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Make room for Mauresmo

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By Marc Lancaster, CNNSI.com

	• Storylines • Aces/Double Faults • They Said It • Anna Kournikova Watch • Looking Ahead

Just when you thought Amelie Mauresmo might have been a one-hit wonder, the powerful Frenchwoman is suddenly the hottest non-Williams in women's tennis.

Two years after her run from unseeded nobody to the Australian Open final, and a year after a lost season that saw her sidelined by one injury after another, Mauresmo is steadily climbing back into the WTA's elite. With her straight-set victory over Amanda Coetzer at the Bausch & Lomb Championships, the 21-year-old has now won the last three tournaments she has entered this year.

She won at home on hardcourts in Paris and Nice in February, then decided to take a break, resting a sore back that bothered her last year. She's shooting for a strong run at Roland Garros, where she reached the fourth round a year ago, and decided to take it easy before the clay season started.

"I need to have motivation, I need to be eager to play," Mauresmo said of taking the time off. "It was a good decision."

The Bausch & Lomb victory will lift Mauresmo from 15th to seventh in the rankings this week, just one slot below the highest standing she has ever attained. She is now 20-1 in singles matches this year, with 15 consecutive wins.

She'll have a chance to keep it going this week at the Family Circle Cup, where she is the seventh seed in an injury-diluted but still difficult field.

It's that time of year

If it's spring, it must be time for the Spaniards to come out of hibernation and start dominating on clay. Three of the four semifinalists at the Estoril Open last week were Spanish, with top-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero taking out countryman Felix Mantilla in three sets for the title, his second of the year. Meanwhile, in Casablanca, 18-year-old Spaniard Tommy Robredo lost in the final in his first appearance at the Grand Prix Hassan II. Those results bode well for Spain as the clay-court season kicks into high gear this week in Monte Carlo.

Oh, behave

Greg Rusedski just can't keep good help. The temperamental Brit brought in former Wimbledon winner Pat Cash as his new coach last October, and the match seemed to be working well. Rusedski whipped Andre Agassi in the San Jose final earlier this year and hasn't been bothered by injuries that have hampered him in the past. But Rusedski abruptly canned Cash over the weekend, apparently in a dispute over money. Rusedski says the Aussie demanded 10 percent of his future earnings as payment, while Cash says he merely brought up the issue of compensation "and Greg decided he didn't want me around."

ACE Martina Navratilova The original Martina not only made it to the final in doubles at the B&L, but she also brought out big crowds for doubles at Amelia Island and talked some smack about the Williams sisters.

ACE Guillermo Canas Ranked 85th in the ATP entry system, he had to qualify for the main draw in Casablanca but ended up winning the tournament without dropping a set.

DOUBLE FAULT Nadia Petrova The 18-year-old Russian made 69 unforced errors in a grueling three-set loss to Amanda Coetzer in the Bausch & Lomb semifinals, yet chose afterward to whine about the South African veteran's style. "I was disappointed with her tennis, with what she showed to me," she said. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect anything like that -- a top-10 player playing moon balls."

"Some people say I look like Sergio Garcia and some say I look like Prince Charles. But I wish they would say that I look like Claudia Schiffer, then I could sit down all day and make a million dollars just with my face."

Slovakian pro Dominik Hrbaty, who says people often mistake him for others.

"If that happened, Pete is not going to be anywhere to be seen in the top 16 seedings. He's 30 years old this year. I don't think he has many years left to win that particular grand slam. That is my opinion. I might be totally wrong."

Yevgeny Kafelnikov to The Independent on Pete Sampras and his chances to win if the French Open follows Wimbledon's lead and begins weighting seeds by success on a specific surface.

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.

2001 stats: 8-4 record. One semifinal, two quarterfinal appearances.

Kournikova continues to skip tournaments while recovering from a foot injury. She withdrew from this week's Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C.

This week - ATP Tour

The men gather in Monte Carlo for the first Masters Series event on clay this year. The tournament will be missing most of the top U.S. and Australian players, including Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Jan-Michael Gambill, Pat Rafter, Lleyton Hewitt and Mark Philippoussis. Gustavo Kuerten is due for a breakthrough, and Juan Carlos Ferrero is playing well at the moment, but Ferrero has a particularly tough draw.

This week - WTA Tour

Some of the top women will be taking a break this week. Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles and Anna Kournikova withdrew from the main event, the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C., because of injuries. The Williams sisters will also sit out, leaving Martina Hingis, Jennifer Capriati and Mary Pierce as the top attractions. The other WTA event of the week is in Budapest.

Next week - ATP Tour

The French Open tune-ups continue with tournaments on clay in Barcelona and Atlanta.

Next week - WTA Tour

A week off for the tour, as the first round of Fed Cup play for the year takes center stage.

Come back every Monday for a new Tennis Week at a Glance.

 

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