Fans also see all very similar qualities in the players. While this may lead to exciting, high-caliber play, those new to tennis may not grasp how much better these 8 players are than much of the rest of the field by having no players of a slightly lesser level to compare them to. In addition, the tournament is cheated out of the appearance of a number of very popular players who end up just missing the cut. This year, for example, fan favorites Jennifer Capriati, Venus Williams and the recently red-hot Australian Alicia Molik all had the potential to light up the STAPLES Center with their presence, but the reduced draw prevented their entry.

Interestingly, even with only the very best 8 players entered, the contests have been uneven and have even provided several dud matches, such as the Mauresmo/Kuznetsova encounter that finished late Friday evening.


Match 1: Anastasia Myskina def. Lindsay Davenport 7-6(5), 6-4.

By the way Lindsay Davenport competed tonight, you wouldn’t know that she was on the cusp of finishing her third career season as the #1 player in the world (an appearance in the finals this week would sew it up) and on the heels of an impressive comeback from injuries that forced her to sit out this event last year.

Although the first set was close, with both players prevailing on each of her service games, Davenport became impatient and increasingly irritable, particularly after failing on all four break point opportunities before narrowly losing the first set in a tie-beak.

Davenport sprayed errors, over-ran shots and rushed as she battled and on-form Anastasia Myskina, who remained mostly calm and technically efficient.

Myskina, the reigning champion of Roland Garros, capitalized on many of her advantages, breaking Davenport’s serve in 2 of 3 chances in the 2nd set (Davenport broke back only once in the match) and playing more patiently from the backcourt.

While the world #1 rank is still attainable for Davenport, her upset loss tonight keeps her on the ropes and means she is not certain to advance past the round robin.

Davenport, often known for her good sportsmanship, made no excuses for the defeat and didn’t lament her occasional bad luck during the evening which included net cords and a few close calls, “Bottom line, she played better than I did tonight. And a net cord here, a call there, wasn’t going to change the outcome of that,” she concluded.

The sometimes temperamental Myskina acknowledged that one of the keys to this victory was her ability to stay calm and cool under the pressure of playing against her tough challenger. Instead of getting mad and losing control when she lost a break in the second set, Myskina admitted she said to herself, “Just shut up! … and today it really worked”.


Match 2: Maria Sharapova def. Vera Zvonareva 6-4, 7-5.

Although Zvonareva’s third consecutive defeat in the round robin this week now means she becomes the first player excused from this year’s event, she was able to redeem herself against Sharapova by raising her level of play and by more or less maintaining her mental composure through most of the match.

“I didn’t come here just to, you know, to lose matches,” she explained.

In a highly competitive 2-set match, the rising star and recent Wimbledon Champion Maria Sharapova showed passion and grit as her powerful groundstrokes and attacking volleys helped her out-maneuver her opponent. The vanquished Zvonareva tried stubbornly to grind down her compatriot; firmly planted at the baseline. While Sharapova won an impressive 26 of 33 net plays, Zvonareva only found herself at the net five times in the match, winning just 2 points on volleys.

The second set developed in tension substantially in the crucial seventh game. With Vera Zvonareva serving at 3-3 she held her ground in fighting off five break points (including rallying from love-40 down) and needed 4 game points of her own before holding the 16 point game to pull ahead 4-3. Zvonareva would again fight off break chances in the 9th game. In all Sharapova had 17 break opportunities but converted only 4 times in the 1 hour and 59 minute match. Zvonareva blinked first when she finally lost serve in the 11th game before Sharapova was able to close things out in her next service game.

Afterwards, Sharapova was presented by the A.E.G. Staples Center with a Lakers Jersey with her name on the back at the number “04”. The teenager says she is a fan of the Lakers although she’s never attended one of their games and added “I love Kobe. That is for sure.”

Lakers star player Kobe Bryant recently faced media scrutiny as he endured a rape trial in which charges were dropped. A potential civil suit by his accuser is still pending.

Despite some minor injuries recently and having played two nights in a row, Maria Sharapova said that she’s feeling, “pretty tough, for sure. You know, I am feeling quiet confident” and physically fit.


Match 3: Amelie Mauresmo def. Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-2.

Ripping devastating backhands and exuding a level of confidence not seen until she held the #1 ranking briefly this fall, Amelie Mauresmo powered her way by an uninspired, impatient Svetlana Kuznetsova in a routine straight set victory.

In addition to solid groundstrokes and a near perfect night at the net (winning 18 of 20 approaches), Mauresmo won an impressive 83% of all first serve points and succeeded in breaking 3 times.

Kuznetsova let three break opportunities go unconverted and managed just 2 backhand winners and 2 volley winners all evening.