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A Tribute To A Living Legend - Page 10

© Michael Cecilio

DISAPPOINTING: Mary PIERCE (FRA)
She has built up her muscle density, and she possesses some of the biggest groundstrokes on the WTA tour today. Why is she failing miserably? She lost the fourth round match at Wimbledon against Jelena Dokic, a match she should have won under ordinary circumstances. Since then, her hardcourt season has not been great, losing in the opening round of San Diego (having reached the final last year), and getting scalped by her lower ranked country woman Julie Halard-Decugis in Los Angeles. Consistency has perrenially plagued Mary's career, but let's hope she can get her act together and continue what has so far been a plausible season for the world #6.

WTA Tour Player Profile of the Fortnight
AMELIE COCHETEUX of FRANCE

Current Singles Ranking: 76
Career WTA Singles Titles: 0
Career ITF Singles Titles: 4
Best Performance in a Grand Slam: SECOND ROUND - 97 French Open; 98 US Open
1999 Highlights:
SINGLES QUARTER FINALIST - Prostejov [IV,CA], Paris Indoors [II,CA]
DOUBLES FINALIST - Warsaw [IV,CL] (w/ Janette Husarova)
DOUBLES QUARTER FINALIST - Paris Indoors [II,CA] (w/ Nathalie Dechy)

Here is another French player who has benefited from the tremendous tennis program implemented in France today. Sure Amelie Cocheteux hasn't achieved the success of countrywomen Amelie Mauresmo, Julie Halard-Decugis or Sandrine Testud, but she is still a young girl with a lot of potential who will perhaps see her best tennis within the next few years.

Her biggest claim to fame was winning the French Open Juniors title in 1995 - needless to say, it was a major coup winning the prestigious title in her home country on her favourite surface of clay. Shortly following her Roland Garros victory, Amelie turned professional on the WTA tour but has not yet aspired to the brilliant success of her junior career. However, she has enjoyed quite a bit of success on the ITF Satellite circuit where she has won four titles, the most significant of which came at the hands of teen prodigy Mirjana Lucic, who Amelie defeated in the Marseilles claycourt final in 1997.

She has enjoyed mild success on the WTA tour. Just this year, she claimed her first career top 10 scalp over Nathalie Tauziat at Prostejov, handing her countrywoman her first defeat of the season. Following that tournament, she recorded yet another important scalp at the Paris Indoor tournament, destroying former top 10 player Irina Spirlea in straight sets. In the process, Amelie achieved back-to-back quarter final finishes at the indoor tournaments in Prostejov and Paris, marking the most successful WTA tournament finishes in her career thus far.

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