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(Rankings, Results and Discussions at the bottom of page. Feel free to post a new discussion on any topic on tennis)
Women's tennis has indeed made history this week. The question on everyone's lips: "who will be at the top at the end of the week?" was finally answered on quarterfinals' Friday. LINDSAY DAVENPORT - the new and deserving world #1, the 8th #1 in history, the 3rd American-born #1 and the 1st since Chris Evert did it back in the late '70s. At the hands of #12 Belgian Dominique van Roost, Martina Hingis fell to a smattering of power and precision, and subsequently relinquished yet another crown (let's face it, she's relinquished quite a few crowns this year). This time, it was her world #1 ranking, which had been placed in severe jeopardy since her unsuccessful defence of her Wimbledon title. And, so now, it is as it is. The 80-week reign of the youngest ever #1 player, Martina Hingis, has come to an end. Since the Lipton Championships in March 1997, the women's game has seen a killer dominance by this 18-year-old. But not today. History has written another fine player into its record books. In what seems a bit ironic, Lindsay Davenport is now the celebrated best player in the world. Celebrated?!?!?! No one's even ever paid attention to her, or so it seems. Not quite an Anna or a Martina or a Venus or Serena, or even a Steffi or a Monica or a Mary. Not until the US Open did she get much recognition , and not until then did they believe she could actually reach a Grand Slam final. In a twist of fate, she will perhaps be getting a huge chunk of the publicity that her counterparts received in the past. So much for the quiet girl, whose main joy in life was to play Peek-a-boo with her one-year-old niece. Nevertheless, what category does she fall under? Hardly an up-and-comer, hardly a 10-year tour veteran. Not even a showbiz starlet. It's just plain, old Lindsay. No gimmicks, no masks, no bravado. Just Lindsay Davenport, the new #1 in tennis. Meanwhile, there's still Martina Hingis, and believe me, becoming #2 will do her a lot of good. Being the hunted rather than the hunter killed her this year. Four tournament wins and 1 grand slam win this year was a complete let down to the twelve tournament wins and 3 grand slams from last year. In October 97, she held a 3,095 point lead on the #2 player. In October 98, she is the #2 player. But now that she's the hunter again, she can stop playing defender. She can probably even afford to take a hiatus now, and hence become hungrier and more motivated for the season ahead.
The copyright of the article The $6 million question: who is number 1? in Women's Tennis is owned by Michael Cecilio. Permission to republish The $6 million question: who is number 1? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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