Miscellany

A reminder to U.S. viewers: Unmatched, a documentary about the rivalry between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, will have its premier showing tomorrow night, September 14, at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN. It will also be shown at 11 p.m. on the 14th on ESPN2. Viewers can also watch at 8 p.m., Thursday, September 16 on ESPN Classic, and Saturday, September 18 at 1 a.m on ESPN 2.

Navratilova was given the Eugene L. Scott Award on Friday at the Legends Ball in New York.

USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier says that putting a roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium would mean there would be no money available to fund grassroots tennis in the U.S.

Vania King says that she began playing doubles with Yaroslava Shvedova because Anna-Lena Groenefeld, with whom she had been playing, sustained a stress fracture in her foot. She expected Groenefeld to return for the clay season, but that didn't happen. King and Shvedova formed a team during the grass season and decided--for obvious reasons--to stay together.

This is the second year in a row that Esther Vergeer has won the U.S. Open women's wheelchair singles final with a score of 6-0, 6-0. 

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour "Looking Back at a Legend" series continues with a look back at Tracy Austin.

Wild card Rebecca Marino has advanced to the second round of the Bell Challenge in Quebec. She defeated countrywoman and wild card Heidi El Tabakh 7-6, 7-6.

"Look at the little rascal hustle!"

Some time during the third set, that's what commentator Tony Trabert shouted when Tracy Austin scrambled around the court picking up ball after ball in the 1981 U.S. Open final. Tennis Channel showed the match last night as part of its "Classic Matches" series.

I enjoy watching that match because it took so many twists and turns: Martina Navratilova cleaned up in the first set, but then she started throwing forehand volleys into the net, and she couldn't stop double-faulting. With the wind constantly blowing, Austin did anything she could think of to keep Navratilova on the baseline, including hitting a good many lobs over her head.

There were some great rallies, and on three occasions, Navratilova made over-the-shoulder shots with her back to the net. Two of them were good, and one of them was a stunning winner.

Navratilova had just become a U.S. citizen in the late summer of 1981, and she had never won in New York, so her desire to win was huge. She would have to wait, though: Austin defeated her, 1-6, 7-6, 7-6. When the match was finally over, Navratilova sat down and cried.

Sadder, though, was Austin's fate. She was out for a few months with a back injury before the 1981 Open. When she won the title, she must have thought that the worst was over, but it wasn't. Austin's back problem became so bad that it took her out of serious competition and forced her to retire at a very early age. Hers is, in fact, one of the really sad sports stories because her potential was so great. She won the U.S. Open twice, and we can only guess how many more big titles she would have claimed had she remained healthy.

Miscellany

Anna Kournikova and Tracy Austin will join John McEnroe and Jim Courier for an exhibition event at the Turning Stone Event Center in Verona, New York. The event will take place May 2.

Now that Victoria Azarenka has entered the top 10, the Family Circle Cup already has more top 10 players entered than there were in Indian Wells. So far, Charleston entries include Serena Williams, Elena Dementieva, Venus Williams, Vera Zvonareva, Nadia Petrova, and Azarenka.

Anna Chakvetadze says we won't see her on green clay this year, but maybe she'll play the American clay court tournaments again in the future.

Monica Seles is taking your questions.

Sam Stosur says things are going well with her and new coach Rene Moller, and he will be with her in Miami.

So who CAN'T win the Sony Ericsson Championships?

"Seven of these women could win the title."

Tracy Austin

Davenport and Morariu to reunite in Doha

But not on the doubles court. The two friends and former doubles partners will be in the broadcast booth for the Sony Ericsson Championships. Morariu will be paired with lead commentator Barry McKay, and they will be assisted by Davenport. Pre- and post-match interviews will be conducted by Tracy Austin. 

Some things never change

In almost the same breath, the eternally sexist Tracy Austin referred to Venus and Serena Williams as "guys," then as "young ladies."

A revisionist look at Evert and Austin

The great Chris Evert may be surprised to learn that she was a "no-good trasher" who "cannot hit the ball." Tracy Austin, too. That's how Evert achieved the longest clay court streak in tennis history. And how she won all those Grand Slams. But hey--Richard Williams can tell you all about it.

Thanks to Tennis X for the story.

This and that...

Eleni Daniilidou has split from her coach--no word yet on who the new coach will be.


In Bangalore, number 1 qualifying seed Ayumi Morita has been defeated by Melanie South, 4-6, 6-0, 6-0. Looks like an injury issue, yes?


Tracy Austin likes Agnes Szavay's backhand.


Sharapova on the Doha awards event: "Let me just mention that the noise of the motorcycles during the ceremony scared the living crap out of me...."


The White Mile, Patty Schnyder's book, co-authored by her husband and coach, Rainer Hoffman, is due to be released in Europe this month. However, since the excerpts that were to have been published in September of last year never appeared on the website, I suspect that the book's publication may be delayed.

Just in case you didn't hear it the first 500 times...

Sybille Bammer is a mother.

How can she stay up past ten at night?! Her "boyfriend" travels with her. There goes "mom!"

All the commentators need to shut up about Bammer's parenthood, but Tracy Austin in particular needs to find something else to talk about. Perhaps she can do some homework about Lleyton Hewitt or Max Mirnyi or Fabrice Santoro and talk nonstop about their parenthood. All those children--how do they do it?