| Maria Sharapova was first, but may lose her lead this week The Women's Tennis Association has published new rankings. In the singles classification, which takes into account the 17 best tournament results over the last 52 weeks, first place for the first time in history is occupied by a representative of our country - Maria Sharapova. The sports world learned that this significant event would take place on August 22 ten days ago, after the now former world number one American Lindsay Davenport refused to compete at the competition in Toronto. Despite the fact that BTA uses a computer to determine the rating, some permutations in it can be calculated in advance using a regular calculator.
“When you fly to such a height, you experience a strong shock,” Sharapova admitted. - After all, I’m an ordinary, simple girl. To be the first in the world in your business is something! I used to try not to think about the day when I would become the best in the rankings, and now it has come!” Now all admirers of Masha Sharapova’s talent and tennis fans are interested in the question: how long can she stay at the top? After all, seven cases have already been recorded when an athlete retained her leading powers in the BTA rankings for only one week, subsequently, however, returning them for a longer period. The Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo managed to stay on the tennis throne less than others - last fall she topped the world rankings for only five weeks.
It is possible that Davenport will be able to eliminate the difference of 152 points in the coming days. The second category BTA tournament with a prize fund of $600 thousand has started in New Haven (USA). Maria is missing these competitions, and Lindsay is “seeded” here as number one and will enter the fight in the 1/8 finals in a match against the winner of the pair, Tatyana Golovin ( France) -- Kvetoslava Peschke (Czech Republic). If she reaches the final, the American will receive 137 points, and she will probably get the missing 16 points in three matches won due to bonuses for victories over rivals occupying one or another place in the ranking.
Who can stop Lindsay? In the quarterfinals - Patti Schneider (Switzerland), who has already made it to the second round in New Haven, Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) or her opponent in the starting circle, Nuria Llagostra-Vives. In the semifinals, three Russians - Maria Kirilenko, Nadezhda Petrova and Anna Chakvetadze - can carry out the honorable mission of helping Sharapova stay on top by defeating her pursuer. Although from this quarter of the bracket, the quartet of the strongest players in the tournament may include, for example, the experienced Bulgarian Magdalena Maleeva, the strong Italian Silvia Farina-Elia or the 17th number in the classification Jelena Jankovic (Serbia and Montenegro). It’s a pity that Anastasia Myskina (ankle injury) and Svetlana Kuznetsova (back problems) withdrew from participation in New Haven.
Further struggle for leadership will take place at the fourth Grand Slam tournament this season - the US Open. It starts next Monday and ends on September 11, the tragic date of the terrorist attack for the hosts and the whole world. Lindsay in New York will need to defend the 456 points she scored last year for reaching the semi-finals, while Sharapova only has 92 points to defend for reaching the third round.
There is no point in making any plans for the second half of September and the time remaining until the end of the season. It is clear that the Belgians Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne will begin to step on Sharapova’s heels at the speed of a courier train. After all, due to injuries and illnesses that plagued them in the second half of last year and the beginning of this year, they played too few competitions. Clijsters has at least four more tournaments left, where all the points she earns will only be a plus for her. Henin-Hardenne has not played even half of its qualifying competitions in the last 52 weeks.
Last Sunday, these two compatriots played each other in the final of the first category tournament in Toronto. Already the 19th head-to-head meeting of the rivals only within the framework of elite competitions (in childhood they played each other several times at the national level) ended in victory for Clijsters - 7:5, 6:1. This is her sixth title this season and 19th in her career. Kim took the lead in personal relationships with Henin-Hardenne - 10:9, and most importantly, rose to first place in the annual WTA ranking, which takes into account the results of all tournaments played in the season without exception. Sharapova is only third in this classification, second only to Davenport. As for Justine, she suffered only her third defeat in 34 fights held this year. That's how strong Belgian girls are now!
Among men, Swiss Roger Federer is ahead of Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the competition for the most number of Masters series tournaments won in a season. The strongest tennis player on the planet defeated American Andy Roddick in the finals of the competition in Cincinnati (USA) - 6:3, 7:5. Federer now has four Masters victories in 2005, while the Spaniard has three.
BTA ranking in singles Place Player Country Points Tournaments | 1 (2) | Maria Sharapova | Russia | 4452 | 19 | | 2 (1) | Lindsay Davenport | USA | 4300 | 14 | | 3 (3) | Amelie Mauresmo | France | 3718 | 17 | | 4 (8) | Kim Clijsters | Belgium | 3179 | 13 | | 5 (4) | Svetlana Kuznetsova | Russia | 3168 | 20 | | 6 (6) | Elena Dementieva | Russia | 2987 | 19 | | 7 (5) | Justine Henin-Hardenne | Belgium | 2941 | 8 | | 8 (7) | Serena Williams | USA | 2845 | 12 | | 9 (10) | Nadezhda Petrova | Russia | 2720 | 26 | | 10 (9) | Venus Williams | USA | 2658 | 14 | | 13 (14) | Anastasia Myskina | Russia | 2095 | 20 | | 16 (16) | Elena Bovina | Russia | 1568 | 15 | | 19 (17) | Vera Zvonareva | Russia | 1388 | 24 | | 20 (20) | Elena Likhovtseva | Russia | 1356 | 20 |
Note: Last week's location in parentheses. Ilya TRISVIATSKY
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