Playing Klara Koukalová on Thursday, Monica twisted her left ankle
while approaching the net for a volley in the third game. It's a
completely separate injury from the stress-fracture problem which has
hampered her in the last couple of years, and hopefully only a
short-term injury.

Monica bravely played on, with her ankle heavily strapped, but was
unable to move freely around the court, and made 62 unforced errors.
Czech qualifier Koukalová cruelly exploited Monica's pain and loss of
mobility, tormenting her with repeated dropshots to send her crashing
to a 6-7 (6-8) 7-5 6-3 defeat!

"It was just bad luck, what can you do? It was a struggle from the
moment I sprained it, from the second game on. I knew I was in trouble
and I tried to fight it, but she was just too good out there. She
played very well, made me run and hit some very good shots. I was just
a step slower and I couldn't change directions, and couldn't get away
with it."

We should not be surprised by this defeat, because although Monica had
looked in awesome form going into this match, there were bad omens
which prophesied this result.

I hinted at these omens in my first-round report, because I originally
suspected that they were pointing to a first-round defeat by L'ubomíra
Kurhajcová. I must confess that when Monica won that, I got a bit
complacent, thinking that the danger had passed. I have only myself to
blame - I jinxed Monica by saying I wasn't going to jinx her with any
arrogant predictions.

YODA: Masking the future is this disturbance in the Force.
MACE WINDU: The prophecy is coming true. The dark side is growing.
YODA: And only those who have turned to the dark side can sense the
possibilities of the future. Only by probing the dark side can we see.
[Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones]

It's only the second time that Monica has ever lost in the second
round of a Grand Slam - and not to Lindsay Davenport but to Klara
Koukalová! Shee has never lost in the first round (a result which
would surely herald the end of the world and the coming of the
Antiseles), but she lost to Katarína Studeníková in the second round
of Wimbledon 1996.

Monica's winning of the Hong Kong Challenge corresponds to her winning
Eastbourne 1996. Furthermore, her foot flaring up in Hong Kong was a
sign of the ankle-injury to come (not a medical sign but a prophetic
sign).

This is not my first run-in with Klara Koukalová, whose name reminds
me of the art-ritual murderess Kari Krisníková. She also beat `me' by
beating Karina Habsudová in the final of a French challenger in May
2001. Ironically, I had just watched the Czech short film Alice, which
stars the actress Kristýna Kohoutová - completing a `KK-triptych'.

It's also ironic that Klara Koukalová played three MSs in a row at the
Australian Open: Maria Sharapova, Monica Seles and Meghann Shaughnessy!

Photos of Monica:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/170/31w96.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/168/31vbt.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/170/31wa9.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/168/31uti.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/168/31vbv.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/170/31wop.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/170/31wom.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/168/31vfd.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/168/31v46.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/168/31v0n.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/168/31utj.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/168/31ut9.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/170/31vmh.html

Photos of Koukalová:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/168/31v23.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/170/31w9o.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/168/31vbw.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/168/31vbx.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030116/168/31vbu.html

I have to say, this result upsets me almost as much as the legality of
divorce! ;-) I can't help thinking that the Monica who thrashed
Kurhajcová in the first round would have beaten the Serena Williams
that struggled past Emilie Loit, and possibly gone on to win her tenth
Grand-Slam title! But every match is a different story.

But we've got to put this loss into perspective. Monica lost a
tennis-match, nobody died. We should be thankful that Monica's
ankle-injury has only ruined one tournament (I hope!) - Karina
Habsudová and Martina Hingis have suffered career-threatening
ankle-injuries.

It's even possible that some good may come from this defeat. In 1996,
Monica won the Australian Open (beating Katarína Studeníková 6-1 6-1
in the second round) and lost in the second round of Wimbledon.
Perhaps she could win Wimbledon in exchange for this defeat, thrashing
Klara Koukalová in the second round?

Jana Novotná and Goran Ivanisevic were both 29 when they won
Wimbledon. In Novotná's case this was to fulfil the prophecy of the
Duchess of Kent after the Wimbledon 93 final, and Ivanisevic felt he
was "walking with destiny" in 2001. If there is a just God, maybe
Monica will do likewise at Wimbledon 2003. There's nothing I want to
see more in tennis than Monica finally winning Wimbledon!

Despite this setback, we should still have high hopes for Monica this
year. This should only be a short-term injury, and I believe Monica
can make up for it at the three remaining Grand Slams. But whether she
can go beyond her usual quarter-final finish of these days is a very
difficult question to answer.

In any case, I do not believe that 2003 will be Monica's final season.
She said recently that she planned to play another two years, so
unless she suffers a serious new long-term injury, I expect her to
play in 2004. There may be a prophecy of Armageddon on 22nd October
2004, but as long as Monica hasn't retired by then it's not the end of
the world! ;-)

The tactful cactus by your window
Surveys the prairie of your room
Mobile spins to its collision
Klara puts her head between her paws
They've opened shops on the west side
Will all the cacti find a home?
But the key to the city
Is in the sun that pins the branches to the sky
[David Bowie, "Eight Line Poem" from Hunky Dory]


Other Selesian results - men's singles 2r:
+ FABRICE SANTORO [28] beat Wayne Arthurs, 6-3 6-1 retired
- JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL [27] lost to Felix Mantilla, 5-7 6-4 4-6 6-3 6-2
- Julian Knowle lost to Andreas Vinciguerra, 6-2 1-0 retired

Men's singles 3r:
- FABRICE SANTORO [28] lost to JUAN CARLOS FERRERO [4], 4-6 6-3 4-6
6-2 7-5

Women's singles 2r:
- Adriana Serra Zanetti lost to DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ [7], 7-6 (8-6) 7-6
(7-3)

SPIKE: "Dani bagged a Selesian? She never told me! Good for her!
Though not from your perspective I suppose."
BUFFY: "I can't believe I invited you into my house."

This was a tougher match than expected. Daniela was 0-4 down in the
second set to Adriana, but battled back with her best tennis of the
year so far.

Photos of Adriana:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030115/168/31ije.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030115/170/31ibs.html

Photos of Daniela:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030115/168/31ij6.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030115/168/31ijd.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030115/168/31igp.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030115/170/31ic3.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030115/170/31ib4.html


Daniela is my last hope in the singles after the calamity for Monica,
Iroda Tulyaganova's heroic defeat by Lindsay Davenport, and Iva
Majoli's first-round exit. I've got a very good feeling about
Daniela's Australian Open campaign - look for her to upset Venus
Williams in the quarter-finals!

--
Andrew Broad
http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~broada/
http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~broada/tennis/
http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~broada/tennis/seles/