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Page 8
QUARTER FINALIST
TORONTO (defeated Kruger, Lucic; lost to Sidot) NEW HAVEN (defeated Cocheteux, Appelmans; lost to Seles)
The draw analysis: Amanda has had a rather successful year so far, reaching two finals over the course of the season and moving her ranking back into the top 10. Her game as of late has been quite promising, recording two quarter final and two semi final finishes in the four tournaments she has entered this summer. However, she has a tough draw. She has a difficult first round assignment against former semi finalist Irina Spirlea, a girl who has all the talent in the world, but not much in the confidence stakes at the moment. I believe she will meet her match in 12th seed Barbara Schett, who has also stepped up her game this season, and in the process, moved her ranking up close to the top 10. Schett has a fairly powerful and very solid baseline game. No one outside of the tennis circles may have heard of her, but she has given Martina Hingis a few scares this year. Even if she were to get past Schett, she would face the intimidating presence of Venus Williams in the next round, and judging from past encounters with the huge American, Coetzer would be lucky to leave the court alive! However, if she can remain consistent, keep as fast and fit as we know she can be, and fight until the very end, she could pose a few problems for some of the bigger and more powerful girls out there. Floaters who could trouble her in her section of 16: Elena LIKHOVTSEVA, Irina SPIRLEA Her path (a prediction): SERENA WILLIAMS (USA) Summer hardcourt season performances The draw analysis: Serena would like her chances to do well at this Grand Slam. Surprisingly, she has never ventured past the round of 16 in a major before, and if there was one major which she could do extremely well in, it would be at the US Open. Born and bred on American hardcourts, the surface is perfect for her hard-hitting groundstrokes, her powerful serve and her impeccable movement. It seems that only the perils of inexperience and consequent mental fragility could stop Serena from a glorious fortnight, despite the fact she has already won some big titles this year. Her quarter features some of the most promising young stars on the WTA tour, including the much-hyped Alexandra Stevenson from USA, Elena Dementieva from Russia, Katarina Srebotnik from Slovenia and Kim Clijsters from Belgium. Her section also features some wily veterans, including Conchita Martinez, Chanda Rubin, Nathalie Tauziat and Jennifer Capriati. However, the biggest challenge in her quarter should come from 4th seed Monica Seles, who will have the crowd on her side, and a lot of experience in handling pressure-packed situations. It would be a surprise if Serena did not make it through to the semi finals, although I wouldn't favour her chances of reaching the final, should she play Lindsay Davenport. Despite the fact Serena has a winning record over Lindsay, Lindsay has both the experience of playing in a big situation and the weapons to overpower Serena from the baseline. Go To Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
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