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by Christopher Gerby It was the week of the comeback in Montreal. Corina Morariu, Natasha Zvereva, and Catherine Barclay were all out there winning doubles matches just a few months after their careers were thought to be over. Sonya Jeyaseelan, playing her first tournament since the 2001 US Open, bumped off top seed Katarina Srebotnik in the singles qualifying. Barbara Schett suddenly rediscovered her 20th Century form in a second round win over an in-form-lately Chanda Rubin. Last but not least, there was Martina Hingis reaching the quarterfinals in her first tournament back from ankle surgery. Some of the week's other standout achievements went as follows... Match of the Week: Doubles encounters actually merited the top two or three places in this competition, with Elena Dementieva/Janette Husarova vs. Kim Clijsters/Jelena Dokic emerging as the clear winner. This was an absolute barnburner under the lights, jam-packed with controversy, emotion, swings in momentum, and creative, exciting rallies. Battling back time and time again after having their serves broken, Dementieva/Husarova persevered to notch a 6-7, 7-5, 7-6 victory. Upset of the Week: She's having a somewhat inconsistent year, but could anyone have expected a straight sets loss from Kim Clijsters versus Barbara Schett? It seemed to come as a surprise to even Schett herself, who overcame a heated dispute with the chair umpire to score her biggest win in ages. Comeback of the Week: Seemingly no lead was safe in the doubles draw. Anna Kournikova and Barbara Schett were having a jolly old time dismissing Rika Fujiwara and Ai Sugiyama, pleasing the fans with a 6-1, 3-0 start. Tennis is one sport where you can't run out the clock, though. Picking up their intensity and level of play, the Japanese team stormed all the way back to defeat the admittedly shocked blondes 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. Game of the Week: With sweltering heat taking hold of Court 1, the opening game of Amanda Coetzer's bout with Elena Dementieva dragged on for a month of Sundays. It lasted nine deuces, to be exact, with Dementieva staving off four break points and Coetzer surviving five game points. After an eternity of gritty retrieving from both players, Coetzer lost the battle (but ultimately won the war in straight sets). Performance of the Week: Saving her best for last, Amelie Mauresmo put on a tennis clinic in her 6-4, 6-1 whupping of a frustrated Jennifer Capriati. Serving big, moving well, and showing deft touch at the net, Mauresmo was a deserving champion. Rising Star of the Week: Two years ago I gave this award to Justine Henin after she came through the Montreal qualifying. Could diva-in-training Daniela Hantuchova make as rapid a climb up the rankings as Henin did? Sporting a shirt which read "Girl 1" in her practice sessions seemed to indicate where the 6 foot tall teen's ambitions lie, consciously or not. "I didn't think about that when I was wearing it, but yeah, well, let's hope so." (Honorable mentions go to Laura Granville and Clarisa Fernandez.) Interview of the Week: As a legend from the past still vying for titles in the present, Martina Navratilova brings a unique perspective to the tennis issues of the day. She only dropped in for one press conference this week, but it was such a lively showcase of her wit and insight, none of the youngsters could top it. Quote of the Week: "I think they like me for my tennis" -- a somewhat delusional Anna Kournikova downplaying the influence her looks and image have on her popularity with fans. Unwelcome Guests of the Week: I like the dog days of August as much as the next guy, but the heat and humidity which gripped Montreal for most of the week was beyond the pale. Temperatures soared to 125 degrees Farenheit on Centre Court, keeping the WTA's "extreme heat rule" in effect from Monday through Friday. Meanwhile, the nasty little terrier present at Elena Dementieva's practices barked mercilessly at Iva Majoli and anyone else it considered a stranger. Glaring Absences of the Week: Serena Williams did at least show up, so I'll reserve this award for "Children," the lilting Robert Miles techno instrumental which had been leading players onto Centre Court for as long as I can remember. The leitmotif which replaced it this year just never felt right. Likewise, it was a shame to see the Monday evening Centre Court ceremony scrapped for the first time since its 1996 inception. I assume that move was made because so many big names were late getting in from the previous week's tournaments. Sad Farewell of the Week: It's hard to imagine Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario returning for the 2004 tournament in Montreal, so the city probably saw one of its adopted favorites for the last time. "It is very special city for me... I have very good memories and I like it a lot," Arantxa said following a 6-2, 6-2 loss to Laura Granville on Court 1. "The crowd has been behind me and, hopefully, I will see if I be here in two years. Who knows?" Feel Good Update of the Week: Barbara Schett informed me that she keeps in touch with former doubles partner Anke Huber "all the time, almost every day." Since retiring as a player, Anke has done some work with kids for the German tennis federation and taken on the role of tournament director in Filderstadt. "She's very happy," said Schett. |