VENUS, VERA COULD ROLL IN RUSSIA

Year-end spots up for grabs in Moscow
Also: PMac never called Andre; Tuly's back on tour

By Matthew Cronin, TennisReporters.net

Siggi Bucher

Marat Safin is a stretch to make the year-end ATP Tennis Masters Cup.

If Marat Safin can't beat Radek Stepanek at home in Moscow, his chances of doing serious damage at the Tennis Masters Cup are between slim and surviving another all-night partying binge. Safin fell 7-6(8), 4-6, 6-3 to the Czech and, consequently, is barely holding on to the eighth and final spot for Houston with a just a 17-point lead over Andre Agassi.

BTW: Agassi played an exo in North Dakota on Tuesday night.

One man who making a charge toward Houston is Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty, who came back from a break in the third set against Thomas Johansson and prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Hrbaty is about 100 points behind Safin. Russian Mikhail Youzhny performed better for the home folks, overcoming the never-say-retire Marc Rosset 4-6 6-3 6-2.

"I don't like to play in Moscow. It's very tough, the toughest tournament in the whole year," Youzhny said. "In St. Petersburg I play easy; here I cannot win any matches in four years. I made the quarters here when I was young and nobody knew me. But now I hope I changed the situation, first match. I am already happy. I start to think it's a tournament like the others."

Even though Safin has said he's not impressed with the young Russian male talent, he's not paying close attention to the very capable Igor Andreev, who upended Vince Spadea 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Another Russian, young Nikolay Davydenko, took out Sargis Sargsian 6-2, 6-4. Second-seed Joachim Johansson continued his push toward Houston, whacking Cyril Saulnier 6-2, 6-4. It's now J-Jo's tournament to win.

Vienna has a slightly deeper field than Moscow, with David Nalbandian the top seed and Nico Massu at No. 2. Nalbandian is 90 points behind Safin.

"Mathematically I have the chance. But it's going to be tough, I have to win a lot of matches. I have to win one ATP Masters Series, but I have the chance. If I play good I think I can get in. So I have to try and keep that in my mind. This for sure is my goal for this year and I hope I can do it."

On Wednesday, No. 3 Rain-man Schuettler melted Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 and Paradorn Srichaphan downed the slumping Al Costa 6-4, 6-4, who has lost five straight matches. … In Metz, Frenchman Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet and Olivier Mutis all scored wins. Three mid-level ATP tournaments going in the same week before the masters Series tournament next week in Madrid means seriously watered down fields.

PMac never called Andre
A follow-up on yesterday's column on Agassi and Davis Cup: TennisReporters.net confirmed that captain Pat McEnroe never called to ask Agassi to play after the US beat Belarus.

Vera and Venus' Big Week
Even though plenty of Russian men remain in Moscow, the women's tournament has much more star appeal and significance, due to the fact that the fate of No. 1 ranking will be determined this week.

Every Russian woman of note save for Asian queen Maria Sharapova entered the tournament, but two notable Americans remain – Lindsay Davenport and Venus Williams. Should Davenport's beat chronic underachiever Dinara Safina on Thursday, she'll end this week at No. 1. The only time she ended the year at No. 1 was 2001, when she was also Slam-less.

WTA

Ron Cioffi/TR.net

Michaela Pastikova, top, was defeated by Vera Zvonareva, who could squeeze into WTA Championships.

BTW: What does Sharapova's absence say for her love of her home country? We'll let Elena Dementieva and Anastasia Myskina answer that one. … Nadia Petrova continues to falter since US Open, dropping a tough 0-6, 6-3, 6-4 decision to the athletic Francesca Schiavone. Petrova now has almost no chance to qualify for the WTA Championships.

But No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova blitzed Czech qualifier Michaela Pastikova, 6-2, 6-4 and Vera Zvonareva overcame the sputtering Karolina Sprem 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. With Justine Henin-Hardenne ending her season a couple days ago due to a relentless virus that she just can't seem to shake, Zvonareva still has a decent shot at LA and could face No. 3 Myskina in the quarters. She'll be tearing up at least two hours before the contest, remembering how she let go of nine match points against her friend in a 6-2, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (15) loss to San Diego last summer.

Kuznetsova could see a potential US Open final rematch with No. 5 Elena Dementieva, who should qualify for the Championships. Elena Bovina was the third Russian to move into the quarterfinals with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Claudine Schaul. Because of Henin-Hardenne's decision, Jennifer Capriati has temporarily grabbed the eighth spot for the Championships, which must make ticket sellers very happy. But chances are that Venus or Vera will pass the inactive Floridian by the end of next week.

Did Henin-Hardenne make the right decision to bag the rest of the season and hope for better things to come physically in 2005? We'll know next year. Sadly for the tour, had Henin-Hardenne found it within herself to compete in a few tournaments this fall and play the Championships, she could have regained her No. 1 ranking. With her Aussie Open win, an Olympic gold and a WTA Championships title, she would have been the player of the year again. But is better that she rest and come back at full strength.

The WTA does not need another Kim Clijsters on their hands. Now, the player of the year award is very much up for grabs. If Myskina or Kuznetsova win the Championships, it's theirs. If anyone else takes it, Justine still gets it in this writer's book.

Over in Tashkent No. 3 seed Marta Marrero of Spain beat Tatiana Poutchek, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. The aggressive baseliner and now Top-50 player won last week's ITF Women's Circuit event in Girona, Spain. Fifteen-year-old phenom Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic cracked veteran Cara Black, 6-4, 6-3. "I didn't play that well," the ambitious Vaidisova said. "I worked at it, keeping the ball in play, was patient. I didn't have the high percentage of serves I should have." German hopeful Anna-Lena Groenefeld also moved ahead.

Tuly's back on tour
Another tennis web site has dissed the Tashkent event for its weak field, somehow forgetting how good Iroda Tulyaganova was before she blew out her arm. On Tuesday, the Uzbekistan native downed Marion Bartoli, 6-4, 6-4. The super athletic Tuly, she of the tremendous topspin, was ranked No. 16 in the summer of 2002, before her elbow began to break down. Last year, she has surgery.

Tuesday was her first match in more than year. "I practiced only for one month and that is not enough," Tulyaganova said. "My serve is only 50 percent of what it was when I was at my peak."