It’s All Downhill for Dokic, Again

Barbara Rittner had not won a match in 2003 before arriving at Indian Wells, spent almost four weeks fighting a severe case of bronchitis and traveled to the Pacific Life Open without a coach.

Not exactly the recommended way to prepare to play a top-10 player.

But that apparently doesn’t matter if Jelena Dokic is on the other side of the court. Rittner, of Germany, took advantage of the slumping 19-year-old Serbian, beating the sixth-seeded Dokic, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3, in the second round Friday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Dokic, who had a bye in the first round, has not won a match in her last three tournaments.

“Everyone has bad losses,” Dokic said.

This would fit that definition.

Rittner, who will turn 30 in April, is ranked 87th in the world and has won two tour titles since turning pro in 1989. Dokic has won five titles in the last two years, was a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2000 and reached No. 4 in the world in 2002. But instead of taking the next step forward, she has dropped to No. 9 and arrived here with recent losses to Lisa Raymond, Eleni Daniilidou, Ai Sugiyama and Meghann Shaughnessy on her resume.

Dokic has been working on changing her game this year, and the transition has been difficult.

“I did well [before], but there’s things to improve on,” she said. “Even players at 27 change their game all the time, why shouldn’t I at 19?”

Her drop in form coincided with the hiring of a highly regarded coach, Heinz Gunthardt, who worked with the legendary Steffi Graf. Dokic’s often-controversial father, Damir, is no longer a fixture at tour events.

The switch to Gunthardt may not produce immediate results, but the association sounds like a long-term work in progress.

“He’s much tougher,” Dokic said. “Everything is more disciplined. He knows exactly what I need to work on. He played himself so he understands a lot. He’s one of the best who is out there, not just because he worked with Steffi. He was the ideal one to pick.”

The other top players advanced with relative ease. No. 1-seeded Kim Clijsters of Belgium survived a momentary second-set lapse, defeating Fabiola Zuluaga of Colombia, 6-3, 7-5, and defending champion and No. 3 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia beat Petra Mandula of Hungary, 6-2, 6-3.

Clijsters was asked about the absence of Serena and Venus Williams, who have boycotted the tournament since 2001. She is the top target at Indian Wells, rather than the challenger.

“It’s never nice not to see the No. 1 and No. 2 player in the world competing at a tournament,” she said.

From a competitive standpoint, Lindsay Davenport was more candid after her first match here.

“The players look at it as a great opportunity to pull through and win,” Davenport said. “There’s no doubt Venus and Serena have been dominating for the last year or so. Things look better when they’re not entered in a tournament, no question.”

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Indian Wells wild cards were given to two former men’s champions, Mark Philippoussis of Australia and Michael Chang, as well as Mario Ancic of Croatia and Todd Martin. This will be Chang’s final appearance here because he is retiring this year, and the three-time Indian Wells champion will be honored with an on-court ceremony Monday. The 18-year-old Ancic, who reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, has struggled of late, winning one match in his last three tournaments.

In addition to the withdrawal of Pete Sampras -- who has no timetable for a return to the tour -- five other players pulled out of the tournament, which starts with main-draw matches Monday. Greg Rusedski of Great Britain, a finalist here in 1998, had left knee surgery Thursday and will be out until late April. Also withdrawing were Guillermo Canas of Argentina, Nicolas Escude and Paul-Henri Mathieu of France and Tommy Haas of Germany.

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Tennis Facts

SEEDED PLAYERS OUSTED FRIDAY

* Barbara Rittner, Germany, def. No. 6 Jelena Dokic, Serbia and Montenegro, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3.

* Cara Black, Zimbabwe, def. No. 11 Anna Pistolesi, Israel, 7-6 (3), 6-3.

* Emmanuelle Gagliardi, Switzerland, def. No. 19 Tatiana Panova, Russia, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

* Jelena Kostanic, Croatia, def. No. 32 Janette Husarova, Slovakia, 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-2.

FEATURED MATCHES

Today’s third-round featured matches at Indian Wells. TV coverage begins Monday on ESPN and ESPN2:

STADIUM COURT

* Meghann Shaughnessy vs. Eleni Daniilidou, Greece

* Elena Likhovtseva, Russia, vs. Lindsay Davenport

* Amelie Mauresmo, France, vs. Tamarine Tanasugarn, Thailand