THE SCOOP: WEDNESDAY, JULY 25

Source: Bush snubs Capriati; Seles returns to action

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

Susan Mullane Camerawork USA, Inc.

PALO ALTO, CA. – A source close to Jennifer Capriati told tennisreporters.net that President George W. Bush was supposed to call Jennifer and congratulate her after she won Roland Garros in June. Jennifer waited and waited, but the call never came. Apparently Jennifer wasn't too upset, she was a Clinton supporter anyway. Dare we say that her like of Clinton – who has become the ultimate sports fan in the first year of his post presidency – arises because she can emphasize with Bill's battle back from near total disgrace?

Capriati is not playing the $565,000 Bank of the West Classic at Stanford University, because she decided to change her schedule 10 days before the tournament started and play San Diego instead. She did play the exo in Mahwah, New Jersey, last weekend, which she won over Amanda Coetzer. Bank of the West tournament officials weren't thrilled with her decision, but they had sold enough tickets for the final weekend before her pullout so they aren't overly concerned. The Northern California fans that tennisreporters.net spoke to were very disappointed. The last two times, Jenny played here,in '98 and '99, she was out of synch and lost to Corina Morariu.

SELES RETURNS TO THE COURT
The 23-year-old Tu will face Monica Seles on Wednesday night, who will be playing in her first tournament in more than two months due to stress fractures in both her feet. Tu has played Seles once before, last year on a
similar hard court in San Diego, where she seriously pushed her in a 7-5, 7-5 loss. The retirement watch is officially on for Monica, who at age 27 and in her 13th year on the tour, has left her best tennis in the past millennium. Whether Monica has something left in her engine to make a late summer push remains to be seen. Playing the quick and sturdy Tu will be a good first test.

STANFORD STAR DIES OUT
Some quick hits on some of the players who competed here on Tuesday: Meilen Tu stopped two-time collegiate champ Laura Granville's dream of making a successful pro debut on her home courts, when she overcame the former Stanford star 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. Granville's back-to-back NCAA notwithstanding, she needs more variety to her game and more oomph on her strokes if she is to ever reach the top-20. If she fails to do soon, she'll end up like another former Cardinal playing here, Lilia Osterloh, a game player who knows how to move forward and take advantage of her wiles but not big or strong enough to fell the big hitters week in and week out.

The 20-year-old Granville said that slugging against the pros is far
different than controlling the court against sometimes sketchy college
competition. "The pros hit a lot harder, they're more consistent and are in
better shape," she said. "It's not an unreachable level, it's just a little
bit too much, too fast."

This is Stanford week at The Farm, with Osterloh, Granville, Anne Kremer and
Marissa Irvin also playing in the event. Kremer of Luxembourg is the best of
the lot right now, although she looked sluggish in falling to Sandra Cacic on
Monday night. Irvin is the most confusing of the bunch, winning a Challenger
a few miles from here 10 days ago and then losing her composure in a
three-set loss to Amy Frazier on Tuesday night.

If someone out there understands what direction Irvin's game is headed or
what the plan is for her development, please let us know. With her spotty
groundstrokes, she should be coming into net at all costs to make use of her
excellent volley. She has a terrific first serve and should be following that
in. Instead, she seems convinced that because she can best mediocre players
at the Challenger level from the back court, that she can hang perennial
top-20 sluggers like Frazier from the baseline. It's pretty obvious that
right now, she can't. "I'm sick of losing to good players 6-3 in the third
set," said Irvin. "I lost to Amend Coetzer, Amelia Mauresmo and now Frazier
6-3 in the third set this year. I'm stepping up my play, but I'm making the
wrong choices at the wrong times."

By the way, the annual question must be asked: why does Frazier wear a
plastic white visor at night? The visor contains no logos and her hair isn't
that long. A bang cutting for is in order, or at least a prominent logo on the
visor, maybe one for Coppertone Utlimate Sunblock No. 50, which Amy appears
to pour on herself daily to avoid even a touch of sunburn.

SHAUGHNESSY'S SHOT
Why has Meghann Shaughnessy become a top-20 player? Because her forehand has gotten so big both from baseline and off the return that when she's on, she
can control an entire match with it.

Shaughnessy bested 18-year-old Daja Bedanova in a two terrific, athletic sets
on Tuesday night. With lethal groundies of both wings, an improving serve and
more than fair return, Bedanova already has the look of a top 20 player. But
she doesn't quite know how to construct a point yet and is still a little too
thin to make a major impact at a Slam. If she builds her muscles like
Shaughnessy has and learns to think a little more clearly, she'll be the best
Czech since Jana Novotna.

SHORTS
Kim Clijsters is here with her boyfriend, Lleyton Hewitt. The two were
practicing extremely hard together on Tuesday.
The speed gun must have went on the fritz yesterday: it registered a Cara
Black first serve at 123 mph, only three mph less than Venus Williams'
fastest offering this year. The 5-foot-5 Black is a nice player, but there is
no way she crushed a ball 123.