Be Ready For Russian Invasion
Sun Herald
Sunday January 16, 2005
THE usual suspects from the US and home-town hope Alicia Molik are seemingly all that can stop Russians from holding all four grand slam trophies by the completion of the 2005 Australian Open.
The Russians aren't coming. They have arrived and threaten to take over at Melbourne Park when the centenary open gets under way tomorrow. After years of trying, a Russian woman finally walked away with a grand slam title for the first time when Anastasia Myskina prevailed at the French Open in June. Russian teenagers Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova followed Myskina into the major winners' circle with Wimbledon and US Open triumphs. The upshot is four Russians in the world's top six, seven in the top 15 and a strong possibility one of them will complete the sweep of slams in a fortnight. "It's remarkable," world No.1 Lindsay Davenport says. "I don't think any country has ever had so many players come up and reach the top of the game like they have 50 per cent in the top 15 or 16. There's so many great players. And they're all different. "A lot of times you'll see players come from a country that have similar styles [but] they are all unique in what their strengths are, what their weaknesses are. "I think they've all motivated each other to keep going. "They all see their friends doing well and think that 'if she can do it, I can do it'." World No.6 Elena Dementieva looms as the next most likely to break through, and certainly thinks she "can do it" after succumbing to nerves in the French and US Open deciders last year. "I hope to have another chance to play in a final," she said. "That experience may help me this time." Myskina's preparations suffered a setback with a first-up defeat in Sydney last week, but the ITF's 2004 world player of the year remains a serious contender after reaching the quarter-finals on her previous two visits to Melbourne. "I'm not confident, but I still look forward to the Australian Open," the world No.3 said after her shock loss to Chinese qualifier Shuai Peng in Sydney. Dementieva rightly acknowledged the title as there for the taking. "There is no-one person who is dominating [at] this time," she said. Apart from Molik that is. The 23-year-old South Australian has won 27 of her past 31 matches since entering a purple patch in August.
© 2005 Sun Herald