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by Priya Prasad First match up on center court promised to be a kicking start to a great women's event here in Sydney, with dangerous floater Daja Bedanova taking on an Amelie Mauresmo with a renewed resolve. The young Czech, now with the weight of expectation on her shoulders as opposed to last year when hardly anyone noticed her, played tentatively in the first set, losing it 6-3 to a confident Mauresmo. The second set went very differently, and Daja played more aggressively to jump out to a 5-2 lead, but then choked and totally blew it to lose 8-6 in the tie-breaker. Casual tennis fans might have thought that the matchstick-thin girl had done well to get that far against the brawn of the Frenchwoman, but more informed fans will be disappointed with Daniela, who has and will be closely watched this season. Disappointed but with a "live-and-learn" philosophy, Daniela has the strong resolve needed to get to the top ten, but whether or not she can hold it together on court against the big girls remains to be seen. Providing the support behind-the-scenes is father Jan Bedan, who has the honour of being one of the few non-havoc-wreaking fathers on tour. Whether or not she ends up making it big-time, the Czech will certainly be a popular face on tour, with her charming good looks and pleasantly quiet, friendly nature. Meanwhile, in the final qualifying round, Wimbledon champion Daniela Hantuchova was handling the power and athleticism of doubles partner Elena Bovina surprisingly well. In a shutout of a match, Elena was absolutely stunned by the mettle displayed by Daniela. The cool Slovak with the face of a princess right out of a Manga comic book will certainly make waves on the tour this year, and her 6-1 6-4 win over Bovina only reinforces the belief she has in herself. One hopes that the fairytale-like quality she sees in the tennis tour won't give way to the harsh brutality that tends to walk hand-in-hand with fame too soon. In the men's qualifying draw, all four matches went by quickly and mercifully, with Ramon Delgado hardly flinching against big-serving Martin Lee in a 6-1 6-4 win. Wayne Ferreira drew in crowd support against the talent of Vasilis Mazarakis (who will be one to watch, surly demeanour and all) to escape with a 6-4 6-4 win, while Juan Ignacio Chela and Hyung-Taik Lee complete the lineup, looking to make a dent in the main draw. The quality of the women's event was reflected in the doubles draw, where a first-round match-up between popular Slovenian duo Tina Krizan and Katarina Srebotnik, and top seeds Rennae Stubbs and Lisa Raymond didn't actually seem out of place. In fact, the draw was so strong that Henrieta Nagyova and Iroda Tulyaganova, ranked 47 and 49 respectively were forced to qualify for the event. The match that promised to be a tough battle turned out to be a disappointment, and top seeds weren't bothered at all in their 6-3 6-3 win. In the final qualifying match of the day, Tina Pisnik played superbly against top seed Ai Sugiyama. Serving strongly on a slightly windy center court, she struggled against a slight letdown midway through the second set to take a 6-2 6-3 win over a tired-looking Sugiyama. The Japanese has had a long couple of weeks to start the season, and hopefully will get a little rest before the upcoming Australian Open. Meanwhile, the fiery Slovenian will climb to about 45 in the rankings with her excellent performance so far, hopefully in a show of things to come. That determined the eight qualifiers that will play in the main draw, and while the women will have their hands full with the strong draw here in Sydney, the men will likely fare better with the unimpressive draw in the men's singles event. First round predictions for the qualifiers: Alexandra Stevenson (Q) vs. Iroda Tulyaganova The American has been playing strong, and will draw as much as she can out of her September 11 story. Look for the American to get the upset in three tough sets. Daniela Hantuchova (Q) vs. Magdalena Maleeva Another upset in store here, with the talented Slovakian looking to move up the rankings big time this year. As much as we would all like to see Maggie do well, she won't have the mental stamina to get through. Three set win for Daniela. Anastasia Myskina (Q) vs. Silvia Farina-Elia Looking to make up for her disappointing performance last week, Silvia will certainly try to push the right buttons against the hot-tempered Russian. Anastasia "Nastya" Myskina has the talent, but will not be able to hold it together against the Italian. Straight set win for Silvia. Tina Pisnik (Q) vs. Sandrine Testud (7) A rematch of last week's first-round match at the Gold Coast, Sandrine Testud has been working hard since her early exit, and will get her revenge against an injured and tired Pisnik. However, the Slovenian is riding on an emotional high, and might give Sandrine a run for her money. Sandrine in three sets. Ramon Delgado (Q) vs. Guillermo Canas (4) Ramon Delgado has been playing well and looking very motivated. Unfortunate to draw the fourth seed, he might just make lemonade out of lemons, but certainly has his work cut out for him. Possible upset, but last week's Chennai winner in three. Juan Ignacio Chela (Q) vs. Albert Costa Another impressive qualifier, Juan Ignacio Chela has the momentum going for him, and will get the upset here against the Spaniard. Chela in 2 quick sets. Wayne Ferreira (Q) vs. Arnaud Clement (5) Wayne Ferreira did well to take out Mazarakis in the final qualifying round in straight sets, and he certainly is capable of taking out Clement, but the Frenchman might be gearing up for the Australian Open after his dream run last year. Clement in 3 tough sets. Hyung-Taik Lee (Q) vs. Carlos Moya (7) The Korean has turned many heads at the tournament so far, but will come up short against Moya. Moya in three. |