[Jakeev]

The other Anna, Smashnova that is. Not only has she not dropped a set since last week and going into her final against Tanasugarn in Canbarra, I think this is the best string of tennis she has ever put together in her career.

So what is up with her sudden resurgence? Is she training harder or is her competition just not playing as well?

Great to see good tennis from her anyway.

 

[saki]

There was an article about her win over the other Anna, which said that she'd decided to take tennis more seriously, get a decent coach & trainer et cetera.

 

[Martian KC]

Yes, I thought she wanted to quit last year dropping below her usual top 50 but she definitely has proven she is top 30 40 material! Go Anna!!!

 

[Steveg]

Who is her new coach? Anyone knows ?

I want the same !!!

 

[Dawn Marie]

Is she placed in OZ draw yet and if so who is she up against? I hope not my Venus or Serena!!!

 

[Martian KC]

She has Katarina Srebotnik in the 1st round and could face Amelie in the 2nd round.

 

[MLF]

She was saying in Auckland that in the off season there she undertook a very tough fitness regime under the instruction of the Israeli army. Seems to have worked.

 

[Goran]

She has two coaches Steveg. One of them was with her in Auckland but the other one was with her parents in Israel. He is the Italian Claudio Pistenolli (sp) and he is also her boyfriend. She was really nice at the awards ceremony after the match and I think that she deserved to win because she is one player that has been coming back to Auckland year-in year-out. She was surprised after the match because she rang her family in Israel to tell them she had won and unbeknown to her they had televised it live in Israel. It was about 3am there. I hope she does well in Canberra.

She also completed mandatory service in the Israeli Army in
1997.

 

[Dawn Marie]

Ok thank you KC

 

[Jakeev]

Well you see then Anna Smashnova is proof of what hard work can do for you in today's game of tennis.

Women's tennis is great but could be greater if many more decided to dedicate themselves to want to be better players.

The question now would have to be is Anna playing like a top-twenty player and will she be there in the next six months?

And congrats Anna for winning your second-straight title!!!!

 

[mishar]

That's great that Anna won two titles in a row!!

If she can play like that on hard courts, imagine what she'll do on clay.
I think her next tournaments are Bogota and Acapulco.

Does anyone know, is Anna S. the only Jewish girl in the top 100?

I wonder if it's difficult for her to travel abroad. There's so much anti-semitism in the world. I'm sure she wouldn't be allowed in to Quatar or U.A.E. But even in Europe, I would not feel so safe being an Israeli athlete. (I haven't forgotten Munich in 72)

 

[Mateo Mathieu]

Actually, she's Russian! Well... she was born in Misnik at Belarus. She was moved to Israel when she was 10 years old.

 

[Rollo]

Improved fitness. So many of the lower ranked women are just out of shape, and even a lot of the top womens wins and loses come down to fitness. One look at Tanasugarn tells me she looks thinner than she's ever been. Mirjana Lucic would be a world beater if she dropped 15 pounds.
Capriati's comeback was tied to conditioning, while Monica Seles's lack of conditioning has cost her for years. We'll soon see if Monica has improved enough in that area, while rumors are indicating Capriati has fallen off the fitness wagon a bit and more than a few press reports out of Sydney (and Hingis) have indicated Serena looked overweight and winded in Sydney.

 

[imogen]

It's great to see a player like Anna Smashnova win 2 titles in a row! I saw in Auckland, and she is definetly a tough nut to crack!
I hope she has a tremendous year (like Justine Henin - who started off last year by winning 2 straight titles).

 

[MLF]

Nice to see a seasoned campaigner like Anna get some rewards. She's going to be overpowered by the big guns once she runs into them but the other girls are going to have their hands full when they play her. She hasn't dropped a set this year yet:

McQuillan 6-4 6-1
Jidkova 7-5 6-1
Medina-Garrigues 6-2 6-2
Kournikova 6-1 6-4
Panova 6-2 6-2
Obata 6-1 6-3
Stewart 7-6 6-0
Loit 6-3 6-0
Grahame 7-5 6-2
Tanasugarn 7-5 7-6

 

[Aloysius]

I saw Anna train years ago (circa 1994), and her problem didn't seem to be fitness at the time, but inconsistency. She seemed to be working very hard, but her concentration often wavered. It's good to hear that she's decided to take her tennis seriously. With more focus, she can only get better.

Anna has had potential written all over her for years from lots of tennis writers and former players, like Andrei Chesnokov. She never managed to really step up with that promise. Perhaps this year is her year to do just that. Best of luck in Melbourne, Anna.

Srebotnik is beatable, and the match against Mauresmo will test just how far she's come along with her new training regime. An upset is possible. Hope she's not too tired from her Auckland and Canberra wins. Go Anna! (Isn't that a lizard? Goanna? )

 

[Martian KC]

Look at this picture from a week ago.

 

[Aloysius]

LOL. It looked a like a final between two Under-14 juniors. They are really petite! To imagine that some juniors are even taller and bigger than them at 14.

Players like Tatiana and Anna are going to become rarer and rarer, so good on them for showing that it's not necessarily going to be all about power and strength. There's a place for all kinds of players to succeed.

 

[CB]

drugs!!!!!!!

just kidding guys.. don't mind!

 

[Rollo]

LOL. Those huge trophies don't make then look any bigger either.