They Have Pluck of Draw

Close friends Monica Seles and Lindsay Davenport have shared plenty of memories through their long-and-winding careers -- Fed Cup victories, playing one another in the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2000 and meeting in four tournament finals. They’ve met in competition 11 times, Davenport having won nine times. They even have the same agent.

Their first-round match in the Home Depot WTA Championships tonight at Staples Center, however, has different implications. For one thing, the presence of Davenport and the sixth-seeded Seles in the season finale was hardly a sure thing at the start of 2002.

Then, the tournament was scheduled for Munich and Seles has been steadfast in her refusal to play in Germany since her 1993 stabbing in Hamburg. Davenport required surgery in January for a potential career-ending knee injury. She was sidelined until July and qualified for the $3-million event with an ambitious schedule, playing three consecutive indoor events in Europe. Though Davenport made the 16-player singles field, she is unseeded and could have landed in the draw next to No. 1 Serena Williams or No. 2 Venus Williams.

“I knew I was going to get a tough draw in the position of not being seeded,” Davenport said. “Obviously, I hoped not to play one of the Williams [sisters] in the first round. Even Monica, I think that’s a tough draw. There would have been some other players I would have much rather preferred to play.”

Seles has been training in Los Angeles with her coach, Mike Sell, for about a month, off the circuit, in part, because of a foot problem. She lost to Eleni Daniilidou of Greece in the semifinals at Bahia, Brazil, in September and has not played a match since then.

“I’ve always played well indoors,” Seles said. “I like it. I always played well at the Championships in New York, so hopefully I can continue that momentum here. I’m a little bit nervous because I haven’t played any tournaments a couple of months leading into it, but to go to Europe for one or two tournaments, I didn’t want to do it.”

Davenport has struggled with an injured shin and resumed practicing at full speed only a few days ago.

Though the Davenport-Seles match is the marquee pairing of the tournament’s first night -- combined they have 12 Grand Slam titles, nine for Seles, three for Davenport -- Venus Williams could face a difficult test against Patty Schnyder of Switzerland. Williams has not lost to Schnyder in four matches but has played only once since losing in the U.S. Open final to her younger sister Serena. In the day session, fourth-seeded Justine Henin of Belgium opens against 2000 semifinalist Elena Dementieva of Russia, followed by No. 5 Kim Clijsters of Belgium against Chanda Rubin. Henin has not lost to Dementieva in two matches, and Clijsters is 2-0 against Rubin. Rubin, however, is the only player to have defeated Serena Williams since Williams lost to Henin in the final of the German Open in early May.

The season-ending event moved to Los Angeles after a year in Germany. It had previously been held in New York since 1979. Certainly, continuity is going to be important in educating the public, Davenport said. And, admittedly, there is some confusion about the status of the tournament in the overall picture. Qualification starts with the first tournament in January, and the race to the championships is not determined by the rankings, which are used by the Grand Slams and WTA tournaments for seeding purposes.

“The mind-set of tennis, in the United States anyway, is that it kind of ends at the [U.S] Open,” Davenport said. “It’s trying to educate all the tennis fans, that we play all these tournaments indoors to build toward the end-of-year tournament.

“Obviously, it takes any tournament awhile to grow its fan base and get it roots down and get the public to understand what it is -- that it’s our fifth major. They probably don’t understand it. The fans in New York did. We were there [more than] 20 years.

“But when you keep moving it around, it’s hard for the local fans to know what it is. A lot of people will say, ‘I’m going to Staples Center, not quite sure what it is and who is playing.’ That’s when you’ve got to establish a foundation and keep it here a number of years. The first few years will be the toughest years, but hopefully you get through those and get it bigger and bigger as the years go on.”

*

Veteran Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario of Spain, who was heckled and driven to tears by a fan during the Fed Cup final in the Canary Islands against Slovakia, has withdrawn because of an injured thigh. Slovakia beat Spain, 3-1, to win its first Fed Cup title, and Sanchez-Vicario had been scheduled to play doubles with Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia in Los Angeles. Replacing them are Katarina Srebotnik and Tina Krizan of Slovenia.

TODAY’S MATCHES

First-round matches at the WTA Championships at Staples Center:

12:30 P.M. -- Elena Dementieva, Russia vs. Justine Henin (Belgium) followed by Kim Clijsters (Belgium) vs. Chanda Rubin.

7 P.M. -- Monica Seles vs. Lindsay Davenport followed by Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) vs. Venus Williams.

TV: 12:30 p.m., ESPN; 7 p.m., ESPN2.

Tickets: (213) 480-3232.

Singles History

The inaugural Virginia Slims Championships was sponsored by the Philip Morris Company and held in Houston during September 1970 and 1971 before moving to a year-end tournament. A look at results and venues of the past events now known as the WTA Tour Championship:

VIRGINIA SLIMS CHAMPIONSHIP

*--* Year Final Score Location 1972 Chris Evert def. Kerry Melville(Reid) 7-5, 6-4 Boca Raton, Fla

*--*

Seventeen-year-old Evert wins on clay then forfeits $25,000 to keep amateur status.

*--* 1973 Chris Evert def. Nancy Richey(Gunter) 6-3, 6-3 Boca Raton, Fla

*--*

No. 1 Evert wins expanded field of 32 without having to play injured No. 2 Margaret Court.

*--* 1974 Evonne Goolagong def. Chris Evert 6-3, 6-4 Los Angeles

*--*

Evert’s two-year run ends in first indoor event at Los Angeles Sports Arena.

*--* 1975 Chris Evert def. Martina Navratilova 6-4, 6-2 Los Angeles

*--*

Let the rivalry begin: No. 1 Evert takes third title against new foe and No. 2-seeded player.

*--* 1976 Evonne Goolagong def. Chris Evert 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 Los Angeles

*--*

Format switches to round-robin as popular Australian wins first three-set final.

*--* 1977 Chris Evert def. Sue Barker 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 New York

*--*

Evert makes it six consecutive finals with victory over Briton at Madison Square Garden.

*--* 1978 Martina Navratilova def. Evonne Goolagong 7-6, 6-4 Oakland

*--*

First title for Navratilova, who takes home $50,000 at Oakland Coliseum.

AVON CHAMPIONSHIP

*--* 1979 Martina Navratilova def. Tracy Austin 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 New York

*--*

Navratilova beats 16-year-old Californian and pockets $100,000.

*--* 1980 Tracy Austin def. Martina Navratilova 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 New York

*--*

U.S. Open champ Austin takes over world No. 1 in rematch of 1979 final.

*--* 1981 Martina Navratilova def. Andrea Jaeger 6-3, 7-6 New York

*--*

Oldest player (24) beats youngest (15 years, 9 months) for only second time in five tries.

*--* 1982 Sylvia Hanika def. Martina Navratilova 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 New York

*--*

No Evert, Austin, Jaeger; unseeded German stuns No. 1, halting year-long unbeaten streak.

*--* 1983 Martina Navratilova def. Chris Evert 6-2, 6-0 New York

*--*

Navratilova, “playing on another level now,” wins first unified circuit in women’s tennis.

*--* 1984* Martina Navratilova def. Chris Evert 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 New York

*--*

Navratilova wins first best-of-five women’s match in 83 years.

*--* 1985 Martina Navratilova def. Helena Sukova 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 New York

*--*

Navratilova avenges Australian Open semifinal loss to Sukova and wins $125,000.

*--* 1986 Martina Navratilova def. Hana 6-2, 6-0, 3-6, 6-1 New York Mandlikova

*--*

She wins seventh title, avenging 1985 U.S. Open final loss to Mandlikova.

*--* 1986 Martina Navratilova def. Steffi Graf 7-6, 6-3, 6-2 New York

*--*

Second event of the year moves to year-end finale as Navratilova wins fifth in a row.

*--* 1987 Steffi Graf def. Gabriela Sabatini 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 New York

*--*

Million-dollar event is first final without Navratilova (loses to Sabatini) since 1982.

*--* 1988 Gabriela Sabatini def. Pam Shriver 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 New York

*--*

Shriver (5) upsets Evert (3) and Graf (1), then lost her biggest final since 1978 U.S. Open.

*--* 1989 Steffi Graf def. Martina 6-4, 7-5, 2-6, New York Navratilova 6-2

*--*

Graf’s victory ties her career head-to-head record against Navratilova at 7-7.

*--* 1990 Monica Seles def. Gabriela 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 6-4, New York Sabatini 6-2

*--*

16-year-old wins 3-hour, 47-minute match; first five-set match in 89 years.

*--*

1991 Monica Seles def. Martina 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, New York Navratilova 6-0

*--*

Repeat of U.S. Open final; Navratilova playing in 13th Championship final.

*--* 1992 Monica Seles def. Martina Navratilova 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 New York

*--*

Becomes second woman behind Navratilova (1983-85) to win three titles in a row.

*--* 1993 Steffi Graf def. Aranxta Sanchez 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 New York Vicario

*--*

Graf, the world’s No. 1 player, takes third championship title.

*--* 1994 Gabriela Sabatini def. Lindsay 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 New York Davenport

*--*

Twentieth and final time Virginia Slims sponsors year-end tournament.

WTA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

*--* 1995 Steffi Graf def. Anke Huber 6-1, 2-6, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 New York

*--*

Graf wins all-German final for her fourth title.

*--* 1996 Steffi Graf def. Martina 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, 4-6, New York Hingis 6-0

*--*

Graf defends her title by defeating 16-year-old upstart for fifth time to no defeats.

*--* 1997 Jana Novotna def. Mary Pierce 7-6, 6-2, 6-3 New York

*--*

Novotna breaks through to win her first major title.

*--* 1998 Martina Hingis def. Lindsay 7-5, 6-4, 4-6, New York Davenport 6-2

*--*

Hingis wins in last final played as best-of-five sets.

*--* 1999** Lindsay Davenport def. Martina Hingis 6-4, 6-2 New York

*--*

In repeat of 1998 title, Davenport beats Hingis in straight sets for third time in 1999.

*--* 2000 Martina Hingis def. Monica Seles 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 New York

*--*

No Williams sisters in last event at MSG; Hingis wins ninth title of the year.

*--* 2001 Serena Williams def. Lindsay Davenport walkover Munich

*--*

Davenport defaults final after right knee injury on next-to-last point of semifinal vs. Clijsters.

* Best-of-five sets; ** Returns to best-of-three sets