Venus’ Status Unclear

The question of the day Monday at the $1.3-million Acura Classic women’s tennis tournament concerned whether or not Venus Williams would play her first-round match today against Gisela Dulko of Argentina.

The answer is still uncertain.

Williams, the tournament champion from 2000 to ‘02, retired from a semifinal match against Lindsay Davenport at the JPMorgan Chase Open in Carson on Saturday with a sprained right wrist.

She was examined Monday by a tour trainer, told to rest the wrist, and is expected to be re-examined today, a WTA tour spokesman said.

*

Anastasia Myskina, the 23-year-old French Open champion, spoke Monday of retirement within a few years as a real possibility, especially if she achieves her goal of becoming the No. 1-ranked player in the world.

Considering that Myskina currently is No. 5 on the WTA tour, the possibility might not be far off.

“I want to do something else. I don’t want to play tennis all my life,” said Myskina. “I will play my best a couple more years. I will do my best because I don’t want to leave the courts and be like, a top-10 player. I want to really be No. 1.”

But then, Myskina said, she would seriously consider walking away from the game.

“When you travel every year since you’re 8 years old, you feel so old,” she said. “You feel so tired. I’ve been here four days now, and I want to go home.”

*

Some of the seeded players in the singles draw struggled Monday, and they paid the consequences.

Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, seeded No. 13, fell to 19-year-old Ashley Harkleroad, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, and Elena Bovina of Russia defeated 15th-seeded Francesca Schiavone of Italy, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

In other matches, qualifier Lilia Osterloh, ranked No. 225, upended No. 26 Maria Vento-Kabchi of Venezuela, 7-6 (5), 6-2, and Karolina Sprem of Croatia defeated Marta Marrero of Spain, 6-3, 6-2. Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia beat qualifier Marissa Irvin of Santa Monica, 7-6 (3), 6-3, while Alicia Molik topped Nicole Pratt, 6-3, 6-4, in a meeting of Australians, and Barbara Schett of Austria outlasted qualifier Jill Craybas, 7-5, 6-7 (8), 6-2.