Marion's results at Pattaya City:
1r + Ayu Fanti Damayanti, 6-3 6-1
2r - Magüi Serna, 6-4 retired (acute stomach-illness)

Poor Marion! She had led 4-0. She may have a cute stomach, but she
has had to endure a series of nasty injuries in the last few months:
1. Birmingham 2004: Fell and injured her hip, and had to be
immobilised, sedated and taken to hospital.
2. Cincinnati 2004: Retired with a blister on her right hand.
3. Forest Hills 2004: Ditto.
4. US Open 2004: Struggled with a painful leg-injury.
5. Bali 2004: Retired with heat-illness.
6. Auckland 2005: Struggled with a painful shoulder-injury.
7. Canberra 2005: Retired with a hamstring-injury.
8. Pattaya City 2005: Her abdominal pains were so severe that she
had to leave the court in a wheelchair.

Get well soon Marion!


Also, there was an all-Selesian match at Tokyo:
1r + Akiko Morigami d. María Sánchez Lorenzo, 6-4 6-1
2r - Akiko Morigami lt. ELENA DEMENTIEVA [4], 6-2 6-2


I have updated our Photos section as follows:
* Monica Seles (+3 photos)
* Women > Aiko Nakamura (+3)
* Women > Shuai Peng (+3)
* Men > Jan-Michael Gambill (+1)

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

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

Exhibition at Auckland, Tuesday 1st February:
- Monica Seles lt. Martina Navrátilová, 6-4 6-4

Exhibition at Christchurch, Thursday 3rd February:
- Monica Seles lt. Martina Navrátilová, 4-6 6-2 6-4

As a faithful Selesian, it's very difficult for me to write about
Monica's inability to beat the best 48-year-old in tennis-history...
in any of three exhibition-matches that they've played last year and
this.

It's clear that Monica is a long way from being ready to return to
the WTA Tour.

I would be very sad if Monica announced her retirement, particularly
as her career feels incomplete without a Wimbledon title.

But it would also be a shame to see Monica return to the tour in a
diminished capacity and lose to the likes of Marlene Weingärtner or
Gisela Dulko in the first round of every tournament. The spirit is
willing but the flesh, sadly, is very weak at the moment.

I don't want Monica to retire OR come back just yet. I want her to
keep training in the hope that she will one day be ready to come
back and do herself justice. It's only in the last month or so that
she's been able to practise without pain, so there's still hope that
things will get better for her.

And in the meantime, is Catalina Castano available to be her
opponent in exhibitions? ;-)

Photos:
http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=seles
http://editorial.gettyimages.com/MS_GINS/source/home/home.aspx?pg=1
(search for "seles")

At least Monica /looked/ great. She gets better with age like an old
bottle of Cherry Coke! :-)


At Auckland, Monica had a practice-session with beautiful Marina
Erakovic, who won the Australian Open girls' doubles with Victoria
Azarenka.

16-year-old Erakovic was impressed by the intensity with which
Monica trains, while Monica picked Erakovic as a future top-ten
player as she plays an aggressive all-court game, can hit her
backhand two-handed or sliced, and is hard-working and eager to
learn.

Marina Erakovic is playing ITF Washington this week (where she is
through to the quarter-finals). I wish her well.

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/

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

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Jan-Michael Gambill used a one-handed
forehand for the first time on the ATP Tour, and defeated fourth-
seeded Cyril Saulnier 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 to advance to the second round
of the Millennium International Tennis Championships on Tuesday.

``I'm trying to change a few things in my game. Using the one-handed
forehand is a large step for me. A step that really could bring my
game to a new height. I fought very well tonight, made very few
errors with it.''

If this is a permanent change, Andrew can forget about Jan-Michael
being his favourite player in men's tennis!

Second-round results - women's singles:
- Aiko Nakamura [Q] lt. ALICIA MOLIK [10], 6-2 6-4
- Peng Shuai lt. VENUS WILLIAMS [8], 6-3 6-1
- Marion Bartoli lt. SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA [5], 6-2 6-0

Nine Selesians in the singles draws (six women, three men), and none
could make it to the third round! :-(

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/selesians/

First-round results - women's singles (Selesians on the left):
+ Aiko Nakamura [Q] d. Angela Haynes [Q], 6-3 6-4
+ Peng Shuai d. Maria Elena Camerin, 6-1 6-2
+ Marion Bartoli d. Claudine Schaul, 6-1 6-3
- María Sánchez Lorenzo lt. ANNA SMASHNOVA [27], 4-6 6-0 6-0
- Akiko Morigami lt. DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ [26], 6-4 7-5
- Arantxa Parra Santonja lt. Anna Chakvetadze, 6-3 6-2

Men's singles:
- Raemon Sluiter lt. JÜRGEN MELZER [32], 3-3 retired
- Fabrice Santoro lt. ROGER FEDERER [1], 6-1 6-1 6-2
- Jan-Michael Gambill lt. Takao Suzuki [Q], 6-4 6-3 6-3

I have searched for the reason why Sluiter retired...
with no result. :-(

Second-round draw - women's singles:
* Aiko Nakamura [Q] v ALICIA MOLIK [10]
* Peng Shuai v VENUS WILLIAMS [8]
* Marion Bartoli v SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA [5]

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/selesians/

Daniela Hantuchová laboured to a 6-4 7-5 victory over Selesian
player Akiko Morigami in 96 minutes, despite 40 unforced errors, a
tentative second serve, four breaks of her serve, and two big
opportunities wasted in the second set. On the other hand, she did
hit 27 winners, and fought off a 3-5 deficit in the second set,
saving six set-points.

I followed live score-updates at www.australianopen.com. The match
started at 11:19 AEST (00:19 GMT).

---------
FIRST SET
---------

Hant 0-0: 0/15, scoreboard froze, broken
Mori 1-0: 0/15, 15/15, 15/30, scoreboard froze, broken
Hant 1-1: 30/15, 30/30, scoreboard froze, ad Mori (BP), broken
Mori 2-1: 0/15, scoreboard froze, broken
Hant 2-2: 0/15, scoreboard froze, broken.

I hope Daniela breaks out of this ugly pattern of breaks and counter-
breaks. I also hope the gremlins in the scoreboard won't be with us
for much longer.

Mori 3-2: 0/40 (3 BPs), 15/40, broken
Hant 3-3: held (scoreboard froze from 3-2 15/40)
Mori 3-4: 30/0, 30/15, scoreboard froze, held
Hant 4-4: 30/30, scoreboard froze, held
Mori 4-5: 0/40 (3 SPs), scoreboard froze, Daniela won first set 6-4
at 11:56.

Daniela is winning a woeful 10% of her second-serve points. She
might as well just take two first serves.

----------
SECOND SET
----------

Hant 0-0: held to love
Mori 0-1: 0/40 (3 BPs), 15/40, scoreboard froze, held

A real missed opportunity for Daniela to stamp her authority on the
second set. Missed opportunities... the story of Daniela's year in
2004. I still think she'll win this match in two sets though.

Hant 1-1: 0/30, scoreboard froze, held
Mori 1-2: 30/15, scoreboard froze, held
Hant 2-2: 15/15, 15/40 (2 BPs), broken for 2-3.

Daniela's straight-sets victory is in danger now. Akiko is holding
serve much more consistently than in the first set.
Prediction: Daniela in three sets. She seems to be having a
walkabout, but she's too much better than Akiko not to get her act
together sooner or later.

Mori 3-2: 15/0, scoreboard froze, held
Hant 2-4: 40/0, held
Mori 4-3: 40/30, 40/40, ad Hant (BP), Deuce #2, ad Mori, held for
5-3.

Another opportunity goes begging. :-|| If Daniela loses this match,
it will be because of that missed break-point.

Hant 3-5: 15/30, 40/40, ad Mori (SP), 40/40, ad Hant, held.

Good girl. At least made her serve for it...

Mori 5-4: 15/30, 15/40 (2 BPs), 30/40, 40/40, scoreboard froze,
broken.

Thank goodness Daniela didn't have to pay for squandering 15/40!
This should be a huge psychological boost for Daniela.

Hant 5-5: held to love
Mori 5-6: 15/15, 15/30, 40/40, Daniela won 6-4 7-5 at 12:58.

From www.dhantuchova.com:
>>>
MATCH SUMMARY- with a break at the end of the first set took Daniela
6-4 leading after 36mins with 3 aces and 11 winners.. Break for
Akiko at 2 all in second, 5-3 up, Daniela faced 2 setpoints, saved
them and was back on track, but still 5-4 down. There was a break
point at 40-30 on Akikos serve, but shortly after Daniela  faced 3rd
setpoint. 3times deuce. 5 all.  6-5 easy serving game for Daniela,
by 0. 30-15, deuce,and Daniela took first matchball into her
advantage after 96 mins with 5 aces and 27 winners.
<<<

Daniela hit 27 winners, but 40 unforced errors is too many. Akiko's
W:UE ratio was 16:23. Daniela hit 5 aces and no double-faults, Akiko
one ace and 4 DFs.

Daniela got 62% of first serves in (Akiko 60%), winning 70% of
points when she did so (Akiko 53%), and 35% on second serve (Akiko
43%).

Seeing as Daniela's second-serve percentage was so poor despite
serving no double-faults, I would suggest she goes for much more on
the second serve.

Daniela broke 6 times from 13 break-points, Akiko 4 times from 9.

IMO, these statistics flatter Daniela's performance more than did
the sequence of scores.

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/hantu/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

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

----------------------
MEDIBANK INTERNATIONAL (Sydney, Australia, WTA Tier II)
----------------------

Peng Shuai had an amazing run to the semi-finals... with a
sensational result against the French Open champion in the second
round!

1q + Camille Pin, 6-4 6-1
2q + Tzipora Obziler, 6-0 6-4
3q + Denisa Chládková, 6-1 6-2

1r + Mashona Washington [Q], 6-4 6-2
2r + ANASTASIA MYSKINA [2], 6-1 6-3
qf + NADIA PETROVA [5], 6-3 4-2 retired
sf - ALICIA MOLIK [6], 6-4 6-3

------------------------
CANBERRA WOMEN'S CLASSIC (Canberra, Australia, WTA Tier V)
------------------------

Marion Bartoli reached the quarter-finals, but her injury-problems
continued - this time hamstring:
1r + Stéphanie Foretz, 6-2 6-0
2r + Michaella Krajicek, 6-4 6-4
qf - Ana Ivanovic [Q], 6-1 2-0 retired

---------------
AUSTRALIAN OPEN
---------------

Aiko Nakamura qualified for the main draw:
1q + Hanna Nooni, 6-3 6-2
2q + Ekaterina Bychkova, 6-3 6-4
3q + Lenka Nemecková, 7-6 7-6

First-round draws - women's singles (Selesians on the left):
* Aiko Nakamura [Q] v Angela Haynes [Q]
* María Sánchez Lorenzo v ANNA SMASHNOVA [27]
* Shuai Peng v Maria Elena Camerin
* Akiko Morigami v DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ [26]
* Arantxa Parra Santonja v Anna Chakvetadze
* Marion Bartoli v Claudine Schaul

Men's singles:
* Fabrice Santoro v ROGER FEDERER [1]
* Jan-Michael Gambill v Takao Suzuki [Q]
* Raemon Sluiter v JÜRGEN MELZER [32]

Good luck to all Saints except Akiko Morigami (sorry Akiko - I am a
Daniela fan).

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

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

If you like female tennis and you like interesting, attractive and
good players - visit my groups

Gisela Dulko
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/Gisela_Dulko/

Karolina Sprem
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/Karolina_Sprem/

Jelena Jankovic
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/Jelena_Jankovic/

Marion Bartoli
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/Marion_Bartoli/

Anna Chakvetadze
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/Anna_Chakvetadze/

Congratulations to Marion for reaching the semi-finals of the ASB
Classic:
1r + Abigail Spears, 6-0 6-1
2r + Jill Craybas, 2-6 6-0 6-2
qf + JELENA JANKOVIC [2], 3-6 7-6 (8/6) 6-1
sf - Katarina Srebotnik, 7-5 2-6 7-5

Marion's second-round win is particularly commendable as she was
struggling with a shoulder-injury so painful that she was in tears
on the court, and said there was only a 50% chance she would be fit
to play her quarter-final against Jelena Jankovic.

"I tried to forget the pain, but it was really hard. I will see how
it goes in the warmup but I will not take any risks before the
Australian Open."

Marion was very lucky that play was rained off on Thursday, giving
her a day off to recover before her quarter-final.

Congratulations also to Francesca Lubiani for reaching the doubles
final at Auckland (Shinobu Asagoe/Katarina Srebotnik d. Leanne
Baker/Francesca Lubiani, 6-3 6-3).

Canberra is the place to be for Selesians next week!
+ María Sánchez Lorenzo (plays qualifier in 1r)
+ Marion Bartoli (plays Stéphanie Foretz in 1r)
+ Arantxa Parra Santonja (plays Anna Smashnova in 1r)

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

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

I have updated my Monica Seles biography on my website:
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/biography.html

This is NOT a copy of Monica's standard WTA Tour biography like you
find on most fan-sites, but my own detailed appreciation of her game
(slightly edited from last year's edition) followed by a review for
every year of her career - now including 2004 (such as it was).

I have also updated some links on my front page for Monica:
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/

I wish Monica and all her fans a Happy New Year.

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/selesians/

While browsing http://www.tennis.info/Evert2003Tue.asp I noticed
Alexandria Liles hitting a cross-handed two-handed left-handed
forehand, like Monica Seles!

Her juniortennis.com profile photographically confirms that she hits
double-handed on both sides:
http://www.juniortennis.com/Players/L/LilesA/LilesAlexandria.htm

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

From http://tvnz.co.nz/view/sport_minisite_story_skin/464954%
3fformat=html
>>>
Seles keen to get on court
By Daryl Fenemor
Dec 17, 2004

Women's tennis legend Monica Seles will use the two exhibition
matches against Martina Navrátilová in Auckland and Christchurch in
February as a build up to her return to the WTA Tour.

Seles has not played competitively since the 2003 French Open as she
has battled with a foot injury, but the matches against Navrátilová
will help her gage how close she is to a return to top competition.

"This is going to be a great test for me," Seles told the phone
conference on Friday. "I've been hitting for some time but it's
always different when you play a match. There's no better way to try
it than playing against Martina, as she was the one I played against
in my first comeback.

"It's going to gage where my game is. It's going to tell a lot about
how my foot holds up. Then I'll probably want another month's
practice and then hopefully be ready in about March or April."

Seles has won 53 tournament singles titles but is very excited about
the prospect of playing the exhibition matches as she has never been
to New Zealand and is also bringing her mother along.

"It's so exciting to come to New Zealand because I've never been
there and I've heard how beautiful it is and checked it out now that
I know I'm coming, on the website and just making a list of stuff I
want to do and see and definitely want to sea kayak."

She also mentioned the possibility of a bungy jump, which would be
more a test of her nerve than her foot.

The 31-year old has a slight upper hand in the history of matches
against Navrátilová and she says they are both very competitive
players who will take the matches seriously.

"We count them when we play in the back yard," Seles said as the two
are now nearly neighbours in Florida and often hit together. "We're
just competitive, I guess it's part of your blood."

The injury break was frustrating for Seles but it has not quelled
her hunger to compete at the top level and has given her the
opportunity to work on more of her overall fitness.

"The good thing was that it has definitely made me do tons of stuff
off court which I probably should have done a lot earlier in my
career but I'm definitely probably in one of the best shapes, if
not, by shape and my fitness, in a long, long, long time."

Seles says she will give herself six months back on the tour to try
and prove she can still compete with the best but even if she can't
she is happy with what she has achieved in the sport.

"If my time comes and my career is over then that's fantastic I had
a wonderful career, but if I can eek out just a little bit more to
at least finish on a happy term instead of playing in pain like I
have the last few months that would be great."

Seles will play Navrátilová in two exhibition matches at the ASB
Tennis Centre in Auckland on February 1 and Christchurch's Westpac
Centre on February 3.

And for those that are interested she is pretty sure she still
grunts but she says she never realises she is doing it.

Source: ONE Sport
<<<

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/selesians/

Monica will NOT be playing the Australian Open 2005. However, she
will play two exhibition-matches against Martina Navrátilová in New
Zealand: Auckland on 1st February, and Christchurch on 3rd February.

One can only continue to contemplate what Monica said about possibly
announcing her retirement if she wasn't ready to start the 2005
season in January.

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/selesians/

Article by Mic Huber, HeraldTribune.com
Source: http://makeashorterlink.com/?R243158B9
>>>
Monica Seles has heard the rumours of her retirement so many times
that she hardly notices them anymore.

It was the rumour of her impending marriage that caught Seles by
surprise.

Seles, home to visit her mother recently, walked into a Sarasota
business and a man she knows asked her about the rumour she was
getting married.

"I have no idea where that one is coming from," Seles said. "It
completely blew me away.

"It's not true … and the other one isn't true, either."

The other rumour has much more credence. Seles has hardly played the
past two years. A foot injury threatens to end her career. While she
hasn't called it quits, Seles concedes that the end of her tennis
career could come sooner rather than later.

"By January, I will make a decision," Seles said. "If I can't play
then I probably will (retire). But not until January. I am trying to
get ready to play this year. I don't want to talk about it because I
am still trying so hard. I am not going into it with that frame of
mind."

Seles, 30, was the dominant player in women's tennis in the early
1990s and ranked No. 1 at the time she was stabbed by a crazed fan
during a tournament in Germany in 1993. Though she has had her
moments since returning after a two-year absence, she never
completely recaptured the magic that led her to winning eight of the
final nine Grand Slam events she played before the attack.

She did win another Australian Open and got to a pair of U.S. Open
finals and a French Open final after coming back. She even reached
at least the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slam events in 2002 but
the past two years have been plagued by a series of setbacks because
of a stress fracture in her left foot.

Seles practised and rehabbed most of this past year and planned
several times to play but her foot wouldn't hold up. She has not
played a match on tour since losing in the first round of the 2003
French Open.

Once again, Seles has been practising, mostly in San Diego. This
week, she returned to New York to have her foot checked.

"I am trying to stay in a positive frame of mind," Seles said. "I
have been feeling good. I have been hitting in the morning and then
in the afternoon about three times a week. It is feeling better."

The plan is to play a lower level tournament in early January,
starting in New Zealand or a tournament in Canberra, Australia. The
Australian Open is later in January.

Even if she does return, Seles acknowledges that she probably would
not play for more than another year, "but at least one more year
would be great."

Several times during the past year the foot seemed to be progressing
but wouldn't hold up to the rigors of tournament tennis. Each time,
rumours of retirement grew.

Seles is determined not to give in to those rumours without one more
good try.

"I have not said that to anyone," Seles insisted about plans to
retire.
<<<

You take fifteen months out of tennis to recover from elbow-surgery,
then you beat the top seed in your first match back!

Iroda Tulyaganova - the powerful, athletic, versatile, voluptuous 22-
year-old with the searing two-handed backhand - stunned top-seeded
Selesian player Marion Bartoli 6-4 6-4 in a mouthwatering first-
round match at Tashkent yesterday (Tuesday 12th October).

"It was a fiercely competitive match, controversial at times, and
produced some scintillating shotmaking by both players."

This was Iroda's first professional match since Sopot in July 2003.
She had surgery on her right elbow after missing the US Open 2003.
She appeared on several commitment-lists during the spring of 2004,
but always pulled out of the tournaments before the draws were made -
apparently due to secondary injuries to other parts of her body.

Marion too has had injury-problems this year. At Birmingham she fell
and injured her hip, and was in so much pain she had to be sedated
and taken to hospital. Fortunately this injury did not turn out to
be career-threatening as first feared, but more recent problems
include blisters on her right hand that forced her to retire from
two matches, and heat-illness. Perhaps these problems made Marion a
sitting duck for Iroda.

But you look at Jelena Dokic (of whom I'm also a fan), on a nine-
match losing streak stretching back to April, and then Iroda - first
crack out of the box - picks off the top seed!

Tashkent is Iroda's hometown, and it was at the June 2000 edition of
this tournament that she won her first of three WTA Tour singles
titles (adding Vienna and Knokke-Heist in July 2001). Iroda
deliberately waited to make her comeback at Tashkent, even though
her coach Dmitry Tomashevich advised her to come back a bit earlier.

Iroda: "I wanted to make my comeback here, in Tashkent, my hometown,
where my fans will come to watch me."

Not this fan, unfortunately! ;-( I've just gathered as much
information about the match as I can from the Internet, arranged it
into a sensible chronological report, and added as much insight as I
can without actually having seen the match.


Iroda was calm in the days leading up to the tournament, apparently,
but she nearly didn't play the match after waking up to an attack of
nerves!

"It struck me suddenly this morning and I told my friend [and fellow-
player] Marta Marrero, 'How can I play?'"


"Her diamond hairclips sparkling in the mid-day sun, Iroda
Tulyaganova reaffirmed her status as the jewel in the crown of
Uzbekistan tennis."

Iroda, serving first, "began with supreme confidence, holding her
serve comfortably and then breaking Bartoli with a series of
stunning returns and drop shots." Iroda held again for 3-0.

Iroda had a chance for 5-1 on Marion's serve at 1-4, but then Marion
fought back with her powerful two-handed forehands and backhands,
and Iroda "could not sustain the intensity of her stroke-making."
Marion held, broke back, and held again for 4-4.

There was a controversial line-call on Iroda's serve at 4-4 40/30,
as one of Marion's shots was called wide by the linesman, giving
Iroda a 5-4 lead.

"Bartoli's father, sitting in the stands, lost his cool and began
shouting. He went on for a long time and the tournament supervisor
had to come and warn him before he quietened. Bartoli herself had a
few words with the umpire [H.J. Ochs] and then called for an injury
timeout."

Iroda: "I understood because they are playing in my country, my
hometown. They believe that all linesmen and women and officials
were in my favour. I didn't think they were biased."

She smiled and added: "But I needed that point."

Iroda broke Marion in the next game to win the first set 6-4.


The second set followed a break-and-counterbreak pattern, with seven
breaks in the ten games.

Iroda served for the match at 5-3, but was broken to love. She won
the match on Marion's serve in the next game - "to the delight of an
almost sellout crowd at the Tashkent Tennis Center" - and lifted her
hands in the air in triumph.

"Tulyaganova raised her right arm in triumph as a Bartoli forehand
sailed long to seal her win in an hour and 28 minutes. She then
basked in glory in front of an adoring media at the post-match
conference which seemed to go on forever. A disappointed Bartoli,
meanwhile, slunk away from the Tashkent Tennis Centre, declining to
talk to the pressmen."

Iroda: "I'm happy with my start, especially making my début after a
long break in my home country in front of the faithful supporters."


So where is Iroda's game at right now? She's suffering from a lack
of match-fitness, of course, but she overcame that against
Marion "with the mental toughness that had seen her be a top 20
player two years ago."

The main thing that's gone is her serve. Her second serve in
particular was weak against Marion, who punished it with some
aggressive returns, and Iroda served seven double faults.

Iroda: "I practiced only for one month, and that is not enough. My
serve is only 50% of what it was when I was at my peak."


In the second round, Iroda will face the winner of Antonella Serra-
Zanetti and Julia Schruff, who play their first-round match today.
This seems like a should-win match after taking out the top seed,
but I'm not taking anything for granted as Iroda has been out for so
long, and her form has been notoriously inconsistent in the past.

The most important thing is that she gets through this tournament
without reinjuring her elbow - we saw with Kim Clijsters at Hasselt
what can happen when you try to return from a long layoff with a
serious injury. I've noticed from the photos that Iroda is wearing a
tube on her right arm to protect the elbow.

Photos:
- http://www.wtatour.com/photogallery/Default.asp (select Tashkent)

Sources I used for this report:
- http://www.wtatour.com/newsroom/stories/NewsArticle_5538_rx.asp
(with photo)
- http://www.rediff.com/sports/2004/oct/12ten.htm (source of most of
the direct quotes in this report)
- http://asia.news.yahoo.com/041012/ap/d85ltrmg5.html

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/tulya/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/irodatulyaganova/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/selesians/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jeldani/

I have updated the Photos section as follows:
* Men > Fabrice Santoro (+2)
* Men > Julian Knowle (+2)

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

There are photos from Bali, including some interesting off-court
ones, at http://www.wismilaktennis.com/photo/

Look in "14 September 2004" and "Cookery Class" for Marion Bartoli.
Look in "15 September 2004" for Aiko Nakamura.

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

Aiko Nakamura made a stunning début on the WTA Tour at Bali. The 20-
year-old Selesian from Japan had never previously reached the main
draw of a WTA tournament, but did it in style this week:

QUALIFYING:
1r + Nudnida Luangnam, 6-0 6-1
2r + Jennifer Hopkins, 4-6 6-3 6-4

MAIN DRAW:
1r + AI SUGIYAMA [3], 6-4 7-6 (7/1)
2r - Marlene Weingärtner, 5-7 3-6

You can see what Aiko Nakamura looks like, and photographic evidence
of her Selesianity, here:
http://photo910.tripod.com/gkopihtm/n2154g13.htm


Marion Bartoli's woes continued, this time with heat-illness:
1r + Anabel Medina Garrigues, 7-6 (7/5) 6-2
2r - Tathiana Garbin, 0-6 0-2 retired

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

Men's singles:
- FABRICE SANTORO [31] lt. ROGER FEDERER [1], 0-6 4-6 6-7 (7/9)


I have updated our Photos section as follows:

* Women > Marion Bartoli (+4)
* Women > Akiko Morigami (+4)
* Women > Arantxa Parra Santonja (+2)
* Women > Maria Antonia Sanchez Lorenzo (+1)

* Men > Fabrice Santoro (+5)
* Men > Jan-Michael Gambill (+2)

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

--------------------
Second-round results
--------------------

Women's singles:
- Arantxa Parra Santonja lt. LINDSAY DAVENPORT [5], 4-6 2-6
- Marion Bartoli lt. Vera Douchevina, 7-5 2-6 2-6
- Akiko Morigami lt. TATIANA GOLOVIN [30], 4-6 4-6

Men's singles:
+ FABRICE SANTORO [31] d. Dmitry Tursunov, 6-1 6-3 6-4
- Jan-Michael Gambill lt. JOACHIM JOHANSSON [28], 4-6 5-7 5-7

----------------
Third-round draw
----------------

Men's singles:
* FABRICE SANTORO [31] v ROGER FEDERER [1]

Full draws:
http://www.usopen.org/en_US/scores/draws/

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

-------------------
First-round results
-------------------

Women's singles:
+ Marion Bartoli d. MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY [32], 6-4 6-4
+ Arantxa Parra Santonja d. Marlene Weingärtner, 6-2 7-6 (7/5)
+ Akiko Morigami d. Emmanuelle Gagliardi, 6-2 6-2
- María Sánchez Lorenzo lt. CHANDA RUBIN [20], 2-6 2-6

Men's singles:
+ FABRICE SANTORO [31] d. Todd Martin, 4-6 6-4 6-4 7-5
+ Jan-Michael Gambill d. Rajeev Ram [WC], 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-4
- Raemon Sluiter lt. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 2-6 6-7 (3/7) 6-7 (14/12)

Fabrice's win sent Todd Martin into retirement.

------------------
Second-round draws
------------------

Women's singles:
* Arantxa Parra Santonja v LINDSAY DAVENPORT [5]
* Marion Bartoli v Vera Douchevina
* Akiko Morigami v TATIANA GOLOVIN [30]

Men's singles:
* FABRICE SANTORO [31] v Dmitry Tursunov
* Jan-Michael Gambill v JOACHIM JOHANSSON [28]

Full draws:
http://www.usopen.org/en_US/scores/draws/

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

"Monica Seles tried to get ready for the U.S. Open, but her injured
foot was still not where she wanted it to be and her game is
extremely rusty. A source close to her now says it is very unlikely
that she will ever play a professional match again. She hasn't
played since the 2003 French Open." :-(

[Source: http://makeashorterlink.com/?D22052A29 ]

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/

The Selesians' first-round draws are as follows (Selesians on the
left):

Women's singles:
* María Sánchez Lorenzo v CHANDA RUBIN [20]
* Arantxa Parra Santonja v Marlene Weingärtner
* Marion Bartoli v MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY [32]
* Akiko Morigami v Emmanuelle Gagliardi

Marion is still suffering with blisters on her right hand - she
pulled out of Forest Hills before her quarter-final.

Men's singles:
* FABRICE SANTORO [31] v Todd Martin
* Raemon Sluiter v Paul-Henri Mathieu
* Jan-Michael Gambill v Rajeev Ram [WC]

Full draws:
http://www.usopen.org/en_US/scores/draws/

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

Congratulations to Marion Bartoli for reaching the semi-finals of
Cincinnati:
1r + Maria Kirilenko, 6-3 6-3 (nice match!)
2r + Mara Santangelo, 6-4 6-0
qf + Laura Granville, 6-3 6-1
sf - LINDSAY DAVENPORT [1], walkover

Marion withdrew with a blister on her right hand after practising on
Saturday. :-(

I wish her a speedy recovery - and of course I wish that for Monica.
Monica was planning to play New Haven, but she's not in the draw.

"Monica Seles is 50-50 to play the U.S. Open. She's trying to get
fit enough from a lingering foot injury not to embarrass herself.
She tried to come back at the French Open, but wasn't ready. Seles
hasn't played a Slam since the 2003 French Open."
[Charles Bricker, Sun-Sentinel.com,
http://makeashorterlink.com/?X2AC41B19 ]

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

Women's Doubles: Second Round

- Akiko Morigami/Saori Obata (JPN) lt.
   PAOLA SUÁREZ/PATRICIA TARABINI (ARG)[7], 4-6 2-6


Men's Doubles: Quarter-Final

- FABRICE SANTORO/MICHAEL LLODRA (FRA)[3] lt.
   Mario Ancic/Ivan Ljubicic (CRO), 6-4 3-6 7-9


Olympic Tennis:
http://www.athens2004.com/en/resultsTennis/results
http://www.itftennis.com/olympics/
http://sports.yahoo.com/oly/tennis/
http://www.nbcolympics.com/tennis/

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

SECOND-ROUND RESULTS

Women's singles:
- Akiko Morigami (JPN) lt. SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA (RUS)[5],
   6-7 (5/7) 2-6

Men's singles:
- Fabrice Santoro (FRA) lt. TOMMY ROBREDO (ESP)[15], 6-1 3-6 4-6

Men's doubles:
+ FABRICE SANTORO/MICHAEL LLODRA (FRA)[3] d.
   Daniel Nestor/Fred Niemeyer (CAN), 6-3 6-7 (5/7) 6-3


SECOND-ROUND DRAW

Women's doubles:
* Akiko Morigami/Saori Obata (JPN) vs
   PAOLA SUÁREZ/PATRICIA TARABINI (ARG)[7]


THIRD-ROUND DRAW

Men's doubles:
* FABRICE SANTORO/MICHAEL LLODRA (FRA)[3] vs
   Mario Ancic/Ivan Ljubicic (CRO)


Olympic Tennis:
http://www.athens2004.com/en/resultsTennis/results

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

FIRST-ROUND RESULTS

Women's singles:
+ Akiko Morigami (JPN) d. Iveta Benešová (CZE), 6-1 6-4
- María Sánchez Lorenzo (ESP) lt. Katarina Srebotnik (SLO),
   3-6 6-0 4-6

Women's doubles:
+ Akiko Morigami/Saori Obata (JPN) d.
   Melinda Czink/Anikó Kapros (HUN), 3-6 7-5 6-3

Men's singles:
+ Fabrice Santoro (FRA) d. Filippo Volandri (ITA), 6-2 6-1

Men's doubles:
+ Fabrice Santoro/Michael Llodra (FRA) d.
   Xavier Malisse/Olivier Rochus (BEL), 6-3 6-2


SECOND-ROUND DRAWS

Women's singles:
* Akiko Morigami (JPN) v SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA (RUS)[5]

Women's doubles:
* Akiko Morigami/Saori Obata (JPN) vs
   PAOLA SUÁREZ/PATRICIA TARABINI (ARG)[7]

Men's singles:
* Fabrice Santoro (FRA) v TOMMY ROBREDO (ESP)[15]

Men's doubles:
* Fabrice Santoro/Michael Llodra (FRA) vs
   Daniel Nestor/Fred Niemeyer (CAN)


Olympic Tennis:
http://www.athens2004.com/en/resultsTennis/results

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

Here are the Selesians' first-round draws for the Athens 2004
Olympics, which is played on hard courts, starting on Sunday:

(The Selesians are the players directly to the right of the
asterisks.)

Women's singles:
* María Sánchez Lorenzo (ESP) v Katarina Srebotnik (SLO)
* Akiko Morigami (JPN) v Iveta Benešová (CZE)

Women's doubles:
* Akiko Morigami/Saori Obata (JPN) vs Melinda Czink/Anikó Kapros
(HUN)

Men's singles:
* Fabrice Santoro (FRA) v Filippo Volandri (ITA)

Men's doubles:
* Fabrice Santoro/Michael Llodra (FRA) vs Xavier Malisse/Olivier
Rochus (BEL)

Olympic Tennis:
http://www.athens2004.com/en/resultsTennis/results

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

P.S. I have added one photo of Arantxa Parra Santonja to the Photos
section.

[Source: http://makeashorterlink.com/?X13C21909]
>>>
By MIC HUBER
mic.huber@...

SARASOTA

Monica Seles will always cherish the bronze medal she won but that
prestigious memento is only part of her Olympic experience.

The medal she earned in the 2000 Olympics hardly compares with the
memories she gathered by simply being able to take part in the Games
and hanging out with the other competitors.

"It was just so awesome to talk to them," Seles said about being
able to interact with many of the top athletes in the world. "I
absolutely had a blast. I met a lot of other athletes from different
countries and was able to talk to them about the type of training
they had gone through."

Seles has accomplished just about everything possible in tennis. She
has won nine Grand Slam singles titles and 53 singles titles overall.

She has been ranked No. 1 in the world and earned almost $15 million
in prize money.

She has won about every award possible in tennis, including the
inaugural Sanex Hero of the Year Award in 2000. That award was the
result of voting on the Women's Tennis Association's official
website by fans of more than 90 countries, many of who were inspired
by Seles' comeback from a stabbing by a crazed fan in 1993.

The Sarasota resident has modeled, written a book, and is a partner
in the All-Star Café sports restaurant chain.

Yet, for all she has done, taking part in the Olympics remains at
the top of her list of accomplishments. It holds a special meaning
for the player who was born in Yugoslavia, moved to Bradenton as a
child and officially became a U.S. citizen in 1994.

"I would have to say that playing in the Olympics, for me, was one
of the highlights of my career," she said. "There is no feeling like
it.

"In tennis, you are always playing as an individual. In the
Olympics, you are playing for your country and you have teammates
there watching your match."

Seles actually has played in a pair of Olympics. She took part in
the Atlanta games in 1996 as the No. 1 seed and was shut out of the
medals when she was upset by Jana Novotná in a match Seles has
called "one of my tougher losses in my career."

She went to Sydney, Australia, in 2000 and won the bronze, losing to
eventual gold medal winner Venus Williams in the semifinals before
coming back to beat Jelena Dokic in the bronze-medal playoff match.

The medal was a bonus. The experience was what was most important.
In an age in which professional athletes are often jaded, Seles has
always appreciated her opportunity to share special experiences.

"For me, just walking in the opening ceremonies and staying in the
Olympic village was what was so wonderful," Seles said. "It is
really one of the few times in an athlete's life that you are around
other athletes who have gone through similar training regimens and
lifestyles that you have undergone."

One evening, Seles was walking back to her accommodations in the
village after eating dinner when she was stopped by a large American
athlete.

"He just comes up to me and says, 'Hi. How are you? I am a big fan
of yours,' " Seles recalled. "Then he starts telling me that he was
so worried about a big wrestling match he had the next day against
someone who had never lost in his career.

"I just said, 'Omigosh.' "

The athlete was Rulon Gardner, who the next day pulled one of the
greatest upsets in the Games by beating Alexander Karelin, a Russian
who had not lost a match in 13 years.

"Two days later, everybody knows (Gardner)," Seles said. "There were
so many cool experiences. It is great for tennis that it is in the
Olympics."

Tennis has been Seles' life ever since, as a small child, her father
began hitting tennis balls to her in a parking lot. Her father,
Karolj, would draw cartoon characters on the tennis balls and Seles
quickly showed the focus and talent that would take her to the top
of the sport.

Seles made her professional debut in 1988, at the age of 14 years,
three months. She won her first Grand Slam event by 1990, becoming
the youngest French Open champion at the age of 16 years, six months.

By 1991, Seles was ranked No. 1 in the world and that year, she won
three Grand Slam titles (French, Australian and U.S. Open). She won
the same three again in 1992 and was the runner-up at Wimbledon and
again was ranked No. 1 in the world.

Seles was still No. 1, and coming off another Australian Open
victory, when she was stabbed during a changeover at a tournament in
Hamburg, Germany, by Guenther Parche, a German who wished to see
Steffi Graf back at No. 1.

Seles returned in 1995 to get to the final of the U.S. Open and won
her last Grand Slam title the following January in Australia.

Last season, Seles was sidelined most of the year with a stress
fracture in her left foot. She has yet to play a tour event this
year but began playing competitively again recently in World
TeamTennis matches.

Seles won't be participating in this year's Summer Games in Athens,
but she remains committed to Olympics. For years, Seles has been
active in working with Special Olympics athletes.
<<<

Seles not ready to pack it in
Former great has her eyes on Open
By Cindy Shmerler, Globe Correspondent | July 10, 2004

MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- In the garage of Monica Seles's Sarasota, Fla.,
home sit unopened cartons of tennis trophies. There is the 1990
French Open Coupe -- the first of her three Roland Garros triumphs --
  and the 1996 Australian Open prize. That one was special because it
was Seles's first major victory following nearly 2 1/2 years away
from the game because of an on-court stabbing in 1993. Neither of
her two US Open trophies are anywhere to be seen, either.

Years ago, Seles promised not to open the boxes and decorate her
home until her playing career, begun in February 1989 at age 15, was
officially over. During the last injury-filled year, Seles, 30, was
pretty sure retirement was imminent. She had not played
competitively since she lost in the first round of the 2003 French
Open to 76th-ranked Nadia Petrova of Russia.

"Sure, I thought about it a lot," said Seles last night as she
prepared to play for the New York Sportimes of World TeamTennis, the
summer league founded by Billie Jean King that attracts a mixture of
young stars (such as Wimbledon champ Maria Sharapova and US Davis
Cuppers Mike and Bob Bryan), former greats such as Seles, Martina
Navratilova, and Patrick Rafter, and breakthrough-hopefuls such as
2002 NCAA champion Bea Bielik and Anna Kournikova. "It was so
frustrating to keep thinking that I would be able to play and then
not be able to. There were a lot of lows, but I also realized that
even if I can't play again that I've had a great career and
hopefully I'll still be able to play recreationally."

Seles has spent much of the last year in rehab, including four
months with her left foot in a cast, the result of a painful
sesamoid bone that required no surgery but plenty of time off.
Seles, who has missed the last five majors, said she is finally
playing without pain. With World TeamTennis her first competitive
play in more than a year, she is planning to make a comeback at the
US Open next month in New York. She hopes to play her only warm-up
event at the Pilot Pen tournament in New Haven the week before the
Open.

While she has missed the day-to-day competition and is realistic
about returning to world prominence, Seles has spent little time
watching her fellow WTA players. She went to Wimbledon once, on a
day play was cancelled because of rain. But she is still impressed
by Sharapova and Anastasia Myskina, the French Open champ.

"You have to give a lot of credit to the Russians," said Seles. "For
Sharapova to beat Serena [Williams] on her favorite surface [grass]
was very impressive."

Seles looked fit and trim on the court last night, even if her
ground strokes, once the most feared in the game, looked jaunty
opposite the blistering power of 15-year-old Russian Viktoriya
Kutuzova. While the crowd of nearly 2,000 gave her a warm reception,
Seles was clearly far from the player who won nine majors and 53
tournaments in her career. Still, the fan-friendly atmosphere of
World TeamTennis (spectators are encouraged to cheer between points
and on-court promotions involving the players are the norm) brought
a smile to Seles's face. The joy of being back on the court was
evident. Those boxes in her garage? Looks like they'll remain taped
shut just a little longer.

© Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.