FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN 2005

1. The New Russia: How about China? Ting Li and Tian Tian Sun won the women’s doubles gold medal at the Athens Olympics. It was China’s first tennis medal. And now comes Shuai Peng, who has gone from No. 326 in 2003 to No. 80 as of last week. She beat Anastasia Myskina and Nadia Petrova in Sydney and could play Venus Williams in the second round at Melbourne. “She’s very ambitious,” says her coach, Alan Ma.

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2. Finding No. 2: Will it be Mardy Fish, Taylor Dent or Vince Spadea settling in for the singles spot behind Andy Roddick in the first round of the Davis Cup? Round 1 went to Dent, who beat Fish in Sydney. Fish, angered by the loss, hit the showers and couldn’t find any conditioner to untangle his long hair. He solved the problem and is sporting a buzz cut in Melbourne.

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3. Search Party, Part II: The situation is looking serious for the U.S. women. Logical successors to the likes of Venus and Serena Williams and Lindsay Davenport have not stepped forward. And here’s another hint about the lack of emerging women. The two other seeded Americans at the Australian Open are in their 30s: No. 25 Lisa Raymond is 31, and No. 21 Amy Frazier is 32.

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4. Walking Wounded: Eagerly awaited dates to mark on the calendar

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5. Finally, Andre: Could there be room for two storybook endings, a bookend to the way Pete Sampras left tennis after winning the 2002 U.S. Open? Melbourne seemed as good a place for Andre Agassi as any before two things happened last week. Agassi hurt his hip in an exhibition and then the next day landed in the same quarter of the draw as defending champion Roger Federer. It’s hard to tell which was more painful.

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-- Lisa Dillman