Joined
·
62,677 Posts
Source: Middle East News Online
Publication date: 2002-02-03
Doha - GUTSY Monica Seles of the United States will headline the second Qatar TotalFinaElf Open alongwith glamourpuss Anna Kournikova of Russia and Frenchwoman Sandrine Testud.
Also tipped for participation is one of the two Spaniards Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario or Conchita Martinez. But their playing in the $170,000 tourney will depend on a pull-out from the field of 32 which will be declared in the coming days.
Announcing this yesterday, Qatar Tennis Federation chief Ali al-Fardan also said that defending champion Martina Hingis had decided to rest her tired feet and would not be playing this time round in Doha. Last year she had defeated Testud in the final to become the first women's champion.
Seles is best known for her remarkable comeback after a long gap when she was stabbed in the back by a fanatical fan of Steffi Graf in Hamburg in 1993. Then reigning at the top, she did not pick up the racquet for more than two years.
Seles' ranking went into a free-fall before she stepped back on court to win several Comeback Player of the Year awards.
At present, Seles is 10th on the rankings tree and has won nine Grand Slams. The 29- year-old American has brought to the purpose more than $13 million and pocketed as many as 51 singles titles.
Kournikova, on the other hand, is still fishing for her first singles title on the Tour even after more than 90 matches. It has been a proverbial case of so-near-yet-so- far for the photogenic Russian, whose million-dollar endorsements have been more responsible for keeping her in the news, than her tennis prowess.
Kournikova's world ranking has plummeted to 99 after she was sidelined for eight months last year with an injury.
But this in no sense detracts from the magic of her game. She made her professional debut six years ago as a promising teenager and Doha could well be the place where she ends her title-drought.
One of Anna's several off-the-court distinctions is that in 2000, she was one of five female tennis players named so far to the Forbes magazine Power 100 in the Fame and Fortune list at No. 58. And, she was also selected for the 1998 People Magazine "50 Most Beautiful People" list, one of only two athletes to make the grade.
Testud is a veteran on the Tour but still a formidable force. She effortlessly made it to the final last time and presents the biggest threat to the other stars.
There will be a toss-up between Martinez and Sanchez-Vicario for the fourth wild card but WTA's decision on this will be known only after Monday. Both of them have won Grand Slams and are fully capable of causing an upset or two despite their recent decline in form.
Publication date: 2002-02-03
Doha - GUTSY Monica Seles of the United States will headline the second Qatar TotalFinaElf Open alongwith glamourpuss Anna Kournikova of Russia and Frenchwoman Sandrine Testud.
Also tipped for participation is one of the two Spaniards Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario or Conchita Martinez. But their playing in the $170,000 tourney will depend on a pull-out from the field of 32 which will be declared in the coming days.
Announcing this yesterday, Qatar Tennis Federation chief Ali al-Fardan also said that defending champion Martina Hingis had decided to rest her tired feet and would not be playing this time round in Doha. Last year she had defeated Testud in the final to become the first women's champion.
Seles is best known for her remarkable comeback after a long gap when she was stabbed in the back by a fanatical fan of Steffi Graf in Hamburg in 1993. Then reigning at the top, she did not pick up the racquet for more than two years.
Seles' ranking went into a free-fall before she stepped back on court to win several Comeback Player of the Year awards.
At present, Seles is 10th on the rankings tree and has won nine Grand Slams. The 29- year-old American has brought to the purpose more than $13 million and pocketed as many as 51 singles titles.
Kournikova, on the other hand, is still fishing for her first singles title on the Tour even after more than 90 matches. It has been a proverbial case of so-near-yet-so- far for the photogenic Russian, whose million-dollar endorsements have been more responsible for keeping her in the news, than her tennis prowess.
Kournikova's world ranking has plummeted to 99 after she was sidelined for eight months last year with an injury.
But this in no sense detracts from the magic of her game. She made her professional debut six years ago as a promising teenager and Doha could well be the place where she ends her title-drought.
One of Anna's several off-the-court distinctions is that in 2000, she was one of five female tennis players named so far to the Forbes magazine Power 100 in the Fame and Fortune list at No. 58. And, she was also selected for the 1998 People Magazine "50 Most Beautiful People" list, one of only two athletes to make the grade.
Testud is a veteran on the Tour but still a formidable force. She effortlessly made it to the final last time and presents the biggest threat to the other stars.
There will be a toss-up between Martinez and Sanchez-Vicario for the fourth wild card but WTA's decision on this will be known only after Monday. Both of them have won Grand Slams and are fully capable of causing an upset or two despite their recent decline in form.