears to be opening up nicely for Seles so far.
** Katarina Studenikova(SVK) is having a disappointing year, and it almost got worse in the first round here. She escaped, barely, a tough match against Croation qualifier Sandra Nacuk, 4-6, 6-2, 5-7 in nearly two and a half hours.
** Anna Kournikova tried to avoid her third straight first-round Slam loss against (18) Ruxandra Dragomir(ROU). However, Dragomir’s key to success is that she does not lose to subpar opponents, making the third round in all three majors so far this year. That success continues here, with only three points lost on serve to the young Russian en route to a 6-4 6-2 final.
** At the beginning of the year, Henrieta Nagyova(SVK) was one of the most promising young players around. Much has changed. After a second-round loss in Wimbledon, she was embarrassed here by Spaniard Magui Serna, 6-2, 6-1, dropping her to a .500 record on the year.
** Steffi Graf’s first match was an easy mark, Slovakian qualifier Rabka Zrubakova. A routine win for Graf, 6-4, 6-1.

Day 3(R2)
** Martina Hingis didn’t quite get to finish her match, but was well in control before Anna-Gaelle Sidot had to retire with Hingis leading 6-2, 3-1.
** No. 10 Jana Novotna blasted 12 aces past American wild card Meilen Tu in an impressive 6-2, 6-1 victory.
** An impressive show by Sandrine Testud, who has been gradually but steadily ascending this year from barely inside the Top 50 to knocking on the door of the Top 20 now. She easily stopped Miriam Oremans(NLD) after a competitive first set, 6-4, 6-0, blasting 39 winners to only 17 errors in the one-hour, five-minute match. Testud has shown her versatility by making the third round or better at all four Slams this season.
** Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario had an easy second-round romp over Kristina Brandi(PRT), 6-0, 6-3.

Day 4(R2)
** Another easy match for Monica Seles, a 6-0, 6-4 triumph against qualifier Tatiana Panova. The tournament has yet to rightly begin for Seles.
** Patty Schnyder won a surprisingly tough match with Rika Haraki(JPN), 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 in two hours, 18 minutes. Schnyder made it much tougher than it needed to be, converting just two of 24 break chances
** (14) Barbara Paulus has had a run of poor form the past several weeks, and it continued with an upset loss today. For young Czech Denisa Chladkova it was a big day – she lost in the first round of the first three Slams this year, and beating Paulus 6-2, 6-4 here after wins over Sanchez-Vicario and Barbara Schett in Montreal a few weeks ago demonstrates that she’s definitely a star on the rise.
** Gigi Fernandez(USA), who hadn’t won a Slam match this year coming in, takes another three-setter in outlasting Czech Eva Martincova, 6-0, 2-6, 9-7.
** Barbara Schett looked downright horrible, getting steamrolled 6-2, 6-0 by Helena Sukova(CZE) and hitting only 12 winners.
** In another long match, surprising qualifier Anne Kremer(LUX) dismisses American Kimberly Po, 4-6, 6-2, 9-7.
** Every Slam this year, Steffi Graf has lost a round earlier than the previous one. The pattern continued today, an incredibly early loss for the world no. 2. It took a tough, long effort by Wimbledon quarterfinalist Caroline Vis(NLD), who took the most of her opportunities(4 of 8 break points converted) to eliminate Graf 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in the two-hour match.

Thanks for starting this, I've been waiting for a Tennis game forever.

No problem!

1997 US OPEN

Day 5(R3)
** Martina Hingis had her poorest effort of the tournament here, but facing aging American Lori McNeil there wasn’t that much risk. Hingis advances, but it wasn’t a walk, 6-3, 7-5.
** (19) Dominique Van Roost(BEL) showed her SF showing at Wimbledon was not a fluke. She beat No. 17 Chanda Rubin, home crowd and all, convincingly – 6-2, 6-3, saving all three break points she faced in the match. Van Roost took a month off prior to the Open, playing only one hardcourt event over the summer, but she definitely seems primed to remain a fixture among the game’s top echelon.
** Lindsay Davenport continues to waltz through her draw, thumping Marion Maruska(POL) with the loss of only two games and 31 points.
** Almost certainly the best match of this year’s US Open to date took place between Australian finalist Nathalie Tauziat(FRA) and No. 20 Natasha Zvereva(BLR). It took close to three hours(2:48), but Zvereva eventually edged out a comeback victory, 3-6, 6-4, 9-7.
** Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario’s first quality opponent of the tournament came in the form of Manon Bollegraf, and just over an hour later, the French Open champion and world no. 4 had made her earliest exit of the year, 6-4, 7-6(4). Sanchez-Vicario was unable to dent Bollegraf’s serve virtually at all, a surprising upset here.

Day 6(R3)

** Monica Seles continued her march against Japan’s Naoko Sawamatsu, but it was a definite battle. Seles had to rally from 0-30 down when serving for the first set, and took control soon afterward for a 6-4, 6-1 win, striking nine aces in the process.
** A surprisingly late matchup of low-ranking Americans here, with no. 90 Gigi Fernandez and no. 218 Nicole Arendt facing off. The fourth round would be a huge accomplishment for either, with both losing in the first round of their lone Slam appearance out of the previous three ’97 majors. Arendt, a lefty, won a 6-4, 6-4 decision in 57 minutes that was not as close as the scoreline would make it appear.
** (15) Brenda Schultz pulled off a surprisingly one-sided rout of (17) Ruxanda Dragomir, 6-1, 6-1. Dragomir had just 15 winners and 41 errors, failing on all five break point opportunities. Just a disastrous effort by the usually consistent Romanian.
Three unseeded players survive to the fourth round, all in the bottom half of the draw, but only three of the world’s top 8 remain(Hingis, Seles, Davenport). Some of the somewhat lesser-known players have a definite opportunity here.

Let's Go Jessica!