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by Ed Toombs The fans at the women's Italian Open ? pardon me, the Tennis Masters Series - Roma -- were met with one disappointment after another this week, as the big names did a quick disappearing act. Fortunately, an unexpected local heroine gave the Italians lots of cheering interest during the week. The tournament got off to a bad start with Martina Hingis withdrawing because of a foot injury. Reports indicate that the problem may be plantar fasciitis, which is often referred to in laymen's terms as "heel spurs". Lindsay Davenport withdrew after winning her first round match, as she strained her back in a practice session. Venus Williams, struggling mightily to find her form after a lengthy layoff, was crushed in the third round by rapidly-improving Jelena Dokic, 6-1 6-2. Any Roman spectators who were distraught by the early losses of three of the sport's most accomplished players could console themselves with the unexpected success of 22-year-old Italian Giulia Casoni, a wild card entry who surprised Maureen Drake and Dominique van Roost before taking advantage of Davenport's withdrawal to reach the quarterfinals. There she lost a gripping three set duel to another of the tournament's surprises, American Corina Morariu, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, in front of a predictably rabid thro ng. The crowd included in its number the last Italian woman to reach the Rome semifinals, Lea Percoli, who lost her semifinal match in 1967 to the graceful and brilliant Brazilian Maria Bueno. Casoni, carrying a modest ranking of 128 into the Rome tournament, is a late bloomer who chose to complete her education before attacking the tour. Reports indicate that her game is far from imposing, but she battles with considerable skill and spunk from the baseline. Italian Fed Cup coach Raffaella Reggi told the Gazzetta dello Sport that she liked what she saw from Giulia, despite the disappointing loss to Morariu. "Certainly she missed a big opportunity," said Reggi, "but now she knows she c an be among the top 30-40 in the world. She played well, and with a bit more experience she would have risked more, and attacked Morariu who is weaker from the baseline. But this is a great motivation for her to go ahead to the next level." Casoni and the other would-be upset queens will find themselves at the French Open in just over a week, where anything can happen and probably will. Hingis and Davenport will surely be favourites, but their injuries might cast a cloud on their chances, while the Williams family seems in disarray. Monica Seles, who is having a fine clay season and reached the Rome finals as I write these lines, could take advantage and shine on the clay which is friendly to her game. The other Rome semifinalist Amelie M auresmo is showing her best form since January and has a superb feel for the clay court game. Spanish veterans Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and Conchita Martinez are always dangerous on the red stuff. Dangerous long shots like Huber, Likhovtseva, Dokic and Testud will be looking to create surprises. Hold on to your collective hats at Roland Garros, tennis fans! How quickly a player can go from hero to zero! Just two weeks ago Around the World with Mr. Ed was lauding the return to form of Tommy Haas in Munich. But praise in this column appears to be the kiss of death: Haas was unaccountably ousted in the first round by German jouneyman Michael Kohlmann in the first round of the German Open ? pardon me, the Tennis Masters Series - Hamburg -- and met the inevitable consequences of a thrashing in the German press. The Hamburger Morgenpost lamented, "never have we seen Haas so helpless and directionless, " and Boris Becker's former coach Gunther Bosch noted: "Against Kohlmann he resigned himself to his fate and seemed indifferent." One of the things that puzzles Haas-watchers is his constant juggling of his entourage. Unable to negotiate a long-term working arrangement with his idol Boris Becker, Haas is once again being guided by American coach Red Ayme, and he has apparently let go his Latin advisors, Colombian Raul Ordonez and former Rios trainer Manuel Astorga, whom he had just brought on board. It would seem these frequent changes create a highly unstable environment for Haas, but he shrugs off the criticism. "I need the righ t people around me. But it's not easy to find them." But even his good friend Becker joined the chorus of critics. "I am his friend," wrote Boris in Welt am Sonntag, "but he's not managing his career in the right way." Haas still has a week to turn himself around, as he is competing in the World Team Cup in Dusseldorf next week before heading to the City of Light for the French Open. The men's draw of the French Open is every bit as wide open as the women's, and perhaps more so. The men in form would appear to be Hamburg finalists Gustavo Kuerten and Marat Safin (both playing brilliantly on the clay), Rome champion and Hamburg quarterfinalist Magnus Norman, and Monte Carlo finalists Cedric Pioline and Dominik Hrbaty. However, Roland-Garros-watchers know that the men in form usually disappoint at the French. In that case watch for the likes of Corretja or Moya, who know how to win in Paris, or Rios or Medvedev, who are showing signs of the game they had last spring. Or maybe an outsider like Zabaleta, Ferrero or Puerta? How about Lleyton Hewitt, who is displaying rapid improvement on a surface relatively unfamiliar to him? Predict the French Open at your peril. |