Re: 北極熊在美網第五天

看板ALL-RUSSIANS作者Mirnyi747 (Max)時間22年前 (2003/08/30 17:07)推噓0(0推 0噓 0→)

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http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2003-08-29/200308291062191119626.html ↑有俄羅斯各娃的照片喔！ Russian Brigade Invades US Open by Neil E. Schlecht Friday, August 29, 2003 There are an awful lot of evas, inas, ayas and ovas in the women's draw at the 2003 US Open. I don't want to sound alarmist and say the Russians are coming. The Russians are here. Thirteen Russian women were entered in the draw, more than half of them among the 32 seeds. Led by Elena Dementieva and Anastasia Myskina, a small army of Russians is marching through the draw. This year appears to be the coming-out party for these Russian debutantes – even though several of them are still playing under the age rule that limits their participation on tour. Storming into the fourth round are seven young Russian women, none of who appear to be fixated on anything but winning tennis matches. Some, highly ranked and experienced at big tournaments, were expected to do well; others are surprise survivors of the qualifiers and tough early-round battles. The tour’s newest "It" girl, 16-year-old Maria Sharapova, has taken the tour by storm in her first year, catapulting 267 places in the rankings. Disappointing fans who had begun to salivate over a potential Capriati vs. Sharapova showdown, the Russian showed her inexperience in going out in the second round last night. It is just stunning how fast this band of Russian players has bulleted up the charts in a single year. In addition to the hard-charging Sharapova, Lina Krasnoroutskaya traded up 219 places. Nadia Petrova jumped from 149 to 20. Elena Bovina leapt to 17 in the world from 77, and Svetlana Kuznetsova raced to 28 from an also-ran rank of 84. Their spectacular rises in the rankings spell out statistically what is obvious when one watches these young players take the court. Though predictably the most photogenic among them have hogged most of the attention – Myskina and Dementieva posed provocatively in GQ and Sharapova was the new "page 3" girl at Wimbledon – the photo spreads seem largely an afterthought. What they share more than good looks is a steely will and a fist pump. Myskina, 22, is the No. 7 seed. She has four career WTA titles, though she'sꘊstill waiting for her big breakthrough at a Grand Slam. Dementieva, the 11th seed, is only 21, though she reached the semis at the US Open three years ago already. After a brief slump, she has recently returned to form and won the Amelia Island tournament earlier this year, defeating Davenport in the final. Incredibly, those two are pretty much the elder stateswomen of the brigade. Sharapova, who grew up playing in Siberia before arriving in Florida at the age of six, is still just 16. Her aggressive play and determined grunts threaten to displace comparisons to Kournikova. True, she helped design the head-to-toe, dusty pink ensemble she wore in her match on Louis Armstrong Stadium, but she is eager to deflect questions of fashion and off-court fame. "I don't worry about who people think I am […] what's around me, they can talk and they can say anything,” Sharapova said in articulate Floridian English. Compact and powerful, Svetlana Kuznetsova is the doubles partner of the original ova, the ageless wonder Martina Navritilova. Yet Kuznetsova has also distinguished herself in singles, collecting two singles titles as an 18-year- old. She reached the quarters at Wimbledon this year. Nadia Petrova, the No. 19 seed, tasted success at Roland Garros this year, surprising two former No. 1's, Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati, on her way to the semis. In excellent form at this year’s US Open, she annihilated the No. 14 seed, Amanda Coetzer, 6-0, 6-1, to reach the fourth round. Better known as Marat Safin’s little sister, Dinara Safina, 17, is making a name for herself; she surprised people by winning two tournament titles in her two brief years on tour. She, too, is into the third round at the Open. The newbie of the bunch, Maria Kirilenko, 16, is just a wisp of a thing. Last year's junior champion at the US Open, she fought through three qualifying rounds and advanced to the third round – where she met and tested, Amelie Mauresmo, the fifth seed. Just 5' 4" and 105-pounds, Kirilenko is barely bigger than the racquet bag she wears as a backpack. But she professes not to be intimidated in the least by the power and size of other players. "I'm 16, maybe I still grow," she said charmingly. The Russian presence – and more to the point, success – on tour has come about quickly. Obviously, the Russian tennis system has had some excellent talent to work with, but conditions remain difficult for most; several players, like Safina and Kuznetsova in Spain and Sharapova in Florida, developed as juniors in other countries. For Kuznetsova, the rise of her compatriots is a question of fraternal rivalry. “I think because we are so many, we compete between each other. Everyone wants to show that he is better than someone from his country.” Says Sharapova of her countrywomen’s achievements, “They just want to be No. 1 in the world. They work hard and they think that is their […] only option [to succeed]. They're really fighters out there.” About their fight there’s little debate. Today the question is: How high can the Russian women go? -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.csie.ntu.edu.tw) ◆ From: 61.225.197.4