Around the World with Mr. Ed (January 6, 2001)
by Ed Toombs



Welcome to 2001! The pro tennis tour has kicked off its warm-up for the year's first major tournament, the always-fascinating Australian Open. We start the new year by acknowledging the fast starts of Meilen Tu and Marcelo Rios, and look ahead to what appears to be a crucial year for Carlos Moya.


Tu good!
With the top players either inactive or slow to find their marks, the first week offered some surprises, as it usually does. By far the most stunning result came in New Zealand, where Meilen Tu of the United States registered a surprising tournament win in Auckland.

Tu was regarded as a promising prospect when she turned pro as a 16-year-old in 1994, after having notably defeated the even-younger Martina Hingis in the finals of the U.S. Open juniors that year. But she never made it past journeywoman status, until this week. Short of stature and slightly-built at 5' 4", 100 pounds, Tu nonetheless plays a hard-hitting, high-risk game and is fleet of foot around the court. But her lifetime tour record of 24-53 that she carried into Auckland is hardly the stuff of legend!

There had been a few signs that Meilen's resurgence might be coming. The Californian started to play some of the best tennis of her career at the end of last season, achieving a career-high ranking of 67 at year's end. In Quebec City last October, she notably defeated the now-retired Julie Halard-Decugis, surely a confidence-boosting win, and reached the semifinals of that event. She had earlier notched a significant victory over rising Russian star Elena Dementieva in August, in San Diego.

Does Tu's recent success herald a delayed confirmation of the potential she showed as a teen? Maybe yes, maybe no? while it is true that she beat three seeded players in Auckland this week, her victims ? Kristina Brandi, Lilia Osterloh Francesca Schiavone and Paola Suarez ? are not exactly the most fearsome players on tour, and the Auckland field was fairly undistinguished..

Still, a title is a title, and Meilen Tu's career is belatedly showing some very positive signs.


El Chino fast out of the blocks
Like Tu, Marcelo Rios was a junior star in his formative years. Unlike Tu, Rios was quick to establish himself among the sport's elite, reaching the heights of #1 briefly in 1998.

The sequels of groin surgery slowed Rios last year, however, and although he won a tournament (Umag), 2000 was somewhat of a lost season for the brilliantly-talented Chilean left-hander. By all accounts Rios should have completely recovered physically, and one gets the impression that this should be a make-or-break season for him.

If the results this week at Doha are any indication, this could be a fine year for "El Chino". As I write these lines he has reached the final, where he has a winnable final on his plate against another player trying to rebound from injury, Bohdan Ulirach. His march to the final has been impressive: after dropping a set to qualifier Nenad Zimonjic in the first round, Rios disposed of the timeless Gianluca Pozzi, Fernando Vicente, and Vladimir Voltchkov without surrendering a set.

Fresh from exchanging marital vows with his Costa Rican bride Juliana, who accompanied him to Doha this week, the controversial left-hander is hopeful for a return to his excellent form of three years ago. "It's a difficult thing to say that I can be number one again, but it is my goal and what I did once I can do again, if I play well," Rios told the press in Qatar.

There is no doubt that a Marcelo Rios with his confidence and mobility restored would be a major force on the tour this year.


Crucial campaign for Carlos?
Another of the short-term number ones of recent years, Carlos Moya, is also trying to return to the top ten after an injury-plagued season. Moya showed occasional flashes of good form in 2000, but by and large his back problems and drooping confidence dropped his ranking to 41 at year-end.

Moya will be starting his campaign next week in Sydney.

Determined to wipe the slate clean for 2001, Moya has just split with his longtime coach Josep Perlas. Perlas had to limit his time with Moya last year because of his Davis Cup duties ? he was one of the co-captains of the championship Spanish squad, and will return in that role in 2001. Moya is currently working with his close friend Juan Bosch, but one suspects that he is seeking a higher-profile full-time coach.

Moya is one of several top players working with new coaches this year. Others include Tommy Haas (also in a tournament final this weekend in Adelaide with his new mentor, the ever-popular Gavin Hopper) and the troubled Greg Rusedski (a first round loser last week despite the coaching assistance of Pat Cash). One of the constants of pro tennis is surely the endless game of musical chairs in the coaches' box!


You may read previous Mr. Ed columns by clicking here.

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