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Day 3, Friday, A Cry in the Dark by Ken Kamlet On the other hand, the Bank of America WTA Tour Championships saw a significant rise in attendance over the opening 2 days and the draw is panning out to provide intriguing semifinal match-ups. Backstage, one player let her guard down a bit and provided a refreshingly honest, poignant interview. Match 1: Anastasia Myskina (8) def. Ai Sugiyama (11) 6-4, 6-3. The evening began with as routine and dry a match as could be expected from these two players. While they are both strong, worthy competitors and good foils for bigger names in this draw, this match was clearly scheduled as the warm-up for the marquee match-ups to follow. The Russian #2 and Japanese #1 exchanged flat ground-strokes and adequate, if uninspired play. With both players still in contention for a spot in the semifinal round, Sugiyama had a more difficult time in keeping her nerves in check and in coming up with her usual consistent play. Her 6 double faults and 27 unforced errors were an obvious contribution to the outcome of the match. On the other side of the net, Myskina’s solid and mentally focused play was impressive in light of the devastating loss she had experienced in the last match the evening before. Blowing several big opportunities to pull a dramatic upset over the world #2 player should certainly have haunted her. Losing a grip on a 5-0 first set lead and then later allowing her opponent to escape when she was within 5 points of one of the biggest victories of her career are surely the memories of which nightmares are mad e. Following this routine victory over Ai Sugiyama, Anastasia Myskina was candid about the post-match trauma of the evening before. “We just came home like 1:00 in the morning. And I was actually thinking that I am not going to be able to recover in that short of time,” she said adding, “But I am really happy that I won today”. Myskina said that closing this one out required extra concentration and determination. She explained, “I was quiet. I didn’t say nothing. I was just thinking to finish the match, and it didn’t matter how. I just was thinking that I have to fight no matter what.” Myskina is a delicate looking young woman with a shy smile and dark, sensitive eyes. When she was asked about her feelings after her previous match, she seemed to find relief in admitting the human side to herself. She talked about deep regret she experienced when she returned late at night to her hotel room. “That was tough,” she admitted, “I was thinking, ‘how stupid you can be to lose a set when you are up five love’. And I closed my eyes. And I was still playing tennis. At some point, it was ove r and over in my mind that I was so mad at myself. And I was so upset. I was crying like a couple of hours.” Myskina felt it was important to take responsibility for the loss. She would not copy other players, like Jana Novotna, by denying that she occasionally flat out chokes in matches. And she also felt that Justine Henin-Hardenne’s well-timed injury time-out was not directly to blame. She explained, “I was just kind of more relaxed after the break. I thought that I won the set … but it is my fault, my mistake … I was too passive.” And that is what led to a deep sense of regret. The kind of “shoulda woulda coulda” that left her privately disconsolate. “I was just hugging the pillow crying and thinking that maybe – I don’t know … I mean, I was just up the whole match. And I was supposed to win”. Myskina smiled refreshingly when she admitted to how she found the comfort and support she needed during one of the most difficult moments of her career; she called her parents all the way in Russia. And although the tears just kept coming, she realized that, “Everything would be okay. They said that I am still the best and they still believe in me. So they just wished me good luck in the next matches. They are my good parents”. Myskina brightened when talking about today’s match and was clearly happy with her effort. She realized that it would have been easy to have just given up, lost today and gone home. “I am really proud of myself that I was able to recover after last night” she boasted. Match 2: Justine Henin-Hardenne (2) def. Jennifer Capriati (5) 6-2, 6-1. A match that was considered to be not only the best head-to-head of the evening, but perhaps the most anticipated one of this first round-robin format proved to be a dud. Clearly not recovered from a hip flexor strain that flared up earlier in the week, Capriati hobbled around the court and committed nearly three times as many errors as her Belgian opponent. An injury time-out to remove the tape that was wrapped on her hips and thighs did little to improve her mobility or increase the competitiveness of the match. Spectators tried in vain to encourage Capriati, one of only two Americans in the draw. If Myskina was remarkable mentally in bouncing back from her disastrous night before, Henin-Hardenne added to the cynics views regarding her near constant dramatics surrounding her physical trials and tribulations. Showing no signs of the sinus infection that caused distracting delays the night before, Henin-Hardenne played beautifully and looked to be the very picture of health. Later, some of the very same reporters who made fun of Henin-Hardenne behind her back, but then filled their printed accounts with apparently insincere praise, tried to encourage Jennifer Capriati into criticizing the Belgian and her time-out tactics. Justifiably suspicious of the media that has both helped her and turned on her, Capriati was sage in making sure to point to how well her opponent had played and in blaming her own physical problems on her below par movement. When it was pointed out again to her how quickly Henin-Hardenne had gotten over the illness from the previous evening, Capriati conceded wryly, “Just seems like that is what you should expect now. I have never seen anybody recover as fast as she does. You know, she plays pretty good for all thee things that is bothering her”. Again she was asked, “Do you want to go deeper into that?” and she responded simply, “No”. This exchange was almost immediately followed with: Q. “Do you think she uses her time-outs in a tactical way?” A. “I have no comment on that.” Later, another reporter (the same one that a top ranked ATP player tried to have thrown out of a press conference) was in the media room encouraging other writers to describe Capriati has having “sour grapes” or demonstrating “attitude” or being “angry”. Surely, Capriati was disappointed that she lost, perhaps aggravated with her own injury. But the fact is, she was never unprofessional in this interview and a few reporters were clearly disappointed that she would not give them a juicy or antagonistic quote for them to use against her or Justine Henin-Hardenne. Match 3: Kim Clijsters (1) def. Amelie Mauresmo (6) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Once again, the closing match of the night provided the drama and fireworks that everyone had expected to see in the second match-up. France’s top ranked player, Amelie Maursemo, came out blazing while her opponent, the world #1 (until next week) played just a notch behind. Kim Clijsters, who has accomplished just about everything this year except winning a coveted grand slam event, dug her heels in after losing the first set and fought fearlessly. More importantly, she seemed to relish and enjoy both the challenge and the atmosphere. Both players used the entire court with angles, spins and clever tactics. While both committed plenty of errors, there were screaming winners balanced with impressive serving. Clijsters's steadier game and slightly superior mental ability in the clutch gave her the edge and a particularly satisfying come-from-behind victory. |