THE SCOOP: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22

Can Kim beat Serena at a Slam? Myskina says yes
Jennifer to play Indian Wells, Williamses out again

Siggi Bucher

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

The last time that Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams played a significant match (we're throwing out Serena's win over Clijsters at the Hopeman Cup exo), Kim knocked out the four-time Grand Slam champion Williams 7-5, 6-3 in the final of the '02 Home Depot Championships.

On that enchanted Belgium evening in LA, Williams was a bit slow and tired and didn't serve with her normal authority, Clijsters was faster, more patient and was able to work the court with her huge forehand.

Thursday's semifinal in Melbourne between the two will be a much different match, because Serena is better condition than she was in LA, has much more to play for considering that she's has been blowing her "Serena Slam" horn for more than a month now and is tired of the talk that Kim is ready to take her No. 1 mantle. When asked whether she was out to get revenge, Serena – who obviously spends too much time reading the Old Testament – said, "Vengeance belongs to God. I'm just here to play tennis."

Susan Mullane Camerawork USA, Inc.

Imagine being Serena, who has lost just three matches since June, hearing the vanquished Anastasia Myskina say, "I think Kim right now is the best player in the world. Kim beat her last time in Championships. I think she has a good chance to win the whole Australia Open, because she really feels like home here. The crowd really supports her. She much better – not much better, but I think she's better than Serena and Venus right now."

CLIJSTERS LOOKS GREAT … BUT SERENA IS STILL CONFIDENT
Here's what Serena had to say when asked whether she's the favorite against Kim. "I think I would be, yeah, because of my ranking and my past record. But whatever happened in the past, it doesn't matter because this is a new match, a new day, and the semifinals of a Grand Slam. … I have to make sure I'm in my 'A' game. She's running fast. She's hitting winners on both sides. She's really confident right now. She's in great shape."

Adelaide-Aussie-Kim will certainly be the crowd favorite, but that's not going to matter here. What's truly important is who serves better, who can dominate the court with her forehand and who plays the better defense when she's on the run. Add to that one crucial factor: if the match goes deep in the third, does Kim have the stomach to go for the lines when a Slam match against Serena is on the line? We know Serena does.

"I know that I have to play my best if I want to be capable of beating her" Clijsters said. "That's the only thing I'm going to focus on. I'll try to grab every chance that I get. I'll have to serve a lot better than what I did [against Myskina]. Playing against Venus or Serena, you'll always have to hit it a bit harder and place it a little bit better, compared to some other girls who don't have the power and running facilities that they have. Everything just has to be a little more precise, you have to move the ball around a little bit better, you have to move better yourself. That's what makes it fun I think as well for me to see that challenge and to get up there."

Jennifer to play Indian Wells, Williamses out again
After a two-year-absence, Jennifer Capriati will return to the California desert to play Pacific Life Open, March 3-16 at Indian Wells. However, '01 champion Serena Williams and her sister Venus will again skip the Tier 1 event.

The Williamses decided not to play last year because of the lengthy, negative reception the sisters received from fans in 2001 after Venus pulled out of her semifinal against Serena with an injury. "We go places where we feel happy," Serena said.

Capriati is not in the field at the State Farm Women's Classic in Scottsdale Feb. 24-March 2, where she lost to Serena in last year's final. Serena will play Scottsdale, as will Clijsters, Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport, Chanda Rubin, Meghann Shaughnessy and Eleni Daniilidou.

Defending Daniela Hantuchova will play Indian Wells, as will Amelie Mauresmo, who hasn't played there in a few years. The field also includes Clijsters, Seles, Davenport, Rubin, Jelena Dokic, Myskina, Elena Dementieva, Alexandra Stevenson and Anna Kournikova.

On the men's side, defending champ Lleyton Hewitt will return, as will Andre Agassi, Marat Safin, Juan
Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya, Albert Costa, Roger Federer, Jiri Novak, Tim Henman, Andy Roddick and Pete Sampras, among others.

The men's Franklin Templeton Classic in Scottsdale, played the week before the men start in Indian Wells (they start five days later than the women) will feature Sampras, Agassi, James Blake, Alex Corretja and Wayne Ferreira.

tennisreporters.net will be on site at all these events.