The Martina and Alex show
Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim breaks down the Australian Open field
Posted: Monday January 18, 1999 11:38 AM
We know what you did last summer, Lindsay Davenport. Now we'll see if you
can hold on to your No. 1 ranking at the Australian Open. It won't be easy,
particularly in the stifling heat. Particularly with Martina Hingis
imbued once again with boundless confidence. Particularly with a draw the has
you matched against Venus Williams in the
quarters.
As for the men at work, this one's wide open, tennis fans. Let's try a little
process of elimination. Despite the fact he would have been an overwhelming
favorite, Pete Sampras bagged out. Marcelo Rios is ... well,
Marcelo Rios -- and now he's not even that, having pulled out because of a bad hamstring.
Pat Rafter has been in hibernation lately and, besides, he has never
reached the finals of an event held in Australia. Defending champ Petr
Korda bust doing his best Hans and Franz impersonation. So ... Alex
Corretja , come on down. You're next in the line of succession. (We'll
pretend that opening match didn't really
happen.)
WOMEN'S SEED
REPORT
1. Lindsay Davenport: We've heard plenty about her improved conditioning,
but can she survive seven matches in 11 days in sweltering heat? The guess here
is no. Venus Williams gets her in the
quarters.
2. Martina Hingis: The ousted queen is ready to recapture her
throne.
3. Jana Novotna: Haven't heard much from serve-and-volley impresario
since her wince-inducing three-set loss to Martina Hingis in the U.S. Open.
Prognosis Down Under is the same as ever: If she keeps her head together, she
could walk off with the winner's trophy. Still, unfortunately, a big
if.
4. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario: Sweltering heat and a defensive,
counter-punching style go together like vegemite and paella. I like Steffi Graf
to beat her in the round of
16.
5. Venus Williams: For a player who doesn't mind the heat, this is as
good a time as any to win her first Grand Slam. Tough loss to Steffi Graf in
tuneup doesn't help her
confidence.
6. Monica Seles: If it were 10 cooler, her odds would be infinitely
better. As is, despite her great track record Down Under, she'll lose to Steffi
Graf in the
quarters.
7. Mary Pierce: Won her first and only career Slam here in 1995. Robbie
Alomar's roommate has a Downey-soft draw, but I can't see her beating Martina
Hingis.
8. Patty Schnyder: Last year's most improved player is capable of beating
anyone in the field, but she's not quite champion material just yet. Tough
second-round match against Amelie
Mauresmo.
9. Conchita Martinez: Perennial also-ran in her sunset years won't do any
real damage.
10. Steffi Graf: While we keep scratching our heads wondering why she's
still out there, she keeps winning. Don't be surprised if she claims her first
Grand Slam since
'96.
11. Dominique Van Roost: Though she now roosts among the seeded players,
Dutch waif won't be around by the second
week.
12. Anna Kournikova: To the disgruntlement of the blokes Down Under, it's
unlikely that she'll both beat Mary Pierce and catch Martina Hingis on an
off-day.
13. Irina Spirlea: Potential darkhorse bombed in tough first-round match
against former Aussie finalist Anke
Huber.
14. Sandrine Testud: Capable of top-tier tennis, but her third-round
match against Serena Williams could be her
downfall.
15. Natasha Zvereva: Doubles specialist is in the same quadrant as Venus
Williams and Lindsay Davenport. 'Nuff
said.
16. Amanda Coetzer: Overdue for a breakout, she'll give Hingis a good
match in the round of
16.
THE
PICKS
Semifinals: Williams vs. Novotna; Graf vs.
Hingis
Finals: Williams vs.
Hingis
Champion:
Hingis
WATCH OUT FOR: Henrietta Nagyova, Amelie Mauresmo, Asa Carlsson and, as
always, Lisa
Raymond.
BEST FIRST-ROUND MATCHES: Corina Morariu vs. Amelie Mauresmo, Jana
Novotna vs. Anne-Gaelle Sidot and, if only for its brevity of names, Kim Po vs.
Meilen
Tu.
MEN'S SEED
REPORT
1. Marcelo Rios: It would've been a golden opportunity for last year's
finalist to win his first major, but a bad back was his downfall. Rios
withdrew prior to his first-round match with Gianluca
Pozzi.
2. Alex Corretja: Introducing, your 1999 Australian Open champion.
3. Pat Rafter: Overwhelming crowd fave will continue his underachieving
ways in the motherland. His game has been badly off so far this year. Now he has
to contend with a rotten draw.
4. Carlos Moya: 1997 finalist ought to breeze for four rounds before
losing to Andre Agassi in the
quarters.
5. Andre Agassi: Whenever Agassi returns to tennis after an extended
hiatus no one knows what to expect. He's either lost his conditioning and could
lose early; or he's been training mercilessly in the Vegas heat and is MACH 3
sharp. If Alex Corretja comes up lame, Andre could easily win his fourth Slam
here.
6. Tim Henman: Rarely suffers a bad loss, but rarely beats the guys ahead
of him either. Awful tame draw,
though.
7. Karol Kucera: To the extent that a seventh seed can be a darkhorse,
the Cat has a decent shot to paw the winner's trophy. Possible match against
Marat Safin in Round 3 is one to
watch.
8. Greg Rusedski: Brittle Brit still not fully healed from injuries. Fast
points will minimize his time spent in the heat, but he'll be lucky to win his
first-round match against Aussie Scott
Draper.
9. Richard Krajicek: Never confused with an iron man, Crackerjack will
undoubtedly wilt, despite surviving tough first-rounder against Hicham
Arazi.
10. Yevgeny Kafelnikov: Think hard. You remember Yevgeny. Blond guy,
about yay high. The Russian Rocket is in for another abortive mission,
particularly after receiving a patently brutal draw. If he beats Jonas Bjorkman,
he gets to play Jason
Stoltenberg.
11. Goran Ivanisevic: Ivanisevic could've done some damage here, with a
favorable draw that had him needing to beat only Tim Henman to reach the
quarters. But a pinched nerve in his back led to his withdrawal prior to opening
match with Andrei
Cherkasov.
12. Albert Costa: Not nearly as accomplished on hard courts as countrymen
Alex Corretja and Carlos Moya. Loses to Jan Siemerink in Round
2.
13. Cedric Pioline: Head should still hang low after his farcical 6-0,
6-0 defeat in the Grand Slam Cup, but has well-earned reputation for bringing
his A game to big events. First-round match against Aussie teenager Lleyton
Hewitt will disappoint the
upset-minded.
14) Mark Philippoussis: Chance to prove -- particularly to the local folk
-- that his appearance in the U.S. Open final was no fluke. If he somehow exacts
revenge on Pat Rafter in the round of 16, look
out.
15. Todd Martin: After a disappointing, if not outright embarrassing,
Davis Cup, Martin rebounded with some of the best tennis of his career late last
year. Will play to his seeding here, but won't reach the
quarters.
16. Thomas Johansson: Another darkhorse. Likely won't beat Alex Corretja
in the fourth round, but silent Swede is a player no one wants to
face.
THE
PICKS
Semifinals: Martin vs. Agassi, Philippoussis vs.
Corretja
Finals: Agassi vs.
Corretja
Champion:
Corretja
LOOK OUT FOR: Scott Draper (as always), Tommy Haas, Alberto Berasategui
(who beat Pete Sampras here last year), and Thomas Enqvist, who's long overdue
for a solid Slam
showing.
BEST FIRST-ROUND MATCHES: Yevgeny Kafelnikov vs. Jonas Bjorkman, Scott
Draper vs. Greg Rusedski, Thomas Enqvist vs. Jan-Michael
Gambill
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