Only the first match of the day got underway before the skies opened. Elena Likhovtseva was tied with qualifier Tina Pisnik 6-6 in the first set. The top four seeds have yet to strike a ball in singles action, including top seed Lindsay Davenport who suffered her first rain delay as last night's evening session was postponed. Of course, Davenport is no stranger to Scottsdale rain as last year's final versus Martina Hingis was never played. Davenport was good humored about the delay last night, but one thinks the American will not be pleased with the continued bad weather that is sure to critically backup the entire tournament schedule.

So needless to say it is was a very restless and frustrating day in the media room. Computers were linked up to satellite weather maps and people tended to roll their eyes as the rain pounded down atop the media tent. So without any "new" news to report, let's take a look at some other subjects around the grounds at this year's State Farm Women's Tennis Classic.

Who is… Elena Bovina?

I had the chance to see Elena Bovina in two losing efforts early this week. In singles action, she took a set off hometown favorite Meghann Shaughnessy before succumbing fairly easily in the final two sets in first round action. In doubles with partner Pavlina Nola, the Russian had the unenviable task of running up against the team of Capriati/Seles. As hinted in an earlier report, Bovina is a striking figure. I alluded to her as "Amazon"-like and at 6' 2 1/2" and 159 pounds, the soon-to-be 18-year old surely fits that bill. Bovina was a particularly imposing figure when she was at the net in doubles.

Turning pro in 1998, Bovina won her first event at a ITF event in El Paso. Competing mostly on the satellite tour, Bovina won three consecutive events in February 2000 in Great Britain (Jersey, Birmingham, and Redbridge). In Redbridge, she had to qualify for the event and won eight matches en route to the title. She also won the doubles title in Jersey and Birmingham. Bovina followed up these three titles by reaching the final of Chengdu City, China in her next appearance.

In this year's State Farm, what Bovina is missing from her game are the two big C's of tennis -- control and consistency. The Russian surely has powerful groundstrokes and reach, but tends to spray her shots and "lose it" a bit mentally when the chips are down. Likewise, her size does not make her best mover around the court. The WTA media guide says she "admires Lindsay Davenport" so hopefully the teenager can look at what the similarly sized American has done to reach the top of the game. Posting a 47-14 record in 2000, Bovina is currently ranked #138.

"Skirt"-ing the Issue: Part Two

As promised, the skirt that is causing a buzz in Scottsdale is back in today's report. Today's model is Canadian Sonya Jeyaseelan. The distinctive and quite colorful skirt is made by Nike and apparently all the rage with tennis players with a clothing contract with the powerhouse company. Jeyaseelan wore the skirt in her doubles match with partner Kimberly Po against the team of Henin/Serna. The skirt seems to definitely have a personality of its own depending on who is wearing it. Eleven inches shorter than our first model, Alexandra Stevenson, Jeyaseelan outfit did not seem nearly as racy as when it was worn by the more voluptuous American. Though still a scrunchy fit in this photo, Jeyaseelan's skirt seemed to have a few more inches of length to it. Perhaps, the only explanation is that this is a "one size fits all" item?! Look for more on "the skirt" as we delve still deeper in future reports.