Young Women Shine On Day One |
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Young Women Shine On Day One |
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Whatever happened to that almost shockingly composed blonde who handed Monica Seles the earliest defeat of her Grand Slam career, a second round vanquishing at Wimbledon in 1996? For one thing, she's not blonde anymore. Katarina Studenikova is a brunette now and what fame she attained two years ago has generally faded along with her ranking. Seles has long since avenged the loss (clobbering Studenikova later that summer in Montreal) and her one-time conqueror is just barely clinging to a spot in the Top 100.
The annals of splashy Wimbledon upsets also includes the name Magdalena Grzybowska. Poland's top player managed to beat Venus Williams in the phenom's All England Club debut last year. If it doesn't ring a bell, don't feel bad -- Williams herself cheekily claims to have no recollection of the match. Grzybowska has done well for herself in the meantime, currently positioned at #38 in the world, even after a few injuries which she's said to have tried coming back from too quickly.
Grzybowska and Studenikova christened Court 10 for the 1998 U.S. Open, the latter winning the coin toss and opting to serve. It wasn't a good start for the Slovak -- she was broken at love, with a double fault doing part of the damage. Grzybowska followed with a hold and another love break, storming out to an early 3-0 lead. An ace ended another Grzybowska hold for 4-0. Studenikova finally won a couple points on her serve in Game 5, but made some errors and found herself dropping another service game for 5-0.
Grzybowska drilled another ace to take a 40-15 lead and earn her first set point. Studenikova fought it off, running down a drop shot and sending back a forehand winner. She didn't pick up any momentum, though -- Grzybowska came right back with a cross-court forehand winner to clinch the 6-0 set. Exactly how long it took her to secure that bagel is apparently a matter of some dispute. The on-court clock said 17 minutes, but I've since seen it listed as a blistering 14!
Grzybowska picked right up where she left off, breaking serve yet again to open the second set. She was playing good looking tennis against an opponent who seemed to have absolutely no confidence. Studenikova picked up a break point in the next game, but that was largely because of three Grzybowska double faults. Magdalena reeled off three points in a row to hold for 2-0, ending the game with a 94 mile per hour ace. Showing no mercy, she ripped two consecutive backand return winners down the line in breaking for a mind-boggling 6-0, 3-0 lead.
An overrule against Studenikova on the opening point of the fourth game drew only a helpless grimace from a player too far behind to bother arguing. In fact, neither player had said a word to this point. We were hearing more from Court 9, as occasional shrieks of dismay would emenate from the Laura Granville-Paola Suarez match. (I take it the negative-sounding wails were produced by Suarez, who was losing to the American teen.) Grzybowska held at love with an ace: 6-0, 4-0.
Determined to at least get on the board, Studenikova finally held for 4-1 when Grzybowska netted a backhand. However, Katarina would be shaking her head sadly a few points later, as a Grzybowska forehand winner painted the line for 40-15. Another ace then made it 5-1. At 30-40 in Game 7, Magdalena Grzybowska arrived at match point. Studenikova delivered a good serve, drawing a mis-hit reply...which knuckled in the air and landed right on the near sideline for a clean winner.
Immediately after the ball landed, Grzybowska said "sorry." It was a pretty cheap way to win, but the Pole's dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory was nothing to apologize for. She had disposed of her opponent in either 36 or 39 minutes, depending on whose clock you believe. Gryzbowska looked understandably pleased as she signed a couple autographs and chatted with well-wishers. Later in the day I saw her perform an innovative brand of scouting. Since her second round opponent would come from the Dominique van Roost vs. Julie Halard-Decugis match (which had been moved into the stadium), Grybowska watched some of it on a little TV monitor at the Fila sponsor's booth!
Since Grzybowska-Studenikova ended so early, I had a chance to check the matches in progress board and see what was cooking on the other courts. I got over to Court 13 in time to see Amelie Mauresmo strike some very pretty one-handed backhands at the end of her easy win over qualifier Ludmila Richterova. Next up was a trip to the Grandstand (oh so creatively renamed "Stadium 3") to see #11 seed Patty Schnyder. This was the first time I'd set foot in the Grandstand since the tournament site was remodled. A few rows may have been lopped off it (I'm honestly not sure), but aside from a newish coat of blue paint on the railings, it looked the same as it always has.
Patty Schnyder would not remember what the Grandstand used to look like anyhow. Her U.S. Open debut came just last year, when she made a nice run to the third round. She's back as a seeded player and happens to lead the entire tour in tournament victories this year. So she should have been wiping the floor with the mediocre likes of Yuka Yoshida, right? Not so fast -- Schnyder's lead was just 7-6, 3-2 when I arrived. She added a hold for 4-2, but then got locked in a very long seventh game. Both players squandered multiple chances to win it, Schnyder using some nice touch to earn winners but following them with errors. The more consistent (if far less powerful) Yoshida finally held for 4-3.
Up 40-30 on her serve, Schndyer got a questionable non-call on a
Yoshida shot into the corner. Patty raised her finger to indicate that it was
out, but the umpire informed her, "It was awfully close. From here it looked like
it may have caught." That might have ruffled Schnyder a bit, but she ended up
winning the game on a Yoshida error in virtually the same spot. Up 40-15 in
Game 9, Yoshda hit a drop shot which Schnyder reached in plenty of time.
With virtually the entire court open, the Swiss teen tried to catch the line with a cute little drop shot. Too cute by half -- it landed wide and Schnyder shook her head on the way to her chair. The lead was just 5-4.
A couple loose forehands in the next game cost Schnyder, who instead of serving out the match, extended it to 5-5. It was Yuka's turn to make a bad error at the end of Game 11. Facing a break point, she put a backhand into the net and dropped her racquet. She missed an even easier backhand to set up triple match point. Finallly looking focused, Schndyer finished the match by leaning into a backhand winner down the line. The numbers tell us there was nothing pretty about this match -- the players combined for a whopping 78 unforced errors in two sets -- but it still goes down in the books as a 7-6, 7-5 triumph for Patty Schnyder.
What is it with these American players -- let them play a Grand Slam on their home turf and they feel like they don't have to show up on time? Last year I watched Mikael Tillstrom spend an inordinate amount of time waiting for first round opponent Jeff Salzenstein to arrive. On Monday, it was a Yugoslavian qualifier named Sandra Nacuk sitting alone on court for at least 10 minutes. I didn't time it, but it was long enough that Annie Miller would have been flirting with a default if she didn't have a good excuse. There must have been a logistical mix-up of some kind. It's not as if Miller was stuck in traffic -- I'd seen her out practicing a mere two hours earlier.
I still have no idea what caused the delay. Perhaps Miller needed extra time to choose her outfit, which -- if you're intersted in such things -- was a snazzy, black, sleveless number. Her play early on was worth the wait. Miller won the toss, elected to serve, and held at love with a swinging volley forehand winner. This inspired a big round of applause from a cluster of Miller supporters up in one corner of the stands. Annie looked up at her backers, smiled broadly, and happily told them to "chill."
"Did you see that serve?", Miller asked the umpire early in Game 2. It actually sounded like an honest inquiry, not a dispute. At any rate, Nacuk rallied from down 15-40 to hold for 1-1. With the rather squat kind of body you often see on players forever stuck in the qualifying/challenger ranks, Nacuk at least appeared to have some pop on her serve. She was outclassed from the ground, however, and Miller easily held for 2-1. The American darted in to knock off a backhand winner in breaking for 3-1, pumping her fist after the ball landed in.
Miller nearly ended up in the stands in Game 5, chasing a shot all the way to the sideline fence. Nacuk eventually broke to get back on serve at 3-2. Miller fished a pair of sunglasses out of her bag and tried them on. Meanwhile, the court attendent made a phone call, asserting "we need cups on 6" just as a ball girl located an entire stack of paper cups. Such is the disorganized nature of Day One at the U.S. Open. Particuarly early in the day, scoreboards were malfunctioning. Even the IBM Match Update Center went haywire for a while, erroneously reporting -- among other things -- that Schnyder and Thomas Muster had lost their respective first sets.
Sometime during that changeover, Miller decided to go without the shades. It seems she didn't need them -- on break point, Miller used a series of penetrating backhands to set up a vicious forehand winner. She then fought off a break point in holding for a 5-2 lead. The difference was just one break at that juncture, but the Michigan native wasn't about to let her little known opponent get back in the set. A big forehand return at 30-40 was barely touched by Nacuk, who thereby lost the set 6 games to 2. Miller was playing crisp, efficient tennis and -- for a change -- not berating herself about errors.
People whose first names end informally with vowels tend to change those names when they want to be considered mature. I know that's a confusing sentence, but think about it -- Debbie becomes Deborah, Billy becomes William or at least Bill, etc. You can throw that trend right out the window when it comes to Miller, who at the ripe old age of 21 had her name officially changed from Anne to Annie on all WTA documents. "Forehand Annie", if you prefer, fought off a break point in the first game of the second set, but lost it with a wide backhand.
Court 6 was a good place to soak in some of the atmosphere from Court 7, which became engulfed in word-of-mouth buzz and fan fervor after Bob Bryan (of the charismatic young Bryan twins -- he's the lefty with the better singles credentials) got into a fifth set against Marcos Ondruska, after trailing two sets to zip. While rhythmic clapping took hold over there, Miller picked up a love break and spanked a forehand winner to hold for 6-2, 2-1. She and Nacuk exchanged easy holds for 3-2. Nacuk had to work for 3-3, while Miller held at love with a service winner for 4-3.
From deuce in Game 8, Miller forced Nacuk to hit off-balance backhands to end two consecutive points. The first landed wide, the second found the net, and Miller now had a solid 6-2, 5-3 lead to work with. Nacuk never threw in the towel -- she earned a 0-30 edge in Game 9 -- but Miller was the better player on this day. She took three consecutive points for 40-30. On match point, Miller skied a moonball. Sandra backed up, took aim with a backhand, and sent it wide.
Annie Miller shot an almost embarrassed smile at her supporters
before shaking hands with Nacuk. She hung around for quite a while
after the 6-2, 6-3 win, chatting with the people she'd told to chill, along with a few other well-wishers who crossed her path. She signed a few autographs for
kids who asked her the classic random-autograph-hunting question, "are you a
player?" She even posed for a picture with two of them, crouching down to get in the frame. "Am I in it?" she asked. "I mean, are we all in? If I'm in doesn't matter." What Annie's definitely in is the second round, where she's due to face another qu
I arrived at this match just in time for what seemed to be the longest changeover in history. Justin Gimelstob was leading 6-3, 5-7, 2-1 over scrappy Wayne Black, but -- as it turned out -- he was waiting for a trainer to reach the court. Gimelstob took an injury timeout because he was cramping. After getting his legs rubbed for a few minutes, the New Jersey native resumed action. Gimelstob looked to be getting around OK as he fought off a pair of break points and knocked off a forehand volley winner for a 3-1 lead.
Gimelstob has already established himself as one of the sport's great showmen. The big things expected from him have generally not yet been fulfilled in singles, but it's not for lack of enthusiasm. When healthy, Justin is a grunting, shouting, fist-pumping bundle of energy who hurls his 6 foot 5 frame around the court like a bull on speed. In the fifth game of Monday's third set, this was most assuredly not the same Gimelstob. The cramping seemed to take a turn for the worse and the big guy stood frozen as a Black serve whizzed by for 3-2.
Gimelstob limped badly on his way to the changeover. He took his sweet time getting out of the chair and incurred a "delay of game" warning after getting to the service line and dithering there for a bit. It was not a pleasant sight, the young man not even able to plant his foot in order to serve. At the end of his rope, Gimelstob tossed in an underhand serve. He lost the point and very, very gingerly approached the net to shake hands. For the first time in his career, Justin Gimelstob was forced to default. Wayne Black takes it by the odd scoreline of 3-6, 7-5, 2-3 (retired).
Gimelstob revealed in his press conference that he has recently been diagnosed as anemic. While Pete Sampras has done just fine with a similar (the same, for all I know) condition, Gimelstob is worried about what these physical problems mean for his future. If he can't get through three sets without cramps overtaking his entire body, one would have to think his tennis future is bleak indeed. Let's hope things work out for the rising star, who is already a serious force to be reckoned with in doubles .
On a day of firsts for me at the U.S. Open, I set foot in Louis Armstrong Stadium for the first time since it was downgraded to mere "Stadium 2". It enjoyed that distinction last year and has since been virtually decapitated, a considerable number of seats removed to give the stadium a more intimate feel. It's so small now that it's actually quite similar to the old Grandstand next door. It's a weird sensation, sitting so close to the court where Connors, Borg, McEnroe, and Lendl staged so many memorable battles...especially when you look up and the top half of the building is gone.
Anke Huber and Iva Majoli had more pressing concerns than the aesthetic status of Stadium 2. The 20th and 21st players in the world had gotten a bum deal in the draw, sheer luck putting two one-time Top 5 stars against each other in the opening round. Perhaps it was best to get this matchup out of the way early, though. Huber and Majoli -- good friends off the court -- have met a number of times in matches which generally produce monotonous, glued-to-the-baseline tennis. The games and sets tend to be close, though, so there's at least tension and suspense to their battles.
Anke Huber, who just a month ago returned from foot surgery, got off to a shaky start. After Majoli held in the opening game, Huber double faulted her way to 0-40 and lost Game 2 on a backhand error. Majoli, on the other hand, was showing off the kind of good form that has eluded her for most of '98. She even looked comfortable hitting a volley in her hold for 3-0. Immediately after losing in Montreal a week and a half ago, Majoli high-tailed it to Sarasota, Florida. Perhaps all the sun down there revitalized her, for she looked almost like the Majoli of old in compiling an early 4-1 lead.
I had the misfortune of sitting near a guy who spent most of the first set chatting on his cellular phone. I'm sorry, but people who use cell phones during tennis matches should be caned, flogged, and put in the public stocks. Naturally, the security guy standing nearby never batted an eye. He was willing to move heaven and earth to make sure no unauthorized fans sat in the sparsely filled box seats, but a guy rudely conversing while two of the world's best players try to do their work is of no concern. I love this tournament, but the priorities here are not always in order.
Huber came to life in Game 6, racking up an ace in a love hold. The next game went to deuce, each player bouncing her racquet in the process. An angled backhand by Huber went wide to finish off a Majoli hold for 5-2. Huber got another easy hold for 5-3, but a Majoli ace quickly put her down 30-0. A late call went against Anke to end the next point and she angrily smacked the ball back across the net. She then missed a forehand, surrendering a 6-3 set to the enigmatic Croatian.
Huber's serve betrayed her time and time again in Montreal, but it was the one thing working for her at this stage of the match. She held at love with an ace and led the second set 1-0. Huber came up with a surprising touch volley winner in Game 2, but Majoli won it with a backhand pass. Huber made a backhand error midway through the next game which set off a torrent of frustrated German babbling. Still forceful and steady from the baseline, Iva clobbered another backhand passing shot to break serve and take a 2-1 lead in the set.
Majoli held for 3-1 and had a few big chances in the long fifth game. Huber fought off three break points for 3-2, but quickly got behind 4-2. Huber again got in trouble on serve, but hung tough for 4-3. Majoli held at 15 to take another 5-3 lead. Her unforced errors were outnumbering her winners and her first serve percentage was nothing to write home about, but Majoli was controlling the rallies to an extent she rarely achieves against Huber. Double faulting at another bad time, Huber got down 15-40 and handed a pair of match points to her friend.
Majoli had to work for it. Her defensive lob fell long for 30-40 and a backhand error brought her to deuce. Huber helped out again, though, missing a forehand and then very forcefully slamming a ball against the wall behind her. It was one of her more impressive shots of the day. The end came one point later, a backhand off Huber's racquet finding the net and putting a period on the 6-3, 6-3 verdict. In a surprisingly brisk 66 minutes, Iva Majoli advanced to a second round encounter with Martina Hingis. Yep, the luck of the draw strikes again.
The most remote of the U.S. Open's outer courts hosted a bout between former French Open juniors finalists. 19-year-old Meghann Shaughnessy and 18-year-old Marlene Weingartner are still finding their way in the world of big time professional tennis. The past few months have been kinder to the lanky American, who cracked the Top 100 for the first time and got a direct entry into the main draw here. Weingartner, on the other hand, was forced to win three qualifying matches, one of which was exteremely close.
Weingartner won the toss and chose to receive. Maybe not a bright idea, as Shaughnessy opened the match with an ace and held closed out the first game with a service winner. Shaughnessy's game depends a lot on that serve and she's developed some odd hitches in it. It features a series of little, mechanical looking stops and starts. It worked for her early on, though. After Weingartner held for 1-1, Shaughnessy hit two forehand winners in a row to regain the lead. The German held again for 2-2.
Although respectful of her opponent's first serve, Weingartner was simply moving in too close to receive second serves. This was abundantly clear in Game 5. Shaughnessy missed four consecutive first serves, but won all four points anyway on errant second serve returns. The Richmond, Virginia native (who now resides in Arizona) wasn't doing any better in her return games, though. Weingartner held for 3-3 and got the first break of the match by running Shaughnessy around in Game 7.
Weingartner held again for 5-3 and looked eager to close out the set. When two consecutive Shaughnessy double faults made it 15-40, it looked like Marlene was well on her way. Shaughnessy is a real fighter, though, and she made four break points disappear in that roller-coaster ninth game. Just hanging on there may have taken up too much energy for her to mount a serious assault on the Weingartner serve. The 18-year-old held at love to take the set 6-4.
Although not yet out of her teens, Meghann Shaughnessy has already been through quite a bit: a controversial relationship with her coach, a tumultuous relationship with her parents, and an essentially wasted '97 campaign in which bad losses and nagging injuries piled up. She finally seems to be getting on track, though, and she refused to get down an early break in the second set on Monday. Weingartner was fired up in the four deuce game, but finally lost it on a forehand error.
With a clean slate to work with, Shaughnessy finally put her game into top gear. She won the next two games at 15, each ending on an impressive forehand down the line. As her play picked up, Weingartner's declined. Groundstrokes which had been landing just inside the lines were now missing those marks. When she got down 5-0, a partial explanation was revealed -- Weingartner was having back trouble, for which she called on a trainer. The injury timeout seemed to do wonders for her, as she held at love for 5-1. This set belonged to Shaughnessy, though, and she took it 6 games to 1 with a big serve setting up a forehand winner.
The second set showcased Shaughnessy's strengths. The serve is quite a handful when it's accurate and her forehand is a genuine weapon. However, Meghann's footwork is dodgy, her backhand is attackable, and her service returns are frequently indifferent. Weingartner exposed those flaws in holding for 1-0 and taking a 30-40 lead in the final set's second game. Capitalizing on the break chance with a backhand into the corner, Weingartner shouted "yes!" for t
Shaughnessy's serve bailed her out of Game 4 and inspired some members of the crowd. "C'mon Shaughnessy! It's not over!" was one supportive cry. However, Weingartner's back problem seemed to be a thing of the past, as her fluid game was firing on all cylinders. An ace and a service winner ended a hold for 4-1. With 7 o'clock approaching, the lights came on. Shaughnessy then lit up Game 6 with an ace, part of a hold for 4-2. Weingartner's serve was doing just as much damage -- she had another easy hold for 5-2.
Another encouraging shout rang out for the American. "C'mon Meg! It's
only one break." Perhaps, but Weingartner was gunning for another break,
one which would win the match. Two forehand return winners in a row got her
to deuce. Shaughnessy was soon facing match point. She fought it off, but
was right back there a second time. This time she netted a backhand,
bringing the 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 contest to an end.
Meghann Shaughnessy has the kind of determination you can't teach, but she probably could use some coaching help to shore up a game which is still longer on potential than consistency. Playing doubles couldn't hurt, either. Meghann's doubles earnings for '98: a laughable $250, which shows you how often she tries it. As for Marlene Weingartner, this gutsy effort probably earned her a second round meeting with a player anyone who came up through the German tennis ranks would be aware of -- Steffi Graf. For that to happen, Graf will first have to get past Corina Morariu, a juniors contemporary of Marlene and Meghann who has made a smoother transition to the pro game than either of them .
By the time I arrived at their match, Todd Martin had ridden 13 aces and 27 winners to a 7-6, 4-1 lead over the infamously fiery Jeff Tarango. There's no telling how much J.T. misbehavior I missed. In some ways, these two could hardly be less alike. Martin is a quiet, arguably boring, universally respected chap who articulately led the ATP Players Association and may regain that presidency soon. Tarango is -- at least on the court -- a sarcastic loose cannon who is to chair umpires what pit bulls are to mailmen. However, they have a few things in common. Martin and Tarango both hail from the United States and they're too of the smartest guys in the sport.
The underdog did little to help his cause in Game 6 of the second set. A hideous Tarango lob was handily smashed by Martin, who took a 40-15 lead and held two points later. The clock struck 7:30 early in the following game and a high-pitched rendi Ashe Stadium, where the first night session of the tournament was just getting underway. Tarango ignored it for a while, but the clever bad boy in him took over. Preparing to serve, Jeff dropped his racquet, turned in the direction of the music, and stood at attention with his hand over his heart. That bit of whimsy drew a long ovation from the pro-Tarango crowd. (That's no typo, sports fans -- it really was a mostly pro-Tarango crowd.)
Martin and Tarango played another point, but the "land of the freeeeee" high note caused them both to crack up and play was delayed again until the national anthem drew to a close. Tarango held for 5-2, but Martin stormed out to a 40-0 lead in the eighth game. Set point #2 was converted, as Tood hit a backhand winner off his heels for a 7-6, 6-2 lead. This being a Grand Slam, the men have to win three sets, so it wasn't over yet for the controversial Californian. A nice variety of shots got Tarango a 1-0 lead in the third.
Two straight holds made it 2-1. Darkness having fallen, Tarango did the logical thing...and finally put on a hat. So it goes with a man who dances to the beat of a drummer all his own. You've probably heard the stat by now -- in his rather long career, Jeff Tarango has never advanced past the third round at a Grand Slam. He came awfully close at the '97 US Open, where his third round war with Scott Draper went to 7-5 in the 5th and was named Match of the Year by Tennis magazine. That may have been Tarango's last good chance to break the streak, in light of his advancing age and marginal skills. However, you don't get the sense that he'll be packing it in anytime soon.
Martin held at love with his latest ace. With a game point in hand at 2-2, Tarango was driven way out wide but somehow uncorked a backhand cross-court winner for 3-2. Two more easy holds made it 4-3. After Tarango ripped a backhand pass for 30-15, a fan shouted, "Break him! Break him!" Easier said than done. Tarango was 0-for-4 on break points thus far and didn't get one in the eighth game. Never one to give up, Tarango held on for a 5-4 lead in the set.
Up 40-15, Martin unleashed another ace for 5-5. He followed it up with a quick break -- the first of the set -- and was now just one more service hold away from the victory. Tarango got the first point of Game 12, but there just wasn't much he could do against the powerful Martin serve. Ace #23 zipped past him for 40-15. Martin blew the first match point on a volley error, but a service winner at 40-30 left no doubt about what had been the key stroke in this match. Tarango had brought his usual workmanlike, dogged effort to the table and come up short against Todd Martin's crushing serves. The 7-6, 6-2, 7-5 win sends the soft-spoken American into a second round encounter with Goran Ivanisevic. Don't expect many service breaks in that one.
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