No. 4 Seles Doesn’t Last Long in the Desert, Again

The fight and fire were strangely absent from Monica Seles. Those same qualities, the ones serving her so well in winning Oklahoma City last month, disappeared in the desert Friday.

And, after one match, so did she.

Veteran Seles watchers will recall another flat showing at Indian Wells. (There was that sleepwalk of a loss against Henrieta Nagyova two years ago). But this listless second-round loss came against a little-known Italian player who had not won a match in 2001 before the Tennis Masters Series.

For Tathiana Garbin, who beat the No. 4-seeded Seles, 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-4, this was a career highlight, eclipsing previous victories over the likes of Meilen Tu. The other significant upset was earlier in the day, when Elena Bovina of Russia, a wild-card entrant, beat fifth-seeded Conchita Martinez of Spain, 6-4, 6-4.

The top three had little trouble: First-seeded Martina Hingis of Switzerland defeated Kveta Hrdlickova of the Czech Republic, 7-5, 6-0; defending champion and second-seeded Lindsay Davenport beat Nicole Pratt of Australia, 6-2, 6-1; and No. 3 Venus Williams eliminated Sarah Pitkowski of France, 6-0, 6-1.

Though Seles has not fared well against players ranked ahead of her, she usually doesn’t lose to those below her. But her latest defeat is in danger of defining a trend. Last week, Seles lost to Meghann Shaughnessy at Scottsdale in the semifinals.

“Both [losses] were kind of similar stories,” Seles said. “My game just kind of collapsed. I have to think about both of them a little bit. In some ways, a couple of things in my game just let me down big time.”

Garbin was speedy, playing well behind the baseline, and forced Seles to hit a lot of shots. Seles said she had little feel for the ball, and it showed as she netted a routine midcourt forehand to lose the first-set tiebreaker and hit another one in the net on Garbin’s second match point.

The charismatic 23-year-old from Bologna, who is ranked 54th, was thrilled with her accomplishment. She had an operation on her thyroid last year and is on medication, which accounted for her slow start in 2001.

Garbin served for the match at 5-3, lost the game, and tried to pull herself together on the changeover. “It’s only four points,” she said. “I have to think just that. Four, three, two, one. Then I made it.”

She was attempting to stay grounded. “I [feel] just glory inside,” she said. “Don’t fly too much.”

Bovina was nearly as giddy after beating Martinez. She chatted with the media for about half an hour, recalling the first time she came to Indian Wells as a 10-year-old.

“For me, it was a big day,” she said. “I remember I saw Goran Ivanisevic. He was so tall. Now I am as tall as he is!”

Bovina, who turns 18 today, is 6 feet 2 1/2 and has little fear on and off the court. She made jokes about the long name of her friend and countrywoman Lina Krasnoroutskaya. Then she had a lot to say about another Russian player, Anna Kournikova.

“Girls don’t like her because she doesn’t speak to any of us,” Bovina said. “She doesn’t communicate really. We don’t care about her.”

She said Kournikova speaks to older Russian players but shuns the other teenagers.

“All the other Russians are pretty much friendly with each other. Maybe it’s because she thinks we’re her future [competition],” Bovina said.

Notes

The men’s tournament, which starts Monday, gave out wild-card spots to rising teenagers Mardy Fish and Taylor Dent of Newport Beach as well as Ivanisevic and Chris Woodruff. . . . Attendance Friday was 9,827.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Tennis Masters Series

* Where: Indian Wells Tennis

Garden.

* When: Women’s play continues today, with the final March 17; men begin play Monday, with the final March 18.

* Today’s featured matches: Elena Dementieva vs. Kristina Brandi; Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario vs. Jennifer Hopkins; Serena Williams vs. Adriana Gersi; Martina Hingis vs. Cristina Torrens Valero; Amy Frazier vs. Rachel McQuillan; Nathalie Tauziat vs. Evie Dominikovic.

* Defending champions: Women: Lindsay Davenport; Men: Alex Corretja.

* Tickets: (800) 999-1585.