Day Two Action
by Beth Knizer
Welcome to On The Line's second day of coverage at the 26th edition of the Britannic Asset Management Championships, Devonshire Park, Eastbourne.
Veteran French player Nathalie Tauziat (number 2 seed at Eastbourne) won her eighth career singles title Monday at the Priory in Edgbaston (Birmingham). The title was her second in the past four years at Birmingham. Tauziat's ranking improved to number ten, a level attained back in the end of January.
Lisa Raymond d. Cara Black 6-3, 6-4
First Round
Centre Court
Two top ranked doubles players (Raymond number 2 and Black number 9) squared off in what expected to be a very tough nail-biting match. Both players are of similar size and build and sport an effective backhand slice. Raymond was the victor in what proved to be an extremely tough match, despite the two set score.
Lindsay Davenport d. Anne-Gaelle Sidot 6-3, 6-2
Centre Court
Previous head-to-head: 4-0 (2001 Indian Wells)
A three month layoff from match play did not harm number one seed Lindsay Davenport in disposing of her young lefthanded, French competitor, Anne-Galle Sidot in straight sets. Davenport's knee was taped but it did not affect her blistering groundstrokes.
Wandering around the grounds....
On The Line thought it would be interesting to show some action from wandering the practice courts in forms of photos. Here they are:
The "star" of the afternoon had to be the young dog (name unknown) of Martina Navratilova. The dog stole center stage and was a hit with the gazing fans. He left his 'mark' on the court and it had to be tended to by his owner.
Guess who?
Another new feature we thought to try is "Guess Who". The featured player will be playing in the main draw either of singles or doubles at Eastbourne. Initially, we'll not give any hints. The answer will be found in the following days report. Send your guess to us at On The Line. Photoshop filters will be applied to the 'player'. Hope you enjoy! Here is a hint for today's player. She was entered in the main doubles draw but lost in the first round. Also, she wa s a finalist in the abandoned 1997 doubles final.Guess who!
Answer to Monday's "Guess Who" was nine time Wimbledon singles champion, and entered in the doubles draw here with Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario..... The one and only Martina Navratilova!
Tell me more about.....Elena Baltacha
The British fans have a new favorite player. She is Elena Baltacha. Elena entered the qualifying round, ranked 356. The 17-year old hails Enfield, Middlesex and was born in Kiev, Ukraine. She lived there for five years and spent eight years in Scotland before moving to her current home. She began playing short tennis at age 6 when her parents bought her a plastic racquet. She is currently coached by Alan Jones, Jo Durie and James Lenton. Her father, Sergi, was an international soccer star and her mother O lga waas a world class pentathlete. Her brother Sergi is a talented footballer who plays for St Mirren. Elena enjoys reading and listening to music. She speaks Russian and English. In 2001, she is a member of the Great Britain team in the Fed Cup Europe-Africa qualifying group. She reached the semifinal of the Powder Byrne Trophy at Surbiton. She has attained a wild card to the main draw of Wimbledon. Elena earned her way to the main draw at Eastbourne by defeating Virginie Razzano after being a set down 3-6, 6-1, 6-1. Elena lost to Conchita Martinez in the first round but has many new fans! Congratulations to Elena and best of luck at Wimbledon!
