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Still Sturdy at 30
Revived Sugiyama shocks Kuznetsova
Russian hasn't won title in 11 months
By Matthew Cronin, TennisReporters.net
 Cynthia
Lum/WireImage.com
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| A fitter Sugi isn't ready to retire yet. |
FROM THE ACURA CLASSIC IN CARLSBAD, CALIF. – There are few
30-year-olds on the WTA Tour that are worth following in singles, because
few of them are impact players anymore.
Japan's Ai Sugiyama is right on the fence, as she has had a fairly atrocious
year up until she shocked top seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in
the third round of the Acura Classic on Thursday.
All of sudden, the 38th-ranked Sugi had her legs and counterpunching pop
back again and was able to power more than a few backhands down the lines
that negated Kuznetsova's forehand.
When she was a Top 10 player, Sugi was all about exhausting her foes with
relentless retrieving, deep balls and sharply angled groundstrokes. But
at the end of last year, she couldn't buy a victory anymore and her legs
had worn down.
She had lost her fire and doubted whether when she turned 30 this July whether
her game would matter anymore. The end was near.
"I'd lost my energy and my motivation," said Sugiyama, who reached
her first quarterfinal of the year with her win over Kutzy. "It was
a long time for me to be on the tour. I wasn't enjoying it."
But Sugiyama hired a new hitting partner, Italian Simone Amorico, and is
also traveling full time with a fitness trainer. "My goal is to get
back into the Top 10," she said. "My fitness is getting better
with the new team. I'm getting my confidence back. At the end of today's
match, I felt I could keep going, which gives me a lot of confidence, I
don't want to end my career not playing at the level I'm capable of."
Sugiyama is hoping to play another two years.
HER AGE IS NOTHING LIKE NAVRATILOVA's
"Thirty isn't like 20 recovery wise, but I haven't lost my quickness,"
she said. "I just have to do more to keep in shape, eat well, recover
better. Plus, 30 is nothing to compare Martina Navratilova. As long as I
can enjoy it, I think I can do well."
Sugiyama will face 15-year-old Sesil Karatantcheva, who downed the US's
Mashona Washington 6-1, 6-2. It's the first time since 1996 that there will
be no Americans in the quarterfinals and only the second time in the 21-year
history of the tournament.
Kuznetsova played well in spots, but is still way off her game. While she
believed that she dictated well in the first set and essentially blew the
match by letting go of chances in the first two games of the second set,
she was extremely erratic. The single-mindedness she showed in winning '04 US Open is nowhere to be
found. Her mind is wandering.
"She concentrated during the whole match
and I didn't," said Kuznetsova, who was playing in her first tournament
since Wimbledon. "I had too many ups and downs. That month was the
longest break I've ever had from tennis and I need some more matches before
I get my form back."
Since winning the US Open and taking the crown the next week in Bali,
Kuznetsova has been moving sideways … without a fine bottle on Pinot. She
hasn't won a title since then or reached the semis of a Slam. "I'm
not very satisfied with my year," Kuznetsova said. "If you compare
it to last year, maybe it's 50 percent as good, but I can't ask that of
myself all of the time. Hopefully with more matches, my confidence will
come back before the US Open."
There were two minor upsets, when 18-year-old Anna Chakvetadze of Russia
took down No. 9 Elena Likhovtseva 6-3, 6-1 and China's Shuai Peng defeated
No. 16 Dinara Safina 7-6, 6-0. She'll play Ms. Cement, Kim Clijsters, who
wasted Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 6-3. The awkward Safina may never pan out, but
Peng should. She could give a clinic on how to take the ball on the rise.
One of her coaches, Alan Ma, left on Thursday while another one, Karl Fromet,
arrived.
Patty Schnyder got by Francesca Schiavone 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-4 and will
meet Mary Pierce, who beat countrywoman Nathalie Dechy 7-5, 6-3. The two
will relive their Roland Garros classic, where Pierce needed 11 match points
to get by the Swiss. "I hope I get a match point tomorrow," said
Pierce.
Chakvetadze is the only Russian left among the 11 who entered. … Japan's
Akiko Morigami ended Indian qualifier Sania Mirza's run with a 6-2, 4-6,
6-4 victory. There are more Japanese players than either Americans or Russians
left in the draw. "That's great for Japan," Sugi said.
Roddick Survives Chela in DC
Andy Roddick struggled again, barely surviving Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela
6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 in Washington. Roddick had only two breaks of serve in
the match. Paradorn took down Wesley Moodie 6-3, 7-6(1) and Ivo Karlovic
out-served Greg Rusedski 7-6 (4), 6-2. He'll play Roddick. "He has
one of the best serves, and when I played him (in the Queen's final) it
was my first time playing against him and I was overwhelmed at the atmosphere,"
Karlovic said.
Tomas Berdych upended No. 8 seed Sebastien Grosjean and will face American
wild card Bobby Reynolds. Arnaud Clement outlasted 2004 finalist Gilles
Muller 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 and Luis Horna stopped Robby Ginepri's bid for a third
straight quarterfinal appearance by taking down the American 6-4, 7-6(8).
However, Ginepri will likely maintain his lead in the US Open Series.
US OPEN SERIES CONTRIBUTES TO BIG AMERICAN TV JUMP
Television viewership for the first week of the US Open Series featuring
both men's and women's tournaments was up 32 percent over the first week of ESPN's
2004 coverage. The overall TV rating climbed by 33 percent. Total viewership of
ESPN2's telecast of the men's Mercedes-Benz Cup was up 85 percent compared to 2004,
with the Sunday final featuring Andre Agassi attracting 631,000 viewers.
The semifinal match was watched by nearly twice as many viewers – 427,000
– as compared to 2004. Viewership of the women's Bank of the West Classic
was equal to the 2004 broadcast with nearly 500,000 viewers of the semis
and final.
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