[Jeff]

Open Gaz de France, 2002

Bonjour! Welcome to the VWTT tour's second Tier II event of the year, the Open Gaz de France. The Open Gaz de France is hosted by one of the most romantique and popular tourist attractive city in the world, Paris, France. After winning her 2nd title of the year last week at the Tier I Toray Pan Pacific, Julia Jans enters this event as the clear favorite, leading the closest opponent in the rankings, #2 Iva Majoli, by over 400 points. Iva Majoli, however, showed that she definetly wants to catch up to Julia, showing an impressive performance last week to reach the final, before losing to Julia. Other top players, such as #3 Amanda Coetzer and #6 Martina Hingis make their return to the tour this week, hoping to move back to the top of the rankings, after slipping from missing last week. New comer, Mirjana Lucic, also returns to action this week, and hopes to make a break through. In order to do that, however, she'll have to make it through 2 rounds of qualifying. Bonne Chance, tout le monde! Good luck to all! Let the tournament begin.


Shedule for Results

First Round - After 2nd Round matches complete
Quarterfinal- After Quarterfinal matches complete
Semifinals- After semifinal matches complete
Final - After the final is completed


Seeded Players

1. Julian Jans
2. Iva Majoli
3. Amanda Coetzer
4. Silvia Farina-Elia

 

[Jeff]

Open Gaz de France, 2002​

Qualifying Singles

Venus Williams vs. Justine Henin
Mirjana Lucic vs. Alexandra Stevenson


Singles Main Draw

(1)Julia Jans vs. Maggie Maleeva
Serena Williams vs. Meghann Shaughnessy
(4)Silvia Farina-Elia vs. Gabriela Sabatini
Chanda Rubin vs. Qualifier

Martina Navratilova vs. Mary Pierce
(3)Amanda Coetzer vs. Martina Hingis
Anna Kournikova vs. Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere
(2)Iva Majoli vs. Lindsay Davenport

 

[Jeff]

Open Gaz de France, 2002​

Qualifying Doubles

Kournikova/Lucic vs. Sabatini/Pierce



Doubles Main Draw

(1)Jans/Maleeva-Fragniere vs. Shaughnessy/Coetzer
Williams/Williams vs. Davenport/Stevenson
Hingis/Maggie Maleeva vs. Qualifier
(2)Majoli/Farina-Elia vs. Navratilova/Rubin

 

[DoctorG]

Good luck to everyone!

Thank you Jeff!

 

[jacs]

GOOD BLESSINGS TO EVERYONE!

 

[QUEENLINDSAY]

GO LINDSAY!!!!!

 

[Dokicfan17]

Lucic prepares for Qualifying

Lucic prepares for a tough qualifying tournament in the Open Gaz De France. Lucic has never been into a main draw of any tournament but she has joined last weel. She got bagled last week to Kournikova at Tokyo and hopes to win the qualifying for her first spot at any tournament. She'll face a very tough and eager Stevenson, and if she gets through, Henin or Venus Williams will stand in her way, so Mirjana has a tough road for a spot. Lucic stated she feels very very confident and hopes to win. Lucic has been practicing with her coach a lot lately and hopes to win and get into the draw." Getting into the main draw is my goal right now because i am low ranked and never played a main draw. So hopefully my very hard work will play off and I wanna show the world I can play tennis, hopefully I can beat Alexandra". When asked about if she wins and moves into the final qualifying, we asked her who she thought would win. : I think Henin can".Lucic hopes to do well in Paris. Lucic is playing doubles with partner Anna Kournikova for the second time. Mirjana admitted she liked Kournikova and she has a good friendship with her . " We're both young girls and really understand because we are so a like. Good luck to Lucic.

 

[ASV]

Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario retires indefinetly from the VWTT. Arantxa sited a lack of much needed time that the game requires and hopes to return one day...

 

[Jeff]

Open Gaz de France, 2002​

Qualifying Singles (Round 1)

Justine Henin def. Venus Williams 6-2 3-6 7-6(0)
Alexandra Stevenson def. Mirjana Lucic 6-0 6-0


Qualifying Singles (Final Round)

Alexandra Stevenson def. Justine Henin 2-6 6-1 6-3



Congratulations, Alexandra! You have earned your spot into the singles main draw

 

[Jeff]

Open Gaz de France, 2002​

Singles (First Round)

Maggie Maleeva def. (1)Julia Jans 2-6 7-5 7-6(0)
Serena Williams def. Meghann Shaughnessy 6-4 3-6 7-6(11-9)
(4)Silvia Farina-Elia def. Gabriela Sabatini 7-6(4) 5-7 7-6(0)
(Q)Alexandra Stevenson def. Chanda Rubin 6-0 6-0

Mary Pierce def. Martina Navratilova 6-0 6-0
(3)Amanda Coetzer def. Martina Hingis 6-4 6-2
Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere def. Anna Kournikova 6-1 6-0
(2)Iva Majoli def. Lindsay Davenport 6-0 6-0

 

[DoctorG]

So close! It's going to be tough against a qualifeir at the top of her form.

And what an upset! It's very surprising to see Jans going out so early.

Thank you Jeff!

 

[polishprodigy]

JANS KNOCKED OUT IN FIRST ROUND OF PARIS ACTON

No.1 ranked VWTT player and Australian Open 2002 Champion Julia Jans of Poland was upset yesterday in the first round of th Open De Gaz tournament in Paris. Jans lost to Maggie Maleeva 2-6 7-5 7-6. :O She had many chances to win the match. Leading 6-2 5-2, Jans' game quickly crippled. She lost five games straight to lose the second set 7-5. After regaining her composure in the third set, Jans managed to pull ahead 5-3, with 2 match points, but Maleeva tied it all at 5-5. Jans then had another two match points leading 6-5, but Maleeva managed to play magnificently under pressure and win the game and send the final set to a tiebreaker. In the tiebreaker, Jans fell apart, losing 7-0 to have her first early round loss ever. This is quite a shock. Jans has a commanding +400 pt lead at no.1 over the nearest competitor, and had great success prior to this tournament, winning the Australian Open and Pan Pacific tournaments, and reaching ATLEAST the semi-finals in all the four tournaments she had played. However, Maleeva was playing well, and managed to take advantage of Jans' squandered leads, so good luck to her. Lets hope Jans/Maleeva-Fragniere do well in doubles! Again this is a shock!

 

[Sam L]

Martina lost!

Anyway Congrats to all the winners... And Martina hopes for a better showing in the Doubles!

 

[maximus82]

Congratulations to Serena Williams...I had really hoped that Meghann was finally going to make a run in a tourniment, but you just eeked out a win over her so I have to give you mad respect! Go on and take this title!

Go Amanda/Shaughnessy in doubles...I know you two can do it!

~maximus82

 

[Dokicfan17]

LUCIC OUT AND UPSET


Mirjana Lucic of Croatia lost in the qualifying first round to Alexandra Stevenson. When we saw Mirjana after she looked devastated and upset. " I don't know maybe the pro's isn't here yet you know I don't know if I am good enough to stay on the VWTT. I lost in both qualifying rounds all tournaments I played and i haven't even won a game on the tour. Right now I'm surprised i won couple points but it's hard I don't know what to do because I practice very hard and what happens, nothing ,maybe a new coach but i can't lose the time, right now I'm upset and need some time off. We asked if she would play Doha, Dubai, Or Memphis. " Right now the only thing on my mind is winning one game and practcing, I have so little confidence right now that your luck to see me play in four months i doubt i'll play the ericsson, indian wells, or doha i need time the level is to high, who knows. Obviously I cant make it through the qualifying.". We asked how will the loss affect her." It really tore me up and brought my confidence way down, I am scared to walk on the court. I was commited to Doha, and Memphis, and Scottsdale, but i think I had a change of plans". Well there, Lucic terribly upset and it's sad to see her with that attitude. Lucic stated her schedule winn be switched and she might not play for a while. She said she's definitltly playing Wimbledon and doesnt know what in the mean time.

http://www.********************/lucic/ml18.jpg
Lucic returns a forehand to Stevenson in her 6/0 6/0 loss which really took it to Lucic after the match.

 

[Jeff]

Yeah, disappointing to see Lucic lose another match 6-0, 6-0. It's a tough game, but once she makes it through qualifying, she should do well. It's just making that breakthrough that is difficult.

 

[Jeff]

Open Gaz de France, 2002​

Singles (Quarterfinals)

Maggie Maleeva def. Serena Williams 6-7(6-8) 7-6(0) 7-6(9-7)
(Q)Alexandra Stevenson def. (4)Silvia Farina-Elia 6-0 6-7(0) 6-0
Mary Pierce def. (3)Amanda Coetzer 6-4 6-3
(2)Iva Majoli def. Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere 6-4 0-6 6-0

 

[Jeff]

Open Gaz de France, 2002​

Doubles Qualifying

Sabatini/Pierce def. Kournikova/Lucic 7-6(0) 6-0

Congratulations to the team of Sabatini/Pierce. You both have earned your position into the doubles main draw .

 

[DoctorG]

I expected something like that in singles. By luck my doubles partner seems to be in great form once again.

Thank you Jeff!

 

[Wizkid]

Yes I starting to win again.