No pressure on Kuznetsova in Saturday's final - 網球

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No pressure on Kuznetsova in Saturday's final
By Greg Garber ESPN.com Updated: September 7, 2007, 8:11 PM ET

NEW YORK -- OK, we know this looks bad.

Justine Henin -- who has yet lose so much as a set at this year's U.S. Open
-- is 14-2 lifetime against Svetlana Kuznetsova. When they meet in Saturday
night's U.S. Open final, there won't be a lot of support for Kuznetsova's
chances.

However, as we speak the Russian is just as close to collecting her second
U.S. Open title as Henin.

Below are the arguments that can be made on the behalf of each player:

In the chaotic world of women's tennis, Justine Henin remains a constant, the
enduring monument to consistency.

Her pet peeve is people who are chronically late and, rest assured, she is
always on point and on time. Her arrival into the final at the 2007 U.S. Open
is just another example.

A year ago, Venus Williams wasn't even playing in this event. Kuznetsova and
Anna Chakvetadze both lost in the fourth round. Henin? She was in the final,
losing 6-4, 6-4 to Maria Sharapova. This time, though, she'll finish with a
flourish.

"I've been playing very well on hard court, but no major, so I hope I can
make it," Henin said after beating Williams in Friday's semifinals, 7-6 (2),
6-4. "It would be a big mistake to think that I did the hardest work because
tomorrow is going to be the big day, and I hope I can be in my best shape to
do it."

Henin is already ranked No. 1 in the world and her lead on the field will
only increase when she wins her seventh Grand Slam singles title on Saturday
night. She is the smallest player ranked in the top 10, but she has the
biggest heart.

When the draw was announced, it did not look good for the 25-year-old
Belgian. Not only did she have both Williams sisters in her half, but No. 3
seed Jelana Jankovic and No. 5 Ana Ivanovic as well. All Henin did was stare
down the field and surgically work her way to the final. She is only the
second woman to beat Venus and Serena in the same Grand Slam tournament,
following Martina Hingis' example in the 2001 Australian Open.

Despite missing the Australian Open, Henin has rallied to become the best
player among the women. In beating the Williams sisters, she has personally
taken them out of the race for player of the year. Regardless of what happens
at the year-end championship in Madrid, her two Grand Slams, tour-leading
seven titles and the best match-winning percentage make her the only choice
for that honor.

Henin is a crazy 14-2 against Kuznetsova, crazy because they will be ranked
No. 1 and No. 2 in the world come Monday. Henin, based on that track record,
will make it 15 out of 17. After her sloppy display against Chakvetadze in
the semifinals, there is no reason to think otherwise.

Henin is happy and hyphen-less, having dealt with the divorce from her
husband, Pierre-Yves Hardenne. She is healthy, too.

"I'm really proud of what I've done this year," she said after beating Serena
in the quarterfinals. "I came back from a very tough situation personally. It
was tough to come back professionally and just do my best, and that's what I
did."

She has never been more confident, she has never been better. Give her the
trophy and, finally, give her the due she deserves.

Instead of the two Serbian seeds (Nos. 3 and 5), there were two Russians --
Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anna Chakvetadze -- banging around in the
nonglamorous semifinal on Friday. When Kuznetsova defeated Chakvetadze 3-6,
6-1, 6-1 -- in an admittedly grotesque match -- Russia had its eighth female
Grand Slam finalist in the past four years.

Now, can Kuznetsova actually beat Henin, the overwhelming favorite?

Why not?

First of all, there's no pressure. With all eyes on the Justine Henin-Venus
Williams semifinal, no one was giving this Russian a chance. Playing free and
fluidly is a big advantage. After an atrocious first set, Kuznetsova settled
down and won 12 of the final 13 games -- an impressive turnaround.

That's some serious momentum.

Second, isn't it quite plausible that Henin will experience something of a
letdown after beating both Williams sisters in the last two rounds? You bet.
And don't discount the extra couple hours of rest; while Williams and Henin
were still going at it, Kuznetsova was probably enjoying a massage and a nice
meal.

Third, despite the head-to-head numbers, there is a ray of hope here.

Kuznetsova may have lost 14 of 16 matches to Henin, but their last meeting
actually went to Kuznetsova. That's right, after an 0-for-10 streak
Kuznetsova surprised Henin 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 earlier this year in Berlin.

And then there is the not-so-small issue of experience at the U.S. Open.

Kuznetsova, it should be noted, has won the U.S. Open more recently than
Henin, in 2004. That year, she beat Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals and
fellow Russian Elena Dementieva in the final.

It was the first (and only) Grand Slam for Kuznetsova and it carried her into
the top five for the first time. After a drop to No. 18 in 2005, she is again
playing the kind of tennis that makes her an elite player.

"Now I realize how much effort it took me to be here again," she said. "I
went through difficult times."

No one gives her much of a chance, but she will come into the prime-time
final believing she can do it. The fact that no one else does will help drive
her to her second Grand Slam title.

Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

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很有趣
兩種對女單決賽的預測言論....第一種說法對Kuz來說超狠就是

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