Tier III, IV and V tournaments.
The big girls don't get down here much. Venus did start her year down here. Monica and Jelena visit regularly. (Jelena because she'd discorporate if she took a week off. Monica because (as near as I can tell) she needs/needed the points.) But this isn't the usual realm of top ten players. It isn't even the realm of top twenty players. In 23 tournaments, the winners have only been top 20 players five times. They just don't play in tournaments this small.
Which is good. The Tier III, IV V's are almost a developmental tour. You don't go home to work on your game if you're a good player. You play Tier III's and Tier IV's while you work things out. Then go up to the big tour for more points, more exposure, more prize money and more endorsements. Look at Anna Smashnova. She's won three small tournaments this year, and got her game in shape. Now she's doing well enough in the big tournaments for a top 20 ranking. Textbook example.
One other note. They play a lot more clay down here than the big girls do. 17 out of 36 Tier III, IV and V tournaments are on clay. (16 red, 1 green.) Nearly half. Only 6 out of 31 GS, Tier I and Tier II tournaments are played on clay.
Code:
t4 12-31-01 Auckland Smashnova def Panova 6-2 6-2 HO
T3 12-31-02 Gold Coast V.Williams def Henin 7-5 6-2 HO
t5 01-07-02 Canberra Smashnova def Tanasugarn 7-5 7-6 HO
t5 01-07-02 Hobart Sucha def Garrigues 7-6 6-1 HO
t3 02-11-02 Doha Seles def Tanasugarn 7-6 6-3 HO
t3 02-18-02 Bogota Zuluaga def Srebotnik 6-1 6-4 RC
t3 02-18-02 Memphis Raymond def Stevenson 4-6 6-3 7-6 HI
t3 02-25-02 Acapulco Srebotnik def Suarez 6-7 6-4 6-2 RC
t4 04-01-02 Porto Montolio def Serna 6-1 2-6 7-5 RC
t4 04-01-02 Sarasota Dokic def Panova 6-2 6-2 GC
t4 04-08-01 Estoril Serna def Barna 6-4 6-2 RC
t5 04-15-02 Budapest Muller def Casanova 6-2 3-6 6-4 RC
t3 04-29-02 Bol Svensson def Majoli 6-3 4-6 6-1 RC
t4 05-06-02 Warsaw Bovina def Nagyova 6-3 6-1 RC
t3 05-20-02 Madrid Seles def Rubin 6-4 6-2 RC
t3 05-20-02 Strasbourg Farina def Dokic 6-4 3-6 6-3 RC
t3 06-10-02 Birmingham Dokic def Myskina 6-2 6-3 GR
t4 06-10-02 Tashkent Mikaelian def Poutchek 6-4 6-4 HO
t3 06-10-02 Vienna Smashnova def Tulyaganova 6-4 6-1 RC
t3 06-17-02 Ordina Daniilidou def Dementieva 3-6 6-2 6-3 GR
t4 07-08-02 Brussels Casanova def ASV 4-6 6-2 6-1 RC
t5 07-08-02 Casablanca Wartusch def Koukalova 5-7 6-3 6-3 RC
t5 07-08-02 Palermo Diaz-Oliva def Zvonareva 6-7 6-1 6-3 RC
t3 07-22-02 Sopot RC
t4 07-29-02 Basel RC
t5 08-05-02 Helsinki RC
t4 09-09-02 Shanghai HO
t4 09-09-02 Big Island HO
t3 09-16-02 Quebec City HI
t3 09-23-02 Bali HO
t3 09-30-02 Tokyo HO
t4 10-07-02 Aarhus SI
t5 10-14-02 Bratislava HI
t3 10-21-02 Seat SI
t5 10-28-02 Surabaya HO
t5 11-04-02 Pattaya City HO
__________________________
12 HO - Hard Outdoor
3 HI - Hard Indoor
16 RC - Red Clay
1 GC - Green Clay
2 GR - Grass
2 SI - Supreme Indoor
36 TT - Total
The 'Developmental' Tour
