The Scoop: SATURDAY, MARCH 15

Hewitt: nails-tough in semi-final win
Kimmy vs. Lindsay XI

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

FROM THE PACIFIC LIFE OPEN IN INDIAN WELLS, CALIF. – How little rain do they normally get in Indian Wells every year? So little that the tournament doesn't even have a tarp to cover the stadium court. As we write during a multiple-hour rain delay in the middle of the Guga-Kuerten/Rainer Schuettler semifinals, the court crew is trying to dry the court with ear-shattering blowers, sopping wet white towels and squeegees the size of snowplows. A thankless job indeed.

There was really never a doubt that defending champion Lleyton Hewitt would take out American qualifier Vince Spadea in the semis, it was just a matter of how long it would take. Hewitt won 7-6(5), 6-1 to move into the final in a true meat grinder of a match.

The most humorous moment came after Hewitt double faulted to 5-6 in the tiebreaker and normally placid crowd began to chant "Vince, Vince Vince," but serving in a swirling wind, Vinny double faulted to hand Hewitt the set.

"I was hoping he's do that," Hewitt laughed. "That was a good way to shut them up. I didn't have to do anything."

Hewitt ended the match 28 winners to only 15 from Spadea and served brilliantly, powering six aces and cashing in on 29 of his 35 first serve points. Hewitt who won the title in Scottsdale last week, is 13-1 on the year. He's so nails-tough that they should put his head on the hood of Dodge Ram.

"He exploits every part of your game and he's trying to wear you down," said Spadea. "He plays great defense and if you give him a short ball, he plays efficient offense. He serves well enough to where he can put pressure on you. He returns really well. Once you feel like you've won a point and you're at net and he's scrambling to pass you, that's another one of his weapons He's got a lot of weapons that are not so obvious as well as ones that are."

Kimmy vs. Lindsay XI
Kim Clijsters will face Lindsay Davenport in the women's final. Fortunately for us and somewhat unfortunately for tennisreporters.net readers, we've seen seven of these matches and have their bullet forehands on the brain. It's not an incredibly complicated matchup to dissect, but we'll indulge ourselves anyway.

Davenport is 6-4 against Clijsters, but the 19-year-old Belgian has beaten her three out of the last four times they've played. Clijsters is a much better mover than Davenport, but Lindsay is more dependable from the ground and has a more consistent serve.

However, Clijsters is smart enough now not to go for too much pace with her first serve against huge returners such as Davenport and will often try to place them deep and mix them up in the 90-mph-plus range. They have two of the best forehands in the game, with Kim hitting hers better on the run and Lindsay able to lower the boom when she has her feet set. Their backhands are a toss-up, neither come to net much and they think equally well.

The outcome will depend on who serves better and whether Kim can extend the rallies and keep her spotty forehand under control. If she can, she'll win the contest.

"Lindsay is the type of player that, if she's on, she can play unbelievable," Clijsters said. "She can hit the ball so clean. Her weaker point is her movement. You have to take advantage of that and return well. From the first point of the rally you have to get into an advantageous situation and try to do more with a return."

However, if Lindsay can dictate early in most points, she'll win her first major title since Zurich in 2001.

"Kim has probably has turned the table on a lot of players," Davenport said. "Her level the last few months has dramatically improved. Her ability to play the bigger matches has improved quite a bit. We've had some close matches. She gets more balls back than most girls get back. It's sometimes just those extra few balls that you have to keep going for. Hopefully can I keep my patience up there and pick the right shot to go for.

"I think her backhand is one of the best out there. I'm going to have to try and attack her forehand a little bit, take my chances with some second serves. I'm going to have to be ready to come in and try and take some balls out of the air and not let her keep getting balls back."

Moreover she needs to take the same approach that she did in outlasting Jennifer Capriati. Bang, bang, bang away.

"I've got to, I think," Davenport said. "I don't think I can last with these girls out there that don't miss."