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This year?s Pacific Life Open has gotten off to a brisk start, so to speak, with unseasonably cool temperatures. Unlike yesterday?s chilly first round of women?s qualifying, at least the sun was out today and conditions were quite comfortable for the players and fans. Temperatures are expected to climb as the week progresses.

As was also the case last year, the women?s tournament will again be missing some big names. Four of the top ten players, and three of the top four, are absent. The tour?s top players, the Williams sisters, are continue to boycott Indian Wells. The sisters still resent being jeered here two years ago after Venus?s controversial last minute withdrawal from her semifinal with Serena. World number four Justine Henin simply did not put this tournament on her schedule. And Monica Seles was a late scratch, citing a foot injury suffered in practice.

Today?s main order of business was the final round of women?s qualifying. The highlights follow.

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Featured matches

Akiko Morigami (21st seed) (def. Seda Noorlander, 6-4, 5-7, 6-1) -- will play Angelique Widjaja

23-year-old Akiko Morigami of Japan (pictured at right) clinched her spot in the main draw thanks to an interesting battle of double-fisted players. Like her Dutch opponent, the blonde, pony-tailed Noorlander, Morigami employs a two-handed forehand. In fact, the players were at times mirror images stylistically, seeking either to open up the points or hit clean winners with down-the-line two-handers.

In the early stages of the match the Japanese was impressive, blasting deep, flat drives and keeping errors to a minimum. Leading 6-4, 3-0, with two breaks in hand, Morigami appeared on the way to a routine win. But the 134th-ranked Dutchwoman chose this time to play her best tennis of the match and clawed back to 4-4. Morigami picked up a service break here, however, and served for the match at 5-4 break of serve. The 5' 5" (1.65 m) Japanese looked tense here, playing tentatively and drawing deep breaths between points, and lost her serve at love. An invigorated Noorlander closed out the set quickly, winning the next two games at love to force a deciding frame. The discouraged Morigami had crumpled, losing the final 3 games and 12 points of the set.

In the third set Morigami regrouped, and notched the initial break of the set in the third game. Noorlander chose to take a bathroom break here, but it did her no good. Morigami was on fire, blasting wicked down-the line returns and punishing any short ball. An apparently tired Noorlander?s errors mounted, and by the end she appeared resigned to her fate. The fit Morigami, still looking fresh and energetic, cashed in on her first match point, spanking another accurate double-fisted forehand winner.

Ludmila Cervanova (9th seed) (def. Wynne Prakusya (18), 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1) -- will play Virginie Razzano

Another three-setter that kept the fans entertained saw the qualification of a smooth-stroking Slovak, Ludmila Cervanova. The 23-year-old out of Piestany achieved a carrer-high ranking of 76 in 2001. She is known to be at her best on clay, and indeed, she patiently waits for for a clear opening before exploding for a winner, something she is capable of from either wing.

The Slovak played very clean and smart tennis to dominate the Indonesian Wynne Prakusya in the early stages today. However, Cervanova?s level fell off in the second set, as a number of forehand errors began to appear. Prakusya was mixing up her shots effectively, alternating looping ?moonies? and more penetrating drives, and doggedly running everything down. The little Indonesian?s efforts finally paid off in the tie-break, which she won 7-5 on her first set point with a strong serve followed by an insi de-out forehand winner, and the match was level.

But Prakusya?s efforts appeared to take their toll, and early in the first set she began to limp, and went to the serve-volley (a rarity for her), the drop shot, or quick attempts at winners to keep the points short. With Cervanova easily out to a 4-1 lead in the deciding set, Prakusya called for the trainer to attend to her left foot. Our guess was a blister. The treatment did little good, and the Slovak easily won the last two games to earn her place in the main draw.

After the match, Prakusya limped badly off the court, unable to put much weight on her injured foot. We hope that it is nothing more than a blister, and that she will be all right for the doubles, where she and Taiwan?s Janet Lee who attended this match from start to finish) will be among the seeds. As for Cervanova, she will test her controlled, efficient game against Virginie Razzano in the first round of the main draw

Sandra Cacic (def. Aniko Kapros (13), 0-6, 7-6 (7-3), 3-1, retired -- will play Alina Jidkova).

Former junior star Kapros, best known in the pros for upsetting Jestine Henin at last year?s French Open, looked well on her way to qualifying with a 6-0, 2-0 lead. But the American veteran Cacic, overmatched until then, turned things around. Cacic drew even at 4-4, and then after dropping her serve broke Kapros with the Hungarian serving for the match at 5-4. Kapros called for the trainer when trailing 5-6, and had the upper part of the back of her right thigh attended to. A spectator told us that Aniko had been treated for the same injury in her match yesterday.

After the treatment, Kapros, who was not skimping on the fist pumps, screams and racquet tosses today, was able to force a tie-break, but still appeared to be in some physical discomfort. Cacic took the breaker to level the match, thanks to some strong forehands and a Kapros double fault on set point. The wounded Hungarian came out on court to try her luck in the third set, but it was clear when she double faulted three times to fall behind 0-1 that she did not have much more left to give. Kapros gave up at 6-0, 6-7, 1-3, and Cacic, unseeded in the qualifying draw, had earned a surprising berth in the main draw.

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And the others?

Jessica Kirkland (WC) (def. Gala León García (16), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 -- will play Svetlana Kuznetsova).
A surprising qualification for the young Kirkland, ranked 1018 in the world! She is just 15 years old, was the top U.S. junior in her age group last year, and is obviously capable of some impressive things. Jessica did extremely well to oust two of the qualifying seeds, Lubomira Kurhajcova and León García.

Marion Bartoli (4) (def. Ansley Cargill (15), 6-2, 6-4 -- will play Henrieta Nagyova).
Former junior star Bartoli, an aggressive powerhouse with a two-handed forehand, was attracting a lot of interest today. Our collaborator C******** told us that José Higueras, a local resident and formerly coach of Jim Courier and Pete Sampras, was among those checking out the highly-touted French teenager.

Petra Mandula (2) (def. Milagros Sequera (20), 6-3, 6-0 -- will play wild card Jelena Jankovic).
Mandula played both her ?qualie? matches today, as she was given an extra day to arrive from Acapulco, where she played in the doubles final on Sunday. No worries, as she dropped a total of only six games to wild card Anne Yelsey and Venezuelan Sequera.

Martina Sucha (24) (def. Mariana Díaz-Oliva (12), 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 -- will play Yoon Jeong Cho).
Like Mandula, Argentine top-spinner Díaz-Oliva had to play two matches today. But unlike Petra, she was putting in overtime on court. Having come straight from a long week in Acapulco where she lost the final to Amanda Coetzer on Sunday, Mariana defeated Alison Bradshaw in three long sets, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, before having to grind out another three setter in the late afternoon and early evening against Slovakian Fed Cupper Martina Sucha. The fatigue finally caught up to the long-braided, bandana-wearing Arg entine, but not until she took a 2-0 lead in the third set. Sucha, a hard-slugging baseliner who is probably a better player than her 108 ranking would indicate, reeled off the next six games to close out the match and also the day?s play.

Evgenia Koulikovskaya (10) (def. Nadia Petrova (16), 6-3, 6-4 -- will play Rita Grande).
A surprise here, as Petrova is a former top 30 player coming back from injury and was expected to dominate the ambidextrous but modestly-skilled Koulikovskaya. Our collborator, C********, tells us that, as often happens in her losses (and some of her wins too!), the stormy Petrova ?lost it?, and was warned by the chair umpire for her behaviour.

Maureen Drake (11) (def. Saori Obata (13), 6-2, 6-1 -- will play Barbara Rittner).

Antonella Serra-Zanetti (7) (def. Tzipora Obziler (23), 6-3, 6-1 -- will play her sister Adriana!!!).

Claudine Schaul (def. Lindsay Lee-Waters (14), 6-3, 6-4 -- will play wild card Peng Shuai).

Samantha Reeves (17) (def. Camille Pin, 6-7 (7-9), 6-2, 6-1 -- will play wild card Maria Sharapova).

Tomorrow the main draw play begins. Join On the Line throughout the week for daily reports.