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| THE SCOOP: friday, august 5
"She has a great future ahead of her," Clijsters said. She's the best player I've played in a long time; everything together, the groundstrokes and the movement. I think she can definitely become top three." Adeptly disguising her ground assault with her two-hands off both sides style, Peng kissed every line in sight, was soil in her crosscourt attack and easily put way her swing volleys. She returned aggressively, served competently and was able to serve out the match without shaking. "I'm very happy," said Peng. "I was so nervous before I went on court and didn't' think about beating her, just playing my game. I told myself if I got chances to believe in myself." Clijsters hadn't lost a contest in the United States since falling to Justine Henin-Hardenne at the '03 US Open, but couldn't' raise her level to put a dent in Peng. "She's one of the hardest hitters I've played," Clijsters said. " She hits incredibly clean, especially from her backhand side. She played unbelievable. She came up with better shots every time, even when I was defending well. I tried to change it a little bit but she had an answer for everything." When asked whether she'd be seeing a lot more of Peng before her lifetime is over, Clijsters replied, "That question scares me." Sharapova could grab No. 1 next week With the withdrawal of top-ranked Lindsay Davenport from next week's JPMorgan Chase Open in Carson, Maria Sharapova could become No. 1 at the tournament. Sharapova will have to reach the semifinals and she will become No. 1. Davenport won the tournament last year while Sharapova
didn't play it. The 18-year-old Russian is only 23 points behind Davenport.
Although her name was placed in next week's Stockholm draw, Venus Williams is no definite to play that event next week, either. The top eight seeds for the JPMorgan Chase are Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova, Vera Zvonareva, Kim Clijsters, Mary Pierce and Elena Likhovtseva.
How does a mid-career player like Akiko Morigami become a minor force to be reckoned with in just a month's time? She say it's simply confidence, but it's more than that. Her countrywoman, Ai Sugiyama, says its because she game has finally pieced itself together. Her high-loopers are landing deeper, her forehand has more bite on it, and she'd not afraid to gun her returns. Japan's perennial third-best player will now have her first crack at Japan's longtime No. 1 in a big arena in the Acura Classic semifinals. On Thursday, Sugiyama blitzed 15-year-old Bulgarian Sesil Karatantcheva 6-1, 6-2, and Morigami out-steadied Russian Anna Chakvetadze 6-3, 6-4. It's the first time in tour history that two Japanese players will meet in a Tier I semifinal. Both are fast, both can counterpunch. Sugiyama is a little stronger and has a better backhand while Morigami owns a better forehand. Sugiyama has been a Top-10 player while Morigami has never come close. She'll likely break the Top 50 for the fist time on Monday and she's quite pleased. "I haven't really changed anything," she said. "I'm feeling my groundstrokes. I'm very excited to play against Ai. She's always been No. 1 in Japan when I've been 3 or 4. I respect her a lot. I'm just going to keep fighting. Maybe she's going to feel more pressure than I do. It's going to be a challenge for her." Morigami hits with two hands off both sides, occasionally going to a one-handed forehand when she's stretched out. When she first learned the game at age eight, she was too weak to hit a one-handed forehand. Now it's becomes her main weapon. "There are a lot of Japanese players and juniors who hit with double hands," she said. "I tried to change once, but I couldn't finish my swing. I wasn't slow and then a coach said to stick with it." "It's great for Japanese tennis," said Morigami about the all-Japanese semifinal. "A lot of people don't think we can make Top 10 and I think its great." But Sugiyama's Top 20 abilities have never really been questioned, while Morigami's have. Last month, she got a chance to step in for Sugi in Fed Cup against Bulgaria at home and came through in a big way. That's when she found herself taking down Maggie Maleeva and Sesil Karatantcheva for the first time. She reached the Cincy final, beating Vera Zvonareva and Dani Hantuchova the week after. "That was a lot of pressure at Fed Cup, but I held up well," she said. "I always wanted to make the Top 20 but I've been trying to break the Top 50 and I couldn't. I never really believed in myself, even when I as up a set and 4-2, but now I do. I didn't see my opponent, just my own game. Beating Vera really helped me. Instead of just being aggressive once and a while, I was aggressive the whole time and just hit the ball." In the other half of the draw, Mary Pierce plastered a tried Patty Schnyder 6-4, 6-3 to reach the semifinals. She'll face Peng. Recall that at Roland Garros, Pierce needed 11 match points to take down Schnyder in a long three setter. On Friday, she need four more as Schynder smoked three winners on the first three match points and then finally couldn't pick up a forehand crosscourt. "I was saying, 'Where did that come from?" Pierce said. |
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