Notes on A Draw Sheet

Is Rubin ready to rock N.Y.?
Dokic move to England unlikely

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

Susan Mullane Camerawork USA, Inc.

Since 1996 when she reached the Aussie Open semis, there have been so many times in Chanda Rubin's notable but not spectacular career that she appeared to be on the verge of another major breakthrough.

So when she went up against Serena Williams in the Manhattan Beach quarters last Friday, there was reason to expect a tight contest, but certainly not Chanda stopping Serena's 21-match win streak. So when she did in three sets and then beat up Jelena Dokic in the semis and overcame Lindsay Davenport 5-7, 7-6, 6-3 in the final, there is reason once again to believe that Rubin can be a top-5 player.

Rubin called the title her biggest tournament win. "Yes, it is because of the people I've beaten," said Rubin. "This being a win over No. 1, the No. 5 and the No. 3. I felt the tournament was just as easily mine as anyone else's with Serena out."

But it really wasn't until she beat Davenport, her buddy from the juniors who has beaten her in a three-setter at La Costa the week prior. "I've always felt that my game has kept me in there, it's just been some mental errors at times against her," Rubin said.

If you take a close look at Rubin's' game, you see that she has the firepower and speed to keep up with just about anyone, but it's her lack of confidence or poor decision-making in important matches that have held her back. Perhaps when she underwent knee surgery back in January she gained a new perceptive, which is why since she came back in June, she has reached three finals and won two titles, Eastbourne and L.A.

THE KNEE AFFECTS THE BRAIN
"I've used it to motivate me,'' she said of her knee surgeries. "I've worked overtime twice to get myself back into shape and get fit. I deserve to win these matches."

Now all Chanda has to do is beat back the label of being a perennial fourth-rounder at the Slams and she can do that by producing heavenly tennis at Flushing Meadows. "It has definitely been one of the best weeks, if not the best," she said on Sunday. "It gives me a great deal of confidence. Hopefully, I can take it into the U.S. Open and cause some trouble there. I think my chances are very good."

Dokic move to England unlikely
tennisreporters.net friend and reporter Paul Levine, who more than livened the Sports Ticker's copy from the California tournaments, sent us this dispatch describing from Dokic's reaction to her father Damir's claim that he's prepared to move his family to England because he's having problems with Yugoslavian sports authorities in Belgrade.

"If I did happen it would be long thing. He has some plans to do something," she said. "I don't know what it is but not right now. I don't have any plans to do that right now. … I'm hardly at home even at home wherever I am. I don't think I have home right now. So, even if I was to be there, maybe it would only be a few weeks a year. But it's not something I'm going to do right now, or do this year. … I'm not exactly sure what's going to happen. We haven't really talked about. It happened recently. I'm not sure exactly what he's going to do or what's going to happen. … I'm sure he has good reasons. We had a lot of problems there, a lot of troubles. If we do something, there's a good reason for it. We just don't do things because of small things that happened. There are a lot of things that happened over there and a lot of not so good things for me. … I'd like to stay at home in Yugoslavia if that's possible. I don't know if it would be possible or not. I guess we'll find out by the end of the year."

It's amazing that the Dokics are even considering a move to England, given that Damir was arrested twice there and that Jelena has had terrible time with the Fleet Street papers. "It's something I'd have to live with," she said. "I would take that into account but that would not be one of the problems that would bother me if I do. I just have to live there."

FYI
Rubin said that Dokic tanked the second set of their L.A. semifinal. Dokic said she was sick again. It doesn't benefit either Dokic or the fans to have her out there at less than 80 percent. … Not to quibble too much with Serena's scheduling, but taking off three weeks after Wimbledon might be too long and only playing two warm-up tournament prior to the U.S. Open may not be enough. It would be great to see her and Venus face off either at La Costa or in Montreal. … Performers who have been impressive in the first three weeks of the hardcourt season: Ai Sugiyama, Eleni Daniilidou and Katerina Srebotnik. Most disappointing: Daniela Hantuchova, Elena Dementieva and Alexandra Stevenson. … Martina Hingis' and Justine Henin's play and attitude this week in Montreal will go a long way in indicating whether they will be factors in Flushing Meadows. The same goes for Amelie Mauresmo, who has been off for a long spell avoiding U.S. hard courts.