(I posted this on Friday, but it wasn't delivered to the Group -
presumably due to a technical failure of Yahoo! Groups.)

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J&S CUP (Warszawa, Poland; red clay; WTA Tier II)
======= http://www.jandscup.pl/
Photos
------

Select Daniela Hantuchová (and Anna Chakvetadze - I must admit she
looks pretty amazing here) and click Search:
http://www.jandscup.pl/eng/gal_2006.php

Off-court:
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/photogallery/

Photos of Magdaléna Rybáriková, including one with Daniela:
http://www.wtaworld.com/showpost.php?p=7936773

First-round video (38 seconds):
http://www.wtaworld.com/showpost.php?p=7938389

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First round (Tuesday 2nd May)
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+ DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ [9] d. Anna Smashnova, 4-6 7-5 6-3

This was scheduled as the last match on Monday, but was rained off.

Smashnova led 6-4 5-3, but once again Daniela showed her fighting
qualities to win in three, as she's done so many times already in
2006 (this is the fourth tournament in a row where she's won her
opening match in three sets).

But if Daniela didn't make such a meal of these matches, perhaps she
would have more energy for the next match (even after a day off),
and of course it would be a sign of better form if she could beat
these players in two straight sets.

Smashnova is a solid counterpuncher, especially on clay, and she had
a 3-1 head-to-head over Daniela going into this match, including
Warszawa 2004. But she's getting on a bit at age 29 (I can say that
because I'm 30), came close to retiring a couple of years ago, and
now has a 3-7 win/loss record for 2006.


Daniela quotes
--------------

"Even when I was a set and break down, I feel like I was trying to
do the right things. I was not making her play enough, and not
putting that final shot in, and I turned it around I guess by trying
all the time to be positive and forget about the errors as soon as I
could, and just really be focused on the next point.

"I was just really glad how I stuck in there and kept fighting for
every point. That's what makes the difference for me, now being able
to win these matches.

"After almost four years of working together, I have decided to
split with my coach Nigel Sears. I'm really thankful for all his
effort and all the knowledge that he's been trying to bring into my
game, and I will always appreciate it. It's been great working with
him, but I thought it was time to move on, and go in a different
direction in order to take my tennis to the next level."

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Second round (Thursday 4th May)
------------

- DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ [9] lt. Anna Chakvetadze, 6-4 6-3

Daniela led *2-0 in the second set, then lost four games in a row.

On a day when the written media could barely devote one complete
sentence to this match due to the overwhelming Williams v Hingis
hype, this was certainly the match of the day from a jeldani
perspective.

A mouthwatering match between the ultracute Anna and the angel that
is Daniela, but it always leaves a bitter aftertaste when a member
of my eternal fanship loses to a player who isn't. I just thought
Anna was too nice to do the dirty on Daniela. ;-)

A_S: "i watched the second half of the first set... it is just
agony.... Shes moving well or seems to be which is good (Having said
that anna is not hitting hard or perticulally fast but is moving her
around the court) but everything else... Shes handing it on a plate
to chakvetadse who has nothing, she has no real wepons its just
daniela error after error, take the final game, she failed to put
any preasure on and just hit long time after time, its one of those
matches, she is definatly mentally not at the races and its just
painfully frustrating to watch."


What Anna Chakvetadze means to me
---------------------------------

I see the competition for the next (ninth) place in my eternal
fanship as a three-horse race between Tatiana Golovin, Nicole
Vaidišová and Maria Kirilenko. Anna Chakvetadze is pretty much my
next-favourite player after those three (well my reason says Sania
Mirza, but my passion says Anna; Anna is clearly ahead of Ana
Ivanovic based on the loyalty I felt today, when Anna fought back to
beat Ana 4-6 6-2 6-4).

At Luxembourg in September 2005, Daniela gave Anna a tennis-lesson,
beating her 6-4 6-1, and I actually felt sorry for Anna that she
didn't get a better scoreline.

Many things have changed since Luxembourg, where Anna's loss to
Daniela was the first of six losses in a row for the then-18-year-
old Russian, who is the most lachrymose player on the WTA Tour along
with Vera Zvonarëva.

But I was very pleased to see that Anna's slump ended at Indian
Wells, where she beat 11th seed Maria Kirilenko 6-2 6-3 to reach the
fourth round, and also thrashed 31st seed Shahar Peer 6-1 6-2 en
route to 4r Miami. These results suggest that Anna is a better
player now than when I last saw her play (at Birmingham 2005).

I was also delighted when Anna won her first round on Monday, even
though a win over Jelena Jankovic on current form was very much
expected.


Daniela's harsh reality
-----------------------

For Daniela, this is the sixth tournament in a row (excluding Fed
Cup) where she has won one match but lost in the next round - and
it's not as though she's just been unlucky with the draws either
(Olga Savchuk? Li,Na? What was she thinking?).

And now that she's on clay - her worst surface - there's little hope
that this pattern will change for the better before the French Open
(unless she meets Vera Zvonarëva, who hasn't managed to win two
matches in a row since beating Daniela in the Auckland semis).

Her win over Serena Williams at the Australian Open had raised high
hopes for 2006, if only because it was a huge confidence-boost to
beat a player who was once unbeatable, but the harsh reality is that
Daniela beat only a woefully off-form and unfit Serena Williams (who
is now languishing at #106 in the rankings), and her results since
then have been similar to 2003.

And she seems to be losing weight again, judging by her arms in
recent photos and what other Daniela-fans have written about this
sensitive issue. Just an observation.


Daniela's next coach
--------------------

As I understand it, Daniela has no coach lined up to replace Nigel
Sears, whom she sacked last week.

My recommendation would be Karina Cíleková-Habšudová - one of the
most flairsomely-talented players ever to take back a tennis-racket,
and the best exponent of spreading rallies that I've ever seen.
Karina also had excellent footwork, whereas Daniela's movement often
lets her down and is one of the main reasons why she makes so many
unforced errors.

If Karina could transfer her (former) abilities to Daniela - on top
of Daniela's superior serve and all-court game - then Daniela would
surely reestablish herself in the top ten, if not higher.

Unfortunately, Karina is probably too settled in Slovakia with her
husband Milan Cílek and daughter Laura Cíleková (11th October 2005)
to become Daniela's full-time travelling coach.


(Mmmm-mm-mm-ommm) Sula vie dilejo
(Mmmm-mm-mm-ommm) Sula vie milejo (Mmm-omm)

Cheli venco deho!
Cheli venco deho!
Malio (Mmmm-mm-mm-ommm)

Helibo seyoman!
Cheli venco raero!
Malio!
Malio!

[David Bowie, "Warszawa", from _Low_]

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/hantu/ (added 5 ext. links)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/danielahantuchova/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jeldani/