Sports India

Six of the Top 10, 12 of the Top 20, the World No.1 and between them, the winners of 17 Grand Slams. The fifth edition of the $585,000 Dubai Tennis Championships Women’s Open has managed an array of stars that is hard to find anywhere in the world outside of the four Grand Slams.

Topping the list of the glitterati are World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport, who is making her first appearance in the tournament, and superstar sisters Serena, the Australian Open champion, and Venus Williams. And you could add to the list Australian Open quarter-finalist Alicia Molik, who is one of the fastest rising stars on the tour.

Adding to the glitter of the Middle East’s showpiece tennis event will be Russians Anastasia Myskina, the French Open champion, and Svetlana Kuznetsova, the US Open champion. India’s latest sporting sensation, Sania Mirza, too will be adding to the turnstiles. And so will Tunisian Selima Sfar, the only Pan-Arab in the fray who is returning for the fifth time.

But those hoping to feast their eyes on top seed Davenport, second seed Serena, third Myskina and fourth seed Kuznetsova, however, will have to wait till the second round as the top four have earned a first-round bye in the 28-player event, which will be looking for a new champion as two-time winner Justine Henin-Hardenne is not here to defend her title because of injury.

The other two winners of the tournament, Martina Hingis (2001) and Amelie Mauresmo (2002) are not in the fray.

The hard-hitting Venus, who has played in Dubai twice previously, including last year when she was knocked out in the quarterfinals, is seeded fifth and will open her campaign against Silvia Farina Elia of the Italy, the World No.22.

Venus is in the same half of the draw as her sister Serena, and the two are drawn to meet in the semifinals.

Aussie star Molik, who has slipped into the top 10 following her performance on home soil at the Australian Open, is seeded sixth and opens her campaign against the lanky Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.

Molik, who has competed in the Dubai Women’s Open three times before, will be looking forward to a possible rematch with Lindsay Davenport, who beat her in the quarter finals of the Australian Grand Slam. But before that she might have to go past the Williams sisters — Serena in quarter-final and Venus in the semis. And the kind of form she is in, it wouldn’t be beyond her.

Another standout at the Australian Open was veteran French star Nathalie Dechy, who has also climbed the rankings following her semifinal appearance in Melbourne. Dechy also fell to Davenport’s sword in the semifinal. And she will have a chance to avenge that loss in the quarter-finals. Sania — one of the three wild cards along with veteran Conchita Martinez of Spain and Tunisia’s Sfar, will open her campaign against World No.36 Jelena Kostanic of Croatia. And if she wins that, she runs into US Open champion Kuznetsova in the second round.

But the Indian remains positive.

“Let’s hope I can play well here,” she said. “It’s a big tournament for me and a big opportunity after Australia. Let’s just hope I can give my best and see what comes,” added the Hyderabadi.

And she got encouragement from Tournament Director Salah Tahlak as well.

“We have been getting a lot of calls from all over the world for Sania,” said Tahlak. “So Sania, you have to do well in this tournament because you have a lot of support here in Dubai.”

Selima Sfar, the only too is confident, relishing the pressures of being the only Arab women’s player on the circuit.

“It is a bit of a pressure for sure,” said the Tunisian, about being the lone torch-bearer for Arab women’s tennis. “But I guess it is a huge motivation too.

“It is my fifth time here and I have always played well here,” she said, thanking the organizer for giving her “this opportunity and this privilege to play here”.
“I am a little bit nervous because I want to do well here, especially in this tournament as an Arab player,” said Sfar, who runs into Molik if she wins her first round against Elena Likhovtseva of Russia. “So I will try to play my best tennis and who knows, I might create a few surprises because I am really motivated.” Sfar will need all the motivation and encouragement she can.

Indian Davis Cup captain Leander Paes says the two-month lay-off from injury will not hamper his performance against China in the Asia-Oceania zone Group 1 first round tie, to be held in Delhi from March 4 to 6.

Paes, who played his first match this week since injuring his ankle in a Sydney event prior to the Australian Open, said he felt a bit rusty but is confident of getting into the groove quickly.

“I was a bit rusty. But tennis is not going to take long. I just need to pace myself into the tie (Davis Cup),” said Paes, who lost in the first round doubles of the Dubai Open.

The 31-year-old, who flew in on Friday, had his first hit on grass courts, his favourite surface, in months with Vishal Uppal and Vivek Shokeen at the NSCI Courts on Saturday morning.

“I had a good session. I am playing after a long time on grass but surely it does not take a long time to get back on grass,” he added.

The Indian captain said selection of the second singles player would be a tough job given the good form of Harsh Mankad, who won the Satellite circuit in Britain this week.

“Harsh is the player in form and Prakash [Amritraj] is a good serve and volley player. So it [selection] will be a difficult job for me.

“But we have a whole week ahead and we can judge who has acclimatised to the conditions well and how everyone is playing.

“Harsh’s past performances in Davis Cup make you think that you should look at a younger player. But he is now a player in form and is coming in with a winner’s mindset. It makes my job more difficult,” Paes said.

Paes, who has shouldered the Indian challenge in the Davis Cup for 15 years now, said he would now like the youngsters to stand up and take up the responsibility.

On the strategy against China, he said India could beat any country in Asia if they concentrate on playing their natural game and hence he is focussed on that.

India has a 2-0 head-to-head record against China. The last time they played on grass at Kolkata in 1999, the hosts emerged runaway 5-0 winners in the Group 1 relegation play-off.

The multiple Grand Slam winner was all praise for Sania Mirza and said her achievements are great for Indian tennis.

But the 18-year-old from Hyderabad would now have her work cut out as she would have to live up to the expectations every time she steps on the court, he added.

Team coach Nandan Bal expressed satisfaction over the first training session.

On the arrival programme of other players, he said almost all of them would be in Delhi on Saturday and though they are unaware of the travel plans of Mankad, they are hopeful that the player would also join the team’s practice session on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Chinese team will arrive in Delhi on Sunday.