Monica Seles flirted with an embarrassing departure to Karina Habsudova before gathering herself in the third set to vindicate the much-maligned seeding committee. Seles, ranked sixth for the championship, capitalised on a net cord at 5-5 for break point before Habsudova hit a forehand loose and low for the critical break. Seles simply served out for the match.
"I could have been packing my bags. I just said don't give up, keep trying. I'll have to up my returns in the next match," said Seles. Ranked 53rd, Habsudova has never been past the second round at Wimbledon while Seles was coming off a disappointing (albeit semi-final) finish in this year's French Open. Seles's cold comfort from Roland Garros was that semi-final conqueror Mary Pierce went on to win in Paris.
Seles, a finalist in 1992, is hoping to add to her nine Grand Slam singles titles, while the other main combatants yesterday, Pierce and Lindsay Davenport, can still count theirs on one hand. It was a day when the principals cruised forward relatively unscathed with the exception of a tearful Nathalie Tauziat, who departed 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 to Belgium's Kim Clijsters. It is the last time the 32-year-old French woman will play in the championships as she retires at the end of the year.
Davenport, having recovered from the pains in her back that hampered her so obviously three weeks ago, was forced to face her doubles partner Corina Morariu. And, as if beating her in the match wasn't enough, Morariu slipped and fell awkwardly injuring her left elbow and shoulder and was forced to default. Luckily, both her parents are doctors.
Davenport went on to rubbish Tauziat's apparently controversial book called The Underside of Women's Tennis, now dubbed "The Underwear of Women's Tennis" because of the front cover which has her posing semi-clad behind a pillow. Davenport remarked that the book could have been much worse. There is some doubt that the book will be translated into English so confusion abounds over what exactly has been said.
"I think she could have told a lot more. I don't think she said anything mind blowing or anything," said Davenport. Ironically, the American was singled out by Tauziat as one of the players who is virtually ignored while others such as Anna Kournikova are smothered with attention. "Maybe she (Davenport) should write a book," shrugged Tauziat.
Court Two was a parade of French Open champions with both Gustavo Kuerten and Pierce kicking off their campaigns, Pierce making less work of 50th ranked Nicole Pratt than "Guga" did of Chris Woodruff. Pierce, who is usually French and occasionally Canadian, became the first "usually French" woman to win the French Open since Francoise Durr in 1967, but has not advanced further than the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Still, she disposed of Pratt imperiously in just over an hour 6-1, 6-3.
Unseeded Jennifer Capriati, still trying to crack the top ten, also made a significant step forward with a 6-4, 6-2 win over 16th seed Dominique Van Roost. Afterwards Capriati revealed that her father Stefano is back coaching her again. Those expecting a blast of music from the movie The Omen to accompany this revelation were disappointed but enough hairs were left standing. Dad, according to Jennifer, appears to have mellowed.
"So far it's good. It was a mutual thing. It happened after the French (Open). I needed somebody as my coach and I needed someone who knew my game. He started me playing tennis and he knows how to tell me things so that I understand them," she said. "He's getting better at it as I'm getting older."
