|
EVENTS
Sportsman of the Year
Heisman Trophy
Swimsuit 2001
CENTERS
Fantasy Central
Inside Game
Video Plus
Statitudes
Your Turn
Message Boards
Email Newsletters
Golf Guide
Cities
CNNSI.com GROUP
Sports Illustrated
Life of Reilly
SI Women
SI for Kids
Press Room
TBS/TNT Sports
CNN Languages
COMMERCE
SI Customer Service
SI Media Kits
Get into College
Sports Memorabilia
TeamStore
|
|
Rising star
With two titles, Henin is one to watch in Melbourne
Posted: Tuesday January 16, 2001 4:38 PM
Updated: Tuesday January 16, 2001 4:45 PM
By Yuan-Kwan Chan, CNNSI.com
Last week was the final chance for players to scrape off the rust in preparation for the Australian Open.
While Andre Agassi won the Kooyong Classic -- an eight-man round-robin event that also featured Pete Sampras and Marat Safin -- and Martina Hingis impressed with a three-set win over Lindsay Davenport in the Adidas International, the story was Belgian teenager Justine Henin.
Henin won her second tournament of 2001 last week in Canberra and carries a perfect record into Melbourne. Her recent success even prompted Hingis to pick her as one of the dark horses in the year's first Grand Slam.
While the 19-year-old's play may be surprising to some, Henin also happened to be a very talented junior player. She won the 1997 junior French Open as a wild card, then became the fifth player to win her debut professional event at Antwerp in 1999.
Henin's titles in 2001 are her first since then, but it appears that she will join a growing crop of many talented young players doubling as serious Grand Slam contenders on the WTA Tour.
 |
| What's the score? |
|
The 2001 Australian Open features a new scoring system for the mixed doubles event. Instead of a best-of-three sets format, teams will play two sets. In the event of a 1-1 tie, a tiebreak will be contested in place of a full set. The scoring system is already in effect for some Australian junior events, but many CNNSI.com users were opposed to utilizing it in the majors. |
| New arena |
|
2001 also marks the debut of the Vodafone Arena in Australian Open tennis. The 10,000-seat venue, like Rod Laver Arena, has a retractable roof and will feature matches up until the quarterfinal stage. However, the newest addition to Melbourne Park doesn't just house tennis, as it is also home to an indoor velodrome. |
 |
| ACE Justine Henin The 18-year-old Belgian has made more headlines as of late than compatriot Kim Clijsters, winning her first two tournaments and carrying a 10-match win streak into the Australian Open. |
| ACE Martina Hingis Her gritty three-set win over Lindsay Davenport could give her the mental edge in a possible Melbourne rematch. |
| DOUBLE FAULT Goran Ivanisevic The moody Croat is struggling to find the form that took him to three Wimbledon finals and No. 2 in the world, having lost in the Australian Open qualifying rounds. | DOUBLE FAULT Jelena Dokic Once again, Dokic creates unnecessary attention by demanding a switch on the draw sheet from her listed country of Australia to Croatia. |
|
 |
| "I haven't shaved for days, and I've been wearing a hat. I don't know if I'm scaring the fans to cheer for me."
|
| Glenn Weiner, an American qualifier who reached the quarterfinals of the men's singles event in Auckland.
|
| "He can be mentioned in the same breath. I don't think he'll go down in the same level as Sampras or Borg. But close. He's won more than Agassi. And every great player in the modern era except Laver and Agassi has had one Grand Slam that they haven't won. For example, Lendl, Borg, Connors, Sampras." |
| U.S. Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe on whether older brother John can be included in the same class as Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg or Andre Agassi.
|
 |
| She's one of the biggest stars in tennis, and makes millions in endorsements, yet 19-year-old Anna Kournikova has never won a WTA Tour singles title, earning her plenty of criticism. Week at a Glance will follow Anna's performance until she finally breaks through with her first tournament win. |
| 2000 stats: 0-1 record. |
| Kournikova's first WTA Tour event was a brief appearance, as she lost to American Corina Morariu in the opening round of the Adidas International in Sydney. Kournikova won just three games in the match. However, she did go on to win the doubles event with new partner Barbara Schett for her 13th professional doubles title.
|
 |
| This week |
| The Australian Open has begun with most of the top players in attendance, and the summer heat shouldn't overshadow some potentially great early-round matches. |
| Next week |
|
The Australian Open continues with fourth-round matches, quarterfinals, semifinals and the championships. The year's first Grand Slam could set the tone for some players this season. |
Come back every Tuesday afternoon for a new Tennis Week at a Glance.
|
|
|
