Corel WTA Tour Notes & Netcords for 4/13/98
Posted: Mon April 13, 1998 at 3:33 p.m. EDT
Pierce Wins At Bausch & Lomb Championships
Fourth seed and world No. 6 Mary Pierce (FRA) finally broke
through as she rallied past former champion and sixth seed
Conchita Martinez (ESP), 6-7 (8), 6-0, 6-2, to win the $450,000
Bausch & Lomb Championships on Amelia Island, Florida, USA.
After dropping a first-set tiebreak, Pierce overpowered Martinez
to win the event for the first time, despite three straight
appearances in the singles final. She lost to Irina Spirlea
(ROM) in three sets in 1996 and to Lindsay Davenport (USA) in
straight sets last year.
"It feels good," she said. "Finally."
The 23-year-old Pierce captured her second title of the year,
10th of her career and the first prize of $78,000.
Pierce settled down after making 32 unforced errors in the first
set, which she nevertheless was able to extend to a tiebreak
that took a toll on Martinez.
''I thought I ran out of steam,'' Martinez said. ''It took a lot
to win the first set. Instead of being aggressive, I was waiting
on her to make mistakes.''
Pierce took control by becoming the aggressor, making a
concerted effort to get to the net after playing most of the
points from the baseline in the opening set.
''To be honest it was what I wanted to do the whole match,''
said Pierce. ''That's the way I've beaten her in the past.''
After missing two easy shots to lose the tiebreak, Pierce was
nearly flawless in winning eight straight games to take the
second set and go up 2-0 in the third.
Pierce, the 1997 COREL WTA TOUR Comback Player of the Year,
broke Martinez seven times and recorded 44 winners to Martinez's
11, overcoming 51 unforced errors in the two-hour match. She
also never faced a break point in the final two sets after twice
losing her serve in the opening set.
Martinez committed 25 unforced errors. She won just 59 percent
of points on her first serve and 46 percent on her second serve.
Pierce won her first title on French soil at the Open Gaz de
France in Paris in February and was a quarterfinalist at the
Australian Open. Last year, she won her lone singles title at
the Italian Open and was a finalist at the season-ending Chase
Championships.
Martinez won on Amelia Island in 1995, the last time Pierce was
not a finalist. But she could not sustain the momentum from
winning the first set and lost in a final for the second time
this year. She fell to top-ranked Martina Hingis (SUI) in the
final of the Australian Open. Ranked ninth in the world,
Martinez was seeking her 29th career singles title and first
since winning Moscow in 1996.
They Said It
"The crowd really helped, they were awesome, especially when I
was down 5-0 in the first set,'' she said. ``I knew Monica would
have her supporters, but I kept hearing `Go Gators' and that
pumped me." -Lisa Raymond (USA) after defeating Monica Seles at
the Bausch & Lomb Championships, 7-6(10), 6-4. Raymond attended
the University of Florida whose nickname is "Florida Gators."
"My potential speaks for itself. I have a complete game. I
have all the shots. I have all the intangibles." -Lilia
Osterloh (USA) commenting on her play on the COREL WTA TOUR this
year. (Source: Florida Times Union, April 8)
``I knew I could play good tennis, more than just one day or one
match. Coming into this tournament I was really relaxed and
really confident, and I think it showed in my first two
matches.'' -Anna Kournikova (RUS) after defeating ninth seed
Patty Schnyder (SUI), 6-1, 6-3 in the quarterfinals at the
Bausch & Lomb Championships
Weeks at Number One
On March 31, 1997, Martina Hingis became the youngest-ever
number one player at 16 yrs, 6 mos, 1 day, followed by Monica
Seles at 17 yrs, 3 mos, 19 days and Tracy Austin not far behind
in third place at 17 yrs, 3 mos, 26 days. Only seven players
have attained the world No. 1 ranking since the computer
rankings began in 1975. Below is a complete list of players and
their respective total number of weeks at number one thru April
19, 1998:
Player No. of Weeks
Steffi Graf* 374 weeks
Martina Navratilova 331 weeks
Chris Evert 262 weeks
Monica Seles 178 weeks
Martina Hingis** 55 weeks
Tracy Austin 24 weeks
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 12 weeks
*Record for most career weeks at number one, man or woman
**March 31, 1997 to present
Fox Sports Reaches Two-Year Agreement To Broadcast Toshiba
Tennis Classic Final
FOX Sports has reached an agreement to broadcast final-round
coverage of the Toshiba Tennis Classic in San Diego, California
USA in 1998 and 1999. It will mark the first time that FOX will
televise a women's professional tennis event.
The announcement is also of great significance to the COREL WTA
TOUR, which for the first time in its history will now have
events on all four major United States television networks in
the same year. NBC provides coverage of The Family Circle Cup,
Roland Garros (French Open) and The Championships, Wimbledon.
CBS provides coverage of The Lipton Championships, The U.S.
Women's Hardcourt Championships in Atlanta and The U.S. Open;
and ABC provides coverage of the season-ending Chase
Championships of the COREL WTA TOUR.
"The Toshiba Tennis Classic is always an eagerly anticipated
stop on our Tour, and this year's coverage on FOX and FOX
Sports Net will undoubtedly help it gain even greater
prominence. It is just the latest in a series of aggressive
steps forward by the tournament to grow the game of tennis,"
said Bart McGuire, CEO of the COREL WTA TOUR.
"Recently, FOX Sports has been looking for high quality events
to round out our programming, and the Toshiba Tennis Classic is
a perfect fit for us and FOX Sports Net," said Ed Goren,
Executive Producer, FOX Sports. "Historically, this event has
drawn a number of the world's best women's tennis players, and
we anticipate outstanding semifinal and final round matches this
year, as well."
This year, the final is scheduled for exclusive live broadcast
Sunday, Aug. 9 (3:30-5:00 PM ET; 12:30-2:00 PM PT) from La Costa
Resort & Spa in San Diego. FOX Sports Net will also provide
exclusive live coverage of the event's two semifinal matches to
its owned and affiliated regional sports networks in two
telecasts Saturday, Aug. 8 (4:00 PM ET-conclusion and 10:00 PM
ET- conclusion).
"Television viewers across the country have tuned to watch the
drama and intensity of the Toshiba Tennis Classic via national
coverage since 1991, " noted Jane Stratton of Promotion Sports,
Inc., promoters of the event. "Now with finals coverage on FOX
and the semifinals on FOX Sports Net, both known for innovative
sports production, we're confident that more fans than ever
before will share in the excitement of the event."
Announcers and the production team for FOX Sports' and FOX
Sports Net's coverage of the Toshiba Tennis Classic will be
announced at a later date. Arthur Smith is Executive Producer,
FOX Sports Net. Bill Brown is Senior Producer, FOX Sports,
while Ed Goren and David Hill are Executive Producers, FOX
Sports.
1998 Race to the Chase
The Race to the CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS of the COREL WTA TOUR is in
its fourth month! The top 16 singles players and top 8 doubles
teams based on the COREL WTA TOUR Championships Points at the
end of the year, qualify for the $2,000,000 CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS
of the COREL WTA TOUR, November 16-22, 1998 at Madison Square
Garden in New York City. The Standings as of April 13, 1998 are
as follows:
Singles Points
1 HINGIS, MARTINA 1721
2 DAVENPORT, LINDSAY 1633
3 WILLIAMS, VENUS 1371
4 MARTINEZ, CONCHITA 1071
5 PIERCE, MARY 918
6 KOURNIKOVA, ANNA 891
7 COETZER, AMANDA 874
8 SCHNYDER, PATTY 868
9 VAN ROOST, DOMINIQUE 806
10 NOVOTNA, JANA 766
11 HUBER, ANKE 703
12 SANCHEZ VICARIO, ARANTXA 691
13 SUGIYAMA, AI 607
14 WILLIAMS, SERENA 536
15 FARINA, SILVIA 497
16 KRUGER, JOANNETTE 478
17 RAYMOND, LISA 474
18 MAJOLI, IVA 468
19 SPIRLEA, IRINA 464
20 ZVEREVA, NATASHA 448
Doubles Points
1 HINGIS / LUCIC 1228
2 DAVENPORT / ZVEREVA 1104
3 RAYMOND / STUBBS 873
4 MARTINEZ / TARABINI 790
5 FUSAI / TAUZIAT 768
6 KOURNIKOVA / NEILAND 764
7 LIKHOVTSEVA / SUGIYAMA 573
8 APPELMANS / OREMANS 411
9 HINGIS / NOVOTNA 334
10 WILLIAMS / WILLIAMS 315
11 COETZER / HUBER 312
12 PARK / WANG 311
Off-Court at Amelia
Kids Get a Clinic & Teach the Pros...
Over 150 kids participated in a clinic with COREL WTA TOUR
players on the outside courts on Amelia Island Plantation.
American players Anne Wunderlich and Tara Snyder, along with
German player Barbara Rittner ran two clinics with kids that
ranged from 4 to 10 years old. The local Fernadina YMCA had a
contingent as well as fourth and fifth graders from the Amelia
Island Montesori School. Anne and Barbara fed two lines of kids
volleys while Tara gave pointers on their form and style. After
the clinic, there was a Q&A session, and the kids were most
interested in whether the players had boyfriends. When an
adorable nine year old boy found out Barbara was the only single
girl in the group, he seized the opportunity and tried to get a
date.
For the Kids... Chanda Rubin represented the COREL WTA TOUR at
the Fernandina Beach Middle School as part of the F.I.R.S.T.
Serve Program. Rubin, a native of Louisiana, spoke to over 400
children from the local 6th - 8th grades about the importance of
education, setting goals and following your dreams. A lively
question & answer session ensued in which the 22 year-old Rubin
received a marriage proposal from one young admirer to questions
on her tennis and training regimen.
The Player That Zigs... Cadillac, the official car of The
Bausch & Lomb Championships, hosted a luncheon for over 100
Cadillac executives and their guests. They were officially
welcomed to the tournament by No. 2 seed, Amanda Coetzer, who
attended the luncheon and answered questions from the crowd.
Everyone then hit the streets where they were able to test drive
the new Catera, the Caddy that Zigs. Amanda took a spin around
the Amelia Island Plantation, and rumour has it, she has a lead
foot.
Patty Cranks It... Patty Schnyder (SUI), seeded eighth at the
Bausch & Lomb Championships, and currently ranked No. 18 on the
COREL WTA TOUR, broke another personal best with a serve clocked
at 113 mph during her second round victory against Mariaan
DeSwardt (RSA).
WIN OF THE WEEK
The COREL WTA TOUR, in its search for the most interesting and
intriguing, will each week select a "Win of the Week." This
week's Win of the Week goes to: Tara Snyder (USA) Amelia Island
wild card entry and world No. 73 Tara Snyder recorded a 6-0, 6-7
(2), 6-0, first round upset of seventh seeded, and world No. 12,
Irina Spirlea. Snyder went on to advance to her first-ever
quaterfinals of the Bausch & Lomb before falling to Amanda
Coetzer.
Masters Fever Strikes Lindsay
Lindsay Davenport might be known for her play on the tennis
court, but played a whole different game last week at the Amelia
Island Plantation Golf Course. The brand new course is not
scheduled to open until April 7, so Lindsay christened the
course - surprising everyone by knocking her tee shot on the
par three first hole on the green. Not experiencing much luck
off the tee after that, Lindsay reached into her bag for more
familiar equipment and used her tennis racquet to reach the
green.
Pierce Not to Play in Fed Cup Opener
Despite her win last week at Ameilia Island, Holders France
dropped leading player Mary Pierce for their Fed Cup first round
match-up with Belgium in Ghent this week. Pierce, world No. 5,
is coming off an impressive showing on the U.S. clay court
circuit after overcoming shoulder pains to win the Paris Open in
February and the Bausch & Lomb Championships this past week.
Team captain Yannick Noah believes Pierce, with only a few
matches played this year, will not have enough time to adapt to
a faster surface. France will be represented by Nathalie
Tauziat, Sandrine Testud, Alexandra Fusai and Fed Cup newcomer
Sarah Pitkowski.
Capriati Wins First Match In Eight Months
For the first time in eight months, Jennifer Capriati won her
first match. Her last victory came during the first round of the
Du Maurier Open in August of 1997, when she beat Silvia Farina
6-4, 6-3. She won in straight sets against Lilia Osterloh, 6-4,
6-2 for a first round victory at the Bausch & Lomb
Championships. Afterwards she said, "I am so happy with today's
win. I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever win another match."
She moved on to the second round where she defeated Barbara
Schett (AUT) and fell to Iva Majoli in the quarterfinals, 6-4,
6-1.
COREL WTA TOUR Milestones (Thru April 12)
Patricia Tarabini (ARG) became the 81st player to cross the
million dollar mark in career prize with $1,019,192...No. 8
Conchita Martinez (ESP), currently with 499 career singles
victories, needs just one more win to become the 15th player in
women's tennis history to win 500 career singles matches...No. 7
Monica Seles (USA), with 41 tournament singles titles to her
credit, needs just nine more to become the eighth player in the
Open Era to win 50 or more singles titles in her career. A
number of players this year have the ability to set career
milestones in career prize money, here is a quick look at a few:
$5,000,000
Mary Joe Fernandez - $4,903,886
$1,000,000
Patricia Hy-Boulais - $974,409
Teenage Tandems in Top 10
With the recent addition of 17-year old Venus Williams to the
elite COREL WTA TOUR Top 10 singles rankings, she and fellow 17-
year old Martina Hingis are the youngest pair in the Top 10
since October 18, 1992 when 16-old Jennifer Capriati and 17-year
old Anke Huber wereplaced among the 10 best. In addition,
Hingis and Williams are the 11th pair to rank in the Top 10
before their 18th birthday.
Here is a look at the others:
1980-83 - Andrea Jaeger & Tracy Austin
1984 - Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere & Carling Bassett-Seguso
1986-87 - Steffi Graf & Gabriela Sabatini
1989 - Natasha Zvereva & Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
1989 - A. Sanchez Vicario & Conchita Martinez
1989 - A. Sanchez Vicario & Mary Joe Fernandez
1989 - A. Sanchez Vicario & Monica Seles
1989-90 - Monica Seles & Conchita Martinez
1990-91 - Jennifer Capriati & Monica Seles
1992 - Jennifer Capriati & Anke Huber
1998 - Martina Hingis & Venus Williams
Featured Player of the Week
Lisa Raymond (USA), following up her impressive showing at
Hilton Head a couple of weeks ago, advanced to the quaterfinals
of last week's Bausch & Lomb Championships on Amelia Island,
Flordia. Raymond picked up her biggest win of the year by
defeating third seed and world No. 7 Monica Seles 7-6 (10),
6-4, in the Round of 16. Raymond trailed 0-5 in the first set
of her match with Seles before she came storming back to tie and
eventually win the set 12-10 in a tie-break. Her quarterfinal
appearance at the Bausch & Lomb was her best showing in two
career appearances in the tournament.
Raymond, owner of a 15-6 singles mark in '98, is having her best
season to date with a semi-final appearance in Hilton Head and
quaterfinal appearances in Auckland, Hannover, Linz, and last
week at Amelia Island. A two-time NCAA women's singles champion,
Raymond is currently ranked No. 17 in the COREL WTA TOUR world
rankings.
What's Next for the Top 10
The following is a list of the scheduled events for the current
Top 10 players on the COREL WTA TOUR.
Tournaments:
Japan Open, Tokyo, Japan Apr. 13-19
Makarska Ladies Open, Makarska, Croatia, Apr. 13-19
KB Fed Cup, various sites, Apr. 13-19
Lotto Ladies Open, Budapest, Hungary, Apr. 20-26
International Damen Grand Prix, Hamburg, Germany, Apr. 27-May 3
Croatian Bol Ladies Open, Bol, Croatia, Apr. 27-May 3
Italian Open, Rome, Italy, May 4-10
German Open, Berlin, Germany, May 11-17
Player Scheduled to Play
1. Martina Hingis (SUI) Hamburg, Rome, Berlin
2. Lindsay Davenport (USA) Berlin
3. Jana Novotna (CZE) Hamburg, Rome
4. Amanda Coetzer (RSA) Rome, Berlin
5. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (ESP) Hamburg, Rome
6. Mary Pierce (FRA) Rome, Berlin
7. Monica Seles (USA) Rome
8. Iva Majoli (CRO) Hamburg, Rome, Berlin
9. Conchita Martinez (ESP) Rome, Berlin
10. Venus Williams (USA) Rome
© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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