The inaugural Sarasota Open started its main draw on April Fool?s Day. It was fitting, since tournament organizers were totally fooled by the throngs of tennis fans which stayed away on opening day. A heretofore much beloved Challenger event was thrust into the chaos of the WTA Tour with shocking disorganization and sparse crowds, as the staff repeated ?It?s only Monday? over and over as if the mantra would bring busloads tomorrow. Perhaps it will, with big names such as Mary Pierce and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario scheduled to play. Indeed, the night match between Jelena Dokic and Conchita Martinez, won by Dokic 6-2 7-5, was called a ?near sellout,? but the Sarasota Open still had to hire some guy with a mike who, between player introductions, implored the crowd to spend money at the concession booths. ?Professional tennis is an expensive sport,? he sighed, while Daja Bedanova and Fabiola Zuluaga, career earners of over $500,000 (US) each, sidled through their warmups...but it was only Monday...

Qualifying matches reached their culmination today. Alina Jidkova, always a threat to qualify for lesser events, was the first into the main draw, defeating struggling Argentine wunderkind Maria Emilia Salerni, 6-3 6-3. She was followed in by MaliVai Washington?s kid sister, Mashona Washington, who, after a career?s worth of wasted wild cards, finally seems to be making inroads on the pro tour. The journeywoman was able to use some finely placed volleys and stuck forehands at pivotal moments in the second set, winning it 7-5 before cruising to a 6-7 7-5 6-2 victory over Russian Evgenia Koulikovskaya, of the two forehands.

Another rising American, Marissa Irvin, was not able to stop her journeywoman compatriot, crowd favorite Jill Craybas via the University of Florida. The Stanford stalwart Irvin attacked like a house afire, but Craybas? steady baseline play and above-average depth of groundstroke was enough to force Irvin into numerous unforced errors. In one game alone, Irvin served three consecutive double faults, and, after losing the first set on a disputed ace call, roughly tossed her racket into her chair, en route to a 4-6 4-6 loss to Craybas.

Anna Smashnova, at #44 the top seed in qualifying by miles, showed off more of the form that led her to two consecutive titles at the Gold Coast and Canberra early in the year. Her opponent, Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano, has the Gallic flair but none of her more successful compatriots? tactics and patience. Razzano was able to charge the net and win many points there, but Smashnova was able to make games count with deceptively strong passes and deep second serves. The Israeli won 6-3 6-2, though the match was much closer than the scoreline suggests.

In the main draw, Smashnova will play Russian Elena Likhovtseva. Craybas tackles tenth seed Tatiana Panova, now at a career-high #25. Washington will battle big-serving Australian Alicia Molik, while Jidkova faces countrywoman Anastasia Myskina.

Irvin and Razzano, two players who should reverse their losses on faster surfaces, make it into the main draw after the withdrawals of fourth seed Iroda Tulyaganova and eighth seed Anne Kremer. Razzano goes up against fellow Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy, while Irvin pulls a tough opponent in Argentine clay court master Paola Suarez....

Patty Schnyder was the first winner in the main draw. Lilia Osterloh showed none of the form that has led her to wins over Anna Kournikova and Conchita Martinez within the last month, and was massacred by the Swiss, 6-0 6-1. A valiant effort for the former World #8 took less than 45 minutes.

A more intriguing Stadium Court match was waged by fifth seed Daja Bedanova and the comebacking Colombian Fabiola Zuluaga. Zuluaga had won her second title in four years in her hometown Bogota, and was itching for the clay season to truly get underway. Bedanova had reached the quarterfinals of the 2001 U.S. Open but had done little of consequence since, and so one would be forgiven if he Zuluaga expected to win.

But, after an early service break which saw Zuluaga start off with a 3-1 advantage, Bedanova started pounding backhands all over the court, with 2 winners off that side in the game that allowed her to even the set at 3. Brutal serves in the 4-4 game allowed the 18-year-old Czech to have the opportunity to break the Zuluaga serve for the set. Zuluaga obliged, tossing in two double faults and a wide backhand on the first set point against.

Bedanova was looking much more confident between sets, and although she again was broken in the opening game of the set, she was quickly getting looks in the Zuluaga service games. Zuluaga, though, was showing the steely experience which has led her to thre WTA Tour titles. Serving at 2-1, Zuluaga was down 15-40, but hit a couple of big serves to ease her way to deuce. Another break point was saved with a forehand smash and she was able to hold on. Three more break points were saved in her next service game, but her piercing forehand shots were finding their range and leaving Bedanova tripping over her own feet. Zuluaga was hitting winners from all over the court, and Bedanova let the set slip away. It was 6-2 Zuluaga, as Bedanova had break points in every one of Zuluaga?s service games ? eight overall ? but did not convert one. Zuluaga had converted 2 of 4.

The momentum had clearly shifted the Colombian?s way, and Bedanova, serving first for the third set in a row, lost her serve for the thirs set in a row. But Zuluaga began to tighten up, throwing in a double fault, and allowing Bedanova enough time to crack more backhand winners to tighten the match at 1-1. Bedanova started to push Zuluaga way behind the baseline, and would find the angles, as she found her range again. Zuluaga was broken at love serving at 2-3, and would not win another game. The Czech made it through, 6-4 2-6 6-2. An exhausted but relieved Bedanova was unable to comment on the match afterwards, after every ballboy on the premises besieged her with pens and hats, though she was apologetic and will hopefully give us some answers if she keeps on winning...

Any injuries or viruses that have caused Jelena Dokic to be hindered within the past few weeks seemed to have disappeared, as she put herself through a brief but rigorous practice session roughly two hours before her match with Conchita Martinez was scheduled to begin. Under the watchful eye of her father, Damir, Dokic walloped balls at a muscular man with abandon. Jelena wanted to play points against her hitting partner, but Damir swooped in and ended the session curtly, and swiftly moved Jelena to the locker room. Her hitting partner, a former Satellite-playing German named Jens, says that Jelena is ?very nice,? in spite of what the media has made her out to be. Jens is one of a select few men who is hired by tournament directors to go to events and float around the grounds, being pressed into service at a moment?s notice when the players feel the need to ?hit with a man.? Jens has hit with Myskina and Greta Arn this week, and hit with Martina Hingis in Miami. ?Hingis is the toughest to hit against,? he said as he mopped the loads of sweat from his forehead, ?because her sessions are tailored to her game so specifically? and do not leave much room for error. When asked which player was the nicest, Jens, in his Boris Becker-soundalike voice, diplomatically replied, ?They?re all nice...really!? Jens leaves for Amelia Island tomorrow...