Sorry, ladies -- Rios was right

By Marc Lancaster, CNNSI.com

	• Storylines • The Number • Aces/Double Faults • Drop Shots • They Said It • Looking Ahead

Yeah, so Marcelo Rios isn't the guy you want serving as spokesman for the sport, but he had a good point last week when discussing depth in women's tennis. He could have made it a little more intelligently than referring to the women's game as a "joke," but if you get past the wording, it's hard to argue with him.

Much like last year's U.S. Open (not coincidentally the only other Grand Slam played since the 32-seed system was adopted), the first week in the women's draw has been entirely devoid of drama. Part of the "excitement" that arose from Venus Williams and Jennifer Capriati winning their third-round matches in three sets was due to the fact that it was tough to imagine a top women's seed not winning in straight sets.

As it stands, the quarterfinals are set in the women's draw, and seven of the top eight seeds are still around. Any guesses on the lone exception? That's right, fifth seed Serena Williams, who withdrew before play began. Adriana Serra Zanetti went through the portion of the draw that would otherwise have been hers.

That, folks, is boring. Don't get me wrong, so is the other extreme -- I'm not counting the minutes until Jiri Novak and Stefan Koubek square off for a place in the semis. But still, the way the women's draw has played out nicely illustrates Rios' point.

There is a larger core of elite players atop the women's game than the men's, but there is also a much more substantial drop-off outside the top 10 among the women. That's one of the reasons Capriati's win Down Under last year was so amazing -- she was the No. 12 seed.

The upside to the disparity, of course, is that the second week's matchups should be fantastic. If the play follows suit, we'll have to forgive Mr. Rios.

Stuck in the middle

Australian Open officials have been fighting a losing battle this week, trying to defend the Rebound Ace surface at Melbourne Park as player after player has complained about it increasing the probability for leg injuries. The rubberized surface gets sticky when it gets hot, and it has been around 90 degrees most days during the tournament. The effect is almost like artificial turf on a football field -- the foot will not slide, and if your body goes the wrong way, a knee or ankle injury can follow. The highest-profile casualty was 13th seed Andy Roddick, who rolled over his right ankle in his first-round match, then did it again the next time out and was forced to retire. The most severe injury was to Anabel Medina Garrigues, who apparently tore her ACL in the first set against Monica Seles. Tournament executive director Paul McNamee said he thought the injuries had much more to do with players coming back after long winter breaks than the court surface. "It is going to happen early in the year," he said. "There's no doubt about that when they're coming off a break, that is a little bit of a factor."

Disappointment reigns Down Under

This particular Grand Slam hasn't gone quite the way one of the most tennis-mad countries in the world had hoped. Everyone knew going in that Pat Rafter, in the midst of quasi-retirement, wouldn't be playing, but with world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt in the fold, surely they would have something to celebrate. Unfortunately, Hewitt's heroics of the last half of 2001 caught up with him. A bout with chicken pox a couple of weeks ago piled onto his exhaustion after playing into early December because of Davis Cup, and Australia's hero fell in the first round to Alberto Martin. Hewitt has already said he'll miss Australia's first Davis Cup tie of the year, against Argentina in three weeks. It's the only decision he could have made, and an unassailable one. He needs to get his feet back under him for the long season ahead.

Comebacks from two sets down to win in five sets through the first four rounds of the men's draw. Stefan Koubek has done it twice.

ACE Wayne Ferreira -- The 30-year-old South African has played in the last 45 Grand Slams, but has reached the quarterfinals for the first time since Wimbledon '94.

DOUBLE FAULT The men's tennis elite -- The top five seeds were gone before the third round, an amazing and unprecedented run of futility at a Slam.

ACE Alex Kim -- The former Stanford NCAA champion, ranked 234th in the world, pulled the upset of the tournament when he stunned Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the second round.

DOUBLE FAULT The top slot in the bottom half of the women's draw -- Serena Williams pulled out before the tournament began, and her replacement there, Lina Krasnoroutskaya, retired with an ankle injury during her opener.

ACE Cindy Watson & Nicole Pratt -- Left to carry the banner for Australia, both reached the third round before falling.

Who is the fans' favorite men's tennis player? Marat Safin, according to a poll on the ATP's Web site. The hot-tempered Russian got 22 percent of the 228,746 votes recently. Gustavo Kuerten came in second with 17 percent, followed by Andre Agassi, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Pete Sampras.

Congratulations to Mats Wilander and Pam Shriver, who were elected last week as this year's inductees into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The pair will be enshrined July 13 in Newport, R.I.

The ATP world doubles championship in Bangalore, India, has been rescheduled for Jan. 29-Feb. 2. It was originally supposed to be held last fall but was postponed for security reasons.

Sampras has split with Nike after an eight-year relationship. No word yet on where Pistol Pete will get his gear from now on; he's been sporting a white shirt with an American flag over the left breast for most of this tournament, and a Los Angeles Lakers cap in post-match media sessions.

One stunning upset so far in doubles: Top seeds and defending champs Jonas Bjorkman and Todd Woodbridge fell in straight sets in the second round to the Czech duo of Tomas Cibulec and Daniel Vacek.

It's about time for the college tennis season to get cranked up, and a couple of familiar teams are atop the most recent rankings. Georgia was a unanimous No. 1 men's selection, while Stanford got all but one first-place vote for the women (No. 2 Florida got the other). Both schools are the defending national champions and return significant portions of their rosters from last year.

"It doesn't hurt me because it is obviously not true, and what can you say? What can you answer back to that? Stupidity really deserves no answer."

Capriati, on Rios' aforementioned comments on the women's game.

"I just said what I thought about it and in the locker room everybody was agreeing. It is ridiculous what is going on in women's tennis and I think everybody agrees."

Rios, emphatically declining a chance to retract his statements.

This week - ATP Tour

The second week Down Under promises to produce at least one very unexpected semifinalist from the busted bottom half of the draw.

This week - WTA Tour

All of the heavyweights are around for what shapes up to be a very interesting final week at the Australian.

Next week - ATP Tour

Most players will be taking the week off, but the clay season will officially begin with an indoor tournament in Milan.

Next week - WTA Tour

The lucrative Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo should draw a decent field, even if it does come right on the heels of a Slam.

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