Day 4, Saturday, A Gift for Mauresmo by Ken Kamlet Saturday’s afternoon included players in this round-robin format still in contention for a semi-final berth and others were playing for the sake of pride (and maybe a few points towards their rankings). The line-up featured at least 2 players who are physically suspect due to injuries and illness that have become pandemic on the WTA Tour. The attendance at the STAPLES Center dropped slightly during this session, but the atmosphere was enthusiastic and the quality of tennis was uneven but entertaining. Match 1: Elena Dementieva (9) def. Chanda Rubin (10) 4-6, 7-5, 6-1. Easily one of the most talented and capable players of her generation, Chanda Rubin’s biggest weakness does not lie in her game. Although her serve is lightweight these days, it is her inability to take control of matches and her sometimes painful lack of composure when trying to close things out that has undermined Rubin’s entire career. Even worse than the myriad of injuries she has struggled through, Chanda’s legendary choking habits have cost her significant wins. When she reached the semifinals of the Australian Open at the start of 1996, Rubin seemed to be destined to hold up many major trophies. Her all-court ability, impressive footwork and competitive spirit seemed to put her on the cusp of blossoming into a major player. But then the injuries and her long, overly drawn out epic battles took their toll. While she has come back to the top 10 in the past year and half, she seems stuck as the once and future bridesmaid of tennis. Against the technically impressive but tactically limited Elena Dementieva, Rubin led by a set and 5-2 when she crumbled as she was close enough to reach out and touch a spot in the semifinal round. The stunned crowd tried to cheer on the likeable American player, but she lost complete control of her strokes as her Russian opponent rallied to win 11 of the last 12 games of the match. Later, Rubin labeled this result, “a blown opportunity”, adding “She played well enough just to still be in the match and make me play some key opportunities … I just didn’t play forceful enough, didn’t play aggressively enough when it was time to take the match … And I’ve got a lot of time to think about that.” While the win still wasn’t enough to earn Elena Dementieva a spot in the semis, it did statistically take Rubin out of things and resulted in Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo advancing instead. Match 2: Jennifer Capriati (5) def. Anastasia Myskina (8) 7-5, 5-7, 6-4. The lone American left in the draw, Jennifer Capriati played and moved significantly better on Saturday afternoon in this encounter than she had in her lopsided loss Friday night to Justine Henin-Hardenne. Looking determined and buoyed by excited fans in the stands, Capriati managed to outlast and outmaneuver her feisty Russian opponent. Myskina, who had lost a heartbreaking match on Thursday evening (also to Henin-Hardenne) kept things close, but made a series of tactical errors in the third set which included a number of ill-advised and poorly executed drop shots. While the tennis was uneven, Capriati played well enough to win and didn’t falter when she had her opportunities. She explained later, “"It wasn't my best tennis but I did what I had to do”. Paul Annacone, the former coach of retired Pete Sampras, was again in attendance. Capriati later reiterated that her work with him this week is still on a trial basis. Match 3: Ai Sugiyama (11) def Justine Henin-Hardenne (2) 6-2, 6-4. Having already qualified for the next round, and with Ai Sugiyama having no statistical way of advancing to the semifinals, this was essentially a “dead match” that had more of a feel of an exhibition encounter. The Belgian played mostly uninspired tennis and while she forced Sugiyama to earn her victory, she didn’t exactly put her last drop of sweat into it either. After surviving a sinus infection (as well as a valiant effort by Anastasia Myskina) on Thursday night, she not only routed Jennifer Capriati with surprising ease less than 24 hours later but also assured herself the world #1 ranking for the 2003 season. Still, the Japanese victor played solid, effective tactics and looked surprisingly composed as she closed out the match. In addition to her solid finish for 2003 in singles, Ai Sugiyama has also qualified and is seeded #1 for the doubles competition which begins Sunday afternoon. Sugiyama and partner Kim Clijsters open the doubles competition against South African Cara Black and Russian Elena Likhovtseva on Sunday afternoon.