Taylor made

Young American serves notice at Key Biscayne

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Remember Martina Hingis? Average height. Smirk on her face. Pretty fair player back in her day. Among her virtues, the five-time Grand Slam singles champ had an absolutely encyclopedic tennis memory. Name a match from her junior career and she could recall specific points. Mention a run-of-the-mill player and Hingis could rattle off her results over the past year. Oh, Cristina Torrens-Valero, she had a big win over Nicole Pratt in Rosmalen. One day, perhaps soon, she'll make one hell of a tennis broadcaster.

Other players take a completely different tack. For them, the rest of the field is at once invisible and irrelevant. And as long as they're playing well at the moment, the past doesn't matter. They simply live on their own island.

Take, for instance, Jennifer Capriati, a player -- how to say this? -- never accused of overthinking tennis matters. Having found both her game and confidence after an inauspicious start to the year, Capriati dusted off Laura Granville in two crisp and clean sets Sunday and was asked what she thought of her next opponent, young American Sarah Taylor. The two played in Montreal just seven months ago, but when asked about Taylor, Capriati was confused. You have played her before, right? "I don't think so," said the Capster. No, wait. "I might have played her in the U.S. Open last year. First round." No, wait. That was Bethanie Mattek, whom Capriati unceremoniously double-bageled. In a word: Whatever.

Capriati notwithstanding, plenty others have taken note of Taylor lately. While she was never a USTA poster girl, nor given the support of, say, Ashley Harkleroad or even Granville, she has quietly done quite well for herself since turning pro two years ago. A big hitter off both wings, she cracked the top 100 last year. Last March she was granted a wild card here but came down with a stomach virus and retired in her first match. This week she was again given a wild card and fared significantly better, running roughshod over her first three opponents -- including No. 11 Anastasia Myskina and No. 17 Ai Sugiyama, who is hotter than her ranking indicates. "I'm getting a lot of confidence this week," said Taylor, who doesn't turn 22 until November. "This is really the best I've done at a big event."

Taylor comes by her talent honestly. Her mother, Sally, is a paralegal who was once a top-10 junior. One of her older brothers, Jeff, played for Cal. Another, Robert (who is here with her this week), played at Colorado. Born in New York, Taylor grew up in Raleigh, N.C., but moved to Bradenton, Fla., to attend Nick Bollettieri's academy.

Taylor is not in the running for the tour's Fastest Player award. But at 5-foot-9, 145 pounds she clubs away from the baseline and has a powerful, if somewhat predictable, serve. She's coached by former player Ola Malmqvist, who has worked with a number of American women, including Granville. "In a lot of ways, this is what she needed, to show herself she can play with these top players," said Robert. "It's been a nice ride."

Playing Capriati Monday afternoon on Stadium Court, Taylor's ride came to a grinding halt. Still feeling the effects of her three-setter Sunday against Sugiyama, Taylor offered scant resistance against the sixth seed. Capriati neutralized Taylor's power and what few big points she had. "I just played so well today that I really didn't give her a chance to get into the match," said the Capster. "I think she had a bit of a tough time out there."

She did. But overall, it was an auspicious tournament for Sarah Taylor. And if nothing else, Capriati might remember Taylor's game the next time they meet.

Half volleys

Their fences apparently mended, Elena Dementieva and Anna Kournikova played doubles together but lost to Meilen Tu and Sonya Jeyaseelan. ... Lindsay Davenport suffered a thigh injury and retired after a set to talented young Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli. Nice day for Bartoli, who had to qualify just to make the main draw: A fourth-round loser makes $28,400, while a quarterfinalist is guaranteed $54,000. ... Davenport has officially parted ways with Rick Leach. He's gone as a coach but will remain as a future brother-in-law. Davenport's new mentor is Adam Peterson, a former college teammate of her fiancé, Jonathan Leach. ... Andre Agassi has been walking around with a monstrous bag of ice on his shoulder, but he looked no worse for the wear on the court, smiting Jarkko Niemeinen 6-2, 6-0. ... Todd Martin outlasted Andy Roddick Sunday night. His take on the crowd: "The people over 72 were on my side. Everybody else was on his."

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim covers tennis for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com. Click here to send a question to his Mailbag.

 

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