Power of Caring
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Posted: Tue January 20, 1998 at 4:27 PM ET

No. 1. Martina Hingis, Switzerland

Age: 17 
Height: 5-foot-6
Weight: 115 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 14

World's No. 1 player returns to Melbourne to defend her first Grand Slam title; became the youngest player in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title with her Australian Open victory; also won the doubles title at Melbourne, becoming the first player to sweep the Australian Open singles and doubles titles since Martina Navratilova in 1985; enters the Australian Open with an uncharacteristic two-match losing streak, dating back to last season's Chase Championships defeat to Mary Pierce; lost to the woman she defeated in the U.S. Open final, Venus Williams, in three sets in Sydney; finished 1997 with a 78-5 record, 12 singles titles, and earnings of over $3 million, the first female tennis player to reach that mark; became the seventh player to win three of four Grand Slam events in a year with her victories at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open; also lost to Croatia's Iva Majoli in the French Open final; became the youngest player to win a match at a Grand Slam tournament when she won her opening-round match at the 1995 Australian Open.

No. 2. Lindsay Davenport, United States

Age: 21 
Height: 6-foot-2 1/2
Weight: 165 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 13

Top-ranked American-born player in women's tennis hopes to repeat her success of 1997, as she finished second behind Martina Hingis with six singles titles and ended the season ranked No. 3 in the world; has compiled a 16-5 record lifetime at the Australian Open, reaching the fourth round the past two years after quarterfinal showings in 1994 and '95; advanced to the fourth round at the French Open, suffered her second straight second-round exit at Wimbledon and lost to Hingis in the U.S. Open semifinals; captured the Olympic gold medal in Atlanta in 1996; coming off a quarterfinal loss to 16-year-old Serena Williams at the Sydney International.

No. 3. Amanda Coetzer, South Africa

Age: 26 
Height: 5-foot-8
Weight: 122 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 5

Has reached the Australian Open semifinals the last two seasons, losing to Mary Pierce a year ago and Anke Huber the year before; coming off a second-round defeat at the Sydney International; has compiled a 13-5 lifetime record at Melbourne; was a giant-killer on tour in 1997, handing Steffi Graf all three of her defeats before Graf underwent knee surgery in June; also defeated Martina Hingis in the semifinals of the Sparkassen Cup in September; captured two singles titles in 1997 and finished the year ranked No. 4 in the world; became the first South African to crack the top 10 after winning the Budapest Open in April; showed durability by playing in every North American hardcourt event leading up to the U.S. Open, where she reached the fourth round; also advanced to the French Open semifinals.

No. 4. Iva Majoli, Croatia

Age: 20 
Height: 5-foot-8
Weight: 130 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 7

Became the first Croatian to win a Grand Slam title by winning the French Open, handing Martina Hingis her first loss of the season; reached the quarterfinals in 1996 in only her second Australian Open appearance, but lost in the first round last year; will be playing in her first tournament of the year; captured three singles titles in 1997 and finished the season ranked No. 6 in the world; reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and lost to eventual quarterfinalist Sandrine Testud in the second round at the U.S. Open; since winning in Paris, has nine early round losses.

No. 5. Mary Pierce, France

Age: 23 
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 143 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 8

The 1995 Australian Open champion upset four seeded players en route to last year's final, where she lost to Martina Hingis; became the first French female to reach an Australian Open final in 1995; has compiled a 21-4 lifetime record at Melbourne; finished the year ranked No. 7 in the world after advancing to the final of the season-ending Chase Championships, losing to Jana Novotna; defeated Hingis en route to the final of the season-ending event; captured her lone singles title of the year at the Italian Open in May; suffered fourth-round defeats at the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open; represents France, but lives most of the year in Florida; was voted 1997 Comeback Player of the Year.

No. 6. Irina Spirlea, Romania

Age: 23 
Height: 5-foot-9 
Weight: 150 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 3

Reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at last year's Australian Open, losing to Martina Hingis; made headlines at the U.S. Open when she used obscene language in her post-match press conference concerning Venus Williams following her three-set semifinal loss; was subsequently fined by the WTA; also engaged in a bumping incident with Williams during their showdown in New York; Spirlea lost to Venus' sister Serena in the first round of this year's tournament; finished 1997 ranked No. 8 in the world; also reached the fourth round at both the French Open and Wimbledon; seeking her first singles title since winning in Amelia Island in 1996; her two previous career titles came at Palermo, Italy, in 1994 and 1995.

No. 7. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Spain

Age: 26 
Height: 5-foot-6 1/2
Weight: 124 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 25

Two-time Australian Open finalist (1994-95) captured her first singles title in more than a year at the Sydney International on January 17; lost to Dominique van Roost in the third round last year, the first time she failed to reach the quarterfinals in seven appearances at Melbourne; reached the final of the Direct Line Championships in Eastbourne, England, in June, which was abandoned by rain, and lost to Monica Seles in the Princess Cup final in Tokyo in September; former world No. 1 reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and the quarterfinals at the French and U.S. opens; winner of three Grand Slam titles and runner-up at eight other Grand Slam events; first Spanish professional tennis player ever to hold a world No. 1 ranking.

8. Conchita Martinez, Spain

Age: 25
Height: 5'7' 
Weight: 132 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 28 

Has compiled a 23-7 record at the Australian Open, including a semifinal showing in 1995; suffered through her first season without a title since 1987; the 1994 Wimbledon title stands as her only career Grand Slam championship; reached two finals in 1997, losing to Mary Pierce at the Italian Open final and to Martina Hingis at the Bank of the West Classic; compiled a 37-18 record in 1997 and finished the season ranked 12th in the world; reached the fourth round at both the Australian Open and French Open and the third round at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open; has advanced to at least the quarterfinal round in 17 Grand Slam tournaments; had best year in 1995, when she reached the semifinals at all four Grand Slam tournaments and was named the 1995 WTA Tour Player of the Year.

9. Sandrine Testud, France

Age: 25 
Height: 5'9' 
Weight: 150 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 1 

Had a breakout year in 1997, capturing her first career WTA Tour title at the International Tournament in Palermo, Italy in July; finished the year ranked 13th in the world; advanced to her first career Grand Slam quarterfinal at the U.S. Open, losing to Venus Williams; clinched the Fed Cup title for her country last year in the victory over the Netherlands; has not fared well at the Australian Open, reaching the fourth round just once (1994) in six appearances; reached the third round at the French Open and defeated Monica Seles en route to the fourth round at Wimbledon.

10. Anke Huber, Germany

Age: 23 
Height: 5'8'
Weight: 128 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 10 

Lost to Monica Seles in the 1996 final, Huber's first-ever Grand Slam final; has compiled a 26-8 record at the Australian Open, also reaching the quarterfinals in 1991 and '92; in 1991, became the youngest quarterfinalist at the Australian Open at 16 years, seven weeks; advanced to two finals in 1997, losing to Martina Hingis at the Open Gaz de France in February and to Monica Seles at the du maurier Open in August; lost to eventual finalist Mary Pierce in the fourth round at last year's Australian Open; fell in the first round of the French Open, her earliest career exit from Roland Garros, and reached the third round at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

11. Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, Netherlands

Age: 27 
Height: 6'2'
Weight: 170 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 7

The hardest server in women's tennis has advanced to the fourth round three times in eight appearances at the Australian Open; finished 1997 ranked 15th in the world; captured her lone singles title of the year at the Bell Challenge in Quebec City, Canada in October; failed to get past the fourth round in any of the Grand Slam tournaments for the second straight year; reached the second round at the Australian and U.S. Open and advanced to the third round at the French Open and Wimbledon; became first Dutch woman since Bette Stove in 1977 to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament when she reached the quarters at Wimbledon in 1995.

12. Sabine Appelmans, Belgium

Age: 25
Height: 5'6' 
Weight: 127 
Plays: Left-handed (two-handed backhand) 
Career Titles: 7 

Advanced to her first career Grand Slam quarterfinal at last year's Australian Open, losing to eventual finalist Mary Pierce; has compiled a 16-8 lifetime record at Melbourne; finished 1997 ranked a career-high 16th in the world after reaching the final of the Budapest Open and posting victories over Iva Majoli, Brenda Schultz-McCarthy and Irina Spirlea during the year; was a member of the Fed Cup team that lost to eventual champion France in the semifinals; reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, but suffered first-round losses at the French Open and the U.S. Open; naturally right-handed, began playing left-handed to be in the same group as a friend at a tennis camp.

13. Lisa Raymond, United States

Age: 24 
Height: 5'5' 
Weight: 122 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 1 

Former NCAA singles champion was one of only five players to defeat Martina Hingis last year; at Filderstadt, recorded victories over Jana Novotna and Irina Spirlea before losing to Hingis in the final; the following week, upset Hingis in her homeland in Zurich, Switzerland; also reached the final in Oklahoma City; reached the second round of the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open but had her best career Grand Slam showing at the French Open, where she reached the fourth round; just missed qualifying for last year's season-ending Chase Championships; finished the year ranked 17th in the world; lone singles title came at Quebec City in 1996.

14. Dominique van Roost, Belgium

Age: 24 
Height: 5'7' 
Weight: 122 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 4

Recorded the biggest victory of her career at last year's Australian Open, upsetting Arantxa Sanchez Vicario en route en route to the quarterfinals; captured two singles titles in 1997, prevailing at Hobart, Australia and Surabaya, Indonesia; also reached the finals at Quebec City and Pattaya, Thailand; finished the season ranked a career-high 18th; reached the third round at the French Open, but suffered first-round losses at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open; began this year by winning last week's ASB Bank Classic in Auckland, New Zealand and advancing to the finals of the Tasmanian International Saturday.

15. Ruxandra Dragomir, Romania

Age: 25
Height: 5'6' 
Weight: 127 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 3

Reached the fourth round at last year's Australian Open, her best showing in four appearances at Melbourne; one of the most improved players on the tour in 1997; advanced to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the French Open, losing to eventual champion Iva Majoli; captured her lone singles title of the year at the Wilkinson Lady Championships in June, but followed that with a first-round loss at Wimbledon; lost to Majoli in the final of the Rexona Cup in Hamburg, Germany; also suffered a first-round defeat at the U.S. Open.

16. Ai Sugiyama, Japan

Age: 22 
Height: 5'4' 
Weight: 115 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 2 

Has had a solid start to 1998, capturing last week's Australian Women's Hardcourt Championships and reaching the semifinals of the Sydney International; has split six lifetime matches at the Australian Open, including the second round last year; won her first career singles title at last year's Japan Open and reached the finals at Gold Coast, Australia and Moscow; was also a member of the Japanese Fed Cup team and the Olympic team in 1996; finished the year ranked a career-high 20th in the world; best career Grand Slam showing came at Wimbledon in 1996, reaching the fourth round.

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