Changing of the guard in women's tennis?!?! Not any time soon!© Michael Cecilio
Aug 29, 1998
Who said there was a change of guard in women's tennis today?! Whoever said that was clearly misguided, judging by the results from the past two weeks. FYI, the finalists from tournaments over the past two weeks have NOT included anyone from the teenage contingent. That's right - no Venus, no Serena, no Anna and not even Martina. We saw Monica Seles, the teen prodigy from the early 90s, defeat Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, another former world #1, in the final of the du Maurier Open (kind of a repeat of this year's French Open final, just the result going a different way, thank God!). And the week after, we saw a 29-year-old Steffi Graf, who has recently overcome injuries and confidence problems to defeat another 29-year-old, Wimbledon former choker (I used the word FORMER) Jana Novotna in the Pilot Pen final. So, whether it be the media or the egotistical statements from the "new" generation acknowledging some kind of changing of the guard, I just have to say that you can NEVER count out the veterans of the tour. It's been confirmed by the results from the French and Wimbledon, and it's been confirmed in the past two weeks - seemingly, age may not be a hindrance but more of a help in the world of tennis today . In any case, the overdue date on the veterans is still a long way away...
Anyway, I thought I might talk a bit about the US Open coming up. Who can't wait? I know I can't. Grand Slam time is a fun time - all the heartache and joy and emotion and egos and personalities all clash in the space of two weeks...a very interesting time. Well, I did mention in my previous article that Lindsay Davenport was in clear contention for the title. I'd say the only person who will give her some trouble in reaching the final would be 5th seed Venus Williams. To join Lindsay in the final, I would put my money on either 6th seed Monica Seles, after a smashing run in Montreal, or 8th seed Steffi Graf, after a recent confidence boost in New Haven (not only did she defeat Novotna in the tournament but she also defeated Davenport and Coetzer without dropping a set the entire tournament). After both endured so much physical and emotional trauma in their very successful careers, it would be a most intriguing semi-final battle if the old rivalry between Seles and Graf reappeared at this year's Open. Trying to stop Seles from reaching the semis would be Martina Hingis, but I don't think she will be able to successfully defend her title this year. And likewise for Graf, I think the biggest opponent in her section would be Novotna. Also, look out for Serena and Anna, see how the youngsters progress, although, methinks that they will not be able to manage past the round of 16. Mirjana looks set to clash with Steffi in the 3rd round (Mirjana lost a tight battle in the Strasbourg final last year to Steffi). And if Mary Pierce can overcome her injuries, watch her try to battle Venus in the fourth round. Anyway, that's about all for US Open talk, more next week as I will cover the highlights of the first week of the last Slam of the year.
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