Foursome Is Not So Fearsome Now

Daniela Hantuchova might not have won any more singles titles since practically blasting Martina Hingis into the desert sand a year ago at Indian Wells, but considering what’s happened to the three other Pacific Life Open semifinalists, Hantuchova is prospering:

* Hingis is gone, although certainly not forgotten. The kid who was within one match of completing a Grand Slam in 1997 may never play again on the tour.

That is according to Hingis, who is a few months younger than Venus Williams. She says she is all but retired, and if that’s the case, Indian Wells was her last final.

* Monica Seles withdrew from Indian Wells on Monday with yet another foot injury, this time to her left foot. Foot injuries bothered Seles before and after she lost to Hingis here last year, prompting her to pull out of tournaments and often resulting in losses to lesser players. Her second-round loss in January at the Australian Open to qualifier Klara Koukalova -- caused mostly by a twisted ankle in the first set -- was her earliest exit in Melbourne.

* Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland is playing Indian Wells -- she’ll face wild-card Mirjana Lucic of Croatia in the first round -- but has faced her share of maladies. Not long after losing to Hantuchova in three sets in the semifinals at Indian Wells, she was hit with a double dose of sickness, coming down with German measles and toxoplasmosis, a tropical disease carried by parasites. Recovery was more than a drop shot away, and her subsequent record in 2002 was dotted with first- and second-round losses.

And so, Hantuchova comes into Indian Wells as the strong survivor. By the end of last March, she was in the top 20 and on her way to the top 10, hitting No. 8 in October. The 19-year-old Slovak’s progress at the Slams has been remarkably consistent. She reached the quarterfinals at the last three, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2002 and the Australian Open in January.

The defending champion of the Pacific Life Open, which starts today with main-draw matches, is seeded third behind No. 1 Kim Clijsters of Belgium and No. 2 Jennifer Capriati. Lindsay Davenport is No. 4 and Amelie Mauresmo of France is No. 5.

Star power is a bit thin at the very top. The two dominant players, Serena and Venus Williams, are extending their Indian Wells boycott into a second year, and Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium is sitting out this tournament. Seles, Anna Kournikova and Mary Pierce all pulled out in the last week because of injuries.

Three players are returning after varying absences. Two-time champion Davenport was on crutches this time last year, recovering from knee surgery. Davenport won her first tournament since the surgery last month, beating Seles in the Tokyo final.

Capriati is playing at Indian Wells for the first time since 2000.

Mauresmo’s last appearance in the desert, three years ago, was painful. She retired in the second round because of a lower back injury and sat out seven weeks.

Capriati and Mauresmo are in the bottom half of the draw and could meet in the semifinals. Also in their section are Davenport, Anastasia Myskina of Russia, Elena Bovina of Russia, Meghann Shaughnessy and Alexandra Stevenson.

The upper half includes Clijsters, Hantuchova, Chanda Rubin, Jelena Dokic of Serbia and Ai Sugiyama of Japan. Sugiyama won in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Sunday, her first singles title since 1998. She beat Davenport in the second round, saved three match points against Stevenson in the semifinals and beat Clijsters in the final.

Because of inclement weather, Sugiyama played four matches Sunday, her singles semifinal and final and the last two doubles matches.

Sugiyama won the doubles title with Clijsters and, after starting at 10 a.m., her long day of tennis ended at 9 p.m.

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Pacific Life Open

When: Today through March 16.

Where: Indian Wells.

Top-seeded players: Women -- Kim Clijsters; Men -- TBA.

TV: Coverage starts Monday on ESPN and ESPN2.