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Bank of the West
Day 2 - Capriati, Shaughnessy, Dokic Advance
Monty Basnyat
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Capriati took 1 hour 48 minutes to put away France’s Marion Bartoli 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. Although Capriati seemed in control most of the match and never really in danger, she did appear to lose focus in the second set as Bartoli positioned herself closer to the baseline and began taking the ball earlier. However, Capriati quickly regained control and closed out the third set dropping only one game.
Jelena Dokic had little trouble with Alexandra Stevenson, dismantling her 6-2, 6-3 in a match that lasted barely 56 minutes. Dokic returned Stevenson’s serve well, then used her groundstrokes to jerk her from corner to corner like a yoyo, exposing her somewhat limited movement. Stevenson was on the run and off balance throughout the match, never finding her rhythm and making far too many errors.
Meghann Shaughnessy looked impressive in taking out unseeded Jelena Jankovic of Yugoslavia, 6-2, 6-3. Jankovic, ranked 118 in the world, received a wild card into the main draw. Shaughnessy used a steady mix of pace and angles, gave away very few free points, and ran down everything Jankovic served.
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Capriati, Shaughnessy and Dokic all have very impressive games. All three of them move well, anticipate nicely, and look to dictate the situation when ever possible.
Capriati
What impressed me most about Capriati, besides her ball striking capabilities, was her ability to stay down on almost every ball. One can clearly she how she uses her legs to generate all that pace and power. Capriati keeps her center of gravity low as she sets up to strike the ball. She positions her legs wider than shoulder width apart and stays low as she completes her stroke and recovers for the next shot.
Dokic
There are two things that stand out in Dokic’s game. The first is her gorgeous cross-court backhand. She has the ability to flatten it out, loop it, and angle it on command. She uses a quick shoulder turn and great balance to turn on the ball and she can drive it anywhere on the court from almost any position. It doesn't seem like a the wisest of strategies to plan an attack on that side.
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The second strength is her great anticipation. Dokic seems to pick up the ball extremely early and always appears to be at the right place at the right time.
Part of seeing the ball early and anticipating where it is going is watching the bounce and actually seeing the ball pop up on your opponents’ side of the court. If you can train yourself to do it, I guarantee it will definitely decrease your reaction time.
Although this sounds simple and really doesn't take any great technique other than training your mind to pay attention, for my money, focusing on the bounce may be one of the most difficult things to do in the game.
Next time you're on the court, try it on a 5 ball rally. If you focus more than two times in a row, you're doing very well. Keep trying and you will improve and soon you'll be moving and anticipating like Dokic.
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Shaughnessy
Meghann Shaughnessy, at 5 foot 11 inches tall and 150 pounds, moves like a Porsche in high gear. She gets to almost every ball and when she does, she usually does something good with it. She is an all court player with a nice forehand and she likes to hit it as much as possible often running around her backhand to do it.
Without any clear-cut weapons, I suppose her speed and court coverage are her biggest assets. She can dictate points by taking the ball early and she can run down most balls then change the pace of the game with angles and loops.
In the quarterfinal action Capriati will face number 26th ranked Lisa Raymond, Dokic meets qualifier Maria Vento – Kabchi of Venuzuela while Shaughnessy will take on the winner of Kim Clijsters and wild card recipient Amber Liu.
See you at courtside.
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