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Preparing for a Grand Slam Triumph - Page 3

© Michael Cecilio

Who is it going to be for the US Open? The majority of people have shortlisted top seed Martina Hingis, 2nd seed Lindsay Davenport, 3rd seed Venus Williams, and 7th seed Serena Williams as the last four. I happen to take that exact stance myself, albeit rather unadventurous. However, predicting who will proceed to the final is a more interesting prospect as all four really have a chance to step up and go for this title. Just to show you how even the race is, let's review the tournament winner's of the recent American hardcourt tour...
STANFORD - Lindsay Davenport (defeated Venus Williams in final)
SAN DIEGO - Martina Hingis (defeated Venus Williams in final)
LOS ANGELES - Serena Williams (defeated Martina Hingis in semi finals)
TORONTO - Martina Hingis (defeated Monica Seles in final)
NEW HAVEN - Venus Williams (defeated Lindsay Davenport in final)

From this, there is not really much we can determine, other than the fact that the competition at the end of the second week of the Open is going to be scorching! And let's hope that it turns out to be nothing less than that!

Dark horses to win the tournament include two-time champion 4th seed Monica Seles, 5th seed Mary Pierce, and judging by the way she has been playing lately, you could even throw in 9th seed Julie Halard-Decugis. There are going to be some dangerous floaters in the draw and among them, Jelena Dokic, Mirjana Lucic, Anke Huber, Elena Likhovtseva, Chanda Rubin, Jennifer Capriati, Alexandra Stevenson, Amy Frazier and Mary Joe Fernandez (to name but a few!) are going to be out there to try and unseat those seeds in the draw.

The Seed Report
And so we make our final grand slam stop for the year at Flushing Meadows, New York. The anticipation we have for what is shaping up to be a remarkable event can barely be contained. The countdown to the first day of the US Open is on and promises to be sizzling. But who will walk away at the end of the tournament, hoisting the US Open trophy? The trifecta of favourites for the title includes all of the top three seeds - Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport and Venus Williams. Many are also tipping Serena Williams to make a sparkling run at the US Open and join the top three seeds in the semi finals. However, don't count out the presence of such players, like sentimental favourite Monica Seles. What about up-and-coming players like Amelie Mauresmo, Jelena Dokic and Mirjana Lucic who have each shown great promise in Grand Slam competition this year? Perhaps former Grand Slam winners Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Conchita Martinez and Jana Novotna can break out of the funk they've experienced this year and return to the Championships as present-day champions.

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